We come to the Third Doctor’s beginnings with Spearhead from Space. I consider Power of the Daleks to be the most important Doctor Who story of all time, but this would not be too far behind in that conversation either. Even though changing the Doctor’s appearance worked brilliantly with Patrick Troughton, attempting this a second time to prove it wasn’t a fluke was just as risky. Not only that but taking such a radical approach to the format of the show. From the start of this era, we’d be spending most of the time on present day Earth rather than out amongst time and space, the show would take on a much larger cast of regular characters, move to a colourised presentation, adopt a more action-based tone with clear influence from Quatermass, and lean heavier into themes and topics that reflected on the then-present-day culture of the 70s. Whether that be the introduction of the Silurians and addressing the theme of two differing societies unwilling to co-exist based on different form of prejudice, or Inferno which based itself on the Russian’s attempt to drill to the centre of the Earth that was happening at the same time.

I can’t imagine how much of a shock it must’ve been for fans coming in from the Second Doctor era being thrown into a new era, with so few recognisable elements carried over. Unlike Power of the Daleks that used the Doctor’s number one enemies to help ease the transition with the Second Doctor, Spearhead from Space almost feels like a completely different show with only the Brigadier and UNIT there to help provide some familiarity. Fortunately, not only was Spearhead from Space successful but it went on to become part of my all-time favourite year in the show’s history and makes for a perfect jumping on point for newcomers to Classic Who.

As an added bonus, due to some filming troubles behind the scenes where they weren’t able to film on their usual videotape, Spearhead from Space ended up being the only Doctor Who episode made on 16mm film, making this the most cinematic looking episode in the show’s history and one of the best looking overall.

The real strengths of this story come from establishing the new setting for Doctor Who going forward with the introduction to the Third Doctor, continuing from the end of his previous life having been sentenced to exile on Earth without the use of his TARDIS, beginning his long employment with the military investigation group UNIT led by the Brigadier by assisting them with the alien invasion of the week and bringing on board a companion that can almost match him as his intellectual equal. Enter Dr Liz Shaw played by the later Caroline John who unfortunately only stayed for the one season and thus never got the chance to properly travel in the TARDIS. Nonetheless despite her short stay, Liz quickly become one of my favourite companions and one of the most capable the Doctor’s ever met with her scientific expertise.

Perhaps the biggest risk when going into this story was the fact that they gave the responsibility of beginning the new era to writer Robert Holmes who previously had scripted two of the worst Doctor Who stories of all time with The Krotons and The Space Pirates. Thankfully in one fell swoop he wipes the stigma of those stories away with this episode and it would be the first of many top-notch stories from him, Holmes might just be the best writer the show ever had and stories like this demonstrate why.

Season 7 is notable for being the first season to rely entirely on original monsters, an approach that worked so well that two of them would go on to reappear in later years, one being the Silurians and from this story we have the Autons. Living plastic drones under the control of a collective intelligence called the Nestenes who plan to use the Autons to infiltrate and destroy the human race. The Autons would go on to appear the following season in the much weaker but solid sequel Terror of the Autons which mainly served to introduce the Master and then would not be seen until 2005 with the relaunch of Doctor Who in its first episode Rose. These are one of Doctor Who’s more terrifying monsters with their blank facial expressions, their relentless will to destroy and their near indestructability. It wouldn’t shock me at all to know that these things scared the daylights out of children in all three appearances. Particularly in this episode during one of Doctor Who’s most iconic scenes where the shop window dummies come to life and begin marching through London killing everyone in their path. A scene that was frankly terribly remade in Rose, for one thing the Autons in this story don’t just fire wildly at people off camera so that we don’t get to see anyone killed! Also, the Nestenes in this story are defined as having no proper form and are represented by their chilling puppet Channing, rather than just being a roaring CGI blob making faces at the camera.

Overall, one of the best Doctor intro stories of all time and in my mind, the story that sealed the deal on Doctor Who’s long term future having proven twice that the show can change lead actors.