Disclaimer: This is only a Review of the Animation, I already left my Thoughts on the Original Story in a Review for that one, if you are curious to hear how I feel about the Story itself, feel free to read it there!

To me this is the perfect middle ground between keeping true to the original and changing things, the things that get changed come only around the later parts with no surviving Episodes, despite being the first Release with all Episodes animated, I think you can easily watch the surviving ones with the Animation without any Problems, something, which can’t be said for the other ones often (which isn’t bad, just an approach I am not personally too fond of). The likenesses are a bit hit-and-miss, especially Throughton, but it’s still a quite solid Animation!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“THE FACELESS ONES: SHAPE-SHIFTING SHENANIGANS AND A FAREWELL FIZZLE”

As we wave goodbye to Ben and Polly, The Faceless Ones delivers a six-part alien invasion mystery set against the bustling, very '60s backdrop of Gatwick Airport. The setup is immediate: the TARDIS arrives, the gang gets split up, and a creeping menace begins to reveal itself. Though only Episodes 1 and 3 survive, the 2020 animated reconstruction does an admirable job filling in the gaps—injecting colour, movement, and even a few fun in-jokes for keen-eyed fans.

THE DOCTOR AND JAMIE: A BUDDY COP ACT BEGINS

Patrick Troughton leans further into his Sherlock Holmes persona here, investigating with twitchy brilliance while Frazer Hines’ Jamie at last takes centre stage as the primary companion. The easy chemistry between the two is instantly enjoyable, and this story marks the true beginning of their much-loved double act—equal parts banter, bafflement, and bravery—that would carry them through to The War Games.

Pauline Collins’ spirited Samantha Briggs essentially steps into Polly’s role for much of the story. Sharp, determined, and undeniably companion-worthy, she more than holds her own alongside Jamie, and it’s no wonder she was reportedly offered a spot on the TARDIS crew. Her refusal to join is history’s loss.

SHAPELESS HORRORS AND YOUTHFUL ABDUCTIONS

The Chameleons themselves—while not the most famous of classic monsters—are a genuinely unnerving concept: faceless aliens stealing the identities of young people and hiding in plain sight. Their chilling half-reveal at the end of Episode 1 is a textbook Doctor Who cliffhanger—one of the best of the Troughton era.

Their sinister plan, gradually teased out over the episodes, is surprisingly grounded. These are not snarling, frothing monsters—they're logical, even diplomatic invaders, willing to parley with the Doctor. It's refreshing. That said, even with their creepy new animated designs, they never quite deliver on their early promise, ultimately becoming underwhelming as the plot wraps up.

THE AIRPORT ADVENTURE: AN EVERYDAY SETTING TURNED SINISTER

The decision to set the story in a working airport is a stroke of genius. It’s the perfect example of classic Who turning mundane modernity into a theatre of mystery and menace—long before Moffat did it with statues or shadows. The idea of aliens running a shady travel agency abducting youths en masse is creepy and clever, and the script keeps that tension simmering for most of its runtime.

The move to the Chameleon space station later on gives the story some much-needed variety, and the visual transition—especially in the animated version—is handled well. However, like many six-parters, the story suffers from padding. There are only so many times you can swap between the airport, the Commandant’s office, and another interrogation before the tension starts to sag.

GOODBYE BEN AND POLLY... SORT OF

Alas, for a farewell story, Ben and Polly are shamefully sidelined. After appearing in Episodes 1 and 2, they vanish entirely until a rushed goodbye scene at the end of Part 6. It's a particularly Dodo-like departure—off-screen, unearned, and undeserved. Given how charming and engaged they’ve been in past stories (The Highlanders, The Moonbase), it’s a bitterly anticlimactic exit. Still, it’s a sweet touch that they leave on the same day they first entered the TARDIS in The War Machines.

A STRONG SUPPORTING CAST AND A DASH OF BOND

The guest cast is a highlight. Bernard Kay (in his third of four Who appearances) plays it straight as the no-nonsense inspector, and Donald Pickering brings a chilly menace to the Chameleon leader. Pauline Collins lights up every scene she’s in as Samantha, and even the dour Commandant and cheerful Jean Rock are solid additions.

There’s also a cheeky Bond-style laser trap in Episode 3, complete with a very Goldfinger-esque vibe—one of the few action flourishes in an otherwise talky tale.

ANIMATION AND ATMOSPHERE: A MODERN REDEEMER

The BBC’s animated restoration is strong—simple, yes, but functional, and occasionally even stylish. The expressive movement, clever camera angles, and updated Chameleon designs make the story feel a little more alive than it might have done in 1967. While the facial likenesses are hit and miss, the animation enhances the setting's scale and gives weight to the action scenes. The incidental music is low-key and atmospheric, accentuating the creeping dread around the airport and aboard the alien ship.

A STORY WITH STRONG BONES BUT TOO MUCH FLAB

Ultimately, The Faceless Ones has some great ingredients: a solid mystery, a terrific setting, a fresh monster, and a new dynamic between the Doctor and Jamie. But like many six-part stories, it takes too long to get to the point and doesn’t quite know how to end. The plot circles itself too often, and the finale is a tad too tidy. Still, it's an important story, not least for its place in Who history as the swansong of two original companions and the real start of the Troughton/Hines double act.

📝VERDICT: 77/100

THE FACELESS ONES is a story full of potential—clever villains, an inspired setting, and a reshaped TARDIS dynamic—but it's dragged down by filler and a criminally weak send-off for Ben and Polly. The animated reconstruction helps breathe new life into it, and Jamie and Samantha shine, but this is a six-parter that would’ve soared as a four. Fascinating, flawed, and frustrating in equal measure.

The Faceless Ones
Atmospheric and creepy, but brightened up by the comedic timing of the Season 4 TARDIS team! I wasn't overly impressed with the animation, however, with the art looking a little cheap at times, the movement often being stilted and there being a few awkward moments where people just stared at each other, lacking the human mannerisms that accompanies live-action.

Overall, the Doctor's far more serious in this story than he usually - whereas this incarnation is usually light-hearted, playing the recorder or just messing about, he's immediately thrown into the action, upon finding a murder scene and losing two of his companions by the time the credits roll for Episode 1. Despite this, he gets his fair share of funny moments, disregarding passports as "official mumbo jumbo". A particular favourite of mine is that first scene with the entire team where the policeman's running towards them, at which point the Doctor, Jamie and Polly all seem to run off in the same direction after the former yells "scatter". This is probably the first instance where he and Jamie seem to bond as the iconic companion duo, considerably so because Ben and Polly have been kidnapped for most of this, and it's great to see this pairing get to have their little comedy bits show up because you can tell that the cast are having great fun - with Jamie holding his newspaper upside down, for example. Where the hell is Ben for most of this? You can tell that his inclusion was unnecessary, because Jamie was the companion for the Doctor, and Polly was the one who had been taken by the Chameleons to raise the stakes, so they didn't have anything left for him to do. It's a bit disappointing, because it seems that once Jamie came aboard the TARDIS, he took the role of the main male companion so Ben became redundant - the same happened with The Macra Terror. However, his departure with Polly is bittersweet, if not a little sudden. At least they got to say goodbye, rather than Dodo just running off.

Again, I think the animation let this story down. The Chameleons, in my opinion, look far creepier in the live-action version of the story. However, this story just makes them look a bit "generic monster"-esque, as there's not enough of the grotesque features emphasised that makes them just a husk of a body, hence why they need new ones. In terms of the characters themselves however, they're really creepy! The way they're always watching the Doctor, meaning they're always one step ahead creates a really tense atmosphere. Their presence in the airport is always felt, always dominating the screen, and the mystery surrounding them is built up well.

So this story is significant for being the first time Doctor Who has filmed on-location, so it's a shame that the story is mostly missing so that we can't admire these locations. However, the animation has recreated this decently, with a few easter eggs added in with a Wanted poster of the Delgado and Dhawan Masters, and the Magpie Electricals store in the background. Every scene is visually interesting and helps to build the tension across the story, but it was often a little dark and I often had trouble seeing what was going on in the Chameleon Tours building. I did watch it in black and white as it was meant to be watched, so that could be a reason for that issue I had. The Chameleon spaceship is a great contrast from Gatwick Airport, but both settings were developed and explored well, and there's such a grand scale to this story because of this.

There's quite a large cast for this story. There's of course, Polly's replacement, Queen Victoria- I mean, Samantha Briggs. She's always fun and independent, but she always seems to get on with Jamie and knows how to wind him up. I'm excited for the relationship between the pair to develop over the course- What's that? She's not the new companion? That's a real shame that she decided not to stay on as the new companion, I enjoyed her company and I think I would've preferred her to Victoria. The airport security unfortunately fell into "generic military" tropes where the Doctor ends up getting captured and having to win their trust - It's nothing we haven't seen before.

This is a really great story - the scale's massive, the TARDIS team are usually on-form (If half of them actually decided to show up) and the monsters are tense and definitely are iconic, but there are a few marks where it falls short on. Firstly, the animation isn't always the best, and I definitely enjoyed the Macra Terror's artwork more, as well as it feeling a little slow and boring. If it was four parts, it might have been a classic.
7/10

an animation we deserve