Stories Television Doctor Who Season 9 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 The Mutants 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 12 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 3 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, April 8, 1972 Production Code NNN Written by Bob Baker, Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry Runtime 150 minutes Time Travel Future Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Environmental Message, Human Colony, Mission from the Time Lords Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!) Exile on Earth Inventory (Potential Spoilers!) Sonic Screwdriver Location (Potential Spoilers!) Solos Synopsis The Time Lords send the Doctor and Jo on a mission to deliver a sealed message pod to an unknown party aboard a Skybase orbiting the planet Solos in the 30th century. They are caught quickly in a power struggle between the cruel Marshal of Solos and the young Solonian Ky over the future of Solos — a future that hinges on the contents of the message. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save 6 Episodes Episode One First aired Saturday, April 8, 1972 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry UK Viewers 9.1 million Synopsis The Doctor and Jo arrive on the planet Solos, on a assignment by the Time Lords, where they learn that the native Solonians are mutating into ant-like mutant creatures... Episode Two First aired Saturday, April 15, 1972 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry UK Viewers 7.8 million Synopsis Ky transports himself and Jo down to Solos and the Marshal only agrees to help her if the Doctor assists Professor Jaeger in altering Solos' atmosphere. Episode Three First aired Saturday, April 22, 1972 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry UK Viewers 7.9 million Synopsis The Doctor and Varan travel down to Solos to search for Jo and Ky but the Marshal orders his men to pursue them. Episode Four First aired Saturday, April 29, 1972 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry UK Viewers 7.5 million Synopsis The Doctor and his friends are led to safety by Professor Sondergaard, who tries to help the Doctor translate the tablets. Episode Five First aired Saturday, May 6, 1972 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry UK Viewers 7.9 million Synopsis The Marshal's premature use of Jaeger's experiment is threatening to destroy Solos' atmosphere and the Doctor returns to Skybase to try and correct the damage. Episode Six First aired Saturday, May 13, 1972 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Christopher Barry UK Viewers 6.5 million Synopsis The Doctor is forced to help the Marshal cover up his actions with the Investigator but Jo and the others attempt to escape to expose him. Show All Episodes Characters Third Doctor Jon Pertwee Jo Grant Katy Manning How to watch The Mutants: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray The Collection – Season 9 DVD The Mutants VHS The Mutants (VHS) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 12 reviews 4 June 2025 · 23 words Review by ErickSoares3 An honestly engaging story about the environment and a warning about power hungry people who will even commit genocide to reach their goals. ErickSoares3 View profile Like Liked 0 23 May 2025 · 39 words Review by kawaii2234 Spoilers This review contains spoilers! turns out the warriors and the mutants are two parts in the cycle of some real f**ked up periodic cicadas. also the doctor is back in his purple lined cape and crimson velvet jacket. it's quite a look kawaii2234 View profile Like Liked 0 17 May 2025 · 332 words Review by Newt5996 This is a serial that by all accounts, it has a lot of what I love about Doctor Who and this era in particular. Yet, The Mutants is one of those serials with a lot of elements that just don’t click. It’s a serial with a handful of supporting cast performances that just do not work, Rick James being generally the worst (his delivery is almost entirely stilted). The cast generally feels almost entirely miscast: Paul Whitson-Jones as the Marshal is the one supporting cast member that I think works well, Garrick Hagen is trying but the material for his character Ky really does dry up in the back half of the serial, and both George Pravda and John Hollis are competing with each other for most ridiculous accent (Pravda wins). Bob Baker and Dave Martin also genuinely struggle, perhaps the most, with the pacing of a six part serial. The Mutants has enough material for six but the script struggles with getting from plot point to plot point. Structuring the inciting incident of the Doctor having to deliver a message for the Time Lords always keeps him as an outsider even though he supports the people of Solos in overcoming their oppressive, apartheid overlords. Doing active commentary on South Africa during apartheid is also bold and actually quite good for what it’s doing, it’s just keeping the Doctor in the story naturally that doesn’t work (pulling the trick from Colony in Space and The Curse of Peladon would have worked much better). The costumes of the story are brilliant, especially the futuristic designs, same with the general sets and the Mutants themselves. Christopher Barry as a director also excels at the psychedelic sequences and making the sets feel both futuristic and the location feel like an alien planet. I’d like this a lot more if there were just some minor changes to the structure and keeping the Doctor not feel like an observer who could easily leave whenever he wanted to. Newt5996 View profile Like Liked 0 18 April 2025 · 20 words Review by Azurillkirby 1 I actually really liked this one! A very cohesive plot for a six-episode serial, with some biting political commentary. A+. Azurillkirby View profile Like Liked 1 18 April 2025 · 41 words Review by Scottybguud Another one where the time lords send the doctor on a mission. Apart from Peladon, this doctor on another planet aren't very good stories so far. Just like Colony, this one is a bit boring but has a few ok scenes. Scottybguud View profile Like Liked 0 Show All Reviews (12) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating445 members 2.91 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 844 Favourited 25 Reviewed 12 Saved 6 Skipped 2 Related Stories The Blogs of Doom The Investigator Rating: ??? Story Skipped Short Story More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Blogs of Doom Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who and the Mutants Rating: 3.41 Story Skipped Book Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite JAEGER: Earth is fighting for its survival. The side-effects are of no importance! DOCTOR: Genocide is a side-effect? You ought to write a paper on that, Professor. — The Mutants Show All Quotes (3) Open in new window Transcript Needs checking Episode One [Solos] (An old man dressed in rags and with a huge grey beard is making his way through the scrubby vegetation, half hidden by the mist. He is out of breath and frightened.) MARSHAL [OC]: Over here! Move in! Path! He's heading to the path! This way! Over here! (A slightly portly man in black uniform with silver trim, helmet and breathing mask is carrying a device which is bleeping. He rips off the mask and shouts.) Show Full Transcript Open in new window
