"Doctor Who" Colony in Space: Episode Five (1971)

Director:

Michael E. Briant

Writer:

Malcolm Hulke (by)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (1963)

Original Air Date:

8 May 1971 (Season 8, Episode 19)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Master offers to help the colonists in exchange for information on the Primitive city and forces the Doctor to act as a guide by taking Jo hostage. |

Plot Keywords:

Master | Dandy | Military Officer | Time Lord | Alien

Cast

Jon Pertwee	...	Doctor Who
Roger Delgado	...	The Master
Katy Manning	...	Jo Grant
Bernard Kay	...	Caldwell
Nicholas Pennell	...	Winton
John Ringham	...	Robert Ashe
Morris Perry	...	Dent
Tony Caunter	...	Morgan
Helen Worth	...	Mary Ashe
Pat Gorman	...	Colonist

Directed by
Michael E. Briant		(as Michael Briant)

Writing credits
Malcolm Hulke		(by)

Produced by
Barry Letts	....	producer

Original Music by
Dudley Simpson

Film Editing by
Bill Symon		(as William Symon)

Production Design by
Tim Gleeson

Sound Department
Brian Hodgson	....	special sound

Visual Effects by
Bernard Wilkie	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Hall	....	film cameraman

Music Department
Ron Grainer	....	composer: title music

Other crew
Terrance Dicks	....	script editor
Graeme Harper	....	production assistant

Writing credits
Sydney Newman		(creator) uncredited

Production Design by
Bob Cove		(1970s)
Victor Meredith
Michael Trevor

Makeup Department
Dorka Nieradzik	....	makeup designer (1982, 1984-1988)

Art Department
Peter Brachaki	....	production designer: TARDIS interior

Special Effects by
Mat Irvine	....	special effects (1970s-1980s)
Ian Scoones	....	special effects (1960s-1980s)
Ron Thornton	....	special effects (1980s)
Bernard Wilkie	....	special effects (1960s-1970s)

Visual Effects by
Mitch Mitchell	....	special video effects (1960's-1970's) (as A. J. Mitchell)
Bernard Lodge	....	title sequence designer (1963-1979) (uncredited 1963-1969)

Stunts
Alan Chuntz	....	stunts (1960's-1970's)
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (1960s)
Max Faulkner	....	stunts (1960's-1970's)
Stuart Fell	....	stunts (1970s-1980s)
Alf Joint	....	stunts (1960s-1980s)
Derek Martin	....	stunts (1960s-1970s)
Roy Scammell	....	stunts (1960s-1980s)
Lee Sheward	....	stunt coordinator
Terry Walsh	....	stunts (1960s-1970s)
Derek Ware	....	stunts (1960s-1970s)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stewart A. Farnell	....	camera operator (1 episode)
Peter Hamilton	....	camera operator (12 episodes)
Alan Jonas	....	camera operator (6 episodes)
Ken Westbury	....	camera operator (4 episodes)

Music Department
Paddy Kingsland	....	composer: incidental music (1980-1985)
Keff McCulloch	....	composer: incidental music (1987-1989)
Humphrey Searle	....	composer: incidental music (1965)
Dudley Simpson	....	composer: incidental music (1964-1980)

Other crew
Christopher Baker	....	production assistant
Ali Bongo	....	magic advisor
Kenneth J. Bussanmas	....	creative consultant (1979-1985)
Jeremy Hare	....	assistant floor manager (three episodes)

Runtime:

UK:25 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (DVD rating)

Trivia:

This episode was watched by 8.8 million viewers on its original transmission.

Average Doctor Who story.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Doctor Who: Colony in Space: Episode Five starts as the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) tries to convince Ashe (John Ringham) & the other colonists that the adjudicator is a fake but they refuse to listen, in an attempt to get proof the Doctor & Jo (Katy Manning) search the Master's (Roger Deldago) TARDIS. Meanwhile Captain Dent (Morris Perry) has discovered that the adjudicator is an impostor & has seized complete control of Uxarieus & intends to force all the colonists to either leave the planet for good or face execution...

Episode 19 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during May 1971, directed by Michael E. Briant this is continuing at a relatively slow pace & hasn't really got going. The script by Malcolm Hulke has been stuck in a rut for the last four episodes & while I hoped the introduction of the Master & the bug eyed brain headed aliens might liven things up a bit I have been left distinctly disappointed. The story has gone back & forth over the past four episodes, at one time the colonists are in control while moments later the IMC people are running things again with the Doctor & Jo awkwardly stuck in the middle. To be honest there's not a great deal of point for either of them to there except as peace makers, obviously with the Master turning up half way through Episode Four the Doctor actually has something to do & an enemy to fight although we still don't really know the Master's purpose on Uxarieus although I doubt it'll come as much of a surprise when we do.

The makers seem have forgotten about the bug eyed brain headed aliens in this episode as they don't feature at all, no they use the awful looking green ones. It's interesting to see inside the Master's TARDIS for the first time & note all the filing cabinets everywhere! Considering this is set during the year 2472 I would have though the Master might have had a computer to store all his data on rather than in paper folders in huge filing cabinets! Horribly dated 70's sci-fi, don't you just love it! The acting has been alright & the regulars have been solid as usual. Colony in Space was an early screen role for Helen Worth who plays Mary Ashe & she is probably better known to millions of British viewers for her role in over 500 episodes of the long running soap opera Coronation Street (1974 - 2007) as Gail Platt. An actress named Susan Jameson was originally cast as the villain Morgan but BBC bosses felt a woman playing the role would be too fetishistic so made the production team recast a man.

Colony in Space: Episode Five is an OK way to spend 25 minutes, as part of a larger six part story it doesn't add anything we haven't already seen in the others & is just a continuation of a drawn out story.