Spearhead from Space: Episode 1

Episode aired Jan 3, 1970
TV-Y
24m

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Nicholas Courtney and Jon Pertwee in Doctor Who (1963)

Adventure Drama Family Sci-Fi

As the newly regenerated Doctor arrives on Earth, so does the Nestene.As the newly regenerated Doctor arrives on Earth, so does the Nestene.As the newly regenerated Doctor arrives on Earth, so does the Nestene.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
Because of a BBC strike, this story was shot entirely on location with no studio scenes. This made it the first Doctor Who (1963) serial to be made entirely on location and the only serial that was ever made entirely on film. The serial came close to the brink of being canceled after the first week of filming, but producer Derrick Sherwin persuaded the BBC to complete it on location. As a result, this serial was shot in about six weeks between September and November 1969 rather like a low-budget movie. Director Derek Martinus said Sherwin was "a very energetic and determined bloke. He had a tremendous fight to get the go-ahead, but he did and for a while, we all had this wonderful fantasy of doing Doctor Who all on film and selling it to America."

Goofs
Liz Shaw states that most meteorites don't reach the Earth's surface. However, by definition, all "meteorites" reach the surface of the Earth. She should have said "meteors" instead. The Brigadier makes the same mistake, but she is supposed to have an advanced degree in physics.

Quotes
Lethbridge-Stewart: In the last decade, we've been sending probes deeper and deeper into space. We've drawn attention to ourselves, Miss Shaw.

Connections
Featured in The Chronic Rift: Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Soundtracks
Oh Well, Part 1
Composed by Peter Green
Performed by Fleetwood Mac

User reviews15

Featured review

10/10

Gorgeous and great intro to Pertwee

Obviously listings like this on here are for fans, so these are just personal thoughts.

I wasn't aware of this being shot on film, I just kept thinking how great it looked. Now I know of the technician strike. I'm sure they got their issues worked out, but certainly a wonderful side effect.

It appears the strike itself was referenced in the episode in this dialog:

"HIBBERT: We're turning over to automation, General. It means we can keep staff down to a minimum. SCOBIE: Splendid. Don't get machines going on strike, eh?"

I've watched a lot of Who, starting with PBS in the 80s, and rather liked Pertwee, but never saw this one. It's comical to me personally that my reaction to Tennant's intro was that he was knocked out most of his first episode. Well, there certainly was precedent-- this very serial, where Pertwee is in a coma for half of it!