Terror of the Autons

"Death is always more fascinating when it strikes invisibly."

Writer: Robert Holmes
Format: TV
Broadcast: 2-23 January 1971
Season: 8.01

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

The Earth is endangered by a renegade Time Lord known as the Master, who steals a dormant Nestene energy. He reactivates it using the facilities of a radio telescope before using his hypnotic abilities to take control of a small plastics manufacturer, Farrel Autoplastics. There, he organises the production of deadly Auton artefacts ranging from plastic dolls, chairs and daffodils.

The Master has an evil scheme to destroy humanity and to silence his old foe, the Doctor, forever. He plans to awaken the awesome power of the Nestenes, a ruthlessly aggressive life form.

Verdict

Terror of the Autons was an excellent way to kick off the eighth season of Doctor Who! It really is a big story for a number of reasons. There's so much going on with the introduction of the Master who would go on to feature in every serial during this season, and he's played majestically by Roger Delgado. There's no waiting around for him to emerge or drip-feeding the audience details about his identity. He's thrust straight into action which I think worked brilliantly. We get to see the Master at his very best straight away which was excellent. If that wasn't enough, we had the return of the Autons which was done wonderfully well in conjunction with the debuting Master. They were sinister and their whole concept in of itself is just terrific. Making plastic scary is fantastically Doctor Who! It was done really well here with the daffodil toys and the phone wire for the part three cliffhanger. The expanding chair that then enveloped in on its victim was also pretty brutal! The importance of this serial doesn't stop with them though! We of course have the debut of Jo Grant as the companion and she arrives rather clumsily and much to the Doctor's annoyance. It's clear that they start to bond and the Doctor can appreciate what she can bring as his assistant as the story goes on which was nice. The Doctor also has contact with the Time Lords in this serial with a quite amusing encounter in part one. They were warning him of the Master's presence which was very interesting and I liked that through that we learned a little of the Doctor's past with the Master. Someone who was potentially superior when it came to intelligence! At least in cosmic science that is. The plot behind the story plays out really nicely and with an excellent pace. There's no dawdling around which I liked a lot. It's frantic, but just the right amount. The continuity from Spearhead From Space with the Master stealing the Nestene's energy device to send out a signal and bring Autons back to Earth was great. The Doctor's reaction when he was told that the Brigadier had allowed for it to be loaned to a museum was marvellous. Jon Pertwee definitely had a pretty strong outing as the Third Doctor. One thing I think was needed was a bit more of the Doctor and the Master together considering this was the latter's first appearance. It was a good moment when it came and I know we'll get more throughout the season, but that just seemed like it should have happened. The Brigadier and the rest of UNIT were good in this one and I think it worked well that they were encountering an alien threat they had history with. The cliffhangers were mostly strong with part two's certainly standing out. That blank image of the Autons is really good. I was surprised to hear them actually talk on the bus though! I'd forgotten that little anecdote despite this being a serial I know very well. Another positive I should mention regarding this story is the music that accompanied the Master and his dastardly ways. That was noticeable for all of the right reasons. The way things ended was decent and very pacy whilst creating tension with the impending airstrike. The comic nature of the individual that was shot just wearing a mask of the Master never fails to amuse me either. It's so barmy but brilliant. Just like the Colonel Masters facade really, he doesn't try hard to blend in! Overall though, a really great serial!

Rating: 9/10