I had not seen The Sensorites until the days immediately before writing this review. It had, along with the other videos in the First Doctor pack have gone unwatched since Christmas-ish for this reason or that – so I was quite looking forward to watching a Doctor Who story I had never before seen.

I found I enjoyed The Sensorites; they being the third truly alien species (non-human in appearance) introduced to the programme and the first not to be portrayed entirely as the bad guys. The first two-and-a-half episodes disguise this though and it isn’t until the second half of episode three that we learn a little more about them and their motives.

The story makes an initial statement about commercial exploitation – the Sense Sphere is rich in a rare and valuable ore (called Molybdenum). The Sensorites fear the humans will mine this ore and destroy their world in the process, so they keep them captive in space aboard their ship in a limbo state – upon which the TARDIS crew arrives. The story begins slowly as the tension and suspicion of the Sensorites mounts; themselves remaining threatening third parties outside the action until the end of episode one, where one appears at the window of the space craft. The character of John adds to the creepy atmosphere in this first episode – lumbering blankly after Susan and Barbara, until finally collapsing child-like, his mind broken by the Sensorites, into Barbara’s arms. This menacing introduction of the Sensorites continues in episode two as Ian is stalked by two Sensorites through the ship, who recoil only when he threatens them with physical violence. It is only through Susan’s latent telepathy that communication between the two groups occurs. Fear is the motivator for episodes 1 and 2 – we find the Sensorites are just as frightened of the humans (and the TARDIS crew) as they are of them. The Doctor really takes the initiative here to get through this paranoia – firstly by convincing Maitland and Carol they can resist the Sensorites, and then by convincing the Sensorites what they are subjecting the humans to is wrong. The action then moves to the Sense Sphere, where the main story begins to unfold.

There are two protagonists at work – one which schemes from within and the other from without. The Sensorites are being poisoned off through their water supply, while the City Administrator is scheming first against his superiors – initially through fear of the human visitors and then for his own personal gain. Over the remaining three-and-a-half episodes the TARDIS crew along with the humans assist the Sensorites to deal with both these problems; finally exposing some deranged survivors of a previous human expedition hell-bent on exterminating the Sensorite population (through poison) so the planet’s Molybdenum can be mined and their pockets lined with a percentage of the profits.

There are some great things about this story. Like the three previous stories set on alien worlds, an effort has been made to give a structure, perhaps even a culture or history to the races encountered; even if this is just mentioned and not explored in detail. The Sensorites have a caste system, are attached to family groups and are governed hierarchically by two elders and a City Administrator. They communicate telepathically and have aversions to darkness and loud noise. Perhaps most importantly, they are timid and abhorrent to violence; shown clearly by the First Elder - shocked at the notion that the Second Elder’s murder could be the actions of a Sensorite. The Sensorites look alien enough (particularly with their whiskery faces and circular feet) while still being bipedal; and the City sets assist with giving their world a ‘non-Earth’ feel. Their telepathy is what makes them truly alien – and this is handled well in the story. Having a Sensorite stand and look blankly forward while communicating telepathically would look unwieldy, so they do it by pressing a small prop – almost like the end of a stethoscope – to their forehead when they do. This gives the telepathy a visual side which makes it more effective and realistic.

The acting in this story is quite good, although there is probably not one speaking actor who does not fluff a line. Susan, in particular, is given more scope in this story than previous. I have thought her character melodramatic and sometimes inappropriately used in previous stories, but here she is useful and given more to do than stand around whimpering and crying out for her Grandfather. She is the one who initiates contact with the Sensorites and takes the first step to break down the paranoia between them and their human captives. Her relationship with the Doctor is also shown to be changing – she begins to act more like a teenager growing up than a meek child.

In my view the story carries a strong underlying theme – fear of the unknown. This theme is explored in detail through the first two episodes, where consequences of the Sensorites behaviour is shown in opposition to a civilised norm. The absence of a medium for communication in these early episodes has both parties recoiling from each other – resorting to threats (and the use of) violence to alleviate this fear. It is through Susan’s telepathic link that both sides begin to communicate and work through their fears. In the end, the Sensorites are able to undo their mental crippling of John – and the Doctor is able to help them by finding an antidote to the poison in their water supply and eventually dealing with the problem. This example of the unlike and the like being able to co-operate and work together through communication is thought provoking in itself considering production timing of this story – 1964, in the middle of the Cold War. Now I know there have been enough dissertations produced on how Doctor Who stories have reflected political, social and even religious views over the years so I’ll leave the point there – but in my opinion this is one of the more obvious examples of a Doctor Who story imitating its times.

One criticism of The Sensorites is its pace. It does chug along, but I don’t think it’s a story for the casual viewer. I watched it over a few evenings which was just right – I think even a fan would have a hard time watching all six episodes in one sitting. That said though, the story was written to span six weeks, not three hours – so perhaps this is not a relevant consideration. Then there is the City Administrator impersonating the murdered Second Elder simply by wearing his sash of office alone; the only real insipid part of a sound and cohesive storyline.

In my opinion The Sensorites is a good early attempt at building an alien race and their civilisation and writing a story around them. While it may not be the most action packed, fast paced Doctor Who story – it isn’t slow to the point of boring. To me, The Sensorites is one of those lesser known stories which don’t often draw attention to themselves. It isn’t remembered as one of the worst examples of Doctor Who; but it isn’t remembered as a classic story either.

I have two impressions of fandom’s attitude to ‘The Sensorites’. Firstly, not than many fans have seen it, since it has not yet been released on video (although it has been repeated on UK Gold). Secondly, it is considered to be dull and is notorious for having probably more fluffed lines than any other Hartnell Doctor Who story. I consider the first of these points to be shame, and I disagree with the second (well, except for the fluffed lines). In short, I rather like ‘The Sensorites’.

The best part about ‘The Sensorites’ is episode one, which is marvelously creepy and tense, as the TARDIS materializes aboard a seemingly dead ship, then meet the terrified, captive crew, and are subsequently trapped with them when the Sensorites steal the TARDIS lock. The creatures themselves remain unseen until the end of the episode one, and when they do appear their very alien appearance adds to their impact. They continue to be a silent, ominous threat until in episode two we start to learn more about them. John is also crucial to the creepiness of episode one, as he lurches, zombie-like after Barbara and Susan, his face terrifyingly blank; as with the Sensorites however, we soon learn that he is not as scary as he might first appear, and becomes a figure of sympathy as he breaks down in Barbara’s arms and then defies the Sensorites when they try to force them to make him frighten the women. This character development is crucial to the success of ‘The Sensorites’, as the suspense in episode one gives way to a fascinating study of the timid aliens. Just as they misjudged Carol and Maitland, and later the Doctor and his friends, so we initially misjudge them based on their actions and appearance; once their actions prove to be motivated by fear, they too become sympathetic as we learn of the human-caused plague that is killing their people. Often, when fans discuss “people monsters” (to quote Terrance Dicks) they tend to think of Malcolm Hulke creatiosn such as the Silurians and the Draconians. The Sensorites are the earliest example in Doctor Who, with the gentle and trusting First Elder, the suspicious but ultimately noble Second Elder, and the xenophobic and power-mad City Administrator. Even the City Administrator, the villain of the piece, is motivated by fear, although this later gives way to power lust. The lesser characters are also well presented, including the honourable Chief Warrior who is impressed by human bravery, the curious and philosophical scientists who is keen to learn from the alien visitors, and the City Administrators sadistic accomplice. In addition to their individuality, the Sensorites are also memorable for their alien differences – they are terrified of sound and darkness, both factors that make them as vulnerable as the TARDIS crew, John, carol and Maitland. The Sensorites’ telepathy is also well handled, initially adding to their seeming menace, as it enables them to influence human minds. The large bald head masks used to create the distinctive appearance of the Sensorites are very effective, and with the excellent city sets, the Sense-Sphere is an impressive attempt at creating an alien world. This is further enhanced by what tidbits we are given about their society, with references to the caste system and family groups (in fact, the most question that remains unanswered, is how they reproduce, since they are all seemingly male). And Peter Glaze makes a surprisingly good villain. 

As always, the TARDIS crew impress. The Doctor really takes centre stage here, and has the most important role in a story for arguably the first time in the show’s history – whereas previously, Ian and Barbara have shared the limelight with the Doctor, here is responsible for solving almost all of their problems, and the problems of the Sensorites – he quickly takes charge on board Maitland’s ship, showing Maitland and Carol that they are strong enough to resist the Sensorites, and he solves the Sensorites’ poisoning problem, venturing into the aqueduct alone and without trepidation, and constantly seeming delighted at the challenges presented to him here. As the show progresses, the emphasis shifts from the Doctor’s companions to the Doctor himself, but IMO this is the first time that he really takes centre stage. 

Susan also fares particularly well here, and is vital to the process of befriending the Sensorites; this is not only because of her ability to communicate telepathically with them, but also her willingness to trust them. Her first ever argument with the Doctor shows how she is changing and it is nice to see her do more than just scream hysterically without, well, screaming hysterically. Barbara is largely sidelined after the first two episodes, in order to give Jacqueline Hill a holiday, but Ian continues to play the role of hero, unhesitatingly going to the Doctor’s aid in the aqueduct despite having just got up off his sick bed after being near-fatally poisoned. 

The human supporting cast is adequate, although only Stephen Dartnell (Previously Yartek) as John really impresses, with his broken and pathetic performance in episodes one and two. Maitland and Carol are fairly dull, but this is largely because of their characters rather than a product of bad acting. The mentally ill but greedy and murderous humans living in the aqueduct are well-played and convincingly unhinged, and it is the first time that we have human villains in a Doctor Who story set on an alien planet. 

‘The Sensorites’ isn’t perfect by any means; the often derided concept of the City Administrator impersonating the Second Elder by wearing his sash is misinterpreted I think, since it seems to the intention that the Administrator only poses as the Second Elder to Sensorites who haven’t met either of them, which is apparently the case with the Chief Warrior. Unfortunately, he meets the scientist in the same disguise, and the scientist meets both Second Elder and City Administrator a few scenes earlier; this would mean at least that they look enough alike to fool a very casual acquaintance, but since there are differences between the Sensorite masks worn by the actors, I think this is a genuine mistake. I’ll also admit that ‘The Sensorites’ isn’t very action packed once the story moves to the Sense-Sphere. Overall however, ‘The Sensorites’ is a successful early attempt at a character-driven examination of an alien culture, and in my opinion at least it is certainly not dull.

Originally recorded as the penultimate serial of the first season, Planet of Giants was held over to open the show's second season, beginning a tradition that would run throughout the sixties. This story had been in the pipeline ever since the series inception a year earlier, but due to the extensive visual effects requirement the serial  originally penned by C.E. Webber  was shelved. Louis Marks ended up reworking Webber's miniscule idea into the three-part ecological thriller that eventually aired in October and November 1964, and I have to say it is one of my favourite William Hartnell stories. Whether its long incubation contributed to the story's brilliance or not I don't know, but it seems that a year's hands on experience producing Doctor Who certainly imbued Verity Lambert and her production team with the confidence they needed to attempt such an ambitious project.

For a low-budget TV serial that aired in 1964, the production quality of Planet of Giants is out of this world. Monochrome may be forgiving, but even so director Richard Martin has managed to pull off some wonderful visual effects here - the clever use of scale models and camera trickery really helps to convey the difference in size between the real world and our miniaturised travellers, and best of all it doesn't look cheap and nasty like the C.S.O. catastrophes that would plague seventies Who!

Even more important than the visuals though is the story. Louis Marks' first Doctor Who script manages to find just the right balance between drama, spectacle and that ol chestnut, education. Ian and Barbara are at their schoolteacher best, educating the audience about pesticides and such like. The пїЅbaddieпїЅ, Forester, is the first real twentieth century villain that the Doctor and his companions ever come up against. HeпїЅs just a man; someone who is out to make a buck and damn the environment. In a sense, he is a much more disturbing protagonist than a Dalek or a Voord because heпїЅs closer to home. This element of familiarity is one of пїЅPlanet of GiantsпїЅ greatest strengths, and is something that would become a staple of Doctor Who in later years, particularly in the mostly-Earthbound Jon Pertwee era and also in the next serial, пїЅThe Dalek Invasion of Earth.пїЅ This story takes everyday things like a man in a suit, an insect, a cat and a plughole and turns them into the stuff of nightmares.

However, пїЅPlanet of GiantsпїЅ does have one rather major flaw, although it isnпїЅt one that can be blamed on the writer, cast or crew. For some reason, Donald Wilson, then Head of the BBC Script Department, decided to cut the serial down from four episodes to three two weeks before it aired. Obviously this resulted in the hasty editing of the final two episodes into the aptly named single episode, пїЅCrisis,пїЅ and sadly a lot of the remaining material is a bit nonsensical, especially at the beginning of the third episode. How do the Doctor and Susan escape the water coming down the plughole, ey?

Regardless of its problems, пїЅPlanet of GiantsпїЅ remains to this day one of my favourite first Doctor serials. The performances are all top-drawer to match an inspired production, and its brevity aside I canпїЅt think of a bad word to say about it. Think Honey I Shrunk The KidsпїЅ but in black and whiteпїЅ and good.

Following a five-week holiday after “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” wrapped, Doctor Who’s second production block made an unpromising start with this strange little story, “The Rescue.” Normally I have a strong opinion either way about a Doctor Who story, but this two-parter really has me stumped. I’ve seen it two or three times now and I’ve gone from absolutely hating it, to finding it quite charming… and then all the way back again!

“The Rescue” has quite a bit going for it. To begin with, it has the brand new gimmick of introducing a new companion. The trouble is, she isn’t new. When Carole Ann Ford left at the end of the first recording block, Maureen O’Brien was contracted to play ‘Susan.’ Although her name may have changed, her character is so similar to her predecessor’s that it’s hard to get excited about her arrival. To be fair, in “The Rescue” Vicki is portrayed as quite a damaged young woman beset with grief, but she recovers from her ordeal surprisingly quickly and soon becomes the ‘teenage girl from the future’ that Susan was. However, I feel that David Whitaker should have explored the effects of Susan’s departure on the TARDIS crew more fully rather than focus so much on the new girl. Obviously a TV show has to look forwards, but even so Susan’s departure is barely mentioned let alone dealt with. Thankfully, Paul Leonard would later write the Missing Adventure “Venusian Lullaby” which would explore Susan’s sudden departure in a much more satisfying manner.

I liked a lot of the lighter moments in “The Rescue”; there is one scene I found particularly amusing where Barbara kills a horrific creature that turns out to be Vicki’s pet! Best of all though, I found it hilarious that the villain of the piece - Koquillion - is revealed to be Bennett, a human criminal in disguise. The production team actually have an excuse for providing a fake-looking monster as it’s supposed to be fake! 

At the end of the day, “The Rescue” does its job well in introducing Vicki to the series, but under modern scrutiny, the way Susan’s departure is (not) dealt with is unforgivable. My advice would be either to enjoy this serial for what it is, a quaint little two-parter, or if you’re after the heavy stuff check out “Venusian Lullaby” instead.

This is a fun little story. The basic plot about a ruthless businessman who commits crimes to protect his profits isn’t terribly engaging, but the twist of having the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan at an inch tall is. It’s fascinating and rather amusing to watch them struggling to survive the perils of a garden walkway and a laboratory sink. Perhaps more than any other Doctor Who story, this one taps into the imagination of childhood, where ordinary objects become extraordinary and perilous.

The production values are excellent. For the tiny budget that was available to the production crew, they turned out some pretty good giant ants and a reasonably convincing giant fly (and the thumping drumbeats that accompany Barbara’s discovery of the fly are the perfect accompaniment to that scene). The briefcase looks good, as does the giant match and pile of seeds. The phone is decent, though the phone cord isn’t too convincing. The lab sink and plunger are the best of the lot. 

The guest characters are not terribly inventive, but they work to keep the story moving. Forrester, the ruthless businessman who will lie and kill to try and avoid financial ruin is a character of pure clichй. But the story needs a villain to drive the plot, and with the size reduction of the crew being the primary focus, there’s really no time to develop more complex characters, so Farrow works in the context of the story. Smithers is a bit more interesting. He’s supposedly driven by concern for humanity, yet he’s fairly blasй about the death of Farrow, the government official sent to oversee the DN6 project. In the end he realizes just how destructive DN6 really is and the indications are that he would ultimately have abandoned the project. He’s not a sympathetic character though, just more realistic about consequences than the driven Forrester. Farrow is little more than a conscientious official doing his job, but he does come across as sympathetic, and his murder is a brutal thing, if creatively handled by the production team as an explosion heard by the tiny TARDIS crew.

The four regulars do their usual excellent acting job. They seem to be having fun with the script and the concept, and it had to be easier to act against giant props than it would have been to act against a bluescreen. Ian impresses as always with his adaptability and resourcefulness, and Barbara’s selflessness in wanting to stay and do something to stop the murderers rather than get back to the TARDIS immediately to cure her condition is admirable. I’m not quite sure why she’s so reluctant to tell Ian that she got insecticide on her hand though. And it’s nice to see the Doctor and Susan get one last outing together before Susan leaves the ship in the next story. She really is a lot more likeable than I’d remembered.

There is something that’s often overlooked about this story. The Doctor actually succeeds in returning Ian and Barbara to 20th century Earth, in the right year! “The War Machines” isn’t the first story set in present day surroundings, “Planet of Giants” is. Not that it does Ian and Barbara much good at an inch tall!

Overall, as I said in the beginning, this is a fun story. Nothing deep or weighty, just pure imagination. A good start to the season.

“The Romans” is Doctor Who’s first real stab at historical humour. There were hints of it evident in “The Reign of Terror”, but nothing as full-blown as we see in this story. At times it works and at times it doesn’t, but on the whole “The Romans” entertains more than it annoys. The TARDIS crash landing at the start of the serial is superb; even the visual effects don’t look all that bad. After such a promising beginning though, the story slows down enormously as the TARDIS crew rest up in a villa outside Rome.

There is a lot in this story that made me laugh out loud, most memorably the Doctor’s wonderful ‘fisticuffs’ sequence and the trick he plays in front of Nero with the lyre – this story really is the William Hartnell show! Derek Francis’ Nero is also hilarious, although at times things almost descend into a ‘Carry On’ style farce as he chases Barbara around! In terms of the more serious side of the story, Vicki is handled well by Spooner who gives her the old ‘you can’t meddle with history’ treatment. Tavius (Michael Peake) is an interesting character and his affection for Barbara is touching, as is the camaraderie between Ian and the slave he escapes from the shipwreck with, whom he is later forced to fight. The story’s final scenes are particularly memorable, even if they are at odds with the general tone of the story; Rome burns around Nero as she stands alone, playing his lyre.

All things considered, I can’t help but feel that “The Romans” was a something of a wasted opportunity. So many things are lightly skipped over in this story that would have made for a brilliant, serious Doctor Who adventure а la “The Aztecs.” Nevertheless, on Hartnell’s exceptional performance alone Spooner’s story holds up reasonably well even today, forty years on, so I suppose it can’t have been that much of a waste. The verdict? Good, but could have been so much better!