Doctor Who - Invasion Of The Dinosaurs

Starring Jon Pertwee & Elisabeth Sladen, with Nicholas Courtney, John Levene & Richard Franklin.

Written by Malcolm Hulke.
Directed by Paddy Russell.

Returning to London, the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith find a city almost completely devoid of life. The civilian population has been evacuated in the wake of an unimaginable event: somehow, dinosaurs have returned to terrorise the Earth...

As the Brigadier and UNIT fend off increasingly vicious attacks from gigantic prehistoric reptiles, the Doctor investigates just how these monsters are appearing without warning. But when Sarah Jane is kidnapped, the Doctor realises that perhaps even his oldest friends can't be trusted...

For years and years, Invasion Of The Dinosaurs was just 'the one with the rubbish dinosaurs'. The reputation of this story was built solely on that one tiny detail, to the point where any other parts of this story were totally forgotten about. And it was uniformly terrible: everyone who'd ever seen it said that it wasn't worth watching, not helped by the fact that one episode was only available to watch in black and white and that it was one of the last Doctor Who stories to be released on VHS back in 2003. However, in recent years, Invasion has gone through something of a renaissance. With a whole new generation watching and enjoying the show, and a restored DVD release, people have looked upon this story much more favourably. And, I have to agree: Invasion Of The Dinosaurs is a great story, let down simply by the poor realisation of the dinosaurs. If it wasn't for that simple issue, then Invasion Of The Dinosaurs would be a fantastic example of Pertwee era Who daring to be very different to usual, and scoring big. Having said that, I do think the dinosaur issue is overstated, and there's much more that this story has to offer than that.

The plot of this story is instantly engaging, and it only gets better as it goes along: the Doctor and Sarah return to London, to find it totally deserted. Now, this is an immediately arresting opening, as the deserted London locale is eerie and captivating, and also not something really attempted in the Pertwee era. Sure, most of it has been set in the home counties, but a lot of the Pertwee era revolves around military bases and science labs, or plastics factories and ecology drop outs. Even The Daemons' quaint English village would have been as alien as Peladon or Spiridon to the vast majority of viewers at home. Not since Terror Of The Autons had Doctor Who attempted to bring itself into the reality that most of its viewers live and work in. As Pertwee once infamously said: "there's nothing scarier than finding a Yeti sitting on your loo in Tooting Bec!" And that maxim holds true here, because the empty streets provide a sinister backdrop, certainly in the early episodes. Episode 1 plays on stillness and silence in a way that is rare for Doctor Who in any period to do, and the whole episode plays out a bit like the early episodes of another cult BBC hit, Survivors. Just with dinosaurs. I think a lot of this story's success is that it is grounded in that reality: sure, the later episodes introduce political conspiracy and rampant ecological and scientific fascism, but it all still takes place in that believable setting. The dinosaurs themselves don't actually have a huge part to play in this story: part of me suspects that Mac Hulke and script editor Terrance Dicks weren't quite as convinced as producer Barry Letts as to the efficacy of the dinosaur models, and so the role the dinosaurs play is rather limited. In fact, they barely show up in episodes 3-5 (although they still magically turn up for pretty much every cliffhanger), so one could question why this story is even called Invasion Of The Dinosaurs in the first place. Operation: Golden Age would probably have been a better title. Of course, episode 1 is also famous for having a truncated title (Of The Dinosaurs was removed, leaving just Invasion, in an attempt to preserve the surprise), which ended up coming to no good when the Radio Times blew the news that the story would feature dinosaurs anyway. Although, to be honest, I don't really see the point. The dinosaurs start showing up half way through episode 1: it's not exactly a cliffhanger moment when they do, so I ask - what was the point? The whole thing feels a bit silly, especially considering the number of Dalek stories where the pivotal moment is them showing up at the cliffhanger. I do think the story improves once we move away from the dinosaurs (although the deserted London stuff is cool) and focus more upon the conspiracy about Operation Golden Age. This is quite a rare example of Doctor Who focusing solely on human villainy, and it makes a wonderful change to have the masterminds of this story not be an alien life form, or even using aliens to assist their scheme. They are simply humans believing they are making their world a better place. Now, Mac Hulke has always been one of the best writers for conveying political commentary, and this script is possibly his best work. While it's a key focus of the story, it's not laboured: Hulke isn't simply lecturing his audience. While Hulke is clearly railing against the militant ecology movement that sprang up in the early 70's (in its way, this is a bit of an anti-Green Death), he still presents the arguments of people like Grover and Butler in a sane, logical way, to the point where, actually, they start to sound perfectly reasonable. Sure, whole generations of people will be wiped out, but at least the planet will be saved, and the people that will replace them will never have to worry about climate change and ecological devastation. It's well considered, and the way each twist and turn is played is wonderful - seriously skilful. While episode 4 does slow up, and is undeniably padded, the cliffhanger is fantastic, with the Doctor framed for bringing the dinosaurs to London. It's a wonderful moment that pushes the last two episodes in some very interesting (and unexpected) directions.

The strength of this story really does, however, lie in it's well-rounded characters. Over the course of the six-episode runtime, we really do get to spend some time with each of them, and get to see their own points of view. That's why the political commentary in this story is so sharp: because every argument is carefully considered. Most of this comes from Charles Grover, the MP who has come up with the hare-brained scheme to return the Earth to a pre-industrial state. Yet, Hulke doesn't make him a raving megalomaniac, or even into an eco-nut like Professor Jones in The Green Death. He's a straight talking man, that just wants to do the right thing as he believes it. Grover is possibly one of the most chilling human villains the Doctor has ever faced, simply because he believes that he is doing the right thing. It also helps that Noel Johnson is fantastic in the part: he has the right sense of authority and forward thinking zeal to readily inhabit the role, and he is totally committed to the part. He doesn't play him as a bumbling caricature, but as a driven public servant, who believes in his own warped logic. That's possibly more terrifying than any other type of Who villain, because how does the Doctor reason with him? I'd argue that his co-conspirators are perhaps slightly less well sketched out, but never less than interesting. Both Whittaker and General Finch seem unlikely candidates to be involved in such a plot as this, but the devil is in the detail with these characters. Finch does seem genuinely irritated with the military machine, and he clearly has some allegiance to Grover, while Whittaker is so determined to be able to fund and build his time manipulation equipment that he will work for and with anyone to achieve it. On both counts, they display a single-mindedness that shows just how ruthless this lot actually are. They will do anything to change the current order, no matter the consequences, and their actions are rather chilling. Butler, on the other hand, is little more than a thug, who, at first, seems to be just working for Whittaker. However, with this story, the devils in the detail, and I get the sense that Butler is the one in control of Whittaker sometimes. It helps that all three are played by Who legends: John Bennett, Martin Jarvis and Peter Miles and are all fantastic, giving really astute performances. It's like getting four villains for the price of one, and all of them are slightly different in their approach. That's Hulke's skill: he allows contrasting villains to exist in the same story, but they don't clash, rather they compliment each other. I love that: it's rare that Who stories get such a balance right (look at Timelash, Paul Darrow's character is clearly more watchable than the Borad), so the fact they manage it here is an achievement. But it's not just the villains that Hulke dedicates so much time towards. The inhabitants of the colony ship are given just as much time, and it's important that Hulke did that, because it would have just made the side that want to save the environment look like a bunch of crooks and criminals. The characters of Mark, Ruth and Adam put a very human face to Operation Golden Age. Sure, it's architects want to use it for their own ends, or have a horrible belief that the ends justify the means, but there are those caught up in the scheme who just want to help save the planet, and who are duped into believing that this is the way. It's a message that has a resonance today as well: with politics returning to such a polarising state (you have to be one side or the other it seems on Twitter nowadays), it's important to remember that, behind every movement, there is, more often than not, figures trying to use it to further their ambition. I particularly liked the character of Ruth, who is determined to believe in what they are doing above all else. Yet Carmen Silvera never plays her as a single-minded zealot, but simply a woman determined to believe in something that, she believes, is right. Invasion is even a good story for the regulars as well. Each have a few moments to themselves, and both Sarah and Mike have some very interesting plotline. Of course, this story is famous for Mike turning traitor against UNIT, something which is a bit of a shock at first, but which makes perfect sense when put in with the grander picture of his character's arc. He has always been a bit of a loose cannon, someone who has always been a bit 'out there' in comparison to the other soldiers in UNIT, and so this is a natural extension of everything we've seen before. It also helps that this is easily Richard Franklin's best performance in the role, as he conveys the confusion of a man who's beliefs have been shaken to the core. It's not the kind of twist that was commonplace in TV in the 70's, so we should be grateful that Barry Letts took this course of action. It's a reminder that, in many ways, the Letts/Dicks era was quite a revolutionary one. Taking a character the audience had been invested in for four years at that point, and turning him against the Doctor (and, by proxy, the audience) is a brave move, and one that pays off, because it adds a deep layer to Yates' character, and I think it might be the reason why the character isn't lost in the mire of various UNIT sergeants, captains and corporals that appeared on screen throughout the UNIT years. All because they took him in this one direction. Sarah Jane also gets plenty to do here as well, especially in the later episodes. For the most part, she's separated from the Doctor, and investigates the conspiracy herself. She's the one that discovers the fake spaceship, and the one who really confronts Grover and Finch. Sarah gets a lot to do here, and it's a very strong second outing for the character, especially as she uses her journalism skills. It also helps that, like in every story, Elisabeth Sladen is fantastic, really getting the chance to stand on a par with the Doctor in several ways. It's rare that a companion gets so much to do, and it's clear that this is a development of Hulke's writing. I won't say that in Doctor Who And The Silurians and Colony In Space he wrote poorly for Liz and Jo, but it's clear that he is making a conscious effort to write better for the female assistants in his later scripts. This story feels like the culmination of that, since, around the middle of the story, it's Sarah who's driving the plot forwards, while the Doctor is being chased by Finch's men. While the Doctor, the Brigadier and Sergeant Benton aren't given as much to do, they do all have little moments, particularly Benton, and Pertwee, Courtney and Levene are all fantastic in their parts.

Now, the production of this story is a difficult issue to talk about. On the one hand, there's some really solid work from the director and set designer. Yet, of course, the practical effects do leave a lot to be desired. The dinosaurs... well they're not great, to be honest, even by 1974's standards. Some of the shots look alright, and the Stegosaurus model is ok, but, for the most part, they look ridiculous. What also doesn't help is the attempts to clumsily cut between the model work, and the live action film footage. There's no real sense of perspective, so the shots look strangely wrong, when cutting between dinosaurs and UNIT soldiers. I mean, this is no excuse for the models: they look terrible, and I can't get over that. It doesn't help that they are the centrepiece of four of the five cliff-hangers as well. The moments of highest drama, and out these pop to spoil the party. It's a shame too, as the rest of the practical effects are pretty good (well, for 1974), and the rest of the production looks stellar as well. Paddy Russell's direction is standout, possibly her best effort for the show. She brings a skilful understanding of how to keep the story action packed and interesting, despite the lengthy runtime, and I love that. She achieves great results, particularly with the deserted London in part one. She maintains the creepiness throughout, even once the dinosaurs are revealed, and the eerie silence that she deploys helps to build up a wonderful atmosphere. The set design is also fantastic in this story, as it manages to build up a normal, realistic world, something which UNIT-era Doctor Who wasn't known for that much. Sure, the Jon Pertwee era is mostly grounded on Earth, but the plot's usually involve secret army bases, research establishments and government offices, not classrooms and tube stations, so the attention to detail in the sets is wonderful. The bunker sets are also impressive as well, especially considering that, at this point in history, the production team would have no idea of what these things would look like, or even if such things actually existed. Finally, Dudley Simpson's music is as excellent as all of his work on the show is - dramatic, but never over-the-top, and appropriate for the situations in question. Apart from the dinosaurs, I'd say the work that the production team put into this story produce some very good results on screen.

Overall, Invasion Of The Dinosaurs is a very good story, let down by poor dinosaur effects. However, I would argue that the dinosaurs aren't really that important - they're just there to provide some scares. The main meat of the story is about the dangers of fanaticism, about secret cover-ups by government and about the lengths people will go to to protect the planet. It's a standout example of the Pertwee era firing on all cylinders, and succeeding, despite the limitations of the production and the technology of the time. A great cast of well-rounded characters are, however, where this story shines the most, and it's the reason why I think this story works so much. It's one of Who's best character-lead dramas, and it's a phenomenal example of substance over style.