Cast : The Doctor : Jon Pertwee
Liz Shaw : Caroline John
Others
Brigadier : Nicholas Courtney
Dr Quinn : Fulton Mackay
Dr Lawrence : Peter Miles
Dr Meredith : Ian Cunningham
Major Baker : Norman Jones
Miss Dawson : Thomasine Heiner
Travis : Ian Talbot
Masters : Geoffrey Palmer
Spencer : John Newman
Davis : Bill Mathews
Roberts : Roy Branigan
Squire : Gordon Richardson
Doris Squire : Nancie Jackson
Hospital Doctor : Brendan Barry
Captain Hawkins : Paul Darrow
Sergeant Hart : Richard Steele
Corporal Nutting : Alan Mason
Private Robins : Harry Swift
Private Wright : Derek Pollitt
Silurian (old) : Dave Carter
Silurian (young) : Nigel Johns
Silurian (Scientist) : Pat Gorman
Written By : Malcolm Hulke
First UK Broadcast : 31 January 1970 – 14 March 1970.
Length : 7 x 25 minute episodes.
Plot : The Doctor and UNIT, are called to a Nuclear Power Plant – to investigate strange power failures – and missing personnel.
Whats good : Strong moral piece. The Doctor fulfills a different role. Silurians.
Whats bad : Silurian’s obvious cheap Halloween costume look.
Review With Spoilers : Doctor Who & The Silurians is the only episode of Doctor Who; to date. Where the word ‘Doctor Who’ is actually used – in the title, due to a production error.
The Doctor was (obviously) never directly referred to – as ‘Doctor Who’ in the show and was always just the ‘The Doctor’. Other than when – script writers included the in-joke of a question after the Doctor title. eg. “Doctor….Who?”
Doctor Who & The Silurians marks the first appearance of the Silurians, an underground dwelling lizard creature – of Earth origin, millions of years before man.
Planning a big surface comeback, the Silurians use the power from a futuristic nuclear power station device, called the Cylotron – to juice their hybernation pods – and reawaken their race.
The Silurians (or Eocene’s), present an interestingly written moral conundrum for the Doctor. Namely, they were here before mankind evolved – and are the original intelligent inhabitants of Earth. Therefore, their claim to the planet is real – and not some diabolical invasion attempt, from beyond the stars attempt.
The Doctor wants to broker a peace deal between the Silurians and humans but tensions are – on a knife edge and when humans are killed by the Silurian’s pet guard-dinosaur. The humans hunt, attack and wound – a lone Silurian warrior.
“But that’s murder. They were intelligent alien beings. A whole race of them. And he’s just wiped them out!” The Doctor
Doctor Who & The Silurians cleverly tips the monster balance – into leaving you wondering, just who the real monsters actually are?
The Silurians use their third red eye to exact torture on the humans, cage them and introduce a lethal plague into the populous. The humans respond by bombing the Silurian base – and shooting Silurians on sight.
Caught in the middle – is the Doctor, attempting to avoid bloodshed between the two races. Which is an interesting change from his usual role – as alien invasion saboteur.
The only letdown here on offer, is the painfully rubber Silurian costumes, they should have spent a little more money – on such a good concept.
It’s an interesting take on the story, by turning the premise on it’s head. Who are the real villains in this – the humans or the Silurians? Difficult to tell.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
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