Shadowlocked

Something slimy this way comes, and it's got dibs on our planet...

It’s now 40 years since the Silurians first made their appearance on Doctor Who. They recently commemorated the event by returning in Matt Smith’s debut season in the two-parter of The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. Fans of that may wish to check out the original classic adventure, which was apparently named by Wotan from The War Machines.

Doctor Who And The Silurians really kicks the Third Doctor’s era into gear. Barry Letts, one of the show’s finest producers takes the helm. The stories are now shot in a mix of colour film and video rather than the all-film look of Spearhead From Space. The most notable debut though is the moral themes and issues, a common element of the Pertwee years. And with Malcolm Hulke at the typewriter, a host of moral debates are at work.

"The Silurians really shows that Doctor Who was starting to grow up, taking what’s quite a simple plot, and adding layer upon layer of depth to form a fully-formed three-dimensional story"

The biggest issue is whether the humans and the Silurians can actually live together in peace. The Silurians rightly regard the Earth as their planet, and the humans as jumped-up apes that don’t belong here. The humans, likewise, regard the Silurians as a threat. Both sides wish to wipe the other out, whether it’s with a deadly virus or a gun. It’s only The Doctor that sees the bigger picture, as he tries to negotiate some sort of peaceful co-existence between the two. Naturally, The Doctor fails. Not even his formidable powers of diplomacy can compare to the brutal animal instinct of Survival Of The Fittest. So much so, that his plans for brokering a deal are curtailed when The Brigadier decides to blow the Silurians up.

The Silurians really shows that Doctor Who was starting to grow up, taking what’s quite a simple plot, and adding layer upon layer of depth to form a fully-formed three-dimensional story. The seven-episode format allows for a greater opportunity to look at both races and their motivations. And given his work on The War Games, Malcolm Hulke was the perfect choice of writer. He comes up with a whole host of characters, none of whom are particularly sympathetic, but in a funny way, they are easy to identify with. We’ve all met their types: The stubborn, head-in-the-sand boss. The worrying xenophobe. The blinkered scientist. Even the Silurians are easy to identify with (the old, kindly leader vs the young hothead), although I’ve yet to meet a person that can waggle a head so freely.

On the human side, the characters are mainly based at the Wenley Moor underground research centre where they are developing a new type of nuclear reactor. Naturally, their research is akin to poking a giant wasps’ nest with a stick, as they find that mysterious power losses and absenteeism are staring to hamper the project.

"How did this man manage to nab the post of director exactly? Clearly, he didn’t fill out “I’m As Mad As A Hatter” in the medical history section on his application form"

The centre is headed by the obstinate Dr Lawrence, a man who surely wins the Blinkered Idiot Award of 1970. Lawrence is the first of many pompous authority figures for the Third Doctor to shout at. He sets the template well - He’s arrogant. Obsessed with rules and regulations. Puts money and career before everything else. On top of all this, he’s seriously deluded about events unfolding before his eyes. He refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Silurians, frequently passing them off as “fairy stories”. He refuses to have the vaccine to combat the virus. And sure enough, when his body breaks out in disfiguring blisters, he thinks it’s all a trick to boot him out from his job.

How did this man manage to nab the post of director exactly? Clearly, he didn’t fill out “I’m As Mad As A Hatter” in the medical history section on his application form. Lawrence’s gradual nervous breakdown is very convincing though - I guess, at the end of the day, he’s a workaholic who just wants to get on with his job, earn some money and pay the bills. His downfall is that unlike The Doctor, he can’t see the bigger picture, and so opts for deluded rudeness instead. Peter Miles may be best known for his portrayal of the evil Nyder in Genesis Of The Daleks, but his performance as Lawrence is just as good. It’s 100% convincing, culminating in the brutal scene in which he tries to attack the Brigadier and then collapses to the floor, dead. Just look at the way in which he finally breaks down, flinging equipment and papers to the floor. “Well are you goeeeeeeng???!!!” he screams like a madman - that’s just as disturbing as any scary monster.

Major Baker’s another interesting character. It’s not touched upon so much in the TV version, but the implication is that he’s making up for some past crime that he committed in the first place. It’s left to the viewer to judge just exactly what he did, but from the evidence, it’s clear that he’s one loose cannon, and more to the point, his attitude is one of quiet xenophobia. When The Doctor wishes to make peace with the Silurians, Baker flies off the handle, throttling him when he tries to tell them about the weapons that humans use. He later shouts: “You’re nothing but a traitor! Can you hear me, Doctor?” Couple that with Baker’s violent shoot first, ask questions later personality, and you’ve got one man that you’d probably want to avoid in a dark alley. Norman Jones is again excellent, bringing a lot of raw grit to Baker, a man that starts out with good intentions but is gradually brought down by his own fighting and territorial instincts.

One of my favourite characters is actually Dr Quinn, superbly played by Fulton Mackay. The first three episodes chiefly revolve around Quinn, who starts off as an apparent all-round good egg. As the three episodes progress, we quickly see that he’s a man driven by his own ambition, willing to do a deal with the Silurians for the sake of his own personal gain. Unfortunately for Quinn, he’s brought down both by a nosy Doctor and the Silurians themselves, who surprisingly bump him off by the end of the third episode. The conflict between The Doctor and Quinn is particularly well handled by Jon Pertwee and Mackay. Right from the off, The Doctor senses that Quinn isn’t quite as innocent as he seems. He chucks the log back at Quinn after finding that pages have been torn out. It all comes to a head when The Doctor decides to audition as a Location Location Location presenter as he pays a visit to Quinn’s house. In addition to examining lovely old grandfather clocks and thermostats, The Doctor manages to make Quinn extremely uncomfortable with his constant questions. Again, it’s excellently played by both actors (“What d’you mean? Huh?” flounders Quinn after The Doctor’s casually remarked about the reptile house at the zoo) and adds a great deal of weight to the story.

"Out of all the characters, there’s not really a duff performance among the bunch, although Squire sounds a bit like a Gumby when he’s barking at Doris in his barn"

In fact, Fulton Mackay’s presence is just one example of what’s actually quite a guest starry story. We also have veteran comedy actor Geoffrey Palmer as about the only sympathetic human, Masters. And even Paul Darrow pops up as the Brigadier’s number two, Hawkins, warming up for his turn as Avon in Blake’s 7. Out of all the characters, there’s not really a duff performance among the bunch, although Squire sounds a bit like a Gumby when he’s barking at Doris in his barn.

This is also a really good story for the regulars. Caroline John does another great job, making Liz a really believable companion. Liz is a lot more likeable here than in her debut adventure. She’s still capable of standing up to the Brigadier’s pomposity and doesn’t always say “How high” when The Doctor asks her to jump - or at least stay behind when there’s danger to be had in the caves.

This is one of the best Brigadier stories. Nicholas Courtney really gets his teeth into the story, which shows the Brigadier as a good man who’s caught in a situation which he has no control of, and so has to resort to drastic measures to defeat the Silurians. The destruction of the Silurians shows the ruthless side of the Brigadier, or at least, his fighting instinct - something that we’d revisit in the parallel world of Inferno. Before this though, The Brigadier is shown to be dedicated, completely in control and miles away from the more light-hearted but less brainy version in the later Pertwee stories.

And then there’s The Doctor himself. And already Jon Pertwee’s taken to the role like a duck to water. He’s on commanding form, giving Quinn a hard time, berating Lawrence and chiding The Brig for his “all guns blazing” attitude to the problem. There’s a nicely sarcastic humour to the Third Doctor: “It’s not worth 50 million pins if it doesn’t work, is it?” he retorts to Lawrence after the latter’s horror at such a valuable piece of equipment being taken to bits by a screwdriver. It’s nicely tempered by the new Doctor’s diplomatic streak, as seen in his efforts to broker a deal between the Silurians and the humans.

"One of the Third Doctor’s greatest strengths is his diplomacy - as we’ll see, he frequently acts as a mediator between warring factions, both on Earth and on alien planets"

One of the Third Doctor’s greatest strengths is his diplomacy - as we’ll see, he frequently acts as a mediator between warring factions, both on Earth and on alien planets. Pertwee conveys this authority very well, and altogether, The Silurians demonstrates why his Doctor is so successful. Just try and ignore the comedy gurning at the end of Episodes Four and Six (the latter cracks me up whenever I see it), which wouldn’t be out of place in Worzel Gummidge.

The Silurians themselves are quite well realised, albeit with one or two deficiencies. It’s blatantly obvious that they’re just men in rubber suits, and their voices are also rather comical, sounding like a man who’s gargling with treacle. Where they do win out though is in Malcolm Hulke’s sensitive portrayal. In the past, Doctor Who monsters have tended to be faceless drones without any real depth. The Silurians, though, are shown to have motivation and also feelings. The Old Silurian is very much the equivalent of The Doctor, an old, wise man who is also willing to agree to a deal between humans and Silurians. He’s thwarted by the Young Silurian, who’s a real hothead, the equivalent of either Baker or Lawrence in that he refuses to listen to other people’s views and clearly doesn’t know the meaning of the word, diplomacy.

Even the Silurian Scientist is shown to be something of a toadying coward, a Silurian that’s willing to go with whatever side has the most power. The Silurian Scientist may be technically brilliant, but clearly has no moral scruples whatsoever. OK, so the voices are deeply silly, but the Silurians are one of the most interesting monster races presented in Doctor Who, thanks to Malcolm Hulke’s intelligent, well-defined script.

A good method of prolonging the threat of the Silurians is to keep them as an unseen presence in the first three episodes. Director Timothy Combe astutely keeps them off the screen - instead, we see well-realised Silurian POV shots and silhouetted creatures against the sun, not to mention a couple of sneaky claw shots. This is just one example of the outstanding direction that Combe provides. It’s a big-scale affair, with extensive set-pieces that really bring Hulke’s script to vibrant life. The prolonged search for the Silurian with the helicopter is very well shot, as are the notorious scenes of the Silurian virus getting to work at a train station. The close-up shots of the commuters succumbing to the virus are totally in tune with the gritty approach of Season Seven - Combe adds further to the urgency of the situation by cross-fading the scenes with interspersed shots of The Doctor, Liz and The Brigadier frantically trying to find a cure and calm the panic. The cave designs are also very well realised by Barry Newbery, adding greatly to the atmosphere.

"Doctor Who And The Silurians really cements the Third Doctor’s time on Earth in stylish, intelligent fashion"

Only a couple of no-no’s this time around. The dinosaur looks a bit naff, especially in the scene when it’s reduced to an obvious CSO shot on a cave wall. More distracting is, of course, Carey Blyton’s score. Actually, I don’t have a problem with Blyton’s music - it’s quite evocative in its own way - no, it’s that wretched Silurian theme, which is performed on something called a crumhorn. It sounds like the “Eh-Eh-Ehhh” character from Little Britain choking on a kazoo, and it’s a real pain.

Despite this, Doctor Who And The Silurians really cements the Third Doctor’s time on Earth in stylish, intelligent fashion. The acting’s of the highest calibre, Timothy Combe’s direction is innovative and lavish, and on top of this, Malcolm Hulke presents a script that’s entertaining, thought-provoking and moving in equal measures. The last scene in which The Doctor looks on in both sadness and horror at the exploding Silurian base is as perfect as you’ll ever get - Pertwee’s reaction really sells the sadness and anger felt by The Doctor at the Brigadier’s blinkered actions. As a scientist and a man of peace, he can’t comprehend how such blatant genocide could have taken place under his nose. A downbeat but brilliant ending to one classy story.

John Bensalhia limbered up for this mammoth task with a full four-series review of Blake's 7, and writes professionally and recreationally all over the web. Check out his portfolio of work at Wordprofectors.

Check out John's previous Doctor Who review, Spearhead From Space

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