Doctor Who Re View The Colony in Space

Story

The Doctor is working on the TARDIS as ever, but this time he allows Jo a glimpse inside. Cue the ‘it’s bigger on the inside’ observation! Completely without warning the TARDIS starts to dematerialise, whisking the Doctor off to a far distant planet 500 years into the future. On this planet, a group of colonists from earth are trying to scratch a subsistence living whilst being threatened by the International Mining Corporation (IMC) who are aware of a massive seam of the valuable duralinium. As well as verbal threats from IMC, there are ‘monsters’ who attack their camp and a subterranean city whose inhabitants often kidnap colonists in return for a ransom paid in food. When the Doctor arrives he is met with suspicion from some of the colonists, but generosity from Ashe, the colonists’ leader. IMC have called in an Adjudicator from Earth who turns out to be very familiar to Jo and the Doctor! He is there with his own agenda which involves finding a very powerful weapon belonging to the underground city and it is up to the Doctor to protect the colony and stop the Master in his plans while fighting against the evil machinations of the IMC.

The strength of the story lies as much in its cast as it does in its excellent writing by Malcolm Hulke. Ashe is played by John Ringham, a very familiar face from 70s and 80s television. He is best known for playing Norman Warrender, Penny’s Dad in the brilliant Just Good Friends. He had appeared in two previous Doctor Who adventures and had a large role in The Aztecs as High Priest Tlotoxl, but Ashe was arguably his finest moment in the series and one of the best guest star performances in this Season. Ashe is fair and brave, the type of leader we crave in uncertain times (!) but he is not played as a cipher or charicature. He is recognisably human in his occasional doubts, but you know he is going to do his best for everyone in his care. John Ringham gives him power, gravitas and wisdom but above all compassion for those in his charge. Ashe’s daughter, Mary, is played by Helen Worth who was to become very, very familiar to TV viewers a few years later when she stepped on to the cobbles of Coronation Street to play Gail Potter in 1974 – a role she still holds 47 years and nearly 4000 episodes later! In this story she is resourceful, smart, brave and delightful as she bonds with Jo, two young women born 500 years apart but with the same approach to danger and hardship. Their few scenes together are superbly played by both actresses.

Finally, we have Morgan, played by stalwart hard man Tony Caunter. The most famous of his 143 credits would nowadays be Eastenders, where he played Roy Evans for nearly a decade. Like John Ringham, however, he was one of those faces from the heyday of three channel TV who became instantly recognisable. He underplays Morgan very cleverly to give him a more threatening air, not always the case in an era when some villains chewed scenery with relish both in Doctor Who and other programmes. His character is completely ruthless and has absolutely no problem with killing whoever he is told to kill as long as it is to the benefit of IMC and himself.

If Doctor Who’s producers had had their way, Morgan would have been played by the fantastic Susan Jameson, later to appear in When the Boat Comes In, To Serve Them All My Days and New Tricks. The powers that be, sadly, called Barry Letts into the office and told him that such a strong female character would be too ‘kinky’! What they meant by that in those sexist times was no doubt that they hated the idea of a woman being seen as in any way the equal of, or better than, men. You could imagine the suits at the BBC getting very worried. I mean, who knows what ideas women would get if they saw themselves portrayed in positions of power?! There would be a woman Prime Minister next if things weren’t brought under control! They lost what would have been a brilliant study in female emancipation, but Susan Jameson at least had the consolation of being paid in full for the role.

Favourite Moments

It’s always a great moment when a companion steps into the TARDIS for the first time and Jo’s reaction is textbook bemusement, disbelief, and mild panic. Her ability to take it and her visit to an alien planet in her stride shows that Jo is not to be phased. When she meets Mary Ashe, there is a lovely little scene between the two thoroughly self-reliant women that has a funny moment when Jo finds out that Mary left Earth in ’72, only to find out that she means 2472! Even when you know who the adjudicator will turn out to be, there is a lot of pleasure to be gained from the reaction of Doctor and Jo and the urbane self-assurance of our favourite villain.

There are two TARDISes on the planet and great play is made of the fact that the Master is completely free to go where he wants in a TARDIS that is way better than the Doctor’s own! I won’t spoil it, but there is one shocking moment in the final episode which shows that Doctor Who old and new is often an incredibly powerful and upsetting programme.

Final Thoughts

After the frankly dreadful Claws of Axos, the Colony in Space is an absolute delight. I had never seen this story before, so I was completely entranced by its quality, its power, its twists and turns and its ability to hold true to its convictions. It is 70s Doctor Who at its best and, if you ignore the special effects, every bit as good as anything in the modern series. It is a 6 parter that doesn’t drag at all and is full of brilliant performances from top to bottom. If you get a chance, give this one a watch. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.