“The Android Invasion” is an adventure of the thirteenth season of “Doctor Who” classic series, which aired in 1975. It follows “Pyramids of Mars” and it’s a four parts adventure written by Terry Nation and directed by Barry Letts.
The story
The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) brings Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) back to present Earth but there’s something strange. On the way to the nearest village, the two travelers stumble upon a group of people wearing strange suits who shoot at them. After fleeing from that danger, they see a UNIT soldier who, apparently in a daze, falls into a cliff and dies. Nearby, there’s a strange giant pod.
The Doctor and Sarah Jane reach the village but it seems deserted. At the local pub, the Doctor finds coins that seem brand new. Suddenly there comes a pick-up with people who seem in a trance who are left around the village. After staying still for a while, they come alive and start behaving as if everything was normal.
Extras
This DVD contains a fair amount of extras. There are typical contents such as production subtitles, the Radio Times Listings, a promo of the “Doctor Who” DVD to be published soon and a gallery of pictures from this adventure.
There are various comments in the adventure alternative audio track by actors Milton Johns and Martin Friend, production assistant Marion McDougal and producer Philip Hinchcliffe moderated by Toby Hadoke.
The Village That Came to Life. A documentary on the production of this adventure.
Life After Who – Philip Hinchcliffe. Celina Hinchcliffe interviews her father to have him talk about his career after being the “Doctor Who” producer. It’s an extra that can please those who are interested in general about television and movie productions.
Weetabix Advert. A promotion tied to “Doctor Who” for some cereals.
There are also reproductions of two promotions for Weetabix cereals connected to “Doctor Who” from 1975 and 1977 in PDF format.
There’s also an “Easter egg”, an 8-minute audio recording made during the production of this adventure in one of locations.
[ad name=”AmazonDVDDoctorWho468″]
Terry Nation wrote mainly adventures with the Daleks but he was asked to write something different. The author worked on two ideas and eventually developed what became “The Android Invasion”. The direction was given to Barry Letts, who in the past even very recent had various jobs in “Doctor Who” production so he knew the show perfectly.
The theme of the doppelganger had already been part of various “Doctor Who” adventures and it’s almost ironic that the plot of “The Android Invasion” is in some ways a doppelganger. The movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” based on a novel by Jack Finney, was already famous, and even in “Doctor Who” that theme that had been used in a similar way.
The beginning of “The Android Invasion”, however, is focused on the mystery of a village initially desert, another theme not exactly original. The hostile presences and the subsequent arrival of the inhabitants still create a gripping mystery so the first part of this adventure is interesting and was filmed in really beautiful places that enrich its production values.
It’s in the second part of “The Android Invasion”, when the part of the plot that covers the plans of the Kraal aliens is developed that the story starts having problems. The fact that it’s not original at all is the least of its problems because its worst flaw is in its various plot-holes that especially affect its final part.
In the documentary on the production of “The Android Invasion” producer Philip Hinchcliffe and director Barry Letts defend the story, but they must also admit that it has some problems. Letts regretted not shooting one more scene to explain at least one of the inconsistencies in the ending. Unfortunately at the time the production schedule was always tight so they had to make do with the footage they had.
“The Android Invasion” is a story with UNIT but it has a relatively minor role. Actor Nicholas Courtney had other work commitments so he couldn’t play Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. That forced a script change to have him replaced by Colonel Faraday. This is also the last appearance for Harry Sullivan and Sergeant Benton, a hurried farewell given their limited role.
“The Android Invasion” works thanks to the excellent performances by Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, who are the only characters or almost the only ones for much of the story. Various modifications to the dialogues during rehearsal made them wittier to have at least a style appropriate to the Fourth Doctor.
It’s for this reason that in the end, despite its flaws, “The Android Invasion” is still enjoyable. Just like the adventure, the extras included on the DVD are far from exceptional and in my opinion only the documentary about the production is interesting. In essence, it’s a product that can be interesting for “Doctor Who” fans.
In Region 2 nations, this DVD is part of the “U.N.I.T Files” box set, available on Amazon U.K.
Permalink