Colony in Space

Colony in Space has the Third Doctor travelling in the TARDIS for the first time to an alien planet, namely, the planet Uxarieus, where a colony from earth has been established. However, the ruthless Interplanatary Mining Company want to claim the planet for its mineral wealth and the apparently primitive natives hold a deadly secret.

When Malcolm Hulke writes a Doctor Who story, one thing the viewer can expect is a degree of intelligence, airing of social issues and the like. However, it takes more than that to create an engaging narrative. This story is well designed and competently directed. The performances are generally good, although perhaps a bit mannered in places. However, the story fails in two key areas- characterisation and plot.

The colonists have no really interesting characters amongst them. They are depicted as worthy decent folk, some slightly more aggressive than others. The impression that is given is, frankly, The Good Life in space (although the story predates that programme). What made that cosy 70s sitcom watchable were the characters and the fact that it could be very funny. Remove that, and you have a bunch of earnest middle-class types talking endlessly about crops- hardly the most arresting series of events. The IMC people are more interesting purely because they are bent on causing the colonists harm. However, the colonists are so boring that, whilst the viewer wants IMC to be thwarted, it is not for the sake of the colonists. Pertwee and Delgado are great as usual, but Katy Manning is severely hampered by a story that asks no more of her than to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.

The arrival of the Master makes things much more interesting. We are taken into the alien city and are shown the reason for the Master's presence (and the reason for the Time Lords allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. The aliens are reasonably well realised, as is their city, although the realisation of the alien leader is unwittingly reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye! The problem is that these events occur too late in what is a longueur saturated 6-episode narrative. Had more time been given to this, the story might have been saved.

This is a pity, as there is little in the story that is actually bad- in fact, the story might have been more entertaining had there been a hammy performance, silly music or a really rubbish monster. Instead, Colony in Space commits a crime that very few Doctor Who stories are guilty of- being dull. One for completists only.

NEXT: The Dæmons