Doctor Who
Season 7
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for the first serial of the season
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of stories4
No. of episodes25
Release
Original networkBBC1
Original release3 January (1970-01-03) –
20 June 1970 (1970-06-20)
Season chronology

The seventh season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 3 January 1970 with Jon Pertwee's first story Spearhead from Space and ended with Inferno. The first season to be made in colour, it marked the beginning of Barry Letts's five seasons as series producer, but it has been described as "essentially devised" by his predecessor, Derrick Sherwin, who produced the opening story.[1] The season sees the beginning of the Doctor's exile to Earth by the Time Lords and his attachment to UNIT as its scientific advisor.

Casting

Main cast

Jon Pertwee makes his first appearance as the Third Doctor, replacing Patrick Troughton in the role. Caroline John makes her first appearance as companion and assistant Liz Shaw in Spearhead from Space and last in Inferno.

Recurring cast

Nicholas Courtney returns as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and he would continue to make regular appearances in Doctor Who until season 13.

John Levene also makes his first appearance as Sergeant Benton since The Invasion in The Ambassadors of Death and would continue to make regular appearances until season 13.

Serials

From this season onwards the programme was produced in colour. Barry Letts also took over as producer, beginning with the second serial, Doctor Who and the Silurians, when Derrick Sherwin left to co-produce another BBC series, Paul Temple. The number of episodes in a season was cut to accommodate the new production methods: season 6 has 44 episodes; season 7 has 25 episodes. The seasons would continue to have between 20 and 28 episodes until season 22. Following the opening four parter, the remaining episodes were divided into three serials each of seven episodes.

Setting the entire season on Earth had been the choice of Sherwin, who had introduced the military organisation UNIT in his earlier serial The Invasion (1968), which he had written and Peter Bryant had produced. Sherwin had also produced the final black-and-white serial, The War Games (1969), in which the Second Doctor had been put on trial by the Time Lords and exiled to Earth in the 20th century. In Spearhead from Space the Doctor becomes, despite his initial reluctance, UNIT's scientific advisor on a regular basis, which would continue into Tom Baker's first two seasons as the Fourth Doctor. According to Sherwin on his DVD commentary for Spearhead from Space, the BBC had considered replacing Doctor Who with a new Quatermass serial, but this fell through because Nigel Kneale was not interested in that, nor writing for Doctor Who when Sherwin had approached him about it.[2] The plan did, however, have an effect on the Earth-based style of the programme, with Quatermass cited as an influence on season 7.[3]

Spearhead from Space was intended to be produced identically to previous serials and others in the season, with a mixture of location material shot on 16mm film and studio material on videotape. Owing to industrial action by studio technicians at the BBC, the planned studio recording sessions were cancelled, with instead all four episodes being shot on location on 16mm film.

No.
story		No. in
season		Serial titleEpisode titlesDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		UK viewers
(millions) [4]		AI [4]
511Spearhead from Space"Episode 1"Derek MartinusRobert Holmes3 January 1970 (1970-01-03)AAA8.454
"Episode 2"10 January 1970 (1970-01-10)8.1—
"Episode 3"17 January 1970 (1970-01-17)8.3—
"Episode 4"24 January 1970 (1970-01-24)8.157
The newly regenerated Doctor is exiled to Earth in the 20th century. The Doctor has to devise a way to destroy the Autons before they kill humanity.
522Doctor Who and the Silurians"Episode 1"Timothy CombeMalcolm Hulke31 January 1970 (1970-01-31)BBB8.858
"Episode 2"7 February 1970 (1970-02-07)7.358
"Episode 3"14 February 1970 (1970-02-14)7.557
"Episode 4"21 February 1970 (1970-02-21)8.260
"Episode 5"28 February 1970 (1970-02-28)7.558
"Episode 6"7 March 1970 (1970-03-07)7.257
"Episode 7"14 March 1970 (1970-03-14)7.558
The Silurians, the original inhabitants of the Earth, have been awakened from their hibernation in the caves.
533The Ambassadors of Death"Episode 1"Michael FergusonDavid Whitaker and Trevor Ray (uncredited)21 March 1970 (1970-03-21)CCC7.160
"Episode 2"David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited), and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)28 March 1970 (1970-03-28)7.661
"Episode 3"David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited), and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)4 April 1970 (1970-04-04)8.059
"Episode 4"David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited), and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)11 April 1970 (1970-04-11)9.358
"Episode 5"David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited), and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)18 April 1970 (1970-04-18)7.1—
"Episode 6"David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited), and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)25 April 1970 (1970-04-25)6.961
"Episode 7"David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited), and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)2 May 1970 (1970-05-02)6.462
The British space programme oversees the launch of the Recovery Seven probe that has been sent to Mars to make contact with the missing Mars Probe Seven and its two astronauts, who lost contact with Earth eight months earlier. Van Lyden makes contact with the Probe but is then silenced by a piercing unearthly sound.
544Inferno"Episode 1"Douglas CamfieldDon Houghton9 May 1970 (1970-05-09)DDD5.761
"Episode 2"Douglas Camfield16 May 1970 (1970-05-16)5.961
"Episode 3"Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)23 May 1970 (1970-05-23)4.860
"Episode 4"Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)30 May 1970 (1970-05-30)6.060
"Episode 5"Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)6 June 1970 (1970-06-06)5.4—
"Episode 6"Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)13 June 1970 (1970-06-13)6.758
"Episode 7"Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)20 June 1970 (1970-06-20)5.560
Inferno is the nickname given to a project to penetrate the Earth's crust. The project, however, has its own problems and the Doctor is sent to an alternate universe.

Home media

VHS releases

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes		 UK release date Australia release date USA/Canada release date
7 51 Spearhead from Space 4 x 25
1 × 100 min.		 February 1995[5][6] (Unedited)
February 1988[6][7] (Edited)		 April 1990[6] April 1991[6]
52 Doctor Who and the Silurians 7 × 25 min. July 1993[8][9]
(2 x VHS)		 November 1993[9] June 1995[9]
(2 x VHS)
53 The Ambassadors of Death 7 × 25 min. May 2002[10][11] July 2002[11] October 2003[11]
(2 x VHS)
54 Inferno 7 × 25 min. May 1994[12][13]
(2 x VHS)		 July 1994[13] September 1995[13]
(2 x VHS)

DVD and Blu-ray releases

All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes		 R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
7 51 Spearhead from Space 4 × 25 min. 29 January 2001[14][15] 7 September 2001[16] 11 September 2001[17]
Spearhead from Space (Special Edition)[lower-alpha 1] 4 × 25 min. 9 May 2011[18][19][20] 2 June 2011[21][22][23] 14 August 2012[24]
Spearhead from Space (Blu-ray Edition)[lower-alpha 2] 4 × 25 min. 15 July 2013[14][25][26] 17 July 2013[27] 13 August 2013[28]
52 Doctor Who and the Silurians[lower-alpha 3] 7 × 25 min. 14 January 2008[29][30] 5 March 2008[31] 3 June 2008[32]
53 The Ambassadors of Death 7 × 25 min. 1 October 2012[33][34][35] 3 October 2012[36][37][38] 9 October 2012[39]
54 Inferno 7 × 25 min. 19 June 2006[40][41][42] 6 July 2006[43] 5 September 2006[44]
Inferno (Special Edition) 7 × 25 min. 27 May 2013[41][45][46] 5 June 2013[47][48] 11 June 2013[49]
  1. ↑ Only available as part of the Mannequin Mania box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
  2. ↑ Includes bonus features exclusive to Blu-ray
  3. ↑ Only available as part of the Beneath the Surface box set in Regions 2 and 4. Available individually or in the box set in Region 1.

In print

Season Story no. Library no.[lower-alpha 1] Novelisation title Author Hardcover
release date[lower-alpha 2]		 Paperback
release date[lower-alpha 3]		 Audiobook
release date[lower-alpha 4]
70516Doctor Who and the Auton InvasionTerrance Dicks17 January 197412 June 2008
0529Doctor Who and the Cave MonstersMalcolm Hulke17 January 19743 September 2007
053121The Ambassadors of DeathTerrance Dicks21 May 198715 October 19874 January 2018
05489Inferno19 July 198418 October 19847 April 2011
  1. ↑ Number in Target's Doctor Who Library, if applicable
  2. ↑ Published by Target's parent companies (Allen Wingate, W. H. Allen, BBC Books) unless otherwise indicated
  3. ↑ Published by Target Books (or by BBC Books under the Target Collection umbrella) unless otherwise indicated
  4. ↑ Unabridged from BBC Audio/AudioGo unless otherwise indicated

References

  1. ↑ Westthorp, Alex (1 April 2010). "Top 10 Doctor Who producers: Part Two". Den of Geek. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "Spearhead from Space" (1970, 2011) (Special Edition with Derrick Sherwin and Terrance Dicks)
  3. ↑ Blair, Andrew (6 July 2011). "Doctor Who: a celebration of Jon Pertwee". Den of Geek. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "DOCTOR WHO - SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE". bbfc.co.uk.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Spearhead from Space (VHS)". timelash.com.
  7. ↑ "DOCTOR WHO - SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE 1988". bbfc.co.uk.
  8. ↑ "DOCTOR WHO AND THE SILURIANS". bbfc.co.uk.
  9. 1 2 3 "Doctor Who and the Silurians (VHS)". timelash.com.
  10. ↑ "DOCTOR WHO - THE AMBASSADORS OF DEATH". bbfc.co.uk.
  11. 1 2 3 "The Ambassadors of Death (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "DOCTOR WHO - INFERNO". bbfc.co.uk.
  13. 1 2 3 "Inferno (VHS)". timelash.com.
  14. 1 2 "Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  15. ↑ Smith 2014, Spearhead from Space.
  16. ↑ "Doctor Who by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". www.fishpond.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  17. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #051: Spearhead from Space". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  18. ↑ "Doctor Who Mannequin Mania Boxset (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "Doctor Who: Mannequin Mania". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  20. ↑ Smith 2014, Spearhead from Space Special Edition.
  21. ↑ "Doctor Who Mannequin Mania". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "Doctor Who - Mannequin Mania". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  23. ↑ "Doctor Who - Mannequin Mania 2 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  24. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #051: Spearhead from Space: Special Edition". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "Doctor Who Spearhead from Space Special Edition (Blu-ray)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  26. ↑ Smith 2014, Spearhead from Space Blu-ray Edition.
  27. ↑ "Doctor Who - Spearhead from Space - Special Edition Blu Ray". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  28. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #051: Spearhead from Space: Special Edition Blu-ray". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  29. ↑ "Doctor Who: Beneath The Surface (DVD)". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  30. ↑ Smith 2014, Doctor Who and the Silurians.
  31. ↑ "Doctor Who - Beneath The Surface". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  32. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #052: Doctor Who And The Silurians". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  33. ↑ "Doctor Who Ambassadors Of Death (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  34. ↑ "Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  35. ↑ Smith 2014, The Ambassadors of Death.
  36. ↑ "Doctor Who - Ambassadors of Death". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  37. ↑ "Doctor Who Ambassadors of Death (Roadshow)". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  38. ↑ "Doctor Who Ambassadors of Death2 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  39. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #053: Ambassadors of Death". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  40. ↑ "Doctor Who: Inferno (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  41. 1 2 "Doctor Who: Inferno". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  42. ↑ Smith 2014, Inferno.
  43. ↑ "Dr. Who - Inferno [2 Discs] by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". www.fishpond.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  44. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #054: Inferno". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  45. ↑ "Doctor Who Inferno Special Edition (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  46. ↑ Smith 2014, Inferno Special Edition.
  47. ↑ "Doctor Who - Inferno Special Edition". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  48. ↑ "Doctor Who Inferno Special Edition". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  49. ↑ "Doctor Who - Story #054: Inferno: Special Edition". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.

Bibliography

  • Smith, Paul (2014). The Classic Doctor Who DVD Compendium. United Kingdom: Wonderful Books. ISBN 978-0-9576062-2-7.
  • Smith, Paul MC (July 2021). Based on the Popular BBC Television Serial. Wonderful Books.
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