Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10676 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-01-29
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Spearhead from Space" launched Doctor Who into the 1970s with not only a new Doctor, Jon Pertwee, but a new assistant, the scientist Liz Shaw (Caroline John) and a regular place in the show for UNIT and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). It also marked the debut of the programme in colour and saw the Doctor stranded on Earth after Patrick Troughton's last adventure, "The War Games" (1969). Not only that, but it proved the only serial in the show's history to be entirely shot both on film and location, giving it a uniquely cinematic feel. Regenerating in a country hospital, the Doctor finds himself helping the Brigadier investigate an unusual meteorite and its links with a sinister doll factory. The Autons are cybernetic killers--anticipating The Terminator by some 15 years--and the sequence in which they break through high-street shop windows to slaughter pedestrians remains a chilling highpoint of Doctor Who's entire history. Things do turn silly with a subplot involving a waxworks museum, while the ultimate battle with the Nestine consciousness is more likely to induce laughter than fear, but as vintage television nostalgia this is fast-moving splendidly characterised entertainment. --Gary S. Dalkin

On the DVD: The remastered picture and sound are exceptional for a 1970 TV show. Obviously in 4:3 and mono, this DVD offers technical quality easily as good as many feature films. There is a very friendly, if not especially informative, commentary from Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John, and subtitles that offer background facts and figures. With an amusing five-minute recruiting film for UNIT, repeat trailers and a gallery including previously unpublished photos, this excellent DVD is a Doctor Who fan's dream come true. --Gary S. Dalkin

Special Features
DVD 9
English
Region 2

Synopsis
Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) is hurled into one of his most exciting and terrifying adventures when he battles an army of murderous plastic mannequins who have been programmed to destroy planet Earth.

Customer Reviews

A Cracker
By 1988, I'd gone off Doctor Who to the point where I couldn't even watch the show anymore as I felt it had become so desperately poor.

My interest in the show was only revived when I was passed a copy of this story on VHS to watch. I really remembered why I had become a fan of Doctor Who in the first place. It is well paced, is full of atmosphere and includes some of the most famous scenes from the show's history.

The DVD remastering means that the episodes have never looked or sounded as good and the extras are an interesting diversion which add value to this release.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this DVD to any fan (past or present) of Doctor Who - a great place to start a DVD collection.

Classic Jon Pertwee
This is one Doctor Who that can be used to shut up those who slag the series of for dodgy visuals and wobbly sets, as the whole story is shot on location. It also features one of the classic "behind the sofa" scenes when Autons burst out of a shop window and massacre civilians. No other Doctor had such a powerful debut, there is no plodding and moves at a cracking pace. Jon Pertwee as usual shines though, a sad reminder of how much he is missed. No good DVD collection is complete without this.

An all time British television classic
This story, perhaps more than any other, is the perfect introduction to Dr Who from any period because it has all the right elements that make for a gripping story, without any of that trademark silliness that has unfortunately tended to draw derision upon us adult fans. Therefore if you have a friend that you suspect might need introducing to Dr Who but you aren't sure of the reaction you'll get - this is the one to sit them down in front of.

I have to confess to being able to remember seeing this when originally broadcast, and it made a lasting impact too I can tell you. I was a little bit jumpy in the presence of shop dummies for some time after. People have come to love the Daleks and Cybermen because they make for fun viewing but they feel too safe, animated shop dummies, however, are the stuff of nightmares!

Viewing it now I can still feel what it was about the general atmosphere that made it so gripping, and I feel it set the standard for early 'seventies Who, namely the tangibly sinister undercurrent, terrifying adversaries, and the knowledge that only the Doctor's advanced science would save the day. Perhaps if today's younger generation had access to something of this calibre on TV there may even be a better uptake of science subjects at school.