I continue my incursions into the Doctor Who universe with three serials featuring the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee.

Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space - My first experience with the Third Doctor is apparently right after his regeneration (followers of the show or this blog will remember that whenever an actor stepped down from the title role, the Doctor "regenerated" so as to account for his new appearance). Delirious, he and the TARDIS are taken to a military hospital (where his multiple heartbeats put the doctors in a spin). He is brought to the attention of Brigadier General Lethbridge-Stuart, the commander of UNIT (the United Nations Intelligence Task force - a military organization whose purpose is to deal with extraterrestrial incursions on earth), who apparently encountered the previous incarnation of the Doctor in an earlier episode. UNIT enlists the help of the Doctor in battling a weird tentacular alien race who is plotting to take over the world with plastic androids (in a cool scene, all the store window dummies come to life and start attacking). The Doctor comes out on top of course, bantering in a lively manner with Liz, a UNIT agent and agreeing to stick around earth for awhile to help out UNIT.

In Inferno, the second serial I watched, the Doctor travels through time and space to an alternate earth where a science experiment to harness a new form energy by drilling through the earth's crust goes haywire and causes a krakatoa like eruption, brought about by mutated humans that look like a cross between the Morlocks and the Wolfman and who can be killed by fire extinguishers (because their body temperature is so high). In this alternate earth Britain is run by fascists with alternate Nazi-like versions of UNIT (including Liz and General Stuart). The Doctor narrowly escapes the destruction of the alternate earth in time to prevent the completion of the experiment on our earth. The Doctor paralyzes and/or incapacitates three guys with Venusian Karate, which was pretty cool.

My final Jon Pertweek serial, The Time Warrior, is my favorite so far of the series. A Sontaran (basically a warlike alien species) named Linx crashlands in the Middle Ages and makes a pact with a local warlord to provide him with the mean to destroy his enemy, Sir Edward, in exchange for a base from which he can enact repairs on his damaged craft. The warlord, Irongron, agrees, and Linx begins his work by using a matter displacement device to grab scientists and equipment from the 20th century, enslaving them with a hypnotic device and forcing them to work on his craft. This gets the attention of UNIT, who puts The Doctor on the case. After a near-sighted professor is grabbed by Linx, The Doctor tracks the culprit to the Middle Ages and jumps in the TARDIS to pursue, unaware of yet another stowaway, the plucky reporter Sarah Jane Smith (my favorite companion thus far). The Doctor sets out to stop Linx's meddling (he is arming Irongron with a robotic knight and breechloading rifles) with the help of Sir Edward's best archer, Hal (played by Jeremy 'The Fett Man' Bulloch). This is just a great serial. Very entertaining. Sarah Jane Smith's gradual acceptance of her plight is hilarious (she's very feminist and after debating the role of women with one of the scullery maids at one point remarks "You're trapped in the middle ages!"). The baddies are bumbling and their interplay is great fun (Irongron's interactions with Linx 'the star warrior' and his right hand guy Bloodaxe are particularly funny), as is the nearsighted professor, who is the only scientist not affected by the Sontaran's mind control ("Strong minded," he insists, tapping his temple. "Must be some sort of ocular control device," the Doctor ruminates knowingly.) Plus, true to form, Jeremy Bulloch is awesome. Sontaran's can only be defeated via a small "probic vent" at the base of his neck. Sure enough, as Linx gets into his spacecraft and closes the door, preparing to launch and in the process, blow the castle and everybody in it sky high, Hal the Archer gets off a spectacular Luke Skywalker shot and sinks an arrow into the alien's probic vent, dropping him dead at the controls just as the door shuts. Great, great stuff.

It seems each Doctor gets more likable than the last, just as the production values climb (the lava FX in Inferno and the plastic androids in Spearhead are pretty cool, and Linx is a suitably creepy looking alien). It doesn't surprise me Pertwee has a theatrical background - he's very stagey and eccentric, choosing to dress in a pilfered opera cape with red lining and a black dinner jacket with frilly sleeves. He looks like a magician. He also retains the services of a banana yellow Barney Oldfield type open car which he drives all over the place. I guess he had a real fondness for earth too, because from what I've seen he doesn't stray far from UNIT.

PS - Thanks to The Stooge for the Youtube video he sent me (What Are You Doing Here?). This is the "I've got a bad feeling about this" line for Doctor Who and this video spans the entire 40 years. Check it out here...pretty funny - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtG5dK_HaGg

Next up: I check out the lauded Fourth Doctor Tom Baker in "Robot."