Doctor Who and the Silurians

1970

2h 55m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

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Science Fiction

Drama

Adventure

Investigating mysterious power failures and a death at an underground research centre, The Doctor discovers a colony of Silurians - prehistoric, intelligent reptiles who went into hibernation before man evolved. But now they have woken up, and they are prepared to wipe out mankind with a killer plague to get their planet back.

Directors

Timothy Combe

Writers

Malcolm Hulke(writer by)

Terrance Dicks(script editor by)

Stars

Jon Pertwee

Caroline John

Nicholas Courtney

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Top cast

Jon Pertwee

The Doctor

Caroline John

Liz Shaw

Nicholas Courtney

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Dr. Quinn

Major Baker

Dr. Lawrence

Miss Dawson

Spencer

Masters

Dr. Meredith

Captain Hawkins

Roberts

Davis

Doris Squire

Squire

Silurian

Silurian

Silurian

Directors

Timothy Combe

Writers

Malcolm Hulke(writer by)

Terrance Dicks(script editor by)

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User reviews1

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Featured review

6/10

I struggle a bit with the eight parters. The story is often far too thinly spread out and the plot advances at a glacial pace until it's all wrapped up in episodes seven and eight. This one is slightly different, though, as it neatly separates into two semi-stories. The first sees the "Doctor" (Jon Pertwee) and "Liz" (Caroline John) drafted in by the "Brigadier" (Nicholas Courtney) to investigate some power outages at a top secret energy installation being run by "Quinn" (Fulton Mackay). Their arrival sets the cat amongst the pigeons, especially with the secretive Scotsman and his assistant "Miss Dawson" (Thomasine Heiner) who seem to know a great deal more about the nearby caves than either are prepared to let on. As the staff start to suffer too, it falls to team Time Lord to investigate and that's when he discovers that there is an ancient Earthly species awakening to find mankind's latter day occupation of the planet a nuisance to their plans. What now? Diplomacy or brute force? The eponymous sleepy-heads are visually akin to the "Sea Monsters" and the story from Malcolm Hulke does adequately, if rather verbally, as it builds up - but there's no work for the TARDIS here and by half way through I felt this wasn't really a "Dr. Who" at all, but a half-decent sci-fi adventure that relied on the usual television studio for most of it's action settings. Is there also supposed to be a moral here? Shoot first, collaborate later? It's all perfectly watchable, and little "Nellie" gets a welcome engine clean, but it takes too long to get going and when it does it becomes a shade predictable. Not one of the better series, methinks.

Geronimo196719 Aug, 2024