Doctor Who – Colony in Space

Jon PertweeThe classic 1971 Doctor Who story Colony in Space, starring Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning and Roger Delgado, is out now on DVD.

The story was the first space-bound adventure for the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) despite it coming in his second season. That’s because the Third Doctor had been exiled to Earth by his own people, the Time Lords, and all the stories up to Colony in Space had been Earth bound. The story, the penultimate of Pertwee’s second season in the role, signalled the production office desire to move away from Earth bound and UNIT stories – getting the Doctor back into space and er into the quarry as this story heavily relies on that old Doctor Who staple.

Colony in Space

The plot of the story is perhaps one that will have resonated with viewers at time – quite political in nature. Hundreds of years in the future the Doctor and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) arrive on a remote planet where a small group of colonists have started their own colony but the arrival of a large mining corporation threatens that – the story raises all kind of ecological and environmental issues as well as dealing with corruption and the notion of “little people” taking on big companies and winning. Much of the story – including the environmental damaged caused by mining – is still relevant today especially given the recent large oil spills in various parts of the world.

Starring alongside Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning in Colony in Space is Roger Delgado as The Master; introduced in the first story of the season (Terror of the Autons) as the Doctor’s arch enemy. The story also features a young Helen Worth who is now better known as Gail Platt in Coronation Street. In fact the actress isn’t the only future soap star amongst the cast as Tony Caunter (Roy Evans in EastEnders) and Bernard Kay (Harry Maguire in Crossroads) also feature.

Doctor Who – Colony in Space: Out now on DVD.