Jon Pertwee became the Doctor in 1970 and with him he brought colour to the show. He would leave in 1974. Pertwee played the Doctor as himself, which is why this incarnation liked to use gadgets and vehicles.
Find out more about the Third Doctor at the TARDIS Data Core*. Appearances
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Seasons
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Season 7 (1970)
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About
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Opening Titles
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Notable Cast
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Serials
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Trailer
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![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/0/124079217/editor/season-07.jpg?1581501308)
Season 7 of Doctor Who ran between January 3 and June 20, 1970. It starred Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Caroline John as Liz Shaw and Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. This is the first series (other than the first one) to not feature any returning monsters from earlier stories.
It was the first series produced and broadcast in colour and the first set entirely in one time period and almost entirely on Earth. Although the series did not have an overall story arc, it did feature a recurring subplot of the Doctor trying to adjust to life as an exile while trying to circumvent the restrictions placed upon him by the Time Lords, and began the process where the Doctor would try to gain more control over his TARDIS. Beginning with this series and continuing for the next few years, most storylines involve the Doctor working with UNIT.
With the show amassing a considerably larger budget this season, producer Barry Letts gave the show many technological achievements that came with its new colour presentation, most notably Colour-Separation Overlay, and stories began to feature a greater amount of on-location filming and action sequences than before. Overall, the seventh season marked the departure of several staples of the 1960s seasons, while introducing many more elements that would become prevalent for the rest of Doctor Who's run.
[TARDIS Data Core*]
It was the first series produced and broadcast in colour and the first set entirely in one time period and almost entirely on Earth. Although the series did not have an overall story arc, it did feature a recurring subplot of the Doctor trying to adjust to life as an exile while trying to circumvent the restrictions placed upon him by the Time Lords, and began the process where the Doctor would try to gain more control over his TARDIS. Beginning with this series and continuing for the next few years, most storylines involve the Doctor working with UNIT.
With the show amassing a considerably larger budget this season, producer Barry Letts gave the show many technological achievements that came with its new colour presentation, most notably Colour-Separation Overlay, and stories began to feature a greater amount of on-location filming and action sequences than before. Overall, the seventh season marked the departure of several staples of the 1960s seasons, while introducing many more elements that would become prevalent for the rest of Doctor Who's run.
[TARDIS Data Core*]
Theme Tune
The theme music was now an edit of the 1967 arrangement. An overlap edit shortened the lead-in by about 8 seconds and, after the main theme, the music moves to a repeat-to-fade ending. Early episodes have a stutter effect at the start, which disappears after Season 9. For unknown reasons, several episodes at the beginning of Season 8 reverted back to the 1967 arrangement.
In addition to editing the opening theme, the closing theme was edited too. Until Part 1 of "The Ambassadors of Death", the closing credits had faded in to the main theme and then faded out after the credits. Four new edits were created for Season 7. The first was used in the first few episodes. The other three, were the same except in length. They were 42 seconds, 52 seconds, and 72 seconds long. Each started with a scream sound that was created by using a generated tone falling in pitch and the first few notes of the theme rising to pitch; this sound effect (or variations thereof) would be used to lead into the closing credits of most episodes up until 1980, and be revived in the 2005 revival. This was followed by the main theme. Each one ends with the same whirling sound effect. [TARDIS Data Core*] |
Title Sequence
A shift to colour production and a change to a new Doctor resulted in a new title sequence being commissioned. Although similar to the 1967-69 version, only now given a red hue, a more tunnel-like howlround is employed. Now, instead of moving away from the camera, the logo is stationary, but it changes colour. The episode title and the name of writer are stationary as well, except for during the title sequences of "The Ambassadors of Death" and "Spearhead from Space", in which the title goes towards the screen. A new image of Jon Pertwee replaced that of Patrick Troughton. Some variants were attempted during the 1970 season: "The Ambassadors of Death" experimented with interrupting the title sequence with a scene from the episode, while "Inferno" employed a one-off use of volcano footage as the backdrop to the episode title and writer credit. Otherwise, from here on in, the episode title and writer and episode number would be consistently featured as part of the opening titles. One modification to the theme that became permanent was the use of a melodic sting (a repeating musical phrase) that gave the opening sequence a definite conclusion; before it simply cross faded into the first scene of the episode; the "middle eight" section of the theme, occasionally heard during the 1963-69 openings, was no longer included due to the sting.
[TARDIS Data Core*] |
Spearhead from Space
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About
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Opening/Closing Titles
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Notable Cast & Crew
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First broadcast January 3-24, 1970; four episodes
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/0/124079217/editor/07-01-spearhead-from-space.jpg?1581504214)
Spearhead from Space was the first serial of season 7 of Doctor Who. Continuing from the final episode of "The War Games", it marked a significant change in the format of Doctor Who. The Doctor was serving his Time Lord-imposed sentence of exile on Earth. It also continued some elements from "The Web of Fear" and "The Invasion" in depicting a renewal of the Doctor's association with UNIT and re-introducing Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier as head of its British branch. Both would be regular features of this era of the programme.
The story also introduced the Doctor's binary cardio-vascular system, which became an oft-repeated feature of Time Lord physiology thereafter. Moreover, it introduced both the Nestenes and the Autons, who reappeared in future stories.
It was also the first Doctor Who serial in colour. All the BBC's studio cameramen walked out on strike between the time of location filming and the first studio recording date, demanding more money for operating the technically more sophisticated new electronic colour cameras. This required producer Derrick Sherwin to commit the story to 16mm film, since the film cameramen were in a different union, and therefore not on strike. Spearhead from Space thus became not only the first colour Doctor Who story, but also the only story to ever be shot entirely on film.
[TARDIS Data Core*]
The story also introduced the Doctor's binary cardio-vascular system, which became an oft-repeated feature of Time Lord physiology thereafter. Moreover, it introduced both the Nestenes and the Autons, who reappeared in future stories.
It was also the first Doctor Who serial in colour. All the BBC's studio cameramen walked out on strike between the time of location filming and the first studio recording date, demanding more money for operating the technically more sophisticated new electronic colour cameras. This required producer Derrick Sherwin to commit the story to 16mm film, since the film cameramen were in a different union, and therefore not on strike. Spearhead from Space thus became not only the first colour Doctor Who story, but also the only story to ever be shot entirely on film.
[TARDIS Data Core*]
All images and text: BBC
Doctor Who and the Silurians
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About
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Notable Cast & Crew
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Episodes
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Trailer
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First broadcast January 31 - March 14, 1970; seven episodes
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/0/124079217/published/972958594.jpg?1581505011)
Doctor Who and the Silurians was the second serial of season 7 of Doctor Who. It introduced several important recurring elements to the programme, including Bessie, the Silurians and, behind the scenes, colour videotape recording and colour separation overlay.
Casting was notable for the first appearance of recurring Doctor Who guest actors Peter Miles, Paul Darrow and Geoffrey Palmer, as well as noted actor Fulton Mackay's lone turn on the programme.
Due to a miscommunication with the graphics department who created the credits sequences, it was the only Doctor Who television story to have "Doctor Who" in the title. As such, it is often referred to simply as The Silurians, its originally intended broadcast title.
[TARDIS Data Core*]
Casting was notable for the first appearance of recurring Doctor Who guest actors Peter Miles, Paul Darrow and Geoffrey Palmer, as well as noted actor Fulton Mackay's lone turn on the programme.
Due to a miscommunication with the graphics department who created the credits sequences, it was the only Doctor Who television story to have "Doctor Who" in the title. As such, it is often referred to simply as The Silurians, its originally intended broadcast title.
[TARDIS Data Core*]
All images and text: BBC