Classic Episode - Spearhead from Space Part 1
Added 2023-04-16 14:00:02 +0000 UTCSURPRISE EVERYONE :D :D
Comments
Oh I don't remember hearing the term back then. I see you're being more cautious than me in your references so I'll try to avoid any potential spoilers in this kind of discussion.
Stephen Males
2023-04-18 10:51:58 +0000 UTCI did a quick search and found at several uses of "companion" in the Second Doctor's stories. In the 1960s it was usual for the Doctor to travel with at least two people and I guess it was natural that they started to be referred to as companions because they were literally his travelling companions. But the Third Doctor isn't going travelling for the foreseeable future, so he certainly won't have travelling companions because he won't be doing any travelling... but if he teams up with UNIT, anyone who teams up with him will be doing so in a professional capacity, so the term "assistant" would be more likely. By the 1980s however the show was consciously referring to its own history, and the term "companion" (which I think must also have had some use in the media) was well established and was used in several stories.
Andrew Gwilliam
2023-04-18 10:15:24 +0000 UTCWe didn't really call them anything when the show started. Then they became "assistants" because of helping the Doctor at UNIT. So yes "companions" really started with New Who.
Stephen Males
2023-04-17 11:54:04 +0000 UTCI´m glad this reaction was such a positive surprise for you :) I enjoyed this doctor so much discovering his new looks. I instantly liked him :) I just asked Memory GPT about the janitor. That is what he came up with: The word "janitor" comes from the Latin word "ianitor", which means "doorkeeper" or "porter". In modern English, the term is used to refer to someone who is responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of a building. :) Haha yes that Welsh accent :) If he would have said the word "wee" just once I would have know in an instant, that it´s Welsh :D :D Oh thank you for the IMBD rating. I would have rated it around 8 as well :)
Nicologik
2023-04-17 10:43:20 +0000 UTCI had no idea, it took "so long" for the show to first be broadcast in color. It looked really nice though :) And I do enjoy the doctor beeing on earth even if he is kinda forced to be there. My lip is already much better, not 100% yet, but it´s not infected anymore and in the healing process. :) The wound is also closed now, so that I would be able to put lipstick on it :) Oh so the companions were not always called companions? So are they called companions only in New Who?
Nicologik
2023-04-17 10:37:20 +0000 UTCHe is a great doctor, I really liked him from the start. :)
Nicologik
2023-04-17 10:33:08 +0000 UTCI like that they used the same shot, although if I didn´t notice it at first. That´s true, when I saw the doctor beeing "sick" or feeling unwell after regeneration, I was instantly reminded of the Christmas episode :) I think I forgot to talk about it though. :/ I like how much depth was in those episodes, that I as new viewer who has only started with New Who couldn´t even see :) Thank you for letting me know, that this was the first story in which we found out about the doctors hearts :)
Nicologik
2023-04-17 10:32:26 +0000 UTCI´m glad you enjoy the story :) And that you liked the surprise. i hope you´ll enjoy the reaction just as much :) I didn´t notice those special shots, thank you for pointing this out :)
Nicologik
2023-04-17 10:28:11 +0000 UTC"In the last decade, we've been sending probes deeper and deeper into space. We've drawn attention to ourselves, Miss Shaw.", Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, "Spearhead from Space" I love Classic Who. I couldn't watch the New Who episode yesterday and was planning to watch it this morning. However, if it comes down to choosing between watching a Classic Who episode or a New Who episode, there really is no contest. This story was overseen by the outgoing show Producer (we actually see him on screen in this episode). The incoming Producer didn't like the UNIT uniforms either and they were changed in later seasons. It's always fun to see the Doctor's reaction to his new face - as we saw with the Christopher-Doctor "Could have been worse; But look at the ears!". And we have the same scene here with the Jon-Doctor and the mirror. "janitor" tends to be a US (or Scottish?) word rather than a usual UK English term. "caretaker" is perhaps the normal UK equivalent word. In this case the newpaper people call him a "porter". And his accent is strongly Welsh - so your experience with "Rhys" from Torchwood has served you well. This episode was captured on film on location rather than the usual studio video tape because there was industrial action and the TV studios were not available. But this has meant that we are able to see an HD-quality copy of the story because they can go back to the original film. BTW, this episode is rated 8.1 on IMDB.
Andrew Vignaux
2023-04-16 20:59:54 +0000 UTCA great reaction to a turning point on Classic Who. Not only the point when it was first broadcast in colour, but also the point when it became much more Earth-based, because The Doctor is now in exile. I hope your lip recovers from being bitten. Is it ok to put on lipstick over the cream you are using to sooth it? I'm sure nobody would mind if you didn't wear it for a couple of episodes. I will always love Tom Baker's Doctor the most but this Doctor does have some great relationships with the rest of the cast. With Lethbridge-Stewart, the rest of UNIT and his companions. It was around this time btw that we started calling them "assistants" and a lot of people continued to do so until New Who started.
Stephen Males
2023-04-16 17:59:53 +0000 UTCJon Pertwee/3 forever ❤️💙
MattyIce777
2023-04-16 17:39:37 +0000 UTCYes, they never mentioned the two hearts before this.
Stephen Males
2023-04-16 16:59:25 +0000 UTCAs Ian said, that initial shot of the Earth from space was famously done again at the start of the episode "Rose". It was also done at the beginning of "The Christmas Invasion". There are other parallels between this story, "Rose", "The Christmas Invasion", and/or "The Eleventh Hour". To varying degrees each story had the task of softly rebooting the show, introducing it to a completely new audience, but reassuring older viewers that there was some continuity with what they were used to from the past. Those more recent stories reused or referenced a number of elements from this story, such as the Doctor being unconscious for much of "The Christmas Invasion", etc. I'd forgotten that the two characters we see at the very beginning were also UNIT personnel, and not just regular civilian scientists! I believe this was the first story to indicate that the Doctor had two hearts and a distinctive cardiovascular system.
Andrew Gwilliam
2023-04-16 16:54:55 +0000 UTCWhat a lovely surprise! One of my favourite stories,too :) The opening scene (space,moving in on Planet Earth) was copied again,as the very first scene in the revived series (the opening shot of 'Rose'); as a homage,of course; but also a reassurance for older viewers that this was the same show. ('Rose' would also borrow something else from Spearhead!). In fact, the same shot turns up again at the start of 'The Eleventh Hour'.
Ian Smith
2023-04-16 16:06:48 +0000 UTC
