Episode 25: Inferno Episode 7: Endings and Beginnings

A Doctor Who series and a government ends, and a new government begins in the 1970s which brought in an element of internationalism. In 2020, there might be an end of an age with isolationist nationalistic agendas cropping up. We can but analyse what Doctor Who and the world was in 1970, compare it to what it is in 2020, and murmur disapprovingly.

Episode 24: Inferno Episode 6: The Flame of Hope versus the Wind of Injustice

There’s a tiny glimmer of goodness in the face of inevitable destruction in this episode of Doctor Who Fifty Years Ago. There’s also a fight against this goodness which threatens the safety of everyone we like. I cannot shove my tongue further inside my cheek even if I wanted to. Something something apocalypse now.

Episode 23: Inferno Episode 5: The Eruption Division

The morals are wobbly and grey, as is the concept of soldiers, heroes and bureaucrats. We recognise when the rules can be broken, deify those who do and vilify those who don't, a humanisation of soldiers. The environment also gets a mention as it threatens to consume us all, very quickly in the story, very slowly in reality.

Episode 22: Inferno Episode 4: Violence and Interrogation

We interrogate an episode in which the Doctor is interrogated to tell anything except the truth and the concept of the parallel universe gets another turn. There's also deep discussion about how violent acts and regimes are portrayed, and a subverted view of bureaucracy.

Episode 21: Inferno Episode 3: A Power Play

Whilst an election looms in Britain 50 Years Ago, so does a story about parallel universes where extremism holds power and how it all ends in fire. Or is it connected to Buddhism? It's all visually interesting.

Episode 20: Inferno Episode 2: How to Treat Technology

The calculated brainy use of brawn, how space and drilling are viewed by authors and audiences and how future technology is viewed by everyone are discussed in this episode of Doctor Who: Fifty Years Ago.

Episode 19: Inferno Episode 1: A Fiery Hierarchy

This episode talks about several power complexes: control of information, government and technology, renegades and experts in the past as seen in this episode of Doctor Who Fifty Years Ago, which has repercussions for the present and indeed the future.

Episode 18: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 7: Media of Death

In which there is a large discussion about how the media is portrayed in fiction between fifty years ago and now as "The Ambassadors of Death" fizzles out right at the very end.

Episode 17: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 6: Space Odyssey of Death

The plot of this tale becomes apparent, but we can’t help but compare the space elements of this episode to high sci-fi elements of a Space Odyssey.

Episode 16: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 5: Mark 3 Fuel Variant of Death

This episode of Doctor Who: Fifty Years Ago is about fuelling a space mission. Of course, Apollo 13 happened in real-life at the same time. That's quite interesting, and so are the subjects of regular characters, communications and privacy.

Episode 15: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 4: Bureaucratic Inertia of Death

This episode deals with the concept of trust, black and white morality, and an unfortunate mishap with fuel for a space program. Yes, that space program. Also food shortage and disease was also happening 50 Years Ago, because nothing changes.

Episode 14: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 3: Moon Suits and Dinner Boots of Death

In which a long monologue about Spacesuits is spoken to you, as well as radiation, the media, and stuntmen.

Episode 13: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 2: The Conspirators of Death

In which various genres, including the spy thriller, are discussed, along with the political sympathies of the Conspirators in this tale of space-astronaut kidnap, hairdryer guns and jazzy soundtrack.

Episode 12: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 1: The Broadcast of Death

We open a seven episode Spy Thriller with action and space capsules galore. We talk about the relaxation of broadcast media, the seriousness of space science and, erm, Milton Keynes *screams*

Episode 11: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 7: Explodey-Wodey

The Military Mind clashes with science, and explosions prevail. Turns out the Doctor losing makes the episode better.

Episode 10: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 6: Medicine Man and the Cottage Hospital

An episode in which the cure for a virus is looked into which the Brig is being military and Liz is being science-y. The differences between sci-fi realism in 1970 Doctor Who and the goings-on in the world in 2020 are also discussed, because they have to be.

Episode 9: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 5: Viral

To hold in our hands, an episode of Doctor Who Fifty Years Ago that uses a virus as a plot-point, compared to nowadays, where viruses make the world squirm. That power would be the crowning irony of ironies, and through this episode, Ben, Luke and Nick gain ironic power.

Episode 8: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 4: Man-Trap

Ben, Luke and Nick get trapped by a visual stimulant in an episode about human and alien moral values, and also talk about radio wars, jungle wars and generation wars. Bubbly liquid also froths.

Episode 7: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 3: The Silurians and the Subtext

Selfish scientists and Silurian scales form basis for a slow discussion about this episode of Doctor Who: Fifty Years Ago.

Episode 6: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 2: Full of Character and Noise

Ben, Luke and Nick attempt to explain how good Malcolm Hulke's characterisation and Carey Blyton's music is in this episode of Doctor Who by critiquing the characters and becoming the music itself.

Episode 5: (Doctor Who) and the Silurians Episode 1: Classy and Dumb

The episode walks a fine line between eminently respectable and completely absurd. Ben, Luke and Nick love this and will happily talk about it, if only because they think they're the same as the show they like. They can but dream.

Episode 4: Spearhead from Space Episode 4: NesTENe out of NesTENe

Marks for this alien invasion, and its effect on the watching public? Well, have a guess. We also talk about rockets and leftist purges, just to spice up this excellent conclusion to this good serial.

Episode 3: Spearhead from Space Fleshy Scobie's Dynamite

An episode which talks about espionage, human like mannequins and the glory of it being in colour, as we slowly move towards an awe-inspiring conclusion, hence the allegory of dynamite.

Episode 2: Spearhead from Space Episode 2: Arguments about Aliens

Ben, Luke and Nick get themselves embroiled in a few arguments about characters, alien invasions, sci-fi realism and fantasy and many other things included in this episode of Doctor Who: Fifty Years Ago.

Episode 1: Spearhead from Space Episode 1: Robert Holmes' Script Meteorite

Season 7 begins, and the 1970s begins. Robert Holmes throws his rejected scripts into space, and they come back to Earth looking suspiciously like Quatermass II. Ben, Luke and Nick review this episode, the media, dolly-birds and colour television.