Planet of the Spiders

Premise: Mike Yates invites Sarah to visit him at a Buddhist centre where he’s been staying since his resignation from UNIT. He suspects evil is afoot there...

Notes: Following the shocking death of Roger Delgado and the departure of Katy Manning from the show, Jon Pertwee had made the decision to leave feeling that an era was coming to an end. Producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks were also moving on from the series. The exciting chase scene, which took up most of part two, featured Bessie, the Whomobile (made to fly through CSO), a gyrocopter, a police car, a hovercraft and a speedboat.

Verdict: With an exciting (if a little over the top) chase scene, shoddy CSO, great acting, witty gems of dialogue, UNIT, thought provoking moments, venusian aikido and slightly forced buddhist beliefs, this serial is the perfect summary of Jon Pertwee's era and a fitting end to his time as the Doctor 8/10

Carnival of Monsters

Premise: The TARDIS lands on a cargo ship in 1926 but when a dinosaur appears and the crew and passengers begin repeating their actions, the Doctor realises that not all is as it seems.

Notes: This serial marks the first time since the War Games that the Doctor is able to pilot the TARDIS completely under his own control. This story was originally planned for the previous season and recorded in that production block but then held back to allow Barry Letts to direct it without any difficulties due to his role as producer. The monsters that are displayed in Vorg's miniscope include Drashigs, Ogrons and Cybermen. The latter of which only appeared in one other Thrid Doctor story, The Mind of Evil, which was only a hallucination in that story. 

Verdict: A ridiculous production with silly costumes, awful masks, bad CSO and a very strange plot. However, it is a very fun story to watch 7/10

Terror of the Autons

Premise: The Master, a renegade Time Lord, comes to Earth and breaks into a museum where he steals a Nestene energy globe that was salvaged from their previous invasion attempt.

Notes: This was the first story to feature the classic villain of the Master, a renegade Time Lord who would appear in every subsequent serial this season until finally being captured in the final story, the Dæmons. He would occasionally return in the following seasons until actor Roger Delgado died in a car crash in Turkey. It was also the first to feature companion Jo Grant and UNIT Captain Mike Yates. During the scene where Mike Yates drives into an Auton and it falls down the hill, the stuntman was only supposed to fall halfway down the hill and get up again. However, he fell all the way down the hill and was injured during this accident. Nevertheless, he got back up again for the shot.

Verdict: No Better nor worse than it's predecessor. Some poor effect which could have been easily avoided and the Autons themselves seem rather strange. Some inventive death scenes though, most notably the plastic chair. It must be said that the main star of this is Roger Delgado, who works really well alongside Jon Pertwee 7/10