The Time Warrior

Premise: Journalist Sarah Jane Smith poses as her aunt, virologist Lavinia Smith, in order to gain access to a research centre where top scientists are being held in protective custody.

Notes: This story was the first to feature Sarah Jane Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen), the first to feature a Sontaran and the first story to be set in the past since in over five years. Bernard Lodge's brand new title sequence debuted here along with the distinctive diamond Doctor Who logo. This made use of a process called slit-scan to give a three dimensional time tunnel effect. For the first time, the Doctor's home planet is referred to as Gallifrey. 

Verdict: A brilliant period drama with a science fiction edge and topped off by an excellent performance from Elisabeth Sladen. With the right mix of humour and seriousness, this story succeeds in almost every way 10/10

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

Spearhead from Space

Premise: Recovering from his regeneration, the Doctor is taken to hospital where his alien physiology is a puzzle. Meanwhile, the Nestene consciousness intend to conquer Earth using Autons.

Notes: This serial was a first for many things. It was the first to feature the third Doctor, the first to feature companion Liz Shaw, the first to feature the Autons and perhaps the most exciting of all is that it was the first to be produced in colour. This did have it's drawbacks though as it meant that the amount of episodes that could be produced had to be cut, to accommodate the new production methods.

Verdict: A sloppy first half that leads into a magnificent second. Cliffhangers can be dull and editing can be poor but overall it isn't too bad. As soon as the Doctor gets out of the hospital bed is where it gets interesting as Pertwee's portrayal of the Doctor sets him apart from previous Doctors and makes for a great story 7/10