INDOMITABLE! | The Ark in Space | Doctor Who Marathon From The Beginning 

I think the reason this feels like such a throwback is because it essentially is one - a script written by John Lucarotti who worked on the shows first season, rewritten by Holmes, back to three companions, back to exploring spaceships. And yet this makes the show feel fresher than it has in a while, because its something we simply haven't seen! A story commissioned by Letts, executed by Hinchcliffe, and yet its a new approach, one that was needed, and so much darker and grimmer than anything than Pertwee did. Tom's first season feels very much like grimmer approaches to older styles of story, before becoming its own thing come his second

I really like this one, there is something genuinely unnerving and even mature about it. It’s a different sort of horror to the rest of this era. As someone who gets a bit fatigued with the constant gothic horror stories of this era this this is something quite special. I really wish Harry had carried for longer.

My earliest memories are of watching this episode. To me, The Ark in Space is the quintessential UR example of Doctor Who. It's as close to perfect as the show ever achieved. Atmosphere, music, performances, writing, set design, this episode hit every single note perfectly. When asked for an intro to classic Who, this is where I begin. Yes, it's bubblewrap, but that was a brand new thing not really available to the public when the episode came out! Just go with it! The grub is utterly terrifying, Noah's transformation is pure body horror, and the unsettling sound and movement of the Wirrn gets me every time.

The differences between Robot and Ark in Space are as great as the changes from The War Games and Spearhead from Space. You can tell a new producer is firmly at the helm. The three leads are strong enough to carry a full episode on their own (bar voice artists). The costumes, the sets, the script and the acting are all top notch and I don’t know what Dudley Simpson had for breakfast but his score was the best he composed up to then. This is genuine scary Doctor Who and my Mum refused to let my 6 year old brother watch part 4 he was so frightened by part 3. This story firmly takes second place in my top ten at this point and remains in my top 10 to this very day. I adore it.

Bubble-wrap wasn't that well known in the UK back then. It was first used commercially in the USA in 1968, apparently, and I'd never seen any. Noah's transformation certainly spooked the hell out of the young me!

Can't remember why, now, but Part One of this was the first time I watched "Doctor Who" in a room on my own! I remember jumping out of my skin when Harry opened that cupboard door at the cliffhanger! I'm biased, because this is my era but I genuinely think that we're now entering the most consistant era of Who quality wise! And it began with "Ark In Space", an absolute classic!

Blimey Chris - such a brilliantly concise and insightful take on this pivotal moment. Was there ever so magnificent a match between a writer and this series - so sublime a symbiosis between a writer and a Doctor? ‘The answer must be never, sir. Never!’😉 End of episode 2 - seen in black and white - was the single most frightening cliffhanger of my childhood; and that’s Holmes doing something brand new in the programme - only hinted at once or twice before - the slow psychological terror of monstrous metamorphosis. I swear we didn’t question that reality in 1975 - so I’m intensely grateful for your rare defence of the bubble wrap! 🤣 Chapeau! (Preferably a battered broad brimmed felt one) 👌😁

There a line in one of the episodes where the Doctor uses a colourful metaphor, something like 'digesting memories' and Sara Jane complains 'don't make jokes'. I remember Tom Baker's reply chilling me (in a good way) to the bone.

following on from my comment on 'robot' I was as a kid genuinely wondering if I was getting too old for this 'kiddie show' but ark in space knocked that on the head. fell in love with this quirky, cheery, unpredictable new doctor. instead it was another baker in the '80s that drove me away for a decade

The second Classic Who story I ever watched and I absolutely adore it. Probably nostalgia. But I think the set design is some of the best by Roger Murray Leach . The Wyrrn in concept and most of the execution are really unsettling and terrifying for me. The atmosphere and the characters are engaging. Oh and Dudley’s score is terrific. Yeah, love this story to bits.

The earliest story I've personal memories...everyone remembers the bubble wrapped arm,but I love this story and would've loved them to return (excluding the later cameo corpse)🎩👍❤️

❤❤ this little era is really really good you're very lucky to watch this all back-to-back it's sort of like a little mini series or a mini movie open till Terror of the zygons

The actor who played Rogin was in the Web of Fear.

Love opening episode being just our trio❤️👍🎩

Shame Harry didn't get a Tardis interior scene🎩

Wonderful discussion

Personally, I believe that with the exception of the Eleventh Doctor, that every other Doctor's second episode is stronger than their first. I think this is for a few reasons. In story terms, since the Power of Daleks, the Doctor seems to go through a Post-Regeneration phase when the character is higgledy-piggledy or half-asleep or both (with the exception of the Unearthly Child and Rose). I'm not saying this isn't used to good effect, but I think it doesn't enable that iteration of the Doctor to fully establish themselves. For example, I love Spearhead in Space, but we get to see the Third Doctor more fully formed in Dr Who and the Silurians. Although I've grown to like A Christmas Invasion, I've not been the biggest fan of the Tenth Doctor sleeping through most of his first episode, even though I get the point they were trying to make (I'm more of a New Earth fan, sorry). I think the Post-Regeneration phase was utilised to the best effect in the Eleventh Hour (sadly I'm not sure if the Eleventh Doctor fully ever emerged out of the Post-Regeneration phase until...he regenerated!). I think on a production level, the production are finding their feet with the new era, just as the actor is finding their feet in the role. Robot is a good example of being a hangover from the previous era, and The Time and the Rani was rushed together before the new script editor could get his feet under the table. That's why I think the second episodes tend to be a better statement of intent for the bold new era. I think that's why I prefer the Daleks to an Unearthly Child, and The End of the World to Rose- because I feel more of the scale of ambition in the second episodes. What are your thoughts? Do you think a Doctor's second episode serves as a better debut than their debut? Or, do you think it sometimes takes longer for a Doctor to receive their proper debut? Or do you think you can't beat the OG (original)? Ps... I have a confession to make for the confession dial... I've always really enjoyed Revenge of the Cybermen and out of the Nerva Station based episodes it definitely beats the Ark in Space for me. I know, I'm quite mad.

I love ark in space actually season 12 is My fave accept robot

Is Harry the only companion to travel in the TARDIS, but we never actually see him inside it? We never saw Sarah Jane’s reaction to the TARDIS interior, and we won’t see Leela’s either. So thinking about it, there isn’t a proper companion entering the TARDIS moment until Tegan; ten years after Jo in Colony in Space. Or is it Adric? Can’t quite remember, but it’s still pretty much ten years.

This should have been the first story of the season with Robot wrapping up the previous one ala The Twin Dilemma. And “Terror of the Zygons” should have ended this year.

Classic. Made for nothing in the days when it was the effects and sets that wobbled. Now the sets and effects are pretty solid, it's the scripts that are shaky and flimsy as hell.

First!

Been a week now...whens the review for the next story dropping?