Series/season Seven wrap-up

Doctor Who series/season seven
Airdates - 3rd of January 1970 to the 20th of June 1970
Produced by Derrick Sherwin (Spearhead From Space)
Produced by Barry Letts (Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Ambassadors of Death and Inferno)
Script editor - Terrance Dicks

As I mentioned in my review of Spearhead from Space, the seventh series/season is a great place to start watching Classic Doctor Who, since the series feels a great deal like a reboot.  The Doctor, companion, the Earth-bound setting and especially the jump to color from black and white simply make the show feel quite a bit different from the previous six series/seasons.

The jump to color filming and the subsequent increased production costs involved necessitated a shortening of the the series/season.  While series/season six featured seven stories broadcast over forty-four episodes, series/season seven would only feature four stories over twenty-five episodes.

The higher production values and the addition of color really help the show, and after six series/seasons of black and white episodes (and dealing how to watch or listen to missing episodes), it was quite a refreshing change of pace.

Caroline John is quite good as the companion Liz Shaw, and interestingly its through Liz's eyes that we see the opening and closing of this particular series/season.  Sadly, the decision was made to replace Liz after this particular series/season which means we never really get the send-off that Liz I think deserved.  It's also interesting that Liz Shaw is one of the few companions (perhaps the only companion) who didn't travel with The Doctor in the Tardis.

My ranking for the four stories this particular series/season-
1. Spearhead From Space
2. Inferno
3. The Ambassadors of Death
4. Doctor Who and the Silurians

Since there are only four stories, and all of them are out on DVD, one could consider watching the entire series/season, since it's much shorter than the first six series/seasons.  However, for those wanting a sample, Spearhead From Space and Inferno are the clear choices in my own humble opinion.

The classic UNIT lineup that most casual Doctor Who fans remember isn't quite complete , as we wouldn't see the additions of Jo Grant and Captain Yates, along with the recurring villain The Master until series/season eight.  Even so, the genesis of that lineup could be seen here, as both Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart and Sgt. Benton make their first appearances as regulars during this particular series/season.

To put it simply, series/season seven was a great start to the Third Doctor and the color era and it would simply get even better in series/season eight.