Science FictionDramaAdventure

Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons

The Master, an old adversary of the Doctor, has arrived on Earth to destroy humanity with the aid of the Nestene Consciousness and their army of Autons and killer plastic daffodils - unless the Doctor, joined by new assistant Jo Grant, can stop them.

Release Date : 1971-01-23

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : BBC

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : The Doctor

Original Name : Jon Pertwee

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jo Grant

Original Name : Katy Manning

Gender : Female

Character Name : Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Original Name : Nicholas Courtney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain Mike Yates

Original Name : Richard Franklin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergeant Benton

Original Name : John Levene

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Master

Original Name : Roger Delgado

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rex Farrel

Original Name : Michael Wisher

Gender : Male

Character Name : McDermott

Original Name : Harry Towb

Gender : Male

Character Name : Time Lord

Original Name : David Garth

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radio Telescope Director

Original Name : Frank Mills

Gender : Male

Character Name : Professor Philips

Original Name : Christopher Burgess

Gender : Male

Character Name : Goodge

Original Name : Andrew Staines

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rossini

Original Name : John Baskcomb

Gender : Male

Character Name : Museum Attendant

Original Name : Dave Carter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Farrell Senior

Original Name : Stephen Jack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Farrell

Original Name : Barbara Leake

Gender : Female

Character Name : Strong Man

Original Name : Roy Stewart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brownrose

Original Name : Dermot Tuohy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Telephone Mechanic

Original Name : Norman Stanley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Auton Policeman

Original Name : Terry Walsh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Auton Leader

Original Name : Pat Gorman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Auton (voice)

Original Name : Hayden Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Troll Doll (uncredited)

Original Name : Tommy Reynolds

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-08-29

This might have had a touch more menace to it, had the eponymous creatures bent on Earth's conquest not looked like the famous yellow-coats at a seaside holiday camp. Anyway, they are the chosen implements of the malevolent "Master" (Roger Delgado). He has returned to assist the powerful "Nestene" with their dastardly plans but hasn't counted on the intervention of the "Doctor" (Jon Pertwee) and his UNIT ally the "Brigadier" (Nicholas Courtney) who are intrigued when a secret power unit is stolen; then a radio telescope is put out of action and bodies start popping up all over Britain seemingly the victims of suffocation. Now it's up to our intrepid Time Lord to piece together the pieces of this puzzle before humanity is cling-filmed to death. It's good to have "Capt. Yates" (Richard Franklin) back to complete the military team and this story gives "Jo" (Katy Manning) a little more of a role as she proves invaluable helping the "Doctor" work to thwart their antagonists. Thing is, though, despite the best efforts of Delgado - and his penetrating stare - as the megalomaniacal mastermind of evil, this is just another rather cheap and cheerful drama that comes across as vaguely comical at times, and has way too much script. There's just not enough happening, and though the premiss that the world might regret being quite so dependent on plastic one day has some resonance, there's just no peril here and the flat denouement rather sums it all up. I'm sure budgets were an issue, even in 1971, but I think the "Doctor" needs to get back into space and give us some baddies we can get to grips with rather than yet another series of episodes that focus too much on saving our own planet - again, and again whilst facing the endless red-tape of the British government.