Doctor Who: The Android Invasion

When the TARDIS lands in the sleepy English village of Devesham, Sarah Jane thinks the Doctor has finally got her back home. But all is not as it seems - the village is unusually deserted and deadly white-suited spacemen patrol the countryside. When the dead begin to come back to life, the Doctor decides to contact UNIT. But their UNIT friends are also dangerously changed.

Who is Senior Defence Astronaut, Guy Crayford, and why is he in charge of UNIT? Who are his true masters, the Kraals, and what insidious plans are they concocting behind the scenes?

The Doctor soon discovers the invasion of Earth has already begun, and if he doesn't stop it mankind will be utterly wiped out.

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Oseidon where the alien Kraals have created an exact replica of the English village of Devesham and its nearby Space Defence Station and populated it with androids in order to rehearse for an invasion attempt. A human astronaut, Guy Crayford, has been duped into collaborating with them.
The TARDIS travelson to Earth alone, and the Doctor and Sarah follow in Crayford's rocket, which is being used to carry the spearhead of the invasion force. The Kraals' chief scientist, Styggron, intends to release a deadly virus in order to weaken resistance to the forthcoming invasion.
On reaching Earth, the Doctor and Sarah try to convince UNIT troops at the Space Defence Station of the danger, but with the Brigadier away in Geneva, their attempts fall on deaf ears - Crayford is being hailed as a hero.
The Doctor uses the Station's transmitters to jam the control signals of the now active androids - including duplicates of himself, Harry Sullivan and RSM Benton - and prevents Styggron from releasing his virus. Styggron accidentally infects himself during a fight with the android Doctor and is killed.

Directed by Barry Letts
Written by Terry Nation
Produced by Philip Hinchcliffe
Original Music by Dudley Simpson
Film Editing by Mike Stoffer
Costume Design by Barbara Lane

First Transmitted
1 - 22/11/1975 17:45
2 - 29/11/1975 17:45
3 - 06/12/1975 17:45
4 - 13/12/1975 17:45

Tom Baker had a bad throat while the location filming was being done, and his voice is much huskier than usual during these scenes.

Marshal Chedaki sounds almost exactly the same as Zippy from the children's television series Rainbow.

Actor Roy Skelton provided the voices for both parts.
Like the Skystriker in the previous season's Revenge of the Cybermen, Crayford's rocket is represented by NASA stock footage of a Saturn V.

Ian Marter and John Levene make their final contributions to Doctor Who as, respectively, Harry Sullivan and RSM Benton (and their android doubles).
Patrick Newell, appearing here as Colonel Faraday, was better known as Mother in the espionage thriller series The Avengers.