Doctor Who - Colony in Space [VHS]
Somewhat mistitled, the "Colony in Space" of this John Pertwee adventure is actually on the barren colony world Uxarieus. A group of settlers are struggling to make crops grow when an Interplanetary Mining Corporation team led by Morris Perry, effective as an official with the mind of a Nazi bureaucrat, arrives to claim the planet. Despite the sometimes-laughable production values and a few gaping holes in the plot, Malcolm Hulke's script contains enough intrigue and incident to keep the whole thing moving briskly for six episodes. "Colony in Space" was significant for being the Third Doctor's first adventure away from Earth, fitting into the eighth season after "The Claws of Axos." Though less celebrated than "The Demons," this is an entertaining adventure and a reminder of just how muchDoctor Whoreflected the radical politics of 1970s British sci-fi.--Gary S. Dalkin