 This story is the first where, after an absence of two years, The Doctor returns to travelling in time and space, though only on a mission for the Time Lords. This is his first trip away from Earth, in the TARDIS, since the Second Doctor's final story "The War Games". Since regenerating into the Third Doctor previous trips in the TARDIS have only been the dimensional leaps of "Inferno" and the 'yo-yo' leap into a time loop in the previous story, "The Claws of Axos". The only other time The Doctor travelled away from Earth was in the attempted recovery of the Mars Probe 7 astronauts in "The Ambassadors of Death".
This is also the first time a companion, of the Third Doctor, is shown to travel in the TARDIS - making this Jo Grant's first trip in the TARDIS.
"Colony in Space" is also the first time ever that The Doctor visits an alien planet with a single companion. This arrangement would quickly become the 'traditional' Doctor Who format. Previously Susan describes travelling (alone presumably) with the First Doctor before the events of "An Unearthly Child", but these travels are untelevised.
Script Editor Terrance Dicks has frequently stated that he disliked the original premise of The Doctor being trapped on Earth, and had meant to subvert this plan as soon as he felt he could get away with it. He recalls in an amusing DVD documentary interview (on the "Inferno" release) having had it pointed out to him by Malcolm Hulke that the format limited the stories to merely two types: alien invasion and mad scientists.
Helen Worth, who plays Mary Ashe, is best known for her long-standing role in Coronation Street as Gail Platt.
Bernard Kay appears as Caldwell. This is his fourth and final appearance in Doctor Who. His previous appearances being: "The Dalek Invasion of Earth", "The Crusade" and "The Faceless Ones".
Director Michael Briant is heard providing the commentary accompanying a propaganda film watched by The Doctor on the IMC spaceship in the second episode. Pat Gorman was originally intended to provide the commentary but this was a last-minute change. However, Pat Gorman is still credited on episodes one and two as 'Primitive and Voice'.
Michael Briant's wife Monique makes a cameo appearance as one of the colonists.
One of the Time Lords at the beginning of the first episode is played by Graham Leaman, who previously appeared in "The Macra Terror", "Fury From the Deep" and "The Seeds of Death".
The Brigadier, as played by Nicholas Courtney, only appears in the opening of episode one and the close of episode six. Roger Delgado, as
The Master (posing as the Adjudicator) appears only in the final three episodes.
This story was to feature actress Susan Jameson as Morgan, the villain, but BBC executives overrode the decision to have a woman in the role.
Apart from a brief CSO shot of one wall in "Terror of the Autons", this story includes the first time that the inside of The Master's TARDIS is shown. To save costs the set used is a redress of the Console Room in The Doctor's TARDIS.
It is revealed that The Master has a more advanced TARDIS than The Doctor, disguised as the Adjudicator's spaceship. A sensor beam across the door alerts The Master who activates a knock out gas. Inside are filing cabinets and holding tubes for prisoners.
The Master is seen having a rod-like device that can kill and features some sensors. He also carries gas bombs and a device showing his TARDIS' interior.
For the first time The Doctor’s TARDIS is seen to materialise and dematerialise instantaneously, rather than fading in and out as usual. It is also revealed that the TARDIS travels outside the space/time continuum, during which the scanner shows swirling colours of the vortex which resolve into a picture of the approaching planet as the TARDIS appears back in normal space on its way to a landing.
The action on Uxarieus takes place in 2472; notes in the script suggest March of that year.
It is revealed that the Uxariens have mutated into three varieties, all psychic, the highest of which can communicate and teleport small items.
During rehearsals for the first studio session, Jon Pertwee was the subject of an episode of This Is Your Life. It was recorded on 3rd March 1971, with Pertwee ambushed by host Eamonn Andrews when Barry Letts lured him and Katy Manning out to a BBC parking lot, ostensibly to perform reshoots for some of the location scenes. This episode of The This Is Your Life later aired on the 14th April 1971.
All six episodes exist in colour as PAL conversions from NTSC 2" colour videotapes, as recovered from syndicated versions sent abroad that were returned from Canada in 1983; and as 16mm black & white telerecordings, as held by the BBC. 16mm colour film trims of location sequences for the story still exist and short clips from this material was used in the 1993 BBC television special "30 years in the TARDIS". In November 2001, This story was released together with "The Time Monster", in a VHS Limited Edition tin box set with an embossed image of The Master as played by Roger Delgado. A new transfer was made from the converted NTSC to PAL videotapes but no restoration work was carried out for this release. The converted NTSC to PAL copies are in a poor condition displaying many picture flaws.
"Colony in Space" was the first story of Season Eight to be novelised by Target. The novelisation was titled "Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon". Being the first of this season’s stories to be released the novelisation breaks with continuity by having Jo Grant introduced to The Doctor for the first time, even though on television her actual introduction was in "Terror of the Autons". The novelisation also includes an extensive prologue as an elderly Time Lord describes The Doctor-Master rivalry to his assistant and learns of the theft of the Doomsday Weapon files. The various races of Primitives are also described very differently to the televised version - complete with four-thumbed naked telepaths.
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The Firsts:
The first time The Doctor returns to travelling in time and space after an absence of two years.
The first trip in the TARDIS for companion Jo Grant played by Katy Manning.
The first time ever that The Doctor visits an alien planet with a single companion.
The first time The Doctor’s TARDIS is seen to materialise and dematerialise instantaneously, rather than fading in and out as usual.
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Michael Briant
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(Position = 128 out of 159)
(Position = 171 out of 200)
(Position = 199 out of 241)
