Hurrah, it's a story where even the title causes debate amongst fans! Yes, in 1970, some prat at the BBC included the words "Doctor Who and the..." And we've been debating it ever since. The long winter nights just fly by round here...
Anyway, here we are with Pertwee's first full story as an Earth bound, exiled, Time Lord and he's pressed into service early doors...
I always approach stories longer than 6 episodes with some trepidation but this trots along quite nicely. Different aspects of the Silurian plot develop as we go along.
The Silurians are an interesting baddie as well. They just want their planet back and I suppose the story itself resonates with the issues facing displaced populations. Some parties are willing to negotiate, others are not. It might be reading too much into into draw some comparisons with Israel and Palestine but there is a part of me that sees that. Both sides have moral arguments but both sides pursue them in immoral ways. A well, this is far too serious, lets just say it's an interesting conflict.
The Doctor/Brigadier/Liz triumvirate continues to work well, too. The three bicker quite a lot but are still very protective of each other.
The supporting cast are enjoyable, many familiar faces from the world of British TV, and all places decent, meaty roles.
The ending is very bleak as the Brigadier wipes out the now snoozing Silurians. Still. One had just tried to kill him so I suppose you can see where he's coming from. But The Doctor is mad as hell and it's a very interesting way to end the story.
Maybe an episode too long but a challenging storyline as earth is invaded, not by aliens, but by is own earlier owners.
9/10.