A Bluffer’s Guide to Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones
It’s not an invasion: They’ve all got valid passports.
Describe The Faceless Ones in six words:
Crime thriller with aliens flying aeroplanes.
This is… the one at Gatwick.
Episodes: Episodes 157–162 out of 870 (8 April — 13 May, 1967)
Key Characters
Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
with Ben (Michael Craze), Polly (Anneke Wills) and Jamie (Frazer Hines)
Villains: The Chameleons: Captain Blade (Donald Pickering), Spencer (Victor Winding)
Other guest stars: The Commandant (Colin Gordon), Jean Rock (Wanda Ventham), Samantha Briggs (Pauline Collins), Inspector Crossland (Bernard Kay), Nurse Pinto (Madalena Nicol)
I’m New to This, What Should I Know
- We’re in contemporary times! A rarity for Doctor Who at the time.
- It’s also a story using a new cultural phenomena as the origin of its menace. Recently, package tours to Europe became a possible and affordable method of holidaying for a greater number of people (in contrast to the holiday camps that were the source of parody in the story just before this: The Macra Terror).
- It’s also the final story to feature Ben and Polly. But don’t expect a significant farewell scene. Their exit is only slightly better than Dodo’s.
- After enjoying the idea of potential crew members following Jamie’s surprising addition (in my parallel universe its Catherine Howe’s Ara that joins), you’re now about to see the first “audition” of a new companion: Samantha Briggs as played by Pauline Collins. Collins was offered a contract to join the series, but declined.
- Only two episodes out of the six survive. All six episodes were animated in colour in 2020.
The Narrative
Location: Gatwick Airport, space
Time: 20 July, 1966 (so almost a year ago for the audience, and set on the final day of The War Machines)
What Happens?
Upon arriving at Gatwick Airport — on a runway as a plane is taking off — the TARDIS team scatter. Polly enters a hangar for Chameleon Tours and witnesses a murder. In investigating, the Doctor and his firends become the target of the sinister Chameleon Tours.
With Ben and Polly kidnapped, the Doctor, Jamie, and new allies Samantha Briggs and Inspector Crossland, uncover the mass kidnapping of young people and using their bodies to replace the Chameleons.
In getting to their satellite, the Doctor plays bluff while his allies find the original bodies. He sows dissent between the Chameleon ranks and negotiates a peaceful solution to the problem.
Ben and Polly, upon discovering that it’s the same day they left, farewell the Doctor and Jamie. The Doctor tells Jamie that the TARDIS has been stolen.
The Production
Recording
Location filming: March 1967 at Gatwick Airport
Filming: March/April 1967 at Ealing Studios
Studio recording: April/May 1967 at Lime Grove D
Key Production Credits
Writers — David Ellis, Malcolm Hulke
Incidental music — various library tracks
Designer — Geoffrey Kirkland
Story editor — Gerry Davis
Associate producer — Peter Bryant
Producer — Innes Lloyd
Director — Gerry Mill
Any Behind-the-Scenes Gossip?
In terms of the writers, this is the first script written by Malcolm Hulke, who will have a long relationship with Doctor Who, and David Ellis (who won’t). Except, both men had tried writing several Doctor Who serials beforehand until deciding to join forces. That didn’t work out (goodbye, “The People Who Couldn’t Remember”). So they tried again. Their script, “The Big Store” featured body-snatching aliens in a department store. Producer Innes Lloyd and story editor Gerry Davis liked the script but wanted to change the location to an airport and add two episodes (the original was a four-parter). Thus, Hulke and Ellis began working on The Faceless Ones.
As mentioned above, this was Ben’s and Polly’s last story. Michael Craze and Anneke Wills were actually contracted for until Episode 2 of the next story (an odd quirk of scheduling that occurred when the original four-part Faceless Ones was still in place, before being extended by two episodes. Lloyd was in such a rush to be rid of Ben and Polly, he paid them out for their contracted time. They appear in Episode 6 due to their exit being recorded on location, but afterwards disappear from Episode 3 onwards.
It was also the departure of Shawcraft Models (altohugh they’d hang around for the next serial, the BBC Visual Effects department was effectively taking over). During this serial, Lloyd had issues with Shawcraft Models: Spencer’s gun broke and took days to be prepared; the door to the Chamelons’ satellite blew up; and no thought had gone to how the satellite should be mounted so when it was attached to a wire — was too heavy — fell off and broke.
The Analysis
Stray Observations:
Episode 1: About 04:15 in there’s some marvellous broken doorknob acting.
TARDIS being carried away in wide shot?! Isn’t the director aware of the beautiful imagery!
“He looks like a normal being,” says Spencer. Um… pot calling the kettle black, Chameleon?
The Doctor demanding to see someone in authority 😊
Donald Pickering as Captain Blade is excellent: menace, steel and a villain who is actually competent
The Commandant’s resigned sigh upon knowing the Doctor has turned up again. 😊
By episode 4, Jean is becoming the Doctor’s companion for the ATC scenes: I love how Troughton’s Doctor gets women to work with him (and this is the first. It doesn’t feel like a Troughton trope yet)
Blade describes the Doctor and Nurse Pinto as “both human”
By Ep 5, in the animation, it’s obvious all policemen are the same.
Ep 6: A great guessing game for the audience: Where are the bodies? The show almost invites your own guesses.
Ep 6: The Doctor’s line “Polly, look after Ben” feels so, so wrong. I can only think that we need the visuals for Troughton’s knowing wink and smiles being exchanged between everyone. Ben has always been the thickie (a keen part on accepting the ‘new’ Doctor relied upon Polly believing it was the Doctor and Ben not because the audience knows that Polly is the brighter one). I can only imagine it was scripted for the Doctor to suggest that Ben needs looking after. But then, the whole ending is off. The goodbye is way too rushed. I want bigger speeches. I want Ben and Polly to have had more to do in the story (couldn’t Sam find the two of them in a car?). I want Ben and Polly to look at each other as a plane taxis in the background, heading towards them, and kiss when the plane is taking off.
Between You and Me
I do like this story. I can only wish for a better ending for Ben and Polly. Another one for the magic African discovery wishlist.
Further / Recommended Reading