6. The Ambassadors Of Death
Episode: Season 7, Episode 1
Companions: Liz Shaw, The Brigadier An oft-forgotten classic, Ambassadors is probably overshadowed by some of the even better stories from Jon Pertwee's first season as the Doctor (more on them later). In its own right, Ambasaddors is a simply fantastic episode summing up season 7 superbly serious, gritty, bleak and trapped on Earth. A pointer against the episode was that much of it only survived in black and white but thanks to the DVD restoration team it can be enjoyed in glorious color throughout. The story concerns the fate of three astronauts who have gone missing after apparently re-landing following a recovery mission. What follows is an almost spy thriller with car chases, gun battles, mad scientists and Bessie as the Doctor tries to uncover the intriguing mystery behind the astronauts and their alien ambassadors. One of Ambassadors major positives is that it's stuffed to the brim with great characters. The 'villain' of the piece, General Carrington (superbly played by John Abierni), is superbly written and it's a refreshing change to finally have an interesting motive behind their actions something for which the Doctor forgives him. Liz Shaw, a sadly forgotten character these days, has some great moments here too despite spending most of the episode in a scarily short miniskirt, with the car chase of episode 3 proving a particular highlight. Finally, the whole story is packed with some budget-breaking action scenes motorbikes and helicopters in episode 2, and an absolutely brilliant gunfight in episode 1. The episode is not just a success because of the superb plot but because of the magnificent, imaginative direction. The shots of the sunlight over the astronauts visor and the body dumping on the gravel pit linger long in the memory.