If you were Doctor Who's producer and someone rang up and said, "I can make you some brilliant dinosaurs", would you: a) check? or b) commission a six part epic where dinosaurs invade London? Of course, the answer is a. The script for Invasion fo the Dinosaurs is a good one, a late romp for the UNIT family but, alas, as soon as the dinosaurs appear, the viewer's heart drops. Imagine Jurassic Park. Now imagine Jurassic park without CGI or the life size props. Instead imagine Jurassic Park with model dinosaurs that can't move or walk but can twitch very slightly. Now imagine those dinosaurs badly composited into the action or against a model background that looks like it was made on Blue Peter. if you've done that in your head, it's still a thousand times better than what actually appeared on screen. The episode also has Jon Pertwee attacked by Emu's cousin in a broom cupboard. Easily the best example of special effects ruining a Doctor Who story. What did you think of this list? Are there any other awful Doctor Who special effects that should've got an (dis)honourable mention? Let us know in the comments section below!
Writer of The Blog of Delights, a review site covering film, TV, cult TV, books and audio. Fan of Dr Who, Bond, X-Men and Marvel. Also the writer of e-book 'Fictional Legends: Doctor Who - the TV Adventures' for Collca.
