4. It Has A Great Script
Of course, the cast are helped by a really great script from one of the all time great Doctor Who writers, Robert Holmes. The series is into its famous Holmes/Hinchcliffe era here and it really shows as the script is tense from the off. Characters are in danger, mysteries surface and need to be solved - theres just generally a lot going on to keep the viewers attentive and engaged. Theres also the level of horror youd expect from this era and The Ark in Space is one of the many reasons why this show has a reputation for sending people cowering behind the sofa. Its rather impressive that there was a script at all, given that there were several problems along the way. Two other writers tried to write a version for the show - Christopher Langley and Who veteran John Lucarotti, who had written three Hartnell serials. Lucarottis script was the one preferred by the production team but he lived on a boat in the Mediterranean, meaning that Robert Holmes was struggling to communicate with him to suggest revisions. In the end, Lucarotti was paid for his work and Holmes had to rewrite the script last minute to get it ready. You'll be pleased to discover that none of these problems show in the finished product, though. Instead viewers are given a tight, well-paced story full of thrills, threats and triumphs - one of the best in the shows illustrious history, and definitely worth a watch. Speaking of scriptwriters