C01S07 The Sensorites

Synopsis

The Dctor and his companions land in a spaceship orbiting a distant and mysterious world, where a human crew lie frozen somewhere between life and death.  The planet is the Sense-Sphere, home of the Sensorites, beings of immense intelligence and power.  Unable to leave, the Doctor and his companions must deduce the Sensorites' intentions: are they friendly, hostile, or frightened?  And what is the deadly secret at the heart of the Sense-Sphere?

Cover notes

There's a lovely moment in Planet of the Ood [2008] when the Doctor mentions that the Ood-Sphere is a near neighbour of the Sensorites' home world, the Sense-Sphere.  You don't need to understand this reference to The Sensorites [1964] to enjoy the story - but on the other hand, it's more than a throwaway remark.

The Ood and the Sensorites share common characteristics: essentially intellectual and gentle beings, they reveal the true nature of the human beings who come into contact with them - for better and for ill.  Far from being the 'bug-eyed monsters' that Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman wanted to avoid, the Sensorites moved the programme beyond a simple narrative of good humans (or humanoids) versus evil aliens.  The fact that we are also given a tantalising hint of what the Doctor's home planet is like in The Sensorites reinforces the point: our hero is fond of humans, but he is not one of them.  He stands for principles that are humane, but that transcend humanity itself.

Thoughtful, genteel, and afraid of the dark, the Sensorites were never going to be as popular as other Doctor Who aliens such as the Daleks, Cybermen, or Sontarans.  Yet the issues explored in this story were arguably pivotal in the moral and ethical development of the Doctor's character, and of Doctor Who itself.

Cast

Crew

DVD Extras

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