Day 257: Spearhead From Space Episode 4

And I should probably talk about the plot for this episode at some point, shouldn't I? The story concerns a Nestene Consciousness, which is invading Earth by taking over plastics, mainly shop window dummies and the like. What this gives rise to is one of the most iconic scenes in the history of Doctor Who as shop window dummies come to life and begin attacking bystanders. This is at the very heart of what Doctor Who is sometimes claimed to be, a programme for traumatising young children by taking ordinary objects and making them terrifying. Or, to put it another way, to make the ordinary extraordinary. It's a fantastic scene, and one that was brilliantly conceived by Robert Holmes, the writer of this episode. By using these everyday objects in such a way, he is able to show how the series can survive now that it has been trapped on Earth. We are used to seeing alien worlds and alien creatures, but Holmes is able to show us that sometimes what's at home can be terrifying as well.