Old and new production crew, as we look at the director and writer of this story.
The writer is Robert Holmes, previously of The Krotons, The Space Pirates and Spearhead From Space. All three were reasonably good episodes, with Spearhead showing signs of promise in this writer. But with Terror of the Autons, we're able to finally get to see Holmes get into the swing of things. Each character is well defined so that we're able to build up a relationship with them and become more invested in the story. Take, for instance, Farrel. Within our first scene with him, we know that he's a nervous man with an overbearing father, who won't trust him to do his job. His downfall as he's taken over by the Master is genuinely sad, as we feel a small connection to the character, and so we feel sympathy when he dies at the end of this serial. But Holmes also has enough of a devilish streak to put fear into kids hearts. This story was discussed in UK parliament as an example of television becoming too scary for children. It's writers like Holmes that make Doctor Who memorable, and the show is all the better for it.
Meanwhile, the director is not actually listed in the credits of this episode. It's because the director is actually the producer, Barry Letts. Lett's direction is adequate (not another Camfield or Ferguson), but it's worth noting the revolutionary new techniques that he's bringing to the series. He's interested in using the special effect known as CSO (Colour Separation Overlay, or Green/Blue Screen). It's a new technique and it can occasionally be put to good use, particularly when we need vistas that are impossible to recreate in studio. However, at the moment, it somewhat intrudes on the story, as every other scene contains fringes around the edges, and it somewhat takes you out of the adventure. Still, it's a revolutionary technique and we'll get to see more of it in the future.
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