The Doctor and Sarah exit the TARDIS and discover a deserted London. Martial Law has been declared after the metropolis has been evacuated due to dinosaurs appearing and disappearing creating havoc! Like many, many fans have already noted, this ain't no Jurrasic Park, nor is it Dinosaurus(!). Actually, Invasion of the Dinosaurs really isn't that bad. Malcolm Hulke's last script for the program is pretty good, except for one thing: the dinosaurs. The puppet dinosaurs give this serial its' bad reputation. They are woeful, pathetic, and just plain bad. Also, the story, like a lot of Pertwee six-parters, is ploddingly pedestrian. But we can go on all day about the should've dones and shouldn't have dones for this story. But, if you can get beyond the poor effects, you might find an enjoyable runaround. UNIT working with the military is fun. Sgt Benton gets to sock it to General Finch. The whole setting on the faux space ark is a nice touch. It's a shame all these scenes couldn't be self contained as not to spoil the surprise. And Capt Yates' actions against his old friends is a nice touch, too. The b/w episode 1 is very atmospheric, and possibly the best thing about this serial. But if you're a non-discriminating Who fan, you're more than likely to find the high points of this much maligned adventure.

Anthony J. LaRocca, I couldn't have said it any better myself! I completely agree. I've read critiques of this story which crucify the special effects, especially the credulous dinosaurs. So what? Dr. Who was a low budget BBC series. Let's not expect Star Wars-type effects. The critics just don't have the imagination required to look past substandard special effects and enjoy a good story. It would be one thing if this was a poorly told story, but it isn't. It keeps the viewer's interest throughout.

And thanks to the video, Who fans can finally witness the first episode, albeit in B&W. Many PBS stations began showing this story starting with episode 2, as episode 1 was trashed during the BBC purge. Thank goodness the B&W version existed.

This was my first introduction to Doctor Who when I was a child, and immediately I was hooked. My whole family sat rapt around a 13" black and white television set, watching it on PBS back when you could see the good Doctor for free. Even today, the shoestring special effects don't bother me a bit- they multiply the fun. "Dinosaurs" has a great story you can enjoy, even though it is stretched a little bit to fill six episodes. The Jon Pertwee and (pre John Nathan-Turner) Tom Baker eras are my favorites in Doctor Who: I love the charm of the hand-puppet dinosaurs, the way the painted-canvas sets shake when Jon Pertwee slams doors, the Gallifreyian technology that looks like it was made with parts from Radio Shack. We live in a time when science fiction shows and movies are full of special effects with no plot or characters to care about. Give me a good sonic screwdriver over a computer generated phaser blast any day!