Doctor Who: The Invasion

1968 3h 14m EN

🤯

8.8

MASTERPIECE

★8.8TMDB · 11

Science FictionDramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe return to Earth and become embroiled in the schemes of Tobias Vaughn. They meet up with an old friend, Colonel (now Brigadier) Lethbridge-Stewart, and some old enemies, the Cybermen.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Patrick Troughton
The Doctor
Frazer Hines
Jamie McCrimmon
Wendy Padbury
Zoe Heriot
Kevin Stoney
Tobias Vaughn
Nicholas Courtney
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Edward Burnham
Professor Watkins
Sally Faulkner
Isobel Watkins
Peter Halliday
Packer/Cyberman Voice

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Douglas Camfield
Writers: Derrick Sherwin, Kit Pedler
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 194 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Don Harper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Martyn Day shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 11 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Douglas Camfield directs. Don Harper scores. Martyn Day cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 194 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Original score by Don Harper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Martyn Day shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury carry the top of the cast.
6Only 11 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Original score: Don Harper
Editing: Martyn Day
Production design: Richard Hunt
Costume design: Bobi Bartlett
Makeup / hair: Sylvia James
Runtime: 194 min · 3h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN

Also by

Douglas Camfield

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-05-22
★ 7/10
I'm not quite sure this needed to run for over three hours, even with the recaps, but it's still one of the better and more menacing outings for the "Doctor" (Patrick Troughton) and his companions "Jamie" (Frazer Hines) and "Zoe" (Wendy Padbury) - the latter I had completely forgotten all about! Anyway, they arrive on Earth to rendezvous with the newly promoted Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) just as some prominent scientists start to disappear. The "UNIT" taskforce has been asked to investigate, and so of course the "Doctor" wants to help find out just where they have all gone and what, if anything, has the menacing industrialist "Vaughn" (Kevin Stoner) got to do with it? Swiftly, the team become embroiled in a mystery that can only spell one thing - alien invasion, but by whom and why? When? Where? Things become clearer with about an hour to go, and to be honest much of the preceding two is made up of some softly-paced preamble that could effortlessly have been condensed into half of that time, but once we have the familiar baddies in our sights the programme comes to life. Unafraid to utilise the mighty resources of the BBCs visual and sounds effects departments, the production whizzes, wheezes and clanks it's way through some of the best 1960s sci-fi peril you will ever see on celluloid. Troughton always did deliver with his tongue in his cheek, but rarely better than here and though I did find Padbury a little annoying, there is a general accord amongst the players that presents us with another example of just why this was appointment to view television.

Production companies