39. Doctor Who and the Silurians

‘If the Brigadier won’t listen to reason, Liz, maybe the Silurians will.’

In the face of hopelessness, are we still compelled to do the right thing? No Doctor Who story encapsulates the layered complexity of science versus ethics more than Doctor Who and The Silurians (1970). The story raises issues of land rights, the 1970s energy crisis, technological innovation, animal experimentation and the role of the military. Science is presented as the solution to many of the problems, but terrible acts result from the morality of the choices made by both humans and Silurians – and an exiled Time Lord.