Doctor Who: Robot (1974) written by Terrance Dicks and directed by Christopher Barry
The Third Doctor (John Pertwee) regenerates into the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) inside a UNIT facility. The Doctor wants to take his new face for a spin but the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) convinces him to investigate some robberies on the premises. The plans for a disintegrator ray and some circuitry needed to build it have been stolen. The Doctor is intrigued enough to hang around. Pretty soon they run into the titular robot, who is quite conflicted about the murders it has to commit while it is doing tasks for a group of scientists who have their own grand evil scheme.
Baker is wonderful as the Doctor, even here in his very first episode. He has the quirkiness, comedy, and commanding presence needed. The other actors work well with him and do their jobs quite well. As is often the case, some of the special effects aren't so special, though they are charmingly tacky. The story moves at a good pace and the Doctor manages to get off the Earth by the end, on his way to even more adventures.
Recommended.
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