Though this story isn't a brilliant one, I actually quite like it. I like the modern feel to it, though not as fresh feeling as The War Machines, still helps with the atmosphere of the story.

On the plus side, Jamie finally gets the chance to truly shine as Ben and Polly(who seems to have magically regrown her hair) are sidelined after the second episode. Pauline Collins is quite brilliant as Samantha Briggs. I wish she had gone on to be a companion, as I adore the relationship between her and Jamie, I thought it was rather cute in some ways! I also like the Chameleon Doubles and not knowing who's who.

On the downside, I must agree with the summing up of one of the writers in the Second Doctor Handbook. After six episodes of trying to kill The Doctor, the Chameleons do seem to just accept defeat on a few stern words from The Doctor and didn't really put up much of a fight which you would expect for any adversary.

As previously discussed in the Companions Threads Ben and Polly get a raw deal in their final story. Missing for three episodes and then briefly appearing at the story's conclusion. Though unlike Dodo, they did actually get to say goodbye, they still deserved a lot better, especially after such a strong debut.

All in all a mixed bag. Not sure if seeing the missing four episodes would make it any better. The telesnap version I've seen is quite good but doesn't add anything to the story.

This also gives us the first of three appearances by Wanda Ventham. I liked her character in this a lot. And of course we'd see Pauline Collins again much later as Queen Victoria.

Not the best story ever, but a good solid one. Polly's replacement by a Chameleon somewhat echoed her debut in The War Machines where she was taken over by WOTAN. Donald Pickering made a good villain as Captain Blade (his second appearance in the show). Although Ben and Polly's farewell was a bit rushed, I thought it was touching.

I rather like this one. it would be much better remembered if it was mroe complete. It's quite a naive/quaint story, as so many are in the 60s: the idea that nobody would notice planeloads of missing people is a bit bizarre, and the missing people being miniaturised and hidden on the back seats of cars in the airport car park ...

Maybe that's why I like it. it's quite cute.

I know this thread is an old one but thought it was worth reviving as I've just listened/ watched this story and I quite enjoyed it.

Firstly I think after this story I do like Patrick Troughton's Doctor which I wasn't sure about before as I haven't seen much of his stories.I love his voice as it seems rather soothing and reassuring and prefer his serious side rather than the slapstick ( saying that I did like him as a comic Androgum in the Two Doctors - my first real viewing of his Doctor).

I think The Faceless Ones could have quite easily fitted into 4 episodes as the set-up is quite slow in the beginning with the Doctor trying to persuade the commandant about the disappearances but on the plus side we get time to know the characters such as Blade, Ann Rock, the commandant which is a luxury modern who doesn't always give us.

The introduction of Samantha is unexpected but a good development as it brings a human personal element to the story. I didn't realise she was originally lined up as a companion but she is sparky and fun and brings out a protective Jamie (even if sexist but hey he is from the 18th century!) which is endearing at times.

Her introduction though does mean that Ben and Polly are side lined which is such a shame for their last story as Polly finding the dead policeman could have been made of a lot more of. for her character. I must admit that I've only really seen Ben and Polly in the War Machines which seemed a great intro story for them so don't know how strongly their characters were meant to be developed overall but Sam and Jamie seem much better realised characters in this story. Polly and Ben are likeable but not memorable here if that makes sense. Their goodbye seems a bit sudden and stilted.

Agree with Daveyboy that the Chameleons seem to submit rather meekly to the Doctors terms considering everything they did in the end but I still like the real setting for the story. The location filming at Gatwick really helps to lift the story and it reminds me of Time Flight in that respect but this is a much better realised script. Its a shame only 2 episodes exist as audios don't really communicate people's facial expressions or movements but still enjoyable...On to Evil of the Daleks next

From what I've read both Anneke Wills and Michael Craze's contracts were up by the end of the second episode so weren't contracted to appear in the other four, with their goodbye scene being pre-recorded during those first two episodes.

I agree that they deserved a much better send off but as I said at the top let's be thankful it was better than Dodo's!

I find myself wishing they'd recover this one. It has got a great vintage Sixties feel to it.

And with that name Captain Blade should have had his own show.

I agree, the missing episodes look the better ones and the second half of the story is better than the first. Would be nice to see it in it's entirety.

Agree too. In terms of missing 2nd Doc stories this one is right up there in my books as one I'd really love to see returned!

Plus, it was co-written by Malcolm Hulke, so it must have been at least pretty good

Agree I'd like to see this one back in full. Watching the recons I forgot Jamie kissed Sam 😍. They do work really well together and bring much needed spark and warmth
against the chameleons coldness. Captain Blade gives me the shivers as does the scene where Jamie naively thinks the inspector has escaped until it dawns that he is talking to the Director.
Loved hearing Frazier's posh English accent too !

Polly and Ben's goodbye feels out of the blue .Looking back I think it is a crying shame they weren't more fully in this one considering they were paid up to Episode 2 of Evil of the Daleks. I liked them together. The Duchess and the cockney -well that's marvellous😀

This story is probably in my top 3 I want to see returned. Of any of the 60's stories this is the closest to an Avengers episode.

I think if I was a young kid growing up circa 1967 this story would freak me out. Aside from not being born then, the other problem was this story was never shown here in NZ. Here's why: "The Faceless Ones was one of 4 stories purchased by NZBC between August to October 1969. It was rejected by the censor as unsuitable for broadcast and as a result the story was returned to the BBC in July 1970". So this story has never screened here and unlikely never will.

I'm with you on this. This is one of my "most wanted" stories. As for The Avengers ... I am watching the Tara King episodes for the first time, and they're not great ...

Reading your post it struck me that if the censor hadn't rejected the story we might have had more episodes found over there. One day they will return.......

I've just finished watching all the surviving original stories (with Survival being the last one of course). This has taken me the last 4 to 5 years (watching 2 episodes a week each weekend), I'm substituting this for The Avengers which has been playing each weekend here on our SciFi channel for the last few months. The most popular Avengers series has just started a week ago -the colour episodes featuring Emma Peel.
I only realised it was on half way through the last series so I missed all of Honor Blackman's run -dammit, oh well they will be on again (or I could buy the DVD's -if I can track them down -quite hard to find here for some reason, not sure what it's like in the UK or the States(?), I'd be interested to know). After that is the Tara King stories to come of course. I think there's a few of them -2 series maybe(?) -hmm

When the Avengers was on a few years back they repeated all the colour stories. I remember I gave up about a story or 2 in with Tara King -the stories didn't seem as good (plus it just wasn't the same without the lovely Diana Rigg). But this time round I'm going to force myself to watch them (a bit like the 6th & 7th Doctor (cough, cough)) .
Plus I'm told by my brother -another fan of great UK cult shows, that there are some Tara King stories that are rather good, so maybe you haven't got to them yet Chuff -?

I got this boxset, Mr Seta:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Avengers-Co.../dp/B00485D7WQ

I paid a hundred quid and it is worth its weight in gold. It's just wonderfully designed, and there are so many extras, offcuts, special features, documentaries, etc. Wonderful stuff.

The problem with the Tara King episodes is that they clearly don't know what to do with the character. She has a different hairstyle in every episode (sometimes in every scene) and they can't decide if she's an intrepid superspy or a weak and feeble girlie. There is obviously such a determination to go against the Emma Peel character that the producers and writers are tearing themselves apart. They have decided there can't be any frisson of sexual tension between Steed and Tara as there was between Steed and Cathy/Emma, and that just serves to underline the fact that she's young and inexperienced.

Some of the stories are very "Avengers-by-numbers", self-consciously quirky and almost predictable because they're working to a formula.

It's clearly time for the series to end as it has run out of steam, but Tara King's one series is about a million episodes long. Really, it seems like it's never going to end. (OK I googled it: there's 33 episodes. THIRTY THREE EPISODES. THIRTY THREE!) It feels as if it is going through the motions, and there's a bit of a hint of Swinging Sixties in it from time to time, whereas previous Avengers episodes felt timeless. It's trying to do the same as it always has done, but also trying to be different, and is tying itself up in knots because of it.

It's still better than The New Avengers though.

I know it's off topic but I sort of agree with you. Nothing was ever gonna beat Emma Peel, she was so vibrant, intelligent and witty. Like following a popular Doctor, it was a hard act to follow.

Tara had a tough start as they kept altering her hair and her costume style every week. I do think she settled down in the show after a third of the way through and there was some good episodes in there but they never quite matched the chemistry Steed had with Emma Peel.

And I love The New Avengers by the way!

Cheers -interesting -such a boxset was never released down here, just individual series. I guess there is quite a limited market for such an extensive boxset here in Australasia (region 4).

I do have The New Avengers set on DVD already but I'm saving that until I've got through the remaining 20 or so Diana Rigg & 33 (yikes) Tara King episodes -so that's another year away it looks like, oh well by then (maybe) we'll have some new Doctor Who episodes to watch!

Watched another Avengers last night, and it underlined all my previous thinking. Quirkiness that feels forced rather than natural, and they clearly don't know what to do with Tara. She put me in mind of Doctor Who's Dodo, actually: a decent enough actor, but there's a lack of confidence in the series and the producers are at a real crossroads and are lost in indecisiveness. With Dodo, they changed her persona from one episode to the next; with Tara, they've created a character that they are now realising has limited what the show is able to do, and haven't briefed the writers properly. DW changed its format a bit during Dodo's time and eventually they just forgot about the character completely; The Avengers is far bigger and more expensive and prestigious a production so they just have to suck it up and get on with it, constrained as they are. The show feels like it's running on empty, whereas DW's ability to reinvent itself week after week (as it was a cheaply-made, churned-out, production) gave it opportunity to move on.

Yeah now if this was Who back in the 60's they would have probably met round the executive table over a couple of G&T's on the Friday, made a decision on the hoof there and then, and come the Monday told the actor they were down the street and that they are being written out in the next episode (to be replaced by some secondary character in the latest story)! As for having a proper send off on the show -ha! -phooey, no, the Doctor doesn't do send offs, he merely brushes aside his last companion. "What? No sorry, that was last week's model, time to move on"
...Steed could have learnt a lot I say in that last season by watching the Beeb!