I think the answer to that, is, um... maybe? Who canon notoriously contradicts itself on the question of exactly when the stories that were filmed around then were actually set. :)

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Yes, like the confusion as to whether the Third Doctor UNIT stories were set in the 70s or the 80s...

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Yes, exactly. So much confusion that eventually even canon started making jokes about it. :)

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Ohhhh, duh, silly me--I should have remembered that the UNIT stories might have been around then. Though I had no idea I was opening a can of canon worms, here! :)

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(grin) It can't be helped: Doctor Who canon is full of worms.

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As the others have said, it's a bit of a controversy, due to some stories being contemporary to when they were filmed, and others containing apocryphal mention (some would say throw-away lines) to it being the 1980's. If you wanted to, you could, with minimum of fuss, just assume that the stories aired in 1973-74 do, in fact, take place when they were first aired. Nobody's going to bite your head off for it. In fact, the question of UNIT dating is rather tired among the fans (those of us who still remember), and some would even prefer to see it laid to rest.

In my opinion, the UNIT days might as well have been the 70's. They certainly looked like it. If they were the 80's, the show didn't do a very good job of it. Not that they did that very often, anyways. And if they were the 80's, then what were the 80's? Alternate 80's? Retro 90's? Best forget they ever claimed it. Saves us the trouble of trying to figure out why everyone in the 80's was so out of fashion. :-P

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Wow, thanks--I had no idea this was such a big deal. Oh, Who fandom. :)

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If you could ever find it, I recommend the novel Face of the Enemy by David McIntee. It very definitely takes place in the 70's, and features UNIT. The only thing it doesn't feature is the Doctor. He's away, and it's up to two of his first companions (long since abandoned) and one who would one day be his companion to stop the Master's latest Earth-bound scheme.

Have you ever seen the earliest episodes, with Ian and Barbara?

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So noted!

I've seen the first two stories, and I kind of like Ian and Barbara a lot. (I think I've seen the first bit of the story after that one--the first one with the Daleks?--but I didn't get to finish watching, as these were at a friend's house on a far-away visit.)

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Oh no - the UNIT dating controversy rears its ugly head!

Which means you can pick whether the 1973 'near-contemporary' stories appeal or not...

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Well, as I said, none of this will probably affect the story at all--but it's good to know just in case the muse decides to use some bit or piece. (Frankly, LoM has eaten my brain completely, and this story is rapidly taking on more of a Sam-Tyler sense of surreality and less of the Who version of same. We'll see what the finished product looks like. *g*)

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