>> The colours appear to be a simple overlay, but how the hell did they
>> produce those complex patterns?
> 
> Complex? Looks like a simple video feedback effect to me:

Wikipedia also claims that it's video feedback. However, it is beyond my 
powers of comprehension how you'd make patterns like this with video 
feedback.

Video feedback produces trivial zooms or spirals. For example, the part 
where Pertwee's face materialises - *that* looks like video feedback, 
which its simple linear patterns. But the intricate evolving spirals? 
The patterns that flow upwards or downards across the screen? The 
bubbling effect? No idea.

Similarly, look at the earler BW one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKg9tuSbXmk

How on earth did they get those complex organic patterns? Doesn't look 
like any kind of linear feedback I know of. (Actually looks more like a 
reaction/diffusion system, but that's impossible without a computer.)

> It's kind of like the video version of those synthesizers that were all 
> the rage at about the same time.

Hell, when this was made, they didn't even *have* synthesizers! Not 
commercial ones, anyway. All the sounds were made by a guy with a room 
full of oscilators, tape machines and other equipment. It's kind of 
amazing that the resulting sound is so fluid and organic; apparently it 
took many, many hours to produce...

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