Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time

Part One

“I claim the presidency of the council of Time Lords.”

So, a new writer, the mysterious David Agnew. Wonder if he’ll turn out to be any good? Rumour has it that he had something of a split personality…

Once again this season we start with the now-familiar sight of spaceships floating in, er, space. It’s finally occurred to me that Star Wars ( That’s the full title of the film, incidentally. Let’s have none of this A New Hope rubbish.) was released in the UK in December 1977, shortly before this was broadcast if probably not before it was made. An influence to keep track of in future, even if this scene probably isn’t influenced by Imperial Star Destroyers.

Anyway, it’s a fascinating episode which departs entirely from the programme’s standard format and does fascinating things with the Doctor’s character. We first see him, alone, having left Leela locked in the TARDIS with K9, apparently making a deal with some baddies and their pointy-backed chairs to give them complete control over the Time Lords! Has he turned bad? This is a brilliant concept, and superbly done. What they’re trying to do requires great care- the viewer needs to at least partly believe that the Doctor has gone bad, but the character mustn’t be undermined. As we’ll see, The Invasion of Time achieves this balance superbly.

Oh, and we see Leela having a “bath” in a big swimming pool in the TARDIS. There are no roundels, there are loads of lilos and stuff, and the set doesn’t look at all as though it could convincingly be part of the TARDIS. See Part Six for more on this theme…

After this preamble the TARDIS lands on Gallifrey, which sadly looks a lot cheaper than it once did, the UK economy having jumped off the edge of a cliff since The Deadly Assassin was made. Even the old Panopticon doesn’t look the same with such bright lighting- in fact, I admit I didn’t even recognise it until one of the DVD extras pointed it out. But, of course, the prologue means this TARDIS landing has a very different context than usual- the Doctor’s very status as a hero is on probation. What’s he up to? As soon as he leaves the TARDIS and is accosted by chancellery guards, he rudely dismisses Leela. What’s going on?

I have something of a problem with Andred simply allowing the Doctor, who is as far as he’s concerned an unauthorised visitor and very possibly extremely dangerous, to just walk into Chancellor Borusa’s office. Still, it’s a solitary lapse, and what happens next is very cool indeed as the Doctor claims the presidency, for which of course he was the sole surviving candidate at the recent election. Although this indicates not much time has passed, so how come (aside from the actor not being available!) Borusa has regenerated? He didn’t seem that old or frail last time.

We have a new Castellan, but Kelner is no Spandrell. Right from the off it’s clear he’s going top be quite the oily git, played with magnificent Uriah Heap-osity by Milton Johns. Oh, and another change here is that Leela is apparently allowed on the planet but Sarah wasn’t. How come? I suppose it could be argued that the Doctor is president after all, but some mention would have been nice.

More stuff from The Deadly Assassin appears- the Sash of Rassilon, the Rod of Rassilon, Gold Usher, the Matrix. Oddly, we get a fairly long techy conversation between two Time Lords which doesn’t seem to relate to anything!

Part Two

“This is rather more than a student prank, isn’t it?”

The Doctor seemingly betrays Leela again, trying to ban her from the Citadel, and continues to behave very oddly. And it’s fun to see the contrasting reactions of Kelner- rushing to ingratiate himself with this new potential source of patronage- and Borusa, whose concerns about the Doctor’s behaviour are balanced by a suspicion that all is not what it seems. John Arnatt is excellent here, restricting himself to subtle facial impressions and a calm tone of voice, but portraying Borusa’s concerns most effectively.

I’m enjoying this. So much, in fact, that I even enjoyed Tom’s wrecking ball to the fourth wall with his “Even the Sonic Screwdriver won’t get me out of this one!” It’s in one way reassuring and in another way disappointing that the Doctor’s conversation with K9 in the TARDIS pretty much gives away that his erratic behaviour and apparent treachery is just an act and he has his reasons.

Interestingly, Rodan (played by the rather lovely Hilary Ryan) is the first Time Lady we’ve ever met. Are there hardly any females for some bizarre sci-fi reason, or do Time Lords insist that a woman’s place is directing traffic? Either way, Rodan and Leela are getting on well, which is fortunate as they’re soon to be thrust into crisis- the Doctor has let down the transduction barriers, apparently selling out his own people to some nasty bits of tin foil, and lets out a villainous laugh too…

Part Three

“The Castellan will have me shot.”

“Well, that’s all right. I’ll have him shot.”

For once, it’s the Doctor who gets to say that “resistance is useless”! And these baddies, the Vardans, apparently want the great Key, which the Doctor pledged to seek in his presidential oath.

Meanwhile, Leela and Rodan are escaping the new regime to go out into the wilderness. Leela’s great here, decisive and intelligent. She may say that “Discussion is for the wise or the helpless and I am neither”, but the only thing she isn’t is helpless.

In a pivotal scene, the Doctor finally reveals to Borusa what he’s really up to in his lead lined room where the Vardans can’t read his thoughts. Naturally, we aren’t privy to what’s said as that would spoil all the fun.

Meanwhile, Kelner shows himself to be a right little Quisling, taking advantage of the new regime’s apparent purge to “settle old scores.” Our first exiles, albeit willing, are Leela and Rodan, and Rodan’s inability to deal with life “outside” speaks volumes about Gallifreyan society, as well as the fact that they see people living only just outside the Citadel as “barbarians”. Leela, on the other hand, quickly gains the respect of the Outlers. It’s soon clear that exiling his enemies is not the end of Kelner’s ambitions, though: an underling is dispatched to guard the new Doctor “for the time being” because “If anything does happen, I will have to take over as president , and I have no wish to expose myself to the dangers of that position.” Such a slimy little toad…

Part Four

“But you have access to the greatest source of knowledge in the universe.”

“Well, I do talk to myself sometimes, yes.”

The Vardans now turn out to suspect the Doctor- this is really quite an engagingly complex story, with all sorts of competing agendas ready to backstab each other. At last it seems the Graham Williams era has found its feet, using witty dialogue and careful plotting to carve out a way of producing good telly completely different to the previous regime.

Admittedly the production is very Spartan- in fact, not really acceptable at all, and things are going to get worse- but the scripts and performances more than compensate. Gallifey is often said to be an intrinsically dull place these days- not here it isn’t, it’s a labyrinth of plots, counter plots and intrigue. Brilliant. And even the production’s shortcomings are partly patched up by self-referential dialogue- the Vardans may look crap, but that’s ok as the dialogue points that out for us!

The episode’s ending is simply excellent- all the threads are drawn together, all the characters are brought to the Panopticon and the full details of the Doctor’s plan are reveals as he defeats the baddies and saves the planet.

And then the bloody Sontarans turn up. Excellent!

Part Five

“You are the first President since Rassilon to hold the Great Key.”

Re the quote- I thought we were told in The Deadly Assassin that Rassilon was never president? Anyway…

I love the way Kelner, rather than face the inevitable punishment for his treason, quickly sides with the Sontarans, oleaginous little sod that he is. And these Sontarans are a lot sillier than the ones we’ve seen before. And of course, there’s more than one of them for a change. Derek Deadman’s performance is- interesting.

There’s a fascinating game of cat and mouse as the Doctor gets Borusa to admit he holds the Great Key. I like Borusa- loyal to the old ways but with an open mind, and of course absolutely full of integrity. Yes, he’ll definitely never become a baddie. And as he knows where the Great Key is, presumably he can never become president. Come to think of it, I remember an article in issue #100 of Doctor Who Magazine back in the mid eighties, by Gary Russell, I think, on Time Lord history which touched on that very subject. I’ll have to dig it out. Rather tongue-in-cheek, I recall…

Oh, and there’s a great moment where the Doctor shows extraordinary trust in Leela in trusting her with the Great Key.

Part Six

“This machine is a load of obsolete rubbish.”

It’s such a shame that the setting of this episode is so execrable, as the script and performances continue to be first-rate. But using this location as the TARDIS interior simply won’t do. There are bricks everywhere, it’s all on film, and it takes you straight out of the drama. Little wonder all these rooms in the TARDIS were never spoken of again. Although I must admit I love the scene with Borusa drinking from a glass with a curly straw while reading about the sinking of the titanic from a contemporary edition of The Daily Mirror. Only on Doctor Who…

There’s lots of cool stuff here, however poorly realised it may be- the Venus fly trap thingy in the TARDIS “bathroom” and the TARDIS’ “ancillary power station” being disguised as an art gallery, which only makes sense if you include a deleted scene but never mind.

There’s a nice ending- the great Key is used to make the “Demat Gun” which is highly appropriate because one thing this marathon has taught me is that the Doctor uses guns all the time! Meanwhile, Stor is claiming that “This grenade will give me a lot of pleasure!” What a bizarre fetish…

Of course, inevitably, the Doctor forgets about the Great Key, all part of Rassilon’s plan. And a flawless plan it is too- I’m sure the fact that Borusa knows all about the Demat Gun will have no adverse consequences whatsoever.

Unfortunately the ending is marred by a completely rubbish companion departure. Leela deserved much better than that. Amusingly, Louise Jameson and the bloke who plays Andred say in a DVD extra that they tried to suggest they fancied each other by body language- not that I noticed they didn’t!

Overall, utterly magnificent- great plot, great dialogue, great performances. Unfortunately, and however understandable it may have been in those difficult budgetary times, the production was often far below acceptable, so much so that I really have to knock a point off. 4/5.

As for the season as a whole- well, it had its high points- Image of the Fendahl, The Sun Makers, The Invasion of Time- and its pretty good point- Horror of Fang Rock. But ultimately the two utter stinkers from the Bristol Boys and the production failings in some otherwise brilliant stories mean this season scores 3.17/5, putting it at the bottom of the pile. Still there are signs of a promising new direction, and the faults can be mainly laid at the door of budgetary disasters and the Bristol Boys. The future should be better- we’ll see…

Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen

Part One


"The welcome of a lifetime?!"



So, the first story co-written by Henry Lincoln, he of the... interesting Grail theories! Should be interesting. Also, this is a story I know relatively little about.

It's good to see the BBC continuity announcement on the new Loose Cannon recon, which looks as though it's going to be excellent. The early TARDIS scenes with the chest too, giving Victoria another chance to bond with her new companions.

The Doctor says they're assured of a friendly welcome at the monastery. No need to worry about that then! Oh, and no doubt Jamie and Victoria will remain in the TARDIS just as they're supposed to.

I like the way the episode features only the main cast for most of its duration- reminds me of early Hartnell stories! But here it helps to develop the developing relationship between Jamie and Victoria. And, far from being the terrified screamer of repute, Victoria seems to have quite the sense of adventure.


Part Two


"This wasn't the welcome I expected, you know!"


Actual footage, and suddenly it's very clear that this was filmed in Snowdonia, which unfortunately looks very unlike the Himalayas! It's still very good, though, plus we get the Doctor playing his recorder again.

We settle down to the actual plot, and it's most intriguing- who exactly is Padmasambhava, and what's that evil voice he occasionally switches to? Very creepy.

It's Jamie's plan that leads to the capture of the Yeti- he may be no intellectual but the last few stories have shown he's far from thick, despite his reputation.

Hmmm... Travers seems to recognise the word "robot". [pedantic smartarse mode] If I recall correctly from general fan osmosis, this story was supposed to be set in 1935 (although we've had no date yet). If so, it should predate the coining of the word by Karel Capek by a full three years [/pedantic smartarse mode].

Part Three


"They came to get their ball back!"


Great as these recons are, I think this is the point at which recon weariness is starting to sink in. Still, not that far to go now! Besides, this recon is quite superb, with lots of moving CGI Yeti.

The plot is thickening- I love the mysterious hand moving the model Yeti about on the board. And we get some interesting revelations about a "great Intelligence" which wants to end its days wandering space to take on physical form.

Khrisong is turning out to be a more interesting character than the simple plot-serving adversary of earlier, as he learns to trust the Doctor. It's nice to see the chatracter developing a bit.

Once again Victoria shows far more of a sense of adventure than her reputation would have us believe, trying to sneak into the inner sanctum


Part Four


"Are you sure it's quite safe?"

"Well, quite frankly, Jamie, no. But there's only one way of finding out."


We're spoiled with a fair few actual clips this episode, and a most amusing scene where the Doctor and Jamie find the TARDIS blocked by a Yeti: "What are you going to do?" "Bung a rock at it."

Interesting stuff with Travers in the cave, the pyramid glowing, and things looking generally scary. Which is good, because there's not much of a sense of threat from the Yeti so far, frankly. Either they're inactive or they just barge straight through without harming anyone. In fact, it's already part four and nobody's dead yet! Is this a record?

There's far less of the Doctor's manipulative side on display in this story, although he notably would rather trace the sphere to its source than deal with the Yeti he knows to be potentially at large in the monastery! We get an interesting moment with Victoria too: "This Doctor- is he your guardian?" "I suppose he is, in a way."

I'm beginning to quite like Khrisong, with his defiance of the Abbot's apparent defeatism- quite a turnaround for such an initially annoying character.


Part Five


"I'm going to see a very old friend."

It's a particular tragedy that the visuals for the scenes with Padmasamhava speaking through Victoria no longer exist- this is chilling enough just on audio but it would be great to see it. It's a shame that so much of Padmasambhava's dialogue is pretty much inaudible, although much of that is probably down to my hearing.

The Doctor's visited the monastery before, of course, so this is the first ever reference to an untelevised adventure. But where does it fit in? Confusingly, Padmasambhava seems to recognise the Doctor by sight ("Good to look upon your face again.") so presumably it happened since his "renewal"?

We get another slice of plot exposition here; the Great Exposition came to Padmasambhava whilst he was meditating?! That's a scary and not uncool concept.

The Doctor seems almost most more interested in Padmasambhava than Victoria's catatonic condition, and has to be gently chided by Jamie! Although this Doctor's a genuinely nice chap, and genuinely cares about his friends, he can be quite shockingly "big picture first" at times.

Everything seems to be coming to a head...


Part Six

"Such a brain as yours is too small to grasp my purpose."


Again the recon gives us a continuity announcer! "And now, Doctor Who, and the final episode of The Abominable Snowmen." Is it just me who finds it impossible not to think of the many Monty Python continuity announcer skits while watching this?

A cool Doctor / Victoria moment before he explains his plan. The Doctor essentially makes a token gesture of sending Victoria away before the dangerous stuff starts, but then cheerfully admits he knew full well she'd refuse to do any such thing!

The situation by the end, in spite of the robotic trappings, essentially feels more supernatural than sci-fi, which is not necessarily a bad thing and certainly gives this story a refreshingly different feel.

The threat is finally defeated in a satisfying way, marred only by the fact we're shown so many close-up photos of Padmasambhava which make it very clear that his aged face is a mask!

Nice last few scenes with the real Yeti and the Doctor playing his recorder again (yay!). And a nice bit of foreshadowing from Jamie: "can you not land us somewhere warmer next time?"



Overall, a nicely done story with a very different feel which, compared to certain other six-parters I could mention (The Faceless Ones, I'm looking at you!), never seemed to flag. Perhaps not quite up there with the best (I suspect because none of the guest characters were ever quite interesting or layered enough), but nevertheless very enjoyable. 4/5.