| 070 – The Time Warrior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who serial | |||
| Cast | |||
Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Alan Bromly | ||
| Written by | Robert Holmes | ||
| Script editor | Terrance Dicks | ||
| Produced by | Barry Letts | ||
| Executive producer | None | ||
| Music by | Dudley Simpson | ||
| Production code | UUU | ||
| Series | Season 11 | ||
| Running time | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | ||
| First broadcast | 15 December 1973 (1973-12-15) | ||
| Last broadcast | 5 January 1974 (1974-01-05) | ||
| Chronology | |||
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| List of episodes (1963–1989) | |||
The Time Warrior is the first serial of the11th season of the Britishscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts onBBC1 from 15 December 1973 to 5 January 1974. The serial introducedElisabeth Sladen as new companionSarah Jane Smith. It also marked the debut of theSontaran race. The serial also introduces the name of the Doctor's home planet,Gallifrey.
In the serial, the Sontaran Commander Linx (Kevin Lindsay) crash-lands his spaceship in medieval England. He agrees to give futuristic weaponry to the warrior Irongron (David Daker) and his men, in exchange for Linx being given shelter to perform repairs on the damaged spaceship.
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In theMiddle Ages, the bandit Irongron and his aide Bloodaxe, together with their rabble of criminals, find the crashed spaceship of aSontaran warrior named Linx. The alien claims Earth for his Empire, then sets about repairing his ship, offering Irongron “magic weapons” that will make him a king in return for shelter. Linx sends himself forward to the 20th century and kidnaps scientists from a top secret scientific research complex, then hypnotises them into making repairs on his ship.
TheThird Doctor andBrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart are investigating the disappearance of the scientists. The Doctor meets an eccentric scientist called Rubeish and journalistSarah Jane Smith. Later that evening Rubeish disappears and the Doctor uses the data he has gathered to pilot theTARDIS back to the Middle Ages, not realising that Sarah has stowed away on board.
Sarah is captured and brought before Irongron, along with an archer, Hal, who has been sent to kill Irongron. The Doctor sets Hal and Sarah free and they head for Wessex Castle.
The next morning Irongron and his troops assault the castle using rifles supplied by Linx, but the attack is repelled by the Doctor's cunning. The failure further sours the relationship between Linx and Irongron.
The Doctor decides to lead an attack on Irongron's castle. He makes contact with Rubeish and finds the human scientists in a state of extreme exhaustion. Linx catches the Doctor in the laboratory once more, but this time is rendered immobile when, with the Doctor's guidance, a strike from Rubeish hits his probic vent – a Sontaran refuelling point on the back of their necks which is also their main weakness. Rubeish and the Doctor send the scientists back to the 20th century. Sarah now invites herself into Irongron's kitchen, using the opportunity to drug the food, thereby knocking out Irongron's men.
Linx determines his ship is repaired enough to effect a departure. A crazed and half drugged Irongron arrives and accuses Linx of betraying him; the Sontaran responds by killing him and is in turn shot by Hal. Linx falls dead over his controls, triggering the launch mechanism. Knowing the place is about to explode when the shuttle takes off, Hal awakes Bloodaxe, who rouses the remaining men and tells them to flee, while the Doctor hurries the last of his allies out of the castle. It explodes moments before the Doctor and Sarah depart in the TARDIS.
Working titles for this story includedThe Time Fugitive andThe Time Survivor. The original outline for the serial was humorously submitted to the production office in the form of a "Field report from Sontaran Field Marshal Hol Mes, to Terran Cedicks".
Location shooting of both Wessex Castle and Irongron's castle was done atPeckforton Castle, inCheshire, utilising different views.
The serial also stars Kevin Lindsay as Commander Linx. Lindsay reappeared as Cho-je in Jon Pertwee's last episode,Planet of the Spiders, and again as two Sontarans in Tom Baker's third storyThe Sontaran Experiment.[1]
The story introduces a new opening sequence that includes aslit-scan "time tunnel" effect. It also introduces a new, diamond-shaped logo.[2] These remained in use until 1980. This is the first story in the series history to refer to each segment as a 'Part' rather than 'Episode'. This remained until the end of the classic series with the exception ofDestiny of the Daleks.
| Episode | Title | Run time | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) [4] | Archive [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part One" | 24:15 | 15 December 1973 (1973-12-15) | 8.7 | PAL 2" colour videotape |
| 2 | "Part Two" | 24:10 | 22 December 1973 (1973-12-22) | 7.0 | PAL 2" colour videotape |
| 3 | "Part Three" | 23:30 | 29 December 1973 (1973-12-29) | 6.6 | PAL 2" colour videotape |
| 4 | "Part Four" | 24:57 | 5 January 1974 (1974-01-05) | 10.6 | PAL 2" colour videotape |
The BBC Audience Research Report taken for the fourth episode was positive, particularly the climax. However, there was a minority that felt it was too far-fetched or slapstick.[5]
InThe Discontinuity Guide (1995),Paul Cornell,Martin Day, andKeith Topping wrote that the story was "a rather wonderful romp" and "one of Robert Holmes' funniest".[6]David J. Howe andStephen James Walker inThe Television Companion (1998) gave a mixed review, stating that it was "enjoyable", especially in its dialogue and characters, but "lacks the sort of impact ideally needed to launch a new run of adventures". They felt that it was "absurd" for scientists to be under custody by UNIT, that the scientists were "clichéd and unbelievable", and the setting had "a lack of convincing period atmosphere".[5] In 2010, Patrick Mulkern ofRadio Times awarded it four stars out of five, praising the "broad characters and ripe dialogue", but felt the "greatest success" was Linx.[7]
The A.V. Club's Christopher Bahn praised the characterisation of Linx and Sarah.[8]DVD Talk's Stuart Galbraith gaveThe Time Warrior four out of five stars, highlighting the "clever writing" and actor David Daker's performance.[9] In 2009,SFX listed the cliffhanger where Linx removes his helmet as the seventh scariestDoctor Who moment, praising the monster design and idea.[10] In the bookDoctor Who: The Episode Guide, Mark Campbell awarded it eight out of ten, concluding the serial was "a clever hybrid of history and science fiction. Linx is a chilling creation and, despite the hammy acting, there are some great moments."[11]
 | |
| Author | Terrance Dicks andRobert Holmes (uncredited) |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Roy Knipe |
| Series | Doctor Who book: Target novelisations |
Release number | 65 |
| Publisher | Target Books |
Publication date | 29 June 1978 |
| ISBN | 0-426-20023-3 |
A novelisation of this serial, written byTerrance Dicks, was published byTarget Books in June 1978.
The Target novelisation,Doctor Who and the Time Warrior, features a prologue written byRobert Holmes involving Linx at war with a group of Rutan Fighters. He is given the first name of Jingo. The Sontaran home planet is namedSontara. It also suggests that the Earth had never been surveyed, which would eventually happen in the followingSontaran storyThe Sontaran Experiment.
Holmes was initially commissioned to novelise his own story, but wrote only the book's prologue, sending it to Dicks with a note telling him to finish the rest himself. Holmes was not credited for his contribution. An unabridged reading of the Target novel was released by BBC audio on CD in February 2009. It is read by Jeremy Bulloch who played Hal the archer in the TV story.[12][13]
In 1989, the story was released in an omnibus format on VHS. This version omits a slightly extended scene of Sarah's capture from the beginning of episode two.The Time Warrior was released on region 2DVD on 3 September 2007, commercially available in its original episodic format for the first time and on 1 April 2008 in Region 1 territories.[14]It was also released as part of theBred for War DVD boxset along storiesThe Sontaran Experiment,The Invasion of Time andThe Two Doctors. This serial was also released as part of theDoctor Who DVD Files in issue 53 on 12 January 2011.
Along with a few other selected serials of theSecond andThird Doctor's runs, this serial has been offered for sale on theiTunes Store as of August 2008.
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