The Time Warrior Part One

The one where the Doctor first meets Sarah Jane Smith...

Ooh! Ooh! New opening titles! Doctor Who has redecorated... but I'm not sure I like it. I really like how the time tunnel develops as the theme begins, spilling toward the screen like raindrops, and the shiny time tunnel in full effect is gorgeous. What I'm less sure of is the image used of Jon Pertwee, who looks more like Miss Marple than ever before, and although he's supposed to be standing with his arms crossed, he actually looks like he's been laid out in his coffin. It's not a great look.

Then there's the new logo, which looks too busy and over-complicated. It's become known as the classic "diamond logo" and is the preferred choice of almost every Doctor Who fan on the planet, but for me it's a little incongruous within the graphic title sequence we're seeing. It's a perfectly nice art deco design, but I just don't see how it works within its own context. Still, we're stuck with it for the next six years so I'd better get used to it.

The episode (and the season) opens with an extended period of time spent setting up the story, with no familiar characters appearing for an entire six-and-a-half minutes. On the face of it, we're being given an historical, which is certainly a pleasant change after years of present-day and futuristic settings. A spaceship falls to Earth and lands in the woods outside the medieval castle of Captain Irongron, a rowdy bully boy who bemoans the lack of fresh meat and wine. David Daker clearly revels in the role, not quite chewing the scenery but definitely taking chunks out of it. He's complemented wonderfully well by John J Carney's apprehensive Bloodaxe (what great names these guys have!), who's like Doctor Who's equivalent of Jerome Flynn's Bronn in Game of Thrones.

Irongron meets this newly-arrived "sky warrior" the next morning, who emerges from his spherical spaceship dressed in silver armour and a domed helmet. He claims to be Sontaran warrior Linx, who wastes no time in planting an amusing little flag in the ground and claiming Earth and its satellites as property of the mighty Sontaran Empire.

Linx remains mysteriously helmeted, claiming "you might not find my true appearance pleasing", which is some wonderful teasing on the part of writer Robert Holmes. Holding back the alien's appearance is a clever ruse, allowing a child's imagination to run riot before the inevitable reveal (which had better meet expectations!). Linx and Irongron join forces. The Sontaran will supply the medieval marauder with weapons to defeat his enemies in exchange for shelter and the chance to fix his damaged spaceship. But Linx's biggest problem is that he has crash-landed in the Middle Ages, not the ideal place to pick up spares for a Sontaran scout ship, so he decides to go fishing, forwards in time to a period better equipped for his needs...

Which is where the Doctor comes in. It's a lovely stitching together of dual story strands, as the Brigadier briefs the Doctor about scientists and equipment going missing. The Brigadier (who really should take time out for a haircut) has the idea of putting all of the country's foremost scientists in one top secret research facility where UNIT can keep an eye on them, although the accommodation leaves a lot to be desired. The tiny cubicles the scientists are expected to bed down in are like chicken coops!

We meet Professor Joseph Rubeish, an eccentric in typical white coat and with tousled hair played energetically by Donald Pelmear. You can tell this is written by Robert Holmes because characters are given personalities and real lives, as in Rubeish's relief at not having seen his wife and kids for three days ("always a silver lining").

I must say, it does feel a little odd not having Jo Grant around. I half expect her to tumble in chomping on an apple and chattering away to Sergeant Benton, but instead of Katy Manning, we're introduced to a new recruit: Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. Or should that be Lavinia Smith, the name she's using to infiltrate this top secret facility to have a snoop around? Because Sarah Jane is actually a journalist, something she's very proud of!

The chemistry between Pertwee and Sladen is pretty obvious from the start, with Sarah Jane expressing a degree of dubiousness about the Doctor and his crazy contraptions and incongruous police box, and the Doctor apparently rather amused by this latest arrival. Rather than give away Sarah Jane's true identity to the Brigadier, he keeps her secret, and you really get the feeling it's because he finds Sarah Jane distracting, amusing in some way. There's a Pertwee twinkle throughout their scenes together, even when the Doctor is patronising her about making the coffee.

Sladen makes quite an impact straight away without being too strong. She has a cheeky, perky screen presence, and is more tomboyish than her predecessor, but she also has a small chip on her shoulder about being a) a journalist and b) a woman, which gives her character fire.

The Doctor creates a rhondium sensor to trace delta particles, enabling him to "see" an after-image of what or whoever is stealing the scientists. He discovers that the operator is transmitting matter through time as well as space, and the scene where the "ghost" of Linx is spotted at the top of the stairs is wonderfully spooky.

The Doctor packs up his goodies and sets off to follow the time trace by TARDIS, but not before Sarah Jane somehow manages to creep inside the police box first without being seen, despite being literally feet away from the Doctor and Brigadier! It's a massive shame that we're not allowed to see Sarah Jane's first reaction to the TARDIS interior; she doesn't get a "bigger on the inside" scene at all, despite being one of Doctor Who's most iconic and enduring companions.

What I do love though, is Sarah Jane's automatic refusal to believe she's travelled in time. I mean, why would she think that? Her first task is to find a telephone, and when she sees a bunch of men in medieval costume running toward her, she hilariously thinks: "Oh! It must be some sort of pageant!" Even when she's grabbed by Irongron's guard she thinks it's a student Rag Week joke, and certainly gives as good as she gets by fighting back against her captor! This girl has spunk!

The cliffhanger to Part One (notice we've left 'Episodes' behind, they're all 'Parts' from now on (except for four weeks in 1979!)) is a real doozy. The Doctor sees Linx across the courtyard and hides as he witnesses the Sontaran removing his helmet for the first time. And wow, what a wonderful creature design Linx is. Quite apart from the fact his head perfectly fits the domed helmet, actor Kevin Lindsay adds extra yuk factor by sticking his tongue out to "taste" the air. He looks like a jacket potato with a slice of ham on the side!

While Part 1 of this new story (and season) is a little all over the place, the characters all feel real and interesting (even Dot Cotton Lady Eleanor) and the introduction of a brand new alien monster promises plenty of fun ahead.

First broadcast: December 15th, 1973

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The Sontaran creature design.
The Bad: There's no way Sarah Jane could get inside that TARDIS without being seen! It's also a real shame we don't get to see Sarah's reaction to the interior.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

"Now listen to me" tally: 28
Neck-rub tally: 13

NEXT TIME: Part Two...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Part Two; Part Three; Part Four

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-time-warrior.html

The Time Warrior is available on BBC DVD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Time-Warrior-DVD/dp/B000R20ZA6