Review Of All four Episodes - Some Spoilers
The Time Warrior is the debut story in season eleven of DOCTOR WHO . From the outset we're shown differences from the previous four seasons . We have a new title sequence inspired by the star gate sequence from 2001 . It's slick and impressive but one still misses the the diamond flame sequence , arguably the best title sequence the show has ever produced
We're also introduced to a new companion Sarah Jane Smith who would later go on to become the most popular and successful companion the show had ever produced , a fact reflected in that she was not only reintroduced to NuWhobut had her own spin off show THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES . One can't help thinking however that if there was an organised fandom in late 1973 a lot of fans would complain that an independent minded career journalist goes against the whole ethos of the Doctor/companion dynamic and that Katy Manning as Jo Grant should have been reintroduced . One can easily forget how popular Jo Grant bimboesque companion was missed when she left in the previous story
The Time Warrior also features the debut of the Sontarans , or rather A Sontaran singular . They still remain one of the most memorable creations for the show but unfortunately watching this story today the shock cliffhanger to episode one where Linx removes his helmet and we see true features is negated by the fact that we know Sontarans resemble turnip heads . Unforgivably this shock was diluted on its time of broadcast since both trailers and the Radio Times gave away the surprise . Promotion can often help a TV show but sometimes in the case of DOCTOR WHO it can also ruin a well constructed build up
The script by Robert Holmes is rather simple - Linx crashes his ship in the middle ages and uses an Osmic projector to kidnap 20th Century scientists to repair his ship . This leads to all sorts of questions such as how would he know where the scientists home address etc but you're not supposed to think too much about the plot . Instead Holmes creates colourful characters such as Irongron , Bloodaxe and Professor Rubeish . David Daker especially plays up the camp theatrically of his character which makes for a very entertaining story
The Time Warrior is the debut story in season eleven of DOCTOR WHO . From the outset we're shown differences from the previous four seasons . We have a new title sequence inspired by the star gate sequence from 2001 . It's slick and impressive but one still misses the the diamond flame sequence , arguably the best title sequence the show has ever produced
We're also introduced to a new companion Sarah Jane Smith who would later go on to become the most popular and successful companion the show had ever produced , a fact reflected in that she was not only reintroduced to NuWhobut had her own spin off show THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES . One can't help thinking however that if there was an organised fandom in late 1973 a lot of fans would complain that an independent minded career journalist goes against the whole ethos of the Doctor/companion dynamic and that Katy Manning as Jo Grant should have been reintroduced . One can easily forget how popular Jo Grant bimboesque companion was missed when she left in the previous story
The Time Warrior also features the debut of the Sontarans , or rather A Sontaran singular . They still remain one of the most memorable creations for the show but unfortunately watching this story today the shock cliffhanger to episode one where Linx removes his helmet and we see true features is negated by the fact that we know Sontarans resemble turnip heads . Unforgivably this shock was diluted on its time of broadcast since both trailers and the Radio Times gave away the surprise . Promotion can often help a TV show but sometimes in the case of DOCTOR WHO it can also ruin a well constructed build up
The script by Robert Holmes is rather simple - Linx crashes his ship in the middle ages and uses an Osmic projector to kidnap 20th Century scientists to repair his ship . This leads to all sorts of questions such as how would he know where the scientists home address etc but you're not supposed to think too much about the plot . Instead Holmes creates colourful characters such as Irongron , Bloodaxe and Professor Rubeish . David Daker especially plays up the camp theatrically of his character which makes for a very entertaining story