| THE TIME MEDDLER by Dennis Spooner |
| Story 17 Synopsis: Steven doesn't believe the TARDIS travels in time or space. The ship lands on a beach, and the Doctor finds a Viking helmet. They have landed in Yorkshire in 1066. The Doctor is perplexed to find a wristwatch, and resolves to visit the monastery. There he is trapped by a monk. Steven and Vicki are taken to the village, but protest their innocence. They head for the monastery, but the monk denies seeing the Doctor - but Steven realises he is lying. A Viking ship lands, attacking the village. Steven & Vicki sneak into the monastery, but find the Doctor gone. They discover a secret tunnel. Back at the beach, they find a cannon hidden in the bushes. Steven decides they need to return to the monastery. The Doctor begins his interrogation of the Monk, but Vikings arrive and split them up. The Monk asks the villagers to light beacons, but the Doctor has already sewn doubts about an invasion fleet. At the monastery, Vicki & Steven find that the Monk has got a TARDIS, too. The Doctor confronts the Monk, and determines that he must be stopped. He plans to destroy the Vikings, so King Harold beats William the Conqueror. The villagers attack the Vikings in the monastery, putting a hole in the Monk's rep. Meanwhile, the Doctor removes a dimensional control of the Monk's TARDIS, reducing the interior so he can't get at anything. The Doctor, Steven & Vicki leave in their TARDIS, for pastures new. |
| Review:- Time has been kinder to this story, at last. When selected for a repeat in 1992, it seemed a terribly silly choice, but now, it can be seen as one of the finest adventures from the whole series. How does it do this? Well, this was the first story after the departure of original series team, Ian & Barbara. Though Susan was replaced by Vicki in a fairly straight swap, this time we get a cynical Earth pilot named Steven, who hasn't come across time travel. How best to play off this scepticism (and that of much of the audience)? Why, with a story about time travel, and tampering with time! What more famous period of Earth history could they visit, than 1066? And how smarter to avoid the battle of Hastings, and present a small-scale drama on the East Coast, with a small Viking invasion, precluding the real thing? The Monk is our first major antagonist. Unlike most villains, he doesn't seem to want death and destruction as his end, although it suffices as his means. He just plans to meddle, although he plans to massacre the Vikings, and then redirect history, at a presumable loss of billions, if not more. His plan is subtle, a counterfactual classic - what if King Harold had not had to march North to defeat the invading Harald Hardrada, before returning to take on William of Normandy? It is probable that the Monk's plan could work, and thus change history. It is a shame really, that the Saxon villagers mistake his clear efforts to lure the Vikings in, thinking he is a traitor to them. Clearly double agents have to be very clever, and the Monk is unfortunate that the Doctor outwits him. The final coup de grace, abandoning the Monk is a fitting conclusion, although it has to eb asked whether the Monk will still wreak havoc. I would suppose that his return to the monastery is after a narrow escape from the villagers, and with his ammo stuck in his TARDIS, his plan comes unstuck (perhaps also, his timing is blown, and thus his plan futile). On the acting side, William Hartnell turns in an excellent effort, and the scenes with Peter Butterworth seem to bring out a new verve within him. Butterworth also seems to be giving Les Dawson ideas on facial fun. Or maybe it's the new companion dynamic. Peter Purves manages to effectively portray a man forced to change his mind, and proves quite a warm character to watch. I should also mention the Saxon villagers. Wulnoth and Edith make useful bystanders and come across as convincingly from 1066. Eldred is a bit too daft, and the Vikings are unusually villains with little depth. But that can be put down to the Monk being more important than they are. Overall, this is a charming and smooth story, with some excellent cliffhangers. As good a time travel story as you might hope to find. |
| Disclaimer: I've read the book, and seen the video. |