It’s Christmas 1981, we’ve just lost the most well loved Doctor to date and the Doctor Who production team have another surprise in store for us - the show’s very first spin off (if you don’t count the 1960s movies). Sarah-Jane Smith is the ideal candidate for a spin off, as would be proved many years later, but is oddly sidelined in the title of this show for the shiny K-9 who exited the main show a couple of stories back. But this is K-9 mk III, not the one who stayed with Romana.

Despite nowadays being consigned to obscurity, remembered only by fandom, this story is actually more entertaining than you’d expect. The whole production is perhaps overshadowed by the ridiculous opening title sequence and theme tune which looks desperate (I can only imagine Elizabeth Sladen’s embarrassment). I wonder, is the theme tune Ian Levine’s first contribution towards Doctor Who?

Once you get into the story, it’s very reminiscent of early 1970s Doctor Who. The set ups of cults and folklore is spooky and intriguing, building an interesting village setting where mysterious goings on can occur. It reminds me a little of Children of the Stones or some of the cults you come across in Survivors. Unfortunately the way it wraps up is pedestrian and relies solely on the cliches and genre tropes it’s tapping into rather than it’s own unique story ideas. There is literally a Scooby Doo unmasking of the central villains at the end of the 50 minutes. K-9 also isn’t used quite right. He is best as a peice of light relief and worst when he becomes a moving ray gun.

All in all I’m delighted that this story exists and a little disappointed that it never got picked up for another episode. In some ways it makes sense, the balance of all the right ingredients for a spin off isn’t *quite* there. It will be quite some time before we deviate from the main show again. Bring on the 5th Doctor!