Ah. K9 and Company. How many ways do I love thee.

The glorious theme tune - 1 part Dynasty, 2 parts Ulysees 31 (seriously, listen to the two back to back); K9 on a wall - how, just how; Elisabeth Sladen jogging, drinking wine and reading a newspaper.

Linda Polan - what a brilliant performance as Juno Baker. She knows the script is supposed to suggest she's the head of the black magic cult so ramps her performance up to 85% weird/15% Margo Leadbetter. Her husband, Neville Barber, is 20% Jerry Leadbetter, 80% relatively normal compared to his wife!

Gillian Martell playing the flipside of Juno, Lily Gregson - all country oo-ar, simple folks we are, would you like a cup of tea (I'm a black magic cultist really under my frumpy exterior....(sorry - spoilers!)

Bill Fraser in full on 'gruff but kindly' mode so we don't suspect him of being the other cult leader.

A surrounding guest cast of simple, country folk from the farmer who doesn't trust science but his own gut instinct to the simple lad used as a heavy and the policeman who's got in too deep.

Brendan, Brendan, Brendan. This is Adric if he was a bit more likeable (and I don't even mind Adric all that much). Ian Sears is great as Brendan and of all the characters from this spin-off he's the one who I would most have liked to see in a full series. He's a bit of the Sarah Jane Adventures' Luke crossed with a bit of Clyde and a bit of Maria.

The ridiculous plot of black magic cults in an English village - why is this the first story they went to for a K9 spin-off? A futuristic robot dog! It literally makes no sense and I love it all the more because of it.

Characters smoking and drinking left, right and centre - you can tell this is kid's TV in 1981!

John Leeson being awesome as K9 - of course - and singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas as the credits roll - sublime.

Elisabeth Sladen acting as if she has quietly realised this isn't exactly what she thought it might be and isn't really very good. But she's a professional and she'll give her best shot.

The K9 Annual this spin-off gave rise to. If you haven't read it, get the K9 and Company DVD - it's on there as a PDF - and treat yourself to story after story of black magic cults around the world (even the writer, interviewd in the most recent issue of DWM admits he may have gone a bit overboard with the cults!).

The climactic scenes which, now, remind me of Hot Fuzz's climactic reveal. In fact, I'd go so far as to say someone responsible for that film remembers K9 and Company, even if just subconsciously - Pegg's a fan isn't he?

K9 and Company is rubbish, but it's fun rubbish and its heart is in the right place. The cast give it their all and the main reason it just doesn't work is because the setting and plot just don't fit the idea of creating a show based round K9. It feels much more like a Sarah Jane spin-off with K9 added in rather than the other way round.

I implore those of you debating whether to include it in your marathon to do so. It's so clearly part of 80s Who - the look and feel of it has distinct echoes of the Pertwee era atmosphere (with obvious parallels to The Daemons) mashed up with the production design of the Davison era.

Sod all the Doctor Who Christmas specials - watching this should be an annual Christmas tradition!