"What's wrong with being childish, I like being childish." As is often the case, this Sequel is not as good as the original, but there is so much to enjoy here. There is plenty that is familiar to the start of season eight, with yet another factory / headquarter setting for this story, but it has to be acknowledged that the tone has changed significantly. The 1971 show is less serious and more playful than in 1970 and the return of a four part story is a godsend.

The Master's performance is a fantastic contrast to Pertwee's Doctor, especially in this story where he is a little more acerbic. The Master can seem normal, composed, regular, then suddenly turn by doing something completely mad, murderous and evil. "The bomb is a kind of greetings card." The Doctor is being hunted by one of his own people, an equal which adds another wonderful recurring character to the show, along with a brand new member of UNIT and Jo Grant. Its becoming quite the ensamble.

Liz Shaw is unceremoniously dumped without so much as a goodbye, which is a great shame. Katy Manning is great but it has to be said that she acts far more naively than Caroline John, which does not sit well with me. There is a childlike quality to her performance which has weakened the only female role in the show, simply because (in my eyes) the team were unable to write for a strong woman. Having said that, there is an infectious excitement in Katy's performance, she feels like more of a 'Doctor Who companion' which makes for great TV. I much prefer her despite myself.

When the Brigadier says "sure you can fire her, but I think you should tell her yourself" we get some fantastic character moments. I like it when a little bit of Pertwee's tenderness comes out, you get to see an impressive emotional range from The Doctor in this story.

The Autons completely deserved a return, they are a really tangible threat; believable, frightening and down to Earth. They are ideal for stories like these, which are clearly centered around introducing characters rather than plot. The moment these creatures become manipulative, rather than being used as pawns by the Master I lose a little interest. I like them less when they are dressed up in giant heads and handing out dangerous plastic flowers, they seem a little too knowing at that point.

Some of the best and worst aspects of Terror of the Autons come from its lack of focus and structure. I love the Time Lord in a bowler hat popping out of nowhere, never to be seen again - it's an exciting moment even if it is just for some gratuitous CSO use! The hilariously disguised TARDIS that we see The Master arrive in comes from the same mindset. On the other hand, does a circus need to be in this story? What does it add? I feel like it must have had a more central role in an earlier draft, because it is a random and underdeveloped element of the story. This scatterbrain approach produces the best cliffhangers we have ever seen (an Auton disguised as a police officer!) and another terrible cliffhanger involving a phone wire and Pertwee ripping off his tentacle acting from Spearhead from Space.

Back when I reviewed Tomb of the Cybermen I was highly critical of the character of Toberman, but Toby (played by the same man) is far worse. After having a couple of interesting roles for black men in the previous series, here is a stereotypical strong man being used as a prop. At least Toberman was useful for the plot, this was a cheap gag.

Perhaps the most unsatisfying element to the story is that The Master is convinced he is completely wrong with just one line, it is a rushed convenient ending. I would like to have seen The Master having more faith in his plans. The ending ties the confused plot together poorly, there was such a mixture of mad schemes from the The Master and the Autons.

The most satisfying element to this story is the general feel of the show. It feels new (again!) and exciting and I am loving the chemistry between the very much established Doctor and his new companion, despite my misgivings. The Master is now trapped on Earth, just like his adversary and there are a lot of adventures to come!