📝8.2 = VERY ENJOYABLE!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“CARRY ON DOCTOR WHO!”

The opening part takes some time to reminisce about Ian and Barbara, who left at the end of the previous story, in what is a beautiful and rare little piece of character introspection in Classic Who. The episode then proceeds to properly but effectively introduce the new TARDIS team and the historical setting. The lengthy scene inside the TARDIS works as a great introduction for new viewers to the basics of the show while easing in Steven in a charming and funny sequence for the existing audience.

The Time Meddler is the very first (of many more to come) pseudo-historical and makes it a rather fascinating point to blend a historically important event with anachronisms such as 20th-century technology. The blend of history and modern technology isn't explored all that much, which is a pity because it could have made for some interesting and tense plot developments. It is used effectively to pique your interest in the first half of the serial, though, and helps The Time Meddler stand out among the historical adventures of the Hartnell era.

Also for the first time, we have here a historical adventure that isn't about the time period or historical event itself; no, it's about two members of a mighty alien race with different philosophies facing off against each other in a mostly harmless battle of wits.

It's always a joy to see a story that holds such historical importance in terms of the show's canon, and the Part 3 cliffhanger must have been a shocking revelation because it feels satisfying even for those of us who know it's coming. While it’s clear early on that the Monk is more than meets the eye, it’s a great reveal to find out that he is a Time Lord as well.

I'm somewhat bummed about how Dennis Spooner makes Steven and Vicki wander back and forth between the monastery and the outside woods multiple times since they cannot make up their minds about what to do. Spooner doesn't give them anything useful to do. The same goes, to a lesser extent, for the Doctor until he finally decides to face the Monk.

If William Hartnell was saddened about the departure of co-stars William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, he certainly doesn't show it: he's filled with his usual grandfatherly warmth and sass here, particularly when trying to prove to Steven that the TARDIS is a time machine. Hartnell is at his very best in the second half of the serial (because he barely appears in the first due to his holiday), once he finally faces the Monk, allowing the two Carry On legends to steal the show together.

Without Ian and Barbara to guide her, Maureen O'Brien truly stands out as the more seasoned of the TARDIS companions. She immediately feels much more mature and capable, so this cast change does her character wonders.

Alongside Vicki, we find the energetic and defiant Steven in a part still somewhat finding his footing but not too obviously trying to replace Ian. The new companion relationship is well explored through Vicki and Steven's solo ventures, which take up a majority of the serial.

We meet another acting legend in Peter Butterworth, who appears as the Meddling Monk—one of the most memorable villains of the Hartnell era and the first Time Lord character other than the Doctor or Susan to appear on the show. Butterworth is a highlight; funny and mischievous, yet just the right amount of selfishness as well, but all in the name of fun!

It's refreshing to meet a villain who isn't evil for the sake of it or who plans to take over the world or destroy it—and we are still a few years away from the Master's introduction—so the Monk is simply meddling for the fun of it! I almost want him to win!

The Saxon supporting characters aren't all that interesting or integral to the plot. They feel almost like rehashes of the tribe members in An Unearthly Child (1963), which is funny because the lady Saxon is played by Aletha Charlton, who previously appeared in that story. The Vikings are here to provide a bit more tension, but they end up quite forgettable and useless (but I always root for Scandinavian characters in Doctor Who!).

After a string of mostly very serious and educational historicals, it is refreshing to watch an adventure that feels more tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted and doesn't take itself or its setting too seriously. However, the pacing is perhaps a tad on the slower side during the first half of the story; there are a lot of teases and beginnings, but very little plot development. This story also lacks a sense of a climax: the ending is very small-scale and sudden, even if it is one of the most satisfying endings to a villain's schemes in Classic Who.

The simple sets and costumes capture the time and setting well, as is tradition for Doctor Who's historical episodes. The capable direction and cinematography mostly help give this story a sense of scale.

It's weird to watch the clumsy and unconvincing fight scenes given how well previous historicals have choreographed and directed similar scenes.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• “Up there is the scanner; those are the doors; that is a chair with a panda on it. Sheer poetry, dear boy.” This is such a classic line delivered with the utmost heart from Hartnell.
• "What do you think it is? A space helmet for a cow?" says the Doctor about a (historically inaccurate) Viking helmet—another golden classic line.