The show feels new again! New diamond shape logo, new companion and most different of all - our adventurer has travelled to the Middle Ages! Robert Holmes is an expert at making sure there is plenty of plot to go round in any given episode and The Time Warrior is certainly no exception - there is an awful lot going on.

Lets start with outstanding Sarah Jane Smith - she was delight from start to finish and was my favourite element of The Time Warrior. I really enjoyed the comedy that came from her simply refusing to believe that she had travelled in time and treating everyone she encountered as actors with costumes and props. She really played it for real and went through the same thoughts and emotions that any member of the audience would have in her same situation. Her forthright, feminist and proactive personality is a welcome addition to the show. Her chemistry with The Doctor grew nicely over the episode, inventively beginning with suspicion and ending with a sparky and joyful playfulness. I loved the character of Jo Grant (her and Jamie are for me the show's join best companions to date) but I definitely did not take to her as quickly as this - this is very promising.

This story acted as a lovely jumping on point for viewers. Pertwee properly re-introducing himself to Sarah in Part Three gave me a warm feeling, I loved him summing up his character in a single scene - and the first ever mention of Gallifrey was tantalising. The Third Doctor himself was on fine form here, perhaps a new companion was keeping him on his toes. The absolutely brilliant scene where he is dodging the inaccurate gunfire of Middle Ages first-time shooters was incredible fun - exactly the kind of bizarre high concept fun that the show thrives on. Pertwee plays that scene perfectly and teams up with Sarah in a way that feels warm and natural.

Time travel, especially heading backwards in history has been conspicuous in its absence in the Second and Third Doctor's eras, so it is a very welcome return bringing further variety to the show. I understand that the hesitance to delve into historical settings was due to a comparative lack of interest the audience showed for Hartnell stories of this kind. Having enjoyed Marco Polo and The Aztecs immensely, I feel like this was a vital component to remove from Doctor Who. The Time Warrior has certainly gone some way to make up for it here.

It was an excellent move to tamper with the historical formula by putting an alien, the brilliant Sontaran Linx into the mix. Irongron and his men vs. the mild nobleman would perhaps not have been as interesting if they were not interacting with the weird and wild time travel meddling that surrounded them. The Sontaran was a brilliant coming together of script, costume and acting. You got a real sense that for Linx, a mighty warrior, this whole situation was beneath him. His unique head emerging from under his helmet, followed by his tongue emerging from those disgusting lips is a wonderfully iconic visual moment. Maggots aside, I think the tactical war loving Sontaran is the best concept for a new alien since the Silurians, and in my opinion better executed.

I respect Holmes for really building up and bringing to life otherwise inconsequential characters like Professor Rubesh. Other writers would be pulling out their hair trying to stretch out a story across four parts, but Holmes skillfully inserts an entertaining character who only adds to the story. So, a wonderful start to season eleven - a delightful story which I had never seen before. I am very happy to have Sarah Jane on board.