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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Saturday, December 28, 1974

Production Code

4A

Written by

Terrance Dicks

Directed by

Christopher Barry

Runtime

100 minutes

Time Travel

Present

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

The Doctor Falls, Robots

Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!)

Working for UNIT

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Bessie, Jeweller’s loupe, Sonic Screwdriver

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, England

Synopsis

Trouble is brewing once again; a series of robberies are taking place which seem linked to plans for a top secret disintegrator gun. All evidence seems to point to the culprit being a sentient robot, created by an eccentric professor and owned by a think tank. However, the robot's basic programming prevents him from killing, providing a contradiction to the clues.

At the same time, the Doctor is recovering from his latest regeneration; can he regain his senses and help UNIT solve the case before time runs out?

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4 Episodes

Part One

First aired

Saturday, December 28, 1974

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Terrance Dicks

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

10.8 million

Appreciation Index

53

Synopsis

Can the Doctor, now in his fourth incarnation, recover from his post regenerative trauma to save the Earth from Think Tank and their plot for world domination ?


Part Two

First aired

Saturday, January 4, 1975

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Terrance Dicks

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

10.7 million

Appreciation Index

53

Synopsis

The Doctor and Sarah Jane become convinced Think Tank are behind the electronic component thefts but are unable to stop them carrying out another raid.


Part Three

First aired

Saturday, January 11, 1975

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Terrance Dicks

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

10.1 million

Synopsis

Sarah Jane and Kettlewell infiltrate an SRS meeting to try and find out what Miss Winters is up to but there is a surprise in store.


Part Four

First aired

Saturday, January 18, 1975

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Terrance Dicks

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

9 million

Appreciation Index

51

Synopsis

UNIT attempt to get into the bunker to stop Miss Winters setting off the world's nuclear missiles but first they have to get past the K1.



Characters

How to watch Robot:

Reviews

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5 reviews

Here we are the worst season of doctor who imo Sarah Jane save us


This review contains spoilers!

Pertwee's debut story Spearhead From Space is arguably (and in my opinion) the finest of his whole era. With this in mind Tom Baker's opening story has big boots to fill.

Tom immediately looks so comfortable in the role, if you were not familiar with the show and had missed Part One you would be forgiven for thinking he had always been there. The Doctor's newfound playfulness and flippancy makes everything he does is consistently intriguing. Elisabeth Sladen fits magically into this new dynamic, it no longer feels like she is helping out her Dad. Whilst the Fourth Doctor clearly cares for Sarah Jane, any trace of his former slightly patronising relationship with her has disappeared. I hate to put Pertwee down, he made a good Doctor, but personally I find Tom Baker's move away from the lead character being an establishment figure, a posh Top Gear dad and a wine connoisseur. The new approach is more fun, more original in my opinion.

This script surprisingly does not put much focus on the fact there is a new Doctor which is a small shame. What there is is excellent - I love the dressing up and the madness. It great fun to see all the established UNIT characters take to a new Doctor like ducks to water. Sarah Jane is given a lot to do in this one. Any story where they stick to her characterisation as a journalist makes me happy - this is where her character really shines. Seeing her investigate and sneak into the compound to find the robot is excellent fun.

Part of me feels that the established UNIT characters and setting of the story dulls the transition between Doctors a little, as does the fact that it is Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks writing Tom's first story. Everything should be brand new and exciting but the old guard is still there and it feels wrong. I just want to pull The Doctor out of this situation and create a brand new world. UNIT is amazing, I love those guys, but they have been the predominant flavour for five years of Doctor Who and I'd like something new at this point. The majority of the changes between eras are still to come.

The characters are clearly the best element of Robot. Miss Winters is a very memorable villain, reminding us of how little we see women inhabit chunky guest roles in our favourite show. Only in Doctor Who could you have neo-Nazis harbouring a giant robot with the intention of overthrowing society.

There is also the absolutely amazing Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan. Whilst he does not have a great deal to do in this story he is played with subtlety and style, Doctor Who is lucky to have him.

The storyline itself is a pretty pedestrian, atypical Doctor Who. If it was not for the new Doctor elevating everyone's performances this would be considered mediocre story. In fairness in 1974/75 Robot K1 would probably have been a little less of a cliche. "Can robots feel love" is an idea that has been done to death in fiction and I don't feel Robot does anything new with the concept.

So! All in all a promising start to a new era in the Fourth Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane and a farewell to those behind the scenes who have made our wonderful show for so many years. Here's to the future!


It's not a particularly great story, a lot of is quite silly and obviously it's well known that it's a leftover script from the Pertwee era, but Tom Baker is terrific from the get-go and already has a number of funny lines. Breezy to watch as well.


Robot is quite a fun little adventure. Like Doctor Who Does King Kong. Tom Baker is obviously very nervous in his debut scenes, and the tank is clearly a toy, but it's a great opener to the season.

It also contains one of my favourite lines from Doctor Who ever - 'There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes'.


"he might be more eccentric post regeneration" wow that was not an exaggeration at all. poor brig.


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Statistics

AVG. Rating373 members
3.46 / 5

Trakt.tv

AVG. Rating593 votes
3.67 / 5

The Time Scales

AVG. Rating209 votes
3.40 / 5

Member Statistics

Watched

689

Favourited

37

Reviewed

5

Saved

3

Skipped

0

Owned

8

Quotes

Add Quote

SARAH JANE: Doctor, you're being childish.

DOCTOR: Well of course I am. There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.

Robot

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Transcript Needs checking

Part One

[UNIT Laboratory]

BRIGADIER: Now just a moment.
SARAH: Look, Brigadier, look. I think it's started.
BRIGADIER: Oh, well, here we go again.

(The brown haired man starts to wake and mumble in the background. The Brigadier picks up the telephone.)

BRIGADIER: Get me the medical officer. Lieutenant Sullivan? Emergency. Come to the lab at once, please.
DOCTOR: Human history.
BRIGADIER: What's he talking about?
SARAH: It's something that happened when we first met.
DOCTOR: I tell you, Brigadier, there's nothing to worry about. The brontosaurus is large and placid.


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