stop talking to me directly mr doctor who I don't like it. take your bug eyes and apply them strictly to your side of the fourth wall thank you very much

New companion alert!

The Doctor was great, I love that they present a very different version of him now he has no familiarity to fall back on - No Sarah Jane, no Gallifrey, and he ends up just narrating to himself, which is actually quite sad when you think about it. I liked the idea that he is the villain, and his interfering has led to a grave mistake - I think it's poignant that this takes place so soon after returning to Gallifrey, it is sort of similar to why the Time Lords don't mess about with time, as the Doctor ends up as a form of villain. From what I've seen of Leela before this story, she hasn't been overly impressive, but I really enjoyed her in this! Her character is so fresh and unique and I love that, fourteen years on, they're still coming up with bold new ideas to reinvent the show. You can tell she and Tom really clicked from the get-go, and they are already a fun duo, and I love how much they clash compared to Sarah Jane and the Doctor, it's a total contrast and I can't wait to see how she develops.

Xoannon had some great potential, I loved the idea that the Doctor made a mistake and it escalated into one big religion. When the Doctor first meets Xoannon, it's really well done, and the visuals are great for mid 70s. The cliffhanger to part 3 was especially creepy, was disturbed for a good while after that. It was a nice idea, and I'm surprised that they made it work so well. Wasn't underused, wasn't overused - a fairly good amount. The plot twist was quite obvious though.

The settings were not good. Not at all. Obviously fake, obviously studio-bound. The village was quite good, but apart from that, did not like it. The ship was quite good, too. I just hated the jungle. Also - no Secondary Console Room. That's a shame

I think everyone did a great job overall. It was great to see how they were indoctrinated by the same story but by different perspectives. No over-the-top acting, no-one outshining anyone else, they all worked really well together.

The Doctor is incredibly witty in this story, he has some fantastic dialogue, even more than usual!
Favourite Line: "Drop your weapons, or I'll kill him with this deadly jelly baby."

I can't see how people don't find this story great - it's obviously not an all-time classic, but it's amazing how such a little story was developed into something that kept me hooked throughout. Loved it. Also a bit of a fun fact - apparently the Doctor first arrived at some point during Robot, according to the novelisation.

A fine story to introduce Leela as the new companion. It's always fun when the villain looks like the Doctor as well. That's about it. Not bad but not great.

Quite good. This story and Planet of Evil have some of the best unkempt wilderness vibes of any televised Who story. Along with this, I quite like the story (especially when Xoanon becomes involved) and Tom and Louise are quite good as the Doctor and Leela while the supporting cast are pretty good. My main gripe is that the Sevateem's whole "warrior savage" thing is a bit racist.

A new companion and she’s a badass I would say the story was rather lacking I didn’t really care for it but Leela makes the ep better she’s bloody brilliant

Leela's first episode does a lot right.  Her character is well realized even if there's a clear element of sexualization going on here.  I love her character's agency and the way she winds up joining up with the Doctor.  It feels very her.  The actual story going on with the Sevateem and Tesh is alright.  It's a lot more interesting as first when it is a bit more mysterious compared to near the end where events feel like they start to drag out a bit. The angle of this involving a past adventure with the Doctor, one never mentioned or shown before, is novel for its time but isn't really used in a way that felt extremely meaningful.

Yet I like the energy Leela and the Doctor bring to the table almost immediately.  This is a great introduction for her and really shows off Louise Jameson nicely.  This is one of the better examples of performers elevating a middling story I have encountered in the show thus far.  Our leads are just so pleasant and fun to watch that little else feels like it matters all that much.  Even if they do make the insane mistake of changing the character's eye colour to not match that of the actor's.

It's okay. I like the idea of exploring the impact of one of the Doctor's past adventures (even if it would've been better had we actually seen that story) though it never really goes anywhere that exciting with it, and the tribe stuff is a bit dull. Couple of cool cliffhangers with Tom Baker being the 'Evil One' though

Up until this point in the show’s history, there has has only been one other time we’ve had two such strong stories back to back. 1966’s The Tenth Planet into Power of the Daleks, which was 10 months ago in this marathon. Doctor Who is a naturally uneven show, so on the rare occasions that it manages to be consistently flawless I find myself in awe of the producers.

Leela is magnificent. They had a hell of a job following Sarah-Jane but they managed it. Four companion free episodes buttered us up for someone new. Having someone from an entirely different culture who retains some of that culture and does not come across as contemporary the moment they step through the TARDIS doors is also a rarely used and brilliant move at this point. Leela follows in the tradition of several 1960s companions, particularly Victoria, Zoe and Jamie.

The story is of a survey team and a tech team who for generations have been manipulated by a sentient, malfunctioning computer which was set on the wrong course by The Doctor many years before. I mean. Read that pitch. It’s perfect. The survey team becomes the tribe, prized for their brawn and reflexes, the tech team become a learned book smart race. The computer has a plan to use the best example of each species in a eugenics experiment. Bloody hell. Now THAT’S science fiction.

First time Who writer Chris Boucher can stay based on this performance. In fact - he is back next week!