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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Saturday, May 20, 1972

Production Code

OOO

Directed by

Paul Bernard

Runtime

150 minutes

Time Travel

Past, Present

Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!)

Exile on Earth, Working for UNIT

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Bessie

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Atlantis, Earth, England, Wootton

Synopsis

The Master, in the guise of Professor Thascalos, has constructed at the Newton Institute in Wootton a device known as TOMTIT — Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time — to gain control over Kronos, a creature from outside time. The creature is summoned but proves to be uncontrollable.

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6 Episodes

Episode One

First aired

Saturday, May 20, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Paul Bernard

UK Viewers

7.6 million

Synopsis

UNIT are invited to observe a demonstration of the new TOMTIT machine, unaware its creator, Professor Thascales, is actually the Master.


Episode Two

First aired

Saturday, May 27, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Paul Bernard

UK Viewers

7.4 million

Synopsis

The Doctor realises the Master is trying to harness the power of Kronos, last of the Chronovores, but is unaware Percival is harbouring him at the institute.


Episode Three

First aired

Saturday, June 3, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Paul Bernard

UK Viewers

8.1 million

Synopsis

The Master enlists the help of Krasis to control Kronos while Yates tries to bring the TARDIS to the institute only to come under attack from dangers from the past.


Episode Four

First aired

Saturday, June 10, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Paul Bernard

UK Viewers

7.6 million

Synopsis

The Master prepares to travel back to Atlantis but the Doctor links his TARDIS to the Master's to try and stop him.


Episode Five

First aired

Saturday, June 17, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Paul Bernard

UK Viewers

6 million

Synopsis

Both TARDISes reach Atlantis, where the Doctor befriends King Dalios while the Master enlists the help of Queen Galleia to try and obtain the crystal of Kronos.


Episode Six

First aired

Saturday, June 24, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Paul Bernard

UK Viewers

7.6 million

Synopsis

The Doctor enters the labyrinth to try and protect Jo from the minotaur but the Master has seized control of Atlantis and prepares to summon Kronos again.



Characters

How to watch The Time Monster:

Reviews

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12 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

The Master doing a little Time Machine; Atlantis out of nowhere... I'm just loving the Third Doctor run. hahaha


ErickSoares3

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Often regarded as one of the weaker Pertwee serials, like The Mutants before it there is actually a lot to like about The Time Monster.  The Doctor’s story about the daisiest daisy in Episode Six is the highlight, it’s a fascinating little examination of who the Doctor is and is worth half a star on its own.  The big scale ideas at play are interesting and an extension of what Robert Sloman and Barry Letts were examining in The Daemons the year before.  Roger Delgado gets to have some of his most charming moments and where the Master ends the story is equally fascinating for the character.  It feels like one last hurrah for the UNIT family because it’s so clear that the production team is ready to go all in with time travel.

The problem is that there’s a lot of messy ideas in the six episodes of the serial, mainly because Sloman and Letts were writing the serial on the fly after The Daleks in London fell through.  Splitting the plot into thirds is a good idea on paper, yet each of the plots, especially the final two episodes on Atlantis, are particularly stretched to their limits.  The depiction of Kronos is also something that works on paper, but Paul Bernard tries to obscure it instead of fully leaning into the silly white costume so it doesn’t really work.  Sloman and Letts wanted to make an epic finale with a larger scale but then it just doesn’t quite come together.  Heck they barely give Jo Grant much to do except banter, so much of the story is carried by the banter of Pertwee, Manning, Delgado, Courtney, and oddly John Levene and it just leaves it kind of meh.


Newt5996

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This review contains spoilers!

easily one of my favourite classic doctor who serials, I adore the silly sped up footage of bessie going speedy and the brigadier essentially kidnapping Benton (who's supposed to be on leave) to watch a demonstration coincidently being held by the master. this serial can also be called Mike Yates and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day given everything that happened to him in essentially the space of five minutes, my poor boy


kawaii2234

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Eps 5 and 6 dragged a little bit, but otherwise, this was an amazing serial! This was the story that Delgado's Master really deserved to truly show his strength as a character. I also really liked the two scientists!

A+.


Azurillkirby

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A fun way to end the season. Got all the regulars from this era, a good story with some philosophy and mythical aspects. On par with Day of the Daleks as possibly the best of this season in my opinion.


Scottybguud

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Statistics

AVG. Rating480 members
3.27 / 5

Member Statistics

Watched

901

Favourited

59

Reviewed

12

Saved

7

Skipped

1

Quotes

Add Quote

BRIGADIER: You know, if this got out, you'd be the laughing stock of UNIT. A dream. Really, Doctor, you'll be consulting the entrails of a sheep next.

— The Brigadier, The Time Monster

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Transcript Needs checking

Episode One

[Nightmare]

(The volcanic eruption from Inferno jolts the Doctor upright from his chaise longue on a mosaic floor. Either side of an altar stand a pair of large Minoan quadruple-headed axes, and behind them a giant complex crystal pulses.)

MASTER: Welcome! Welcome to your new Master!

(The Master breaks into maniacal laughter, a lightning bolt comes down and he vanishes. Volcanic smoke fills the room, there are images of ceremonial masks and Minoan gods and goddesses.)


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