THE TIME WARRIOR

Written by Robert Holmes.

Directed by Alan Bromly.

Transmitted originally: 115 December 1973 to 5 January 1974.

"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting." 'The Doctor'

THE STORY

Journalist Sarah-Jane Smith is impersonating her aunt, virologist Lavinia Smith, in order to gain access to a research centre where top scientists are being held in protective custody while UNIT investigates the disappearances of a number of their colleagues. The missing scientists have been kidnapped by a Sontaran, Linx, and taken back to medieval England, where they are working under hypnosis to repair his crashed spaceship. The Doctor follows in the TARDIS, and Sarah stows away. In return for shelter, Linx has provided a robber baron called Irongron with anachronistically advanced weapons to use in attacks on neighbouring castles.

The Doctor helps Sir Edward of Wessex to repel one such attack, then he and sarh conspire to drug the food in Irongron's castle, so the soldier's weapons can be removed while they are unconscious. Aided by one of the kidnapped scientists, Rubeish, he then sends the others back to the twentieth century using Linx's primitive time travel equipment. Linx shoots Irongron down and prepares to leave Earth in his repaired spacecraft. Hal, one of Sir Edward's archers, fires an arrow into the Sontaran's vunerable probic vent at the back of his neck, killing him. The Doctor, Sarah and Hal escape just before the ship explodes, destroying the castle.

CAST:

The Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), Linx (Kevin Lindsay), Professor Rubeish (Donald Pelmear), Irongron (David daker), Bloodaxe (John J. Carney), Eleanor (June Brown), Edward of Wessex (Alan Rowe), Hal (Jeremy Bulloch), Meg (Sheila Fay), Eric (Gordon Pitt), Sentry (Steve Brunswick).

FACTS:

The Doctor's home planet of Gallifrey is named for the first time.

This story features the first use of a new opening and closing title sequence designed by Bernard Lodge and realised using a process known as 'slit screen'. The opening features for the first time, the distinctive diamond-shaped logo for the series.

OTHER FORMATS:

The Third Doctor Novelisations

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