Season 15 of Classic Doctor Who concluded in 1978 with the six-part-story The Invasion of Time. This adventure sees the Doctor return to his native planet Gallifrey (which was last seen in the previous season, in the brilliant four-parter The Deadly Assassin), and this time he brings death and destruction in his wake (what a surprise). The story is also notable for reintroducing the Sontarans (last seen in The Sontaran Experiment four years earlier) and bidding farewell to the Doctor's companions Leela and the first K-9. But the only question worth asking is: is this story any good?
Well, to be completely frank, The Invasion of Time isn't the strongest of adventures in terms of script or story progression. Now, there is a very logical and understandable reason to this. The Invasion of Time was a last-minute replacement script for a cancelled story called Killers of the Dark, to have been penned by David Weir. Script editor Anthony Read and producer Graham Williams put this script hastily together in order to have a concluding adventure for the season. Due to BBC's policies at the time, thy were forced to use a pseudonym, and so David Agnew was born. Unfortunately, the hasty writing process is directly mirrored in the result; it's a mess, and not a very enjoyable one.
The entire thing starts off with a confusing introduction, throwing audiences straight into the action without any exposition. This approach is not very viewer friendly, though, and you'll feel lost before the story even has begun properly! The very same fuzzy mess continues for the rest of the first episode; there is very little to attach on and I felt uncomfortable watching it all. Episode Two isn't much better in terms of the script, and this is also were the sometimes horrendous overacting starts. The final two episodes of the story finally turn the tables, as this is where the Sontarans finally come in. They are too late,however, as by this time I had totally lost interest. The Invasion of Time is a story without substance for almost five episodes and the real sense of danger and excitement is virtually nonexistent (you'll see why in a minute). The main problems are the confusing beginning and the fact that this story is at least two episodes too long; the Sontarans' plan to invade Gallifrey is over-complicated and drags out terribly. These things coupled with some rubbish cliffhangers and a childishly useless invasion, ensure the total failure of this story. What I dislike the most, though, is the ending. The adventure is wrapped up in a bland way that completely nullifies everything and ruins the entire premise of the story - and there is really no logical explanation as to why they've decided to end the story like this.
Another thing really bothering me is how the Doctor is so rude, angry and annoying for the first four episodes of the story. The Doctor is intended to act this way, in order to fool both the Vardans and the Sontarans to believe him, I know that, but for me his characterization in this story is simply offputting and discomforting. Tom Baker does a good job as always, and by Episode Five he is back up to his usual form, but I had a hard time actually enjoying the scenes featuring the Doctor because of this. Another problem is Louise Jameson, or rather her character Leela. Jameson does a good job with the material she is given, which isn't much. Leela is mostly pointless until the very end of the story and she spends most of the time worrying about the Doctor. It's also a shame to see her written out of the show in such a lazy manner - the writers come up with a nonexistent and underdeveloped love story with absolutely no basis (an echo back to the days when the Doctor's first companion Susan left him, in order to live her life with her true love David in The Dalek Invasion of Earth). And with her goes K-9, equally without any good reason. He is immediately replaced with an updated version, though, so his "departure" technically has no significance to future stories.
Most of the acting is a two-sided coin as well. Christopher Tranchell, who plays Leela's love "interest" Commander Andred, isn't particularly convincing in any of his scenes. Seasoned stuntman an actor in many Doctor Who stories, Max Faulkner plays the clichéd leader of the Outsiders of the Wilderness - but he's not particularly good and his strange outbursts feel very wrong. The frivolous Time Lady Rodan (as played by Hilary Ryan) is the only woman besides Leela to appear in the entire story - she is clearly meant to be a strong and competent female character, but her purpose is totally undermined by the fact that she is given absolutely nothing to do until the very end. In addition, Ryan isn't a very good actress. But as I said, the acting isn't all bad. Iconic Doctor Who star Milton Johns,. who made one of the most amazing villainous appearances in the history of the show as Benik in Enemy of the World, makes yet another appearance here, this time as Gallifrey's Castellan Kelner. Kelner isn't quite as memorable or iconic (not to say, slimy and annoying) when compared to Benik, but Johns does a good job. Equally good is John Arnatt as Chancellor Borusa, an important mentor for the Doctor. His scenes together with Tom Baker are just wonderful.
What isn't wonderful about The Invasion of Time are the villains. For the first part they are nothing but black capsules, and later on tinfoil ghosts with absolutely no emotions in their voices. These are the Vardans, and they turn out to be quite disappointing and rubbish villains when they're finally revealed in Episode 4. This is because the Sontarans are the real villains of the story. But unlike their previous (and later) appearances, the Sontarans in this story never really get anything done. Their megalomaniac leader Stor (played without a hint of a personality by Derek Deadman) shouts orders and they chase down the Doctor and the rest for two episodes, before they're suddenly defeated by a single blow. Impressive.
Invasion of Time is the second story in Doctor Who history to be completely set on Gallifrey, and much of its mythology is further explored throughout this story. We are introduced to the world outside the CItadel, called the Wilderness, in which a group of outlawed Time Lords live. The scenes in the Wilderness bring a nice touch of change to the story, but they hardly play any part for the rest of the adventure. The final episode of the story is the strongest, featuring a slow and tiresome chase inside the Doctor's TARDIS. The episode lets us explore the depths of the TARDIS in a way that will not be done again until Journey to the Center of the TARDIS in 2013. The chase sequence is mostly pointless and quite stupid, and it really becomes repetitive in the end, but it is funny and memorable as well, even if the insides of the TARDIS leave a lot to be desired. In fact, designwise The Invasion of Time isn't much to brag about, but at least the Doctor's quarters on Gallifrey look great.
The low points of this serial mostly come down to the rubbish script and some wonky acting, but Gerald Blake's direction isn't much better either. Blake fails to bring the story alive and any sense of excitement and danger is blown away by his weird editing and ambiguous directing. But for the loose plot threads and the strange characteristics, we can only blame the producer and the script editor. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2018-08-02T09:17:35Z— updated 2018-08-06T06:12:00Z
Season 15 of Classic Doctor Who concluded in 1978 with the six-part-story The Invasion of Time. This adventure sees the Doctor return to his native planet Gallifrey (which was last seen in the previous season, in the brilliant four-parter The Deadly Assassin), and this time he brings death and destruction in his wake (what a surprise). The story is also notable for reintroducing the Sontarans (last seen in The Sontaran Experiment four years earlier) and bidding farewell to the Doctor's companions Leela and the first K-9. But the only question worth asking is: is this story any good?
Well, to be completely frank, The Invasion of Time isn't the strongest of adventures in terms of script or story progression. Now, there is a very logical and understandable reason to this. The Invasion of Time was a last-minute replacement script for a cancelled story called Killers of the Dark, to have been penned by David Weir. Script editor Anthony Read and producer Graham Williams put this script hastily together in order to have a concluding adventure for the season. Due to BBC's policies at the time, thy were forced to use a pseudonym, and so David Agnew was born. Unfortunately, the hasty writing process is directly mirrored in the result; it's a mess, and not a very enjoyable one.
The entire thing starts off with a confusing introduction, throwing audiences straight into the action without any exposition. This approach is not very viewer friendly, though, and you'll feel lost before the story even has begun properly! The very same fuzzy mess continues for the rest of the first episode; there is very little to attach on and I felt uncomfortable watching it all. Episode Two isn't much better in terms of the script, and this is also were the sometimes horrendous overacting starts. The final two episodes of the story finally turn the tables, as this is where the Sontarans finally come in. They are too late,however, as by this time I had totally lost interest. The Invasion of Time is a story without substance for almost five episodes and the real sense of danger and excitement is virtually nonexistent (you'll see why in a minute). The main problems are the confusing beginning and the fact that this story is at least two episodes too long; the Sontarans' plan to invade Gallifrey is over-complicated and drags out terribly. These things coupled with some rubbish cliffhangers and a childishly useless invasion, ensure the total failure of this story. What I dislike the most, though, is the ending. The adventure is wrapped up in a bland way that completely nullifies everything and ruins the entire premise of the story - and there is really no logical explanation as to why they've decided to end the story like this.
Another thing really bothering me is how the Doctor is so rude, angry and annoying for the first four episodes of the story. The Doctor is intended to act this way, in order to fool both the Vardans and the Sontarans to believe him, I know that, but for me his characterization in this story is simply offputting and discomforting. Tom Baker does a good job as always, and by Episode Five he is back up to his usual form, but I had a hard time actually enjoying the scenes featuring the Doctor because of this. Another problem is Louise Jameson, or rather her character Leela. Jameson does a good job with the material she is given, which isn't much. Leela is mostly pointless until the very end of the story and she spends most of the time worrying about the Doctor. It's also a shame to see her written out of the show in such a lazy manner - the writers come up with a nonexistent and underdeveloped love story with absolutely no basis (an echo back to the days when the Doctor's first companion Susan left him, in order to live her life with her true love David in The Dalek Invasion of Earth). And with her goes K-9, equally without any good reason. He is immediately replaced with an updated version, though, so his "departure" technically has no significance to future stories.
Most of the acting is a two-sided coin as well. Christopher Tranchell, who plays Leela's love "interest" Commander Andred, isn't particularly convincing in any of his scenes. Seasoned stuntman an actor in many Doctor Who stories, Max Faulkner plays the clichéd leader of the Outsiders of the Wilderness - but he's not particularly good and his strange outbursts feel very wrong. The frivolous Time Lady Rodan (as played by Hilary Ryan) is the only woman besides Leela to appear in the entire story - she is clearly meant to be a strong and competent female character, but her purpose is totally undermined by the fact that she is given absolutely nothing to do until the very end. In addition, Ryan isn't a very good actress. But as I said, the acting isn't all bad. Iconic Doctor Who star Milton Johns,. who made one of the most amazing villainous appearances in the history of the show as Benik in Enemy of the World, makes yet another appearance here, this time as Gallifrey's Castellan Kelner. Kelner isn't quite as memorable or iconic (not to say, slimy and annoying) when compared to Benik, but Johns does a good job. Equally good is John Arnatt as Chancellor Borusa, an important mentor for the Doctor. His scenes together with Tom Baker are just wonderful.
What isn't wonderful about The Invasion of Time are the villains. For the first part they are nothing but black capsules, and later on tinfoil ghosts with absolutely no emotions in their voices. These are the Vardans, and they turn out to be quite disappointing and rubbish villains when they're finally revealed in Episode 4. This is because the Sontarans are the real villains of the story. But unlike their previous (and later) appearances, the Sontarans in this story never really get anything done. Their megalomaniac leader Stor (played without a hint of a personality by Derek Deadman) shouts orders and they chase down the Doctor and the rest for two episodes, before they're suddenly defeated by a single blow. Impressive.
Invasion of Time is the second story in Doctor Who history to be completely set on Gallifrey, and much of its mythology is further explored throughout this story. We are introduced to the world outside the CItadel, called the Wilderness, in which a group of outlawed Time Lords live. The scenes in the Wilderness bring a nice touch of change to the story, but they hardly play any part for the rest of the adventure. The final episode of the story is the strongest, featuring a slow and tiresome chase inside the Doctor's TARDIS. The episode lets us explore the depths of the TARDIS in a way that will not be done again until Journey to the Center of the TARDIS in 2013. The chase sequence is mostly pointless and quite stupid, and it really becomes repetitive in the end, but it is funny and memorable as well, even if the insides of the TARDIS leave a lot to be desired. In fact, designwise The Invasion of Time isn't much to brag about, but at least the Doctor's quarters on Gallifrey look great.
The low points of this serial mostly come down to the rubbish script and some wonky acting, but Gerald Blake's direction isn't much better either. Blake fails to bring the story alive and any sense of excitement and danger is blown away by his weird editing and ambiguous directing. But for the loose plot threads and the strange characteristics, we can only blame the producer and the script editor. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Rating: 5,4 out of 10