Doctor Who - The Invasion of Time Reviews

Rating		Votes
10	6%	5
9	4%	3
8	7%	6
7	31%	26
6	28%	23
5	14%	12
4	10%	8
3	0%	0
2	0%	0
1	0%	0
Average Rating 6.5
Votes 83

Synopsis

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide

After a meeting in space with a group of unseen aliens the Doctor returns to Gallifrey and claims the presidency of the Time Lords. Leela meanwhile tries to work out why he is behaving out of character. At his induction, the Doctor is 'crowned' with a device giving him access to the Matrix. He then arranges for the transduction barriers around Gallifrey to be put out of action by K9. When this is done, his alien 'friends' materialise. They are telepathic invaders called Vardans.

The Doctor links K9 to the Matrix in order to determine their point of origin. His plan is to place a time loop around their home planet, but he must avoid arousing their suspicions - hence his erratic behaviour. He banishes Leela to the wastelands of outer Gallifrey for fear that she might unintentionally jeopardise his plans. There she meets a group of Gallifreyan outsiders, and together they organise an attack on the Capitol to fight off the invaders.

The Doctor finally springs his trap and the Vardans are banished. Then, however, Gallifrey is invaded by Sontarans who, unknown to the Doctor, were using the Vardans to enable them to conquer the Time Lords. The Doctor uses knowledge extracted from the Matrix by K9 to construct a forbidden de-mat gun, activated by the Great Key of Rassilon. He then uses this to kill the Sontarans, although his memory of recent events is wiped in the process.

Leela announces that she wishes to stay behind with Andred, one of the Chancellery guards, with whom she has fallen in love. K9 elects to remain with her.

Has Prerequisite Story

1 out of 18 (5.6%) raters say this story requires a previous story.

Extended Ratings

Plot

6.6

(27)

Acting

7.2

(27)

Effects

6.6

(27)

Replay

6.5

(27)

4th Doctor

K-9 Mark I

Leela

Sontarans

Time Lords

Vardans

Cast

The Doctor - Tom Baker

Leela - Louise Jameson

Voice of K9 - John Leeson

Ablif - Ray Callaghan

Andred - Christopher Tranchell

Bodyguard - Michael Harley

Borusa - John Arnatt

Castellan Guard - Eric Danot

Gold Usher - Charles Morgan

Guard - Christopher Christou

Jasko - Michael Mundell

Kelner - Milton Johns

Lord Gomer - Dennis Edwards

Lord Savar - Reginald Jessup

Nesbin - Max Faulkner

Presta - Gay Smith

Rodan - Hilary Ryan

Sontaran - Stuart Fell

Stor - Derek Deadman

Vardan - Stan McGowan

Vardan - Tom Kelly

Director:

Gerald Blake

Writer:

Anthony Read

Writer:

Graham Williams

Reviews

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Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

The Invasion of Time

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Reviewed By: BrainofMorbius23Review Date: 7/14/18 2:09 pm

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Slightly underrated if you ask me.
I feel gallifrey has had a slight step back in this story. But it’s interesting seeing the doctor behave odd/grumpy/ruder than the norm and the story gradually introduce the threat.

It’s good typical doctor who, just not amazing

Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

The Invasion of Time

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Reviewed By: TCar96Review Date: 8/6/16 7:33 pm

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

On the whole, a really healthy season closer. Almost every lesson seems to have been learnt from duds during season 15. A twist at the culmination of episode 4 allows for a change of pace, scenery, and a 6-parter that feels worthy of the run time. Thanks to reusing sets, location work and some interesting direction, nothing ever feels stale. Our leads provide some dependable performances, and the guest cast shines through.

It 'aint perfect: whilst the model work is superb (as per), the Sontaran prosthetics follow the Sontaran curse - worse than TSE, that being inferior to TTW. The TARDIS location work though not as infamous as some would have you believe, is a wasted opportunity more than anything else. Leela's departure is poorly handled, but at least retroactively there's some little ticks to Jameson's performance to imply a budding romance. Far from ideal, but in my view superior to Harry's a few seasons earlier.

All in all a fun adventure with some continuity building and great performances. Just beneath The Sun Makers in my ranking of Season 15.

Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

The Invasion of Time

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Reviewed By: adamelijahReview Date: 4/6/15 9:55 am

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

There are two big problems I have with this story. One is the rubbish exit for Leela in a way that makes no sense at all. The second is the awful redesign of the Sontarans.

Beyond that, the final serial of Season 15 has a lot going for it. Tom Baker flexes his acting muscles as the Fourth Doctor appears to have gone megalomaniacal and it's a great mystery as to what the Doctor is up to. Part Six really explore the TARDIS interior. While this wasn't particularly imaginative (as the TARDIS interior looks a lot like a school gym), it does impress the idea of the TARDIS as bigger on the inside. Overall, the plot flows well and the story is quite fun even if it's flawed.