Robot (TV story): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
(Part Two)
m (Bot: Cosmetic changes)
 
(518 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{FAnom}}
{{title dab away}}
{{Featured spotlight star}}
{{real world}}
{{Infobox ClassicTV|
{{ImageLinkTV}}
story name= Robot|
{{Infobox Story SMW
image= [[Image:Robot_title.jpg|250px]]|
|image                 = Robot title.jpg
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]]|
|series                 = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
number= [[Season 12]] |
|season number         = Season 12 (Doctor Who 1963)
story number= 75|
|season serial number  = 1
doctor=[[Fourth Doctor]] |
|story number           = 75
companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith]]<br>[[Harry Sullivan]] (introduction) |
|doctor                 = Fourth Doctor
enemy= <ul><li>[[Hilda Winters|Miss Winters]]</li><li>[[Scientific Reform Society]]</li></ul>|
|companions             = [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|The Brigadier]], [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]], [[Harry Sullivan|Harry]]
year= [[Earth]], [[1970s]] |
|featuring              = [[John Benton|Benton]]
writer= [[Terrance Dicks]]|
|enemy                 = [[Hilda Winters]]
director= [[Christopher Barry]]|
|enemy2                = [[Hilda Winters|Winters]]
producer= [[Barry Letts]]|
|setting                = [[England]], [[20th century]]
broadcast date= [[28th December]] [[1974]] - [[18th January]] [[1975]]|
|writer                 = Terrance Dicks
format= 4 25-minute episodes|
|director               = [[Christopher Barry]]
production code= [[List of production codes|4A]]|
|producer               = [[Barry Letts]]
previous story= [[Planet of the Spiders]]|
|novelisation          = Doctor Who and the Giant Robot (novelisation)
next story= [[The Ark in Space]] }}
|script                = The Scripts: Tom Baker 1974/5
|epcount                = 4
|broadcast date         = 28 December 1974 - 18 January 1975
|network                = BBC1
|format                 = 4x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|4A]]
|prev                  = Planet of the Spiders (TV story)
|next                  = The Ark in Space (TV story)
|made prev              = Planet of the Spiders (TV story)
|made next             = The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)
|clip                  = No Doctor I'm the Doctor! - Doctor Who - Robot - BBC
|clip2                  = The Doctor and a Dandelion - Doctor Who - Robot - BBC
}}
'''''Robot''''' was the first serial of [[Season 12 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 12]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. This story had numerous notable firsts and lasts.


'''Robot''' was the first story of [[Season 12]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. [[Tom Baker]] as the [[Fourth Doctor]] debuted in this story, which followed on directly from the end of ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]''. It was also the first story to feature new companion [[Harry Sullivan]], played by [[Ian Marter]], the first story for which [[Robert Holmes]] was script editor and the final story produced by [[Barry Letts]].
In terms of firsts, ''Robot'' was [[Tom Baker]]'s debut episode as the [[Fourth Doctor]], which followed on directly from the end of ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]''. It was also the first story to feature new companion [[Harry Sullivan]], played by [[Ian Marter]]. It was the first story for which [[Robert Holmes]] was the script editor.


==Synopsis==
In terms of lasts, this was the final story produced by Barry Letts. It was the last story in which [[Nicholas Courtney]] had a regular role as [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]], as the character did not appear again until ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'' the following season. After that, he was entirely absent from the series until ''[[Mawdryn Undead (TV story)|Mawdryn Undead]]'' in 1983. Likewise, [[John Levene]]'s newly promoted Warrant Officer [[John Benton]] made his final appearance as a regular character. His only subsequent appearances were in the aforementioned ''Terror of the Zygons'' and ''[[The Android Invasion (TV story)|The Android Invasion]]''.
A newly regenerated Doctor joins UNIT in an investigation into the theft of top secret plans and equipment from supposedly secure premises. Sarah discovers that the raids have been carried out by a robot invented by scientist Professor Kettlewell while he was working for Think Tank, a body involved in developing emerging technologies.


The robot has been reprogrammed on the orders of Miss Winters, the director of Think Tank, and used to obtain the means for constructing a disintegrator gun with which the Scientific Reform Society - of which she is a leading member - can steal the computer codes controlling the nuclear weapons of the world's leading powers. In this way, the SRS hopes to hold the world to ransom unless its demands for a purer way of life are met.
Outgoing script editor [[Terrance Dicks]] saw this as an opportunity to quickly secure a contract now that he had returned to the ranks of freelance writing. He convinced his replacement, [[Robert Holmes]], that the programme had a tradition of departing script editors being commissioned by their successors, and so was assigned the task of writing this story.


Kettlewell is killed by the robot after he balks at Miss Winters' ruthlessness. The robot then suffers an electronic mental breakdown and tries to activate the nuclear weapons.
== Synopsis ==
Trouble is brewing once again; a series of robberies are taking place which seem linked to plans for a top secret disintegrator gun. All evidence seems to point to the culprit being a sentient [[robot]], created by an eccentric professor and owned by a think tank. However, the robot's basic programming prevents him from killing, providing a contradiction to the clues.


The Brigadier attempts to destroy it with the disintegrator gun, but this merely causes it to grow to gigantic proportions, following which it goes on the rampage.
At the same time, [[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]] is recovering from [[Third Doctor's regeneration|his latest regeneration]]; can he regain his senses and help [[UNIT]] solve the case before time runs out?


The Doctor, assisted by UNIT medical officer Harry Sullivan, destroys it with a metal virus described in Kettlewell's notes.
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
[[File:Third-doctor-regenerates.jpg|thumb|left|The Doctor [[regenerate]]s.]]
[[Sarah Jane Smith]] and [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]] watch as the [[Third Doctor]]'s features fade into those of the [[Fourth Doctor]]. The newly regenerated Doctor is delirious, waking to spout random lines from past adventures before again falling unconscious. The Brigadier summons the base medical officer, [[Lieutenant]] [[Harry Sullivan]], to take the Doctor to [[UNIT sickbay|sickbay]] and care for him.


==Plot==
Meanwhile, something large and mechanical enters a [[Ministry of Defence]] advanced research centre. It kills a guard, scares a guard dog and breaks easily through a gate to steal documents from a vault. In the Doctor's laboratory, the Brigadier confides to Sarah that the plans are for a [[disintegrator gun]]. Sarah asks the Brigadier to arrange for a visitor's pass to the [[National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research]], or "Think Tank", which admits journalists only rarely. The Brigadier is glad to help. The two leave for his office just as the Doctor, dressed in a nightshirt and the previous Doctor's black velvet jacket, sneaks into the laboratory. Finding [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] locked, the Doctor discovers the key in one of his boots. However, before he can enter his ship, he is interrupted by Harry, who tries to persuade him to return to sickbay.


[[Media:[[Media:Example.ogg]][[Image:
When Sarah and the Brigadier return to the lab, they find Harry shut up in a locker and hear the wheezing sound of the TARDIS starting to take off. Sarah bangs frantically on the police box doors, causing the takeoff sound to stop and the Doctor to pop his head out. Sarah tries to coax the still unstable Doctor out of the TARDIS, saying they need his help to find a stolen secret weapon. She almost fails, until the Doctor recognises the Brigadier and her.


The Doctor has entered the TARDIS to find a new wardrobe. He emerges in a [[Viking]] outfit, complete with horned helmet, much to the Brigadier's annoyance, who points out that UNIT is supposed to be an undercover organisation. The Doctor tries again, but comes out wearing the costume of a playing card jack, which he immediately goes back in to change. His third attempt is a Pierrot [[clown]] outfit, complete with face-paint, which is also met with disapproval. His fourth attempt has him emerge in what will be his regular outfit, with a long multi-coloured [[The Doctor's scarf|scarf]] and floppy hat; the Brigadier decides this look is much better than the ones before.


The mechanical creature breaks into another facility, this time stealing components from a vault. The Brigadier brings the Doctor to investigate the break-in, but the Doctor seems more interested in a pulverised [[dandelion]] on the grounds. He points out that the force needed to do that would have to be about a quarter ton. He also [[deduce]]s from the stolen items that whoever is doing this is stealing the components of a disintegrator gun. The last component is a [[focusing generator]]. The Brigadier orders the factory where it is housed to be guarded.


Part One
Sarah visits Think Tank. She is shown around the grounds by the director, [[Hilda Winters]], and her assistant, [[Arnold Jellicoe]]. Think Tank is a pure research facility — once research reaches a certain stage, it is handed to another organisation with more resources, like the government. The initial work on the disintegrator gun was done by Think Tank. Sarah notices a door marked "No Admittance" and pushes her way through into the former robotics section run by Professor [[Jeremiah Kettlewell|J.P. Kettlewell]]. She remembers that Kettlewell left Think Tank after he turned against conventional science. He now works on alternative energy facilities. Sarah nearly slips on a wet patch as she looks around. Jellicoe insists, however, that there is nothing in the section. Winters and he escort Sarah out.


At [[Emmett's Electronics]], [[UNIT]] sets up barriers against the thief. The Doctor observes they have covered all directions... except down. Sure enough, the mechanical thing tunnels upward into the vault where the generator is kept. By the time the others arrive, all that is left is a dead guard and a hole in the floor. At the other end of the tunnel in the woods, [[Benton]] discovers a giant, rectangular and very deep footprint.


Sarah goes to see Kettlewell, who brusquely tells her that Think Tank cannot be carrying on his robotics research because no one else has the ability to do so. Still suspicious, she drives back to Think Tank and sneaks back into the robotics section, discovering the wet patch was actually oil. At that moment, a set of doors opens, and a giant, gleaming robot lumbers menacingly towards her, demanding to know who she is and what she is doing here.


[[Image:Robot_ep1.JPG|thumb|right|The definite article]]
=== Part two ===
[[Sarah Jane Smith]] and [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]] watch as the [[Third Doctor]]'s features fade into that of the [[Fourth Doctor]]. The newly regenerated Doctor is delirious, waking up to spout random lines from past adventures before falling unconscious again. The Brigadier summons the base medical officer, [[Harry Sullivan|Lieutenant Harry Sullivan]] to take the Doctor to sickbay and care for him.
Sarah, panicked, runs to where she came in and meets Winters. The director explains that since Sarah was so insistent on seeing what was in there, they activated the robot as a joke. In response to Sarah's questions, the robot identifies itself as [[K1|Experimental Prototype Robot K1]]. Its purpose is to replace human beings in carrying out hazardous activities like mining or handling radioactive materials. Sarah asks if the robot can be dangerous. Winters demonstrates by ordering K1 to kill her. K1 is unable to do so and the conflicting impulses cause it distress. Jellicoe explains that K1's prime directive is to serve and not harm humanity. Sarah observes that that was a cruel demonstration and apologises to K1 for its distress, despite Winters claiming that the robot has no feelings. After she leaves, Jellicoe tells Winters that the demonstration was dangerous. K1's programming had just been reset.


Meanwhile, something large and mechanical enters a [[Ministry of Defence]] advanced research centre, killing a guard and breaking easily through a gate before stealing some documents from a vault. In the Doctor's laboratory, the Brigadier confides to Sarah that the plans are that of a [[disintegrator gun]]. Sarah asks the Brigadier if he could arrange for a visitor's pass to the [[National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research]], or "Think Tank", which only admits journalists rarely. The Brigadier is glad to help, and the two leave for his office, just as the Doctor sneaks into the laboratory. Finding the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] locked, the Doctor manages to discover the key in one of his boots. Before he can enter his ship, however, he is interrupted by Harry, who tries to persuade him to return to sickbay.
Jellicoe and Winters adjust K1 again before sending it out. They show K1 a picture of [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] Minister [[Joseph Chambers]], telling it that Chambers is an enemy of humanity. Meanwhile, Sarah reports what she has seen to UNIT. The Brigadier cannot act without more evidence. They decide to send Harry to Think Tank, undercover, to gather information. The others go to see Kettlewell, who is hostile at first but warms up when the Doctor shows interest in his work. Kettlewell tells them that he reluctantly ordered K1 dismantled because its capacity to learn and its power began to frighten him. He scoffs at the idea that Winters or Jellicoe would have the ability to alter the robot's programming but concedes that, if they had, it would drive the robot mad.


When Sarah and the Brigadier return to the lab, they find Harry shut up in a locker, and hear the wheezing sound of the TARDIS starting to take off. Sarah bangs frantically on the police box, causing the Doctor to pop his head out. Sarah tries to coax the still unstable Doctor out of the TARDIS by saying that they need his help to find a stolen secret weapon. She almost fails, until the Doctor finally recognises her and the Brigadier.
K1 enters Chambers' home, kills him and disintegrates the door of his safe to steal a set of documents. At UNIT, the Brigadier has discovered that many Think Tank scientists, including Winters and Jellicoe, belong to the [[Scientific Reform Society]], a fringe group advocating a society ruled by a scientific elite. K1 arrives at Kettlewell's lab in a confused state, knowing it has gone against its programming. It asks its creator for help. When the Doctor and the Brigadier go to Think Tank, Winters tells them K1 has been dismantled, but Winters is aware the Doctor knows she is lying. Meanwhile, Harry arrives at Think Tank disguised as a medical inspector.


The mechanical creature breaks into another facility, this time stealing some components from a vault. The Brigadier brings the Doctor to investigate the break-in, but the Doctor seems more interested in a pulverised dandelion on the grounds. He points out that the amount of force needed to do that would have to be about a quarter ton. He also deduces from the stolen items that whoever is doing this is stealing the components of a disintegrator gun. The last component is a focusing generator, and the Brigadier orders the factory where it is housed to be guarded immediately.
In his lab, the Doctor receives a call from Kettlewell, who tells him of K1's presence. The Doctor agrees to go over but leaves a note tacked up on the TARDIS in case it is a trap. Indeed, after Kettlewell hangs up, Winters and Jellicoe enter the professor's lab. When the Doctor arrives, he finds the place empty except for K1, who has been ordered to kill the Doctor as an enemy of humanity. Although the Doctor tries to get away, it knocks him out and raises its arm to deliver the coup de grace.


Sarah goes to visit Think Tank, where she is shown around the grounds by the director, [[Hilda Winters]] and her assistant, [[Arnold Jellicoe]]. Think Tank is a pure research facility — once the research reaches a certain stage, it is handed off to another organisation with more resources, like the government. In fact, the initial work on the disintegrator gun was done by Think Tank. Sarah notices a door marked "No Admittance" and pushes her way through into the former robotics section run by Professor [[J.P. Kettlewell]]. She remembers that Kettlewell left Think Tank after he turned against conventional science, and now works on alternative energy facilities. Sarah nearly slips on a wet patch on the floor as she looks around. Jellicoe insists, however, that there is nothing in the section, and he and Winters escort Sarah out.
=== Part three ===
[[File:Robot_ep3.JPG|thumb|right|An enthusiastic [[Hilda Winters|Winters]] unveils the robot]]
Before K1 can land the killing blow, Sarah (having read the note) arrives. K1 recognises her as the person who showed concern for its well-being. When Sarah tells it that Think Tank are deceiving it, K1 flails about in confusion and distress. At that moment, Benton and a squad of UNIT soldiers arrive, but it easily shrugs off their gunfire and escapes. They find Kettlewell tied up inside a cupboard and take him back to UNIT headquarters. There, he confirms that Jellicoe and Winters altered the robot's programming and made it unstable. He explains that K1 is made of a living metal he invented, one that can grow like a living organism. That led him to another discovery, a virus that could biodegrade metal into a recyclable form.


At [[Emmett's Electronics]], [[UNIT]] sets up barriers on all sides, but the Doctor observes that they have covered all directions... except down. Sure enough, the mechanical thing tunnels upward into the vault where the generator is kept, and by the time the others arrive, all that is left is a dead guard and a hole in the floor. At the other end of the tunnel in the woods, [[Sergeant Benton]] discovers a giant, rectangular and very deep footprint.
When Sarah discovers that Kettlewell is still a member of the Scientific Reform Society, she persuades him to attend that evening's meeting and let her in secretly. When Benton protests, she points out that neither of them are under UNIT's jurisdiction, and they leave. When the Doctor wakes up, he has realised that Chambers must have had access to some kind of ultimate threat. The Brigadier explains that some months before, to ensure peace, the governments of [[Russia]], [[China]] and [[United States of America|America]] decided to give the locations and launch codes of their [[nuclear weapon]]s to a neutral country, [[Great Britain|Britain]], for safekeeping, with the intention that Britain could publish these codes if war was imminent and allow things to cool down. Chambers was holding on to these destructor codes. If Think Tank has them, they could hold the world to ransom. When Benton tells them that Sarah has gone off with Kettlewell, the Doctor is alarmed.


Sarah goes to see Kettlewell, who brusquely tells her that Think Tank cannot be carrying on his robotics research because no one else has the ability to do so. Still suspicious, she drives back to Think Tank and sneaks back into the robotics section, discovering that the wet patch was actually oil. At that moment, a set of doors opens, and a giant, gleaming robot lumbers towards her menacingly, demanding to know who she is what she is doing here.
At the SRS meeting, Kettlewell opens a side door to let Sarah in. She hides in the meeting room as Winters addresses the membership, ranting that soon they will rule as is their right. To Sarah's shock, she credits this to one man: Kettlewell, who joins them on stage, as does K1. The robot senses Sarah's presence and homes in on her, just as the Doctor arrives to provide a distraction. He knew Kettlewell was the only one capable of altering K1's programming; the attack on him was a ruse to gain UNIT's confidence. Kettlewell explains that for years he had tried to persuade people to stop destroying the environment. Now with Think Tank, he can ''make'' them stop. The Doctor points out that in science, as in morality, the ends never justify the means, and Kettlewell gets an inkling of Winters' ruthlessness when she orders the Doctor and Sarah killed.


Part Two
UNIT arrives at that moment, but using K1 as cover and Sarah as a hostage, Winters, Jellicoe and Kettlewell make their escape. Harry contacts the Brigadier from Think Tank, reporting that the scientists are evacuating to a bunker, but is knocked unconscious by Jellicoe and [[Phillips (Robot)|Phillips]] and taken captive before he can relate any more. UNIT troops proceed to Think Tank's atomic shelter but are held off by its automated defences. Winters contacts the Brigadier; they have already given the governments of the world their demands. Unless these are agreed to, in full, in thirty minutes, she will use the destructor codes.
[[Image:Robot_ep2.JPG|150px|thumb|left|[[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]] meets the [[Experimental Prototype Robot K1|K1 Robot]]]]
Sarah runs, panicked, out where she came in and meets Winters. The director explains that since Sarah was so insistent on seeing what was in there, they activated the robot as a joke. In response to Sarah's questions, the robot identifies itself as [[Experimental Prototype Robot K1]], its purpose being to replace human beings in carrying out hazardous activities like mining or handling radioactive materials. Sarah asks if the robot can be dangerous, and Winters demonstrates by ordering K1 to kill her. K1 is unable to do so, and the conflicting impulses cause it distress. Jellicoe explains that K1's prime directive is to serve and not harm humanity. Sarah observes that that was a cruel demonstration, and apologises to K1 for its distress, despite Winters claiming that the robot has no feelings. When Sarah leaves, Jellicoe tells Winters that the demonstration was dangerous, as K1's programming had just been reset.


Jellicoe and Winters adjust K1 again in preparation for sending it out. They show K1 a picture of Cabinet Minister [[Joseph Chambers]], telling it that Chambers is an enemy of humanity. Meanwhile, Sarah reports what she has seen to UNIT. Unfortunately, the Brigadier cannot act without more evidence, so they decide to send Harry into Think Tank, undercover, to gather information. The others go to see Kettlewell, who is hostile at first but warms up when the Doctor shows interest in his work. Kettlewell tells them that he reluctantly ordered K1 dismantled because its capacity to learn and its power began to frighten him. He scoffs at the idea that Winters or Jellicoe would have the ability to alter the robot's programming, but concedes that if they had, it would drive the robot mad.
Benton and his men knock out the bunker's machine gun nests while the Doctor uses [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] to detonate the mines surrounding the entrance. Winters sends K1 out, armed with the disintegrator gun, which he proceeds to use on a soldier, then a UNIT tank. It warns that it will destroy them all.


K1 enters Chambers' home, kills him and then disintegrates the door of his safe, stealing a set of documents. At UNIT, the Brigadier has discovered that many Think Tank scientists, including Winters and Jellicoe, belong to the [[Scientific Reform Society]], a fringe group advocating a society ruled by a scientific elite. K1 arrives at Kettlewell's lab in a confused state and knowing it has been forced to go against its programming. It asks its creator for help. When the Doctor and the Brigadier go to Think Tank, Winters tells them that K1 has been dismantled, but Winters is aware that the Doctor knows she is lying. At the same time, Harry arrives at Think Tank in the guise of a medical inspector.
=== Part four ===
In the bunker, Winters has Kettlewell make the international computer linkups so they can use the destructor codes. Kettlewell still believes Winters is bluffing, but she disabuses him of the notion. If the world governments do not give in, she will fire the missiles. The countdown begins.


Alone in his lab, the Doctor receives a call from Kettlewell, who tells him about K1's presence. The Doctor agrees to go over, but leaves a note tacked up on the TARDIS in case it is a trap. Indeed, after Kettlewell hangs up, Winters and Jellicoe enter the professor's lab. When the Doctor arrives, he finds the place empty except for K1, who has been ordered to kill the Doctor as an enemy of humanity. Although the Doctor tries to get away, it manages to knock him out. K1 raises its arm to deliver the coup de grace.
Kettlewell has a change of heart and tries to stop the countdown, but Jellicoe pulls a gun on him. Harry and Sarah have escaped their bonds, and Harry knocks Jellicoe to the ground. Kettlewell holds the countdown while the other two open the doors. As they exit the bunker, K1 swings the disintegrator gun on them. Sarah tries to convince K1 that Think Tank are evil. K1 struggles with the dilemma and fires the gun, disintegrating Kettlewell. With a wail, the robot cries out that it has killed its creator and collapses. With K1 apparently disabled, the Doctor and the UNIT troops make their way into the bunker.


===Part 3===
Winters has resumed the countdown. Although she moves away from the console when ordered, she is confident that no one can stop the countdown. She has not reckoned on the Doctor, who reprograms the computer and cancels the order. In the mop-up, nobody notices that K1 has revived and has taken Sarah with it into the bunker. The Doctor realises that K1 is in a state of emotional shock after killing its "father" and has developed an [[Oedipus complex]]. K1 intends to carry out Kettlewell's last orders and ensure the destruction of humanity, although the robot assures Sarah that she alone will be saved.
[[Image:Robot_ep3.JPG|150px|thumb|right|An enthusiastic [[Hilda Winters|Winters]] unveils the robot]]
Before K1 can land the killing blow, Sarah (having read the note) arrives. K1 recognises her as the person who showed concern for its wellbeing, and when Sarah tells it that Think Tank are deceiving it, K1 flails about in confusion and distress. At that moment, Benton and a squad of UNIT soldiers arrive, but it easily shrugs off their gunfire and escapes. They find Kettlewell tied up inside a cupboard and take him back to UNIT headquarters. There, he confirms that Jellicoe and Winters altered the robot's programming and made it unstable. He explains that K1 is made of a living metal he invented, one that can grow like a living organism. That also led him to another discovery, a virus that could biodegrade metal into a recyclable form.


When Sarah discovers that Kettlewell is still a member of the Scientific Reform Society, she persuades him to attend that evening's meeting and let her in secretly. When Benton protests, she points out that neither she nor Kettlewell are under UNIT's jurisdiction and the two leave. When the Doctor wakes up, he has realised that Chambers must have had access to some kind of ultimate threat. The Brigadier explains that some months before, to ensure peace, the governments of [[Russia]], [[China]] and [[United States of America|America]] decided to give the locations and launch codes of their nuclear weapons to a neutral country [[Great Britain|Britain]] for safekeeping, with the intention that Britain could publish these codes if war was imminent and allow things to cool down. Chambers was holding on to these Destructor Codes, and if Think Tank has them, they could hold the world to ransom. When Benton tells them that Sarah has gone off with Kettlewell, the Doctor is alarmed.
Benton tells the Doctor of Kettlewell's description of the robot's living metal and the accompanying virus he developed. The Doctor is delighted and tells the Brigadier to find the robot while Harry and he go to Kettlewell's lab to cook up a batch of the virus. K1 locks the bunker and restarts the countdown. This time, the world governments' fail-safe procedures are activated in time. The missiles remain unfired.


At the SRS meeting, Kettlewell opens a side door to let Sarah in. She hides in the meeting room as Winters addresses the membership, ranting that soon they will rule as is their right. To Sarah's shock, she credits this to one man: Kettlewell, who joins them on stage, as does K1. The robot senses Sarah's presence and homes in on her, just as the Doctor arrives to provide a distraction. He knew Kettlewell was the only one capable of altering K1's programming; the attack on him was a ruse to gain UNIT's confidence. Kettlewell explains that for years he had tried to persuade people to stop destroying the environment. Now with Think Tank, he can make them stop instead. The Doctor points out that in science, as in morality, the ends never justify the means, and Kettlewell gets an inkling of Winters' ruthlessness when she orders the Doctor and Sarah killed.
As K1 exits the bunker, the Brigadier fires at it with the disintegrator gun. Instead of being destroyed, the robot grows to gigantic size. It picks up Sarah like a doll and heads towards the nearby village.


UNIT arrives at that moment, but using K1 as cover and Sarah as a hostage, Winters, Jellicoe and Kettlewell make their escape. Harry contacts the Brigadier from Think Tank, reporting that the scientists are evacuating to a bunker, but is knocked unconscious and taken captive before he can relate any more. UNIT troops proceed to Think Tank's atomic shelter, but are held off by its automated defences. Winters contacts the Brigadier: they have already given the governments of the world their demands. Unless these are agreed to, in full, in thirty minutes, she will use the Destructor Codes.
It places her on a rooftop as a pitched battle takes place between K1 and UNIT troops, while the Doctor races back with the virus. Driving by K1's feet in his roadster, [[Bessie]], the Doctor throws the batch of virus at it. The virus instantly spreads over the robot, throwing its growth into reverse. It shrinks to doll size and then dissolves completely.
[[File:Robot shrik-a-dink.jpg|thumb|The end of K1.]]
Back at the Doctor's laboratory, Sarah is saddened by K1's demise. She realises the Doctor had to do what he did, but it had seemed so human. The Doctor observes it was capable of great good as well as great evil, so one could say that it was human. He suggests a trip in the TARDIS to cheer Sarah up. She agrees but wonders why the Doctor wants to do so right now. He has been invited to dinner at [[Buckingham Palace]]. Unlike his predecessor, the Doctor finds much of his work at UNIT to be boring. He simply doesn't wish to do so much work. Harry enters, asking where they are going. When the Doctor tells him, Harry considers the idea that a police box can go anywhere in time and space absurd. The Doctor invites Harry to step inside the TARDIS too, just to prove it is no illusion. Harry does so and is heard by the Doctor and Sarah to exclaim in surprise; they follow him in, grinning. The TARDIS dematerialises just as the Brigadier enters the lab. Seeing the empty corner where the TARDIS was, the Brigadier muses to himself that he will have to tell Buckingham Palace that the Doctor will be a little late for dinner.


Benton and his men knock out the bunker's machine gun nests while the Doctor uses his [[sonic screwdriver]] to detonate the mines surrounding the entrance. Winters sends K1 out, armed with the disintegrator gun, which he proceeds to use on a soldier, and then a UNIT tank. It warns that it will destroy them all.
== Cast ==
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Harry Sullivan]] - [[Ian Marter]]
* [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
* [[John Benton|RSM Benton]] - [[John Levene]]
* [[Hilda Winters|Miss Winters]] - [[Patricia Maynard]]
* [[K1|Robot]] - [[Michael Kilgarriff]]
* [[Jeremiah Kettlewell|Professor Kettlewell]] - [[Edward Burnham]]
* [[Arnold Jellicoe|Jellicoe]] - [[Alec Linstead]]
* [[Robinson|Short]] - [[Timothy Craven]]


===Part 4===
=== Uncredited cast ===
[[Image:Robot_ep4.JPG|150px|thumb|left|The problem just got bigger]]
* [[Third Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Jon Pertwee]]
In the bunker, Winters gets Kettlewell to make the international computer linkups so they can use the Destructor Codes. Kettlewell still believes Winters is bluffing, but she disabuses him of the notion, telling him that if the world governments do not give in, she will fire the missiles. The countdown begins.
* [[Phillips (Robot)|Phillips]] - [[Clive Barrie]]
* [[Bouncer (Robot)|SRS Bouncer]] - [[Terry Walsh]]
* [[Gate guard (Robot)|Gate guard]] - [[Pat Gorman]]
* [[Joseph Chambers]] - [[Walter Goodman]]
* [[Guard (Robot)|Reading Guard]] - [[John Scott Martin]] (all [[DWM 290]])


Kettlewell has a change of heart and tries to stop the countdown, but Jellicoe pulls a gun on him. However, Harry and Sarah have escaped their bonds and Harry knocks Jellicoe to the ground. Kettlewell holds the countdown while the other two open the doors. As they exit the bunker, K1 swings the disintegrator gun on them. Sarah tries to convince K1 again that Think Tank are evil. K1 struggles with the dilemma and fires the gun, disintegrating Kettlewell. With a wail of despair, the robot cries out that it has killed its creator, and collapses. With K1 apparently disabled, the Doctor and the UNIT troops make their way into the bunker.
== Crew ==
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[David Tilley]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[James Acheson]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Ian Rawnsley]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Judy Clay]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Peter Grimwade]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[George Gallaccio]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Nigel Wright]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[John Holmes (sound designer)|John Holmes]], [[Trevor Webster]]
* [[O.B. lighting|Lighting]] - [[John Mason (lighting technician)|John Mason]]
* [[O.B. sound|Sound]] - [[Vic Godrich]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Visual Effects]] - [[Clifford Culley]]
* [[Writer]] - [[Terrance Dicks]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Barry Letts]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Christopher Barry]]


Winters has resumed the countdown, and although she moves away from the console when ordered to, she is confident that no one can stop the countdown in time. However, she has not reckoned on the Doctor, who is able to reprogram the computer and cancel the order. However, in the mop-up, nobody notices that K1 has revived, and has taken Sarah with it into the bunker. The Doctor realises that K1 is in a state of emotional shock after killing its "father" and has developed an Oedipus complex. K1 intends to carry out Kettlewell's last orders and ensure the destruction of humanity, although the robot assures Sarah that she alone will be saved.
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistant]] - [[Geoffrey Posner]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Senior cameraman|Senior Cameraman]] - [[Colin Reid]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Grams operator|Grams Operator]] - [[Gordon Phillipson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Derek Thompson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Make-up assistant|Make-Up Assistants]] - [[Ann Edward]], [[Gail Glaser]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Vision Mixer]]s - [[Graham Giles]], [[Fred Law]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Inlay Operator]] - [[Dave Jervis]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Props buyer|Props Buyer]] - [[Bob Warans]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Producer's secretary|Producer's Secretary]] - [[Sarah Newman]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Joy Sinclair]] ([[INFO]]: ''Robot'')


Benton tells the Doctor about Kettlewell's description of the robot's living metal and the accompanying virus he developed. The Doctor is delighted at the information and tells the Brigadier to find the robot while he and Harry go to Kettlewell's lab to cook up a batch of the virus. K1 locks the bunker and restarts to countdown. However, this time, the world governments' fail-safe procedures are activated in time, and the missiles remain unfired.
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Organisations ===
* Sarah asks the Brigadier to organise a visitor's pass to the [[National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research|Think Tank]]'s [[Scientific Research Base]] for the [[Frontiers of Science]] group.
[[File:Gatecrasher.jpg|thumb|right|The Doctor performs a trick after gatecrashing the meeting.]]


As K1 exits the bunker, the Brigadier fires at it with the disintegrator gun. However, instead of being destroyed, the robot starts to grow to gigantic size. It picks up Sarah like a doll and heads towards the nearby village. It places Sarah on a rooftop as a pitched battle takes place between K1 and the UNIT troops while the Doctor races back with the virus. Driving by K1's feet in his roadster, [[Bessie]], the Doctor throws the batch of the virus at it. The virus instantly starts to spread across the robot's body, throwing its growth mechanism into reverse. It shrinks down to doll size, and then dissolves completely.
=== Cultural references from the real world ===
* Sarah makes a mocking comparison between Harry and [[James Bond]].
* At one point the Doctor mentions the ''[[Titanic]] ''and its supposedly unsinkable design.
* The Doctor attempts a [[playing card|card]] trick.
* In his confusion immediately after his regeneration, the Doctor mistakes the Brigadier for [[Hannibal]].
* While discussing unappreciated scientists, Professor Kettlewell mentions [[Galileo]] and [[Nicholaus Copernicus|Copernicus]].
* When the Doctor empties his pockets, he takes out a Lumar [[Disney (in-universe)|Disney]] [[Donald Duck]] [[yo-yo]].


Back at the Doctor's laboratory, Sarah is still saddened at K1's demise. She realises that the Doctor had to do what he had to do, but it had seemed so human. The Doctor observes that it was capable of great good as well as great evil, so one could say that it was human. He suggests a trip in the TARDIS to cheer Sarah up. She agrees, just as Harry enters asking where they are going. When the Doctor tells him, Harry considers the idea that a police box can go anywhere an absurd idea. The Doctor then invites Harry to step inside to, just to prove that it is an illusion.
=== Materials ===
* Joseph Chambers' safe is made of [[dynastreem]].


Harry steps into the TARDIS, and is heard to exclaim in surprise. The Doctor and Sarah follow, grinning. Once they enter, the TARDIS dematerialises just as the Brigadier comes in. Seeing the empty corner of the lab, the Brigadier muses to himself that he will have to tell [[Buckingham Palace]] that the Doctor will be a little late for dinner.
=== The Doctor ===
* The Doctor has recently [[Regeneration|regenerated]] from his [[Third Doctor|third incarnation]].
* Documents from the Doctor's pocket include: freedom to the city of [[Skaro]]; pilot's licence for the [[Mars-Venus rocket run]]; a [[galactic passport]]; and a card as a honorary member of the [[Alpha Centauran Table Tennis Club]].


==Cast==
=== Weapons ===
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* The [[Ministry of Defence]] weapons research centre is robbed by the K1 robot.
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*[[Harry Sullivan]] - [[Ian Marter]]
*[[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
*[[Sergeant Benton]] - [[John Levene]]
*[[Hilda Winters]] - [[Patricia Maynard]]
*[[Experimental Prototype Robot K1|K1 Robot]] - [[Michael Kilgarriff]]
*[[J.P. Kettlewell|Professor Kettlewell]] - [[Edward Burnham]]
*[[Arnold Jellicoe]] - [[Alec Linstead]]
*[[Short]] - [[Timothy Craven]]


==Production Crew==
=== Influences ===
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[David Tilley]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[James Acheson]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Ian Rawnsley]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Judy Clay]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Peter Grimwade]]
*[[Production Unit Manager]] - [[George Gallaccio]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Nigel Wright]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[John Holmes]], [[Trevor Webster]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Clifford Culley]]
*[[Writer]] - [[Terrance Dicks]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Barry Letts]]
*[[Director]] - [[Christopher Barry]]


==References==
* ''[[King Kong]]''
*The [[Scientific Reform Society]] believes that the world should be ruled via purley scientific principles.
* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot I, Robot]''
*The United Kingdom holds the [[Destructor Codes]].
* ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]],'' specifically "The Mauritius Penny", which [[Terrance Dicks]] co-wrote.
*Sarah makes a mocking comparison between Harry and [[James Bond]], when he "volunteers" to do a bit of espionage. 
*At one point the Doctor mentions the ''[[Titanic]]''.


==Story Notes==
== Story notes ==
*This was the first ''Doctor Who'' serial to have location as well as studio material shot on videotape, as opposed to the more usual BBC television drama practice of the time of shooting studio interiors on videotape and location exteriors on film. This was due to the large number of video effects involving the eponymous robot required in exterior scenes, which were easier and more convincing to marry to videotape than to film. The next serial to be produced completely on videotape was ''[[The Sontaran Experiment]]'' later that season. Beginning with ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' in [[1986]], videotaping exteriors became standard practice for the remainder of the 1963 series' run.
* This story had the working title ''The Giant Robot''. The existing camera script for part one also lists ''Robot'' as a working title. ([[REF]]: ''[[The Scripts: Tom Baker 1974/5]]'')
*The seeming disappearance of the robot's legs when it grows was due largely to a change in the way in which [[CSO|color separation overlay]] was achieved. Generally, [[Barry Letts]] had ordered blue as the background to all CSO shots during the Pertwee era. However, as with the previous story, ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]'', yellow was used.   While this switch had produced generally desirable results for the shots of the [[Whomobile]] in flight in ''Spiders'', it didn't work so well in this story, due to the fact that the reflection of the studio lights on the silver of the robot's body registered as yellow to the camera. When the growing robot was keyed into the shot with Sarah, the CSO process removed all yellow from the shot, which took away not just the yellow background, but also those parts of the robot's body which the camera ''saw'' as yellow.  
* This is the last time that the Third Doctor's [[lab]] is seen.
*Benton is promoted to Warrant Officer. This is not reflected in the closing credits, which continue to give his rank as Sergeant.
* This is the last story to feature [[Bessie]] until ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''. It is also the last occasion that the current Doctor drives her until ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'' with the [[Seventh Doctor]].
*This story features the debut of another new opening and closing title sequence, again designed by [[Bernard Lodge]] and realised using the '[[slit scan]]' process, but in this instance featuring Tom Baker rather than Jon Pertwee and, for the first time, the TARDIS's police box exterior.
* This was the first ''Doctor Who'' [[serial]] to have location as well as studio material shot on videotape, as opposed to the more usual BBC television drama practice of the time of shooting studio interiors on videotape and location exteriors on film. This was due to the large number of video effects involving the eponymous robot required in exterior scenes, which were easier and more convincing to marry to videotape than to film. The next serial to be produced completely on videotape was ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'' later that season. Beginning with ''[[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' in 1986, videotaping exteriors became standard practice for the remainder of the 1963-89 series' run. The revived (2005-) series, by comparison, is largely shot on digital using ARRI ALEXA Camera, ARRI ALEXA XT Camera, Sony Betacam (Unknown) Camera, Sony CineAlta F35 Camera, Sony HDW-F900 Camera and editing was done on the Apple Final Cut Pro 7.
*Terrance Dicks later said that two major influences for this story were [[Wikipedia:King Kong|''King Kong'']] and Isaac Asimov's [[wikipedia:I, Robot|''I, Robot'']].  
* As a consequence of the above point, this was the first colour serial to be recorded entirely on videotape. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fourth Doctor|The Fourth Doctor Handbook]]'')
*This is the first story which makes note of [[the Brigadier]]'s full name: Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Prior to this story, his middle name had never been revealed.
* The seeming disappearance of the robot's legs when it grows was due largely to a change in the way in which [[CSO|colour separation overlay]] was achieved. Generally, [[Barry Letts]] had ordered blue as the background to all CSO shots during the Pertwee era. However, as with the previous story, ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]'', yellow was used. While this switch had produced generally desirable results for the shots of the [[Whomobile]] in flight in ''Planet of the Spiders'', it didn't work so well in this story, due to the fact that the reflection of the studio lights on the silver of the robot's body registered as yellow to the camera. When the growing robot was keyed into the shot with Sarah, the CSO process removed all yellow from the shot, which took away not just the yellow background, but also those parts of the robot's body which the camera ''saw'' as yellow.
*Parts of this story were recorded at the same time as parts of ''Planet of the Spiders''. This not only meant that Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker were literally playing the Doctor at the same time, but also that Elizabeth Sladen and to a lesser extent, Nicholas Courtney and John Levene were having to rush back and forth between the two productions.
* Benton is promoted to Warrant Officer, thus entitling him to be addressed as "Mister". This is not reflected in the closing credits, which continue to give his rank as Sergeant.
===Ratings===
* This story features the debut of another new opening and closing title sequence, again designed by [[Bernard Lodge]] and realised using the "[[slit scan]]" process, but in this instance featuring [[Tom Baker]] rather than [[Jon Pertwee]] and, for the first time, the TARDIS's police box exterior. It is the first time in which the title sequence is changed, but the series' logo is not.
*Part 1 - 10.8 million viewers
* The ''[[Radio Times]]'' programme listing for part one was accompanied by black-and-white head-and-shoulders publicity stills of the Third and Fourth Doctors which depicted a four-stage "regeneration" sequence via trick photography, with the accompanying caption, "Who's Who? The Time Lords never die, they just sort of transmute... and become...? [[Tom Baker]] takes over as Dr. Who this evening in ''Robot'': 5.35". ''(original published text)''
*Part 2 - 10.7 million viewers
* Terrance Dicks later said that two major influences for this story were ''[[King Kong]]'' and Isaac Asimov's {{wi|I, Robot}}. Indeed, the scenes in which Sarah Jane is carried by the robot greatly resemble scenes from ''King Kong''.
*Part 3 - 10.1 million viewers
* This is the first story which makes note of the Brigadier's full name: [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]]. Before this story, his middle name had never been revealed.
*Part 4 - 9.0 million viewers
* Parts of this story were recorded at the same time as parts of ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]''. This not only meant that [[Jon Pertwee]] and [[Tom Baker]] were literally playing the Doctor at the same time, but also that Elisabeth Sladen and, to a lesser extent, [[Nicholas Courtney]] and [[John Levene]], were rushing back and forth between the two productions.
* The TARDIS interior is not seen throughout this serial, nor indeed at any point until ''[[Planet of Evil (TV story)|Planet of Evil]]'', the first post-[[Harry Sullivan]] story.
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] [[Christopher Barry]] considered [[Colin Baker]] for the role of [[Arnold Jellicoe]]. ([[REF]]: ''[[The Fourth Doctor Handbook]]'')
* [[Terrance Dicks]]'s novelisation ''[[Doctor Who and the Face of Evil (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Face of Evil]]'' suggests that the Doctor's first unrecorded visit to the planet of the [[Sevateem]] took place early during this story; he left in the TARDIS one night, performed his initial repair work on the [[Mordee expedition]]'s [[Xoanon|spaceship computer]] and then returned to UNIT H.Q. before anyone noticed he had been gone. This was not derived from any information given in the televised version of ''[[The Face of Evil (TV story)|The Face of Evil]]''.
* This is the first introductory story for a new companion since ''[[The Wheel in Space (TV story)|The Wheel in Space]]'' to not be written by [[Robert Holmes]].
* Professor Kettlewell's hair was a suggestion from [[Edward Burnham]], as his hair actually did go like that naturally if he grew it out long enough.
* The King of Hearts outfit that the Doctor wears originates from a 1972 musical version of ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'', although he's wearing it with the hat worn by the Knave of Hearts (presumably because of his unusually large hat size).
* [[Terrance Dicks]] drew on ''[[The Avengers]]'' episode "The Mauritius Penny", which he co-wrote with [[Malcolm Hulke]], most notably for the scenes in which Sarah Jane infiltrates the meeting of the Scientific Reform Society.
* [[Tom Baker]] thought it would be a great idea for the robot to sing "There's An Old Mill by the Breeze", as [[Michael Kilgarriff]] had a lot of knowledge of music hall songs. He decided against suggesting this to [[Barry Letts]].
* [[Terrance Dicks]] later admitted that he had no idea what the Fourth Doctor would be like at this stage, so he largely based him on [[Tom Baker]] himself.
* [[Eaglemoss Collections]] released a special issue magazine that included a hand painted figurine of Robot K1 on 2 September 2014. It was presented as the fourth special in the ''Doctor Who'' Figurine Collection.
* ''Doctor Who Battles in Time'' released a rare card number 787 of Robot K1 in the Ultimate Monsters which was part of the other card category collections of Exterminator, Annihilator, Invader and Devastator.
* [[Christopher Barry]] defended the infamous model tank shot by saying that [[Barry Letts]] and designer [[George Gallaccio]] didn't take him seriously when he said a model tank wouldn't do.
* [[Nicholas Courtney]] regretted the length of his hair in the serial. He cut his hair prior to his next appearance in ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]].''
* This is one of two Doctor debut stories, along with [[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|''An Unearthly Child'']], to not have any extra-terrestrial elements except for the Doctor and the TARDIS. [[Deep Breath (TV story)|''Deep Breath'']] also has robots as antagonists, but they originate from space and not from Earth as with the K1.


===Myths===
=== Ratings ===
''to be added''
* Part one - 10.8 million viewers
* Part two - 10.7 million viewers
* Part three - 10.1 million viewers
* Part four - 9.0 million viewers


===Filming Locations===
=== Filming locations ===
*Wood Norton Estate, Evesham, Hereford ([[BBC Wood Norton]])
* Wood Norton Hotel, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11, 4YB (PRIVATE) (Small amount of scenes are NO ACCESS at all due to BBC studio)
*[[BBC Television Centre]] (TC3 & TC7), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
* [[BBC Television Centre]] (TC3 & TC7), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
=== Production errors ===
*K1 with doll Sarah and Action Man tank. His legs keep vanishing as well.
{{discontinuity}}
*The SRS goes to great lengths to get the disintegrator gun, and then all they use it for is to blow open a safe door. Couldn't they have found an easier way into the safe?
* The robot's legs keep vanishing after growing. ''(This was because the shiny metal of the costume reflected the chromakeyed background, thus causing the robot's legs to disappear. For the DVD release, the ''Doctor Who'' Restoration Team corrected this error by recreating the missing limbs electronically.)''
*Miss Winters' feminist views (her comments to Sarah in episode one) don't accord with SRS views on women.
* The Doctor chops a brick in half, but it sounds like balsa wood when it hits the ground.
*Kettlewell changes from a good boffin to the villain of the piece in a most unconvincing way just as Jellicoe can't decide if he's a squeamish villain or a Nazi maniac.
* The close-up shot of the Doctor's note shows the opening paragraph says "Professor Kettlewell tells me that he has the robot hidden at his cottage". But when Sarah reads the note aloud, she says "house" rather than "cottage" and also reads it as starting with "Sarah".
*The robot's motives change from scene to scene and show contradictory programming regarding obeying orders and striving for self preservation.
* The height of the robot is inconsistent after it grows to a huge size.
*The Doctor chops a brick in half, but it's clearly a block of balsa wood listen for the noise when it hits the ground.
* When the robot picks Sarah up off the ground the chromakeyed blanket she is wrapped in can be seen from the creases. When it places her on the rooftop and she grabs the chromakeyed object mapped to the chimney, it clearly wobbles.
*The height of the robot is inconsistent after it grows to a huge size.
* After the giant robot has placed Sarah on the chromakey rooftop, some UNIT soldiers attack it with missiles and grenades. In the quick special effects shot that follows, the smoke from these explosions rises in front of the backdrop of the houses but behind the figure of Sarah (who is supposed to be clinging to the rooftop).
* Outside Kettlewell's lab, when the soldiers attack the robot, the robot loses it footing and almost falls over.
* When the robot knocks a UNIT soldier unconscious as it escapes from Kettlewell's lab in part three, the robot's hand visibly doesn't come into contact with the soldier, but the soldier collapses anyway.


==Continuity==
== Continuity ==
*The end of this story leads directly into the opening of the next one, ''[[The Ark in Space]]''. It is the first of a continuous series of adventures for the TARDIS crew, beginning from the end of ''Robot'' and continuing through to ''[[Terror of the Zygons]]'', although [[NA]]: ''[[A Device of Death]]'' takes place in a possible gap between ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', and [[PDA]]: ''[[Wolfsbane]]'' is set in another such gap between ''Revenge of the Cybermen'' and Terror of the Zygons.
* The [[Fourth Doctor]] offers [[jelly babies]], as he would frequently do later in this incarnation ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]'', et. al.) and as the [[Second Doctor]] had done at least twice previously. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dominators (TV story)|The Dominators]]'', ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'')
*The novelisation for the later serial ''[[The Face of Evil]]'' suggests that the Doctor's first visit to the planet of the [[Sevateem]] takes place early during this story, when Sarah witnesses the newly regenerated and still delirious Doctor starting to leave in the TARDIS.
* The Doctor states he hates goodbyes. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')
*Elements of this story have surfaced in [[BFBS]]: ''[[The Relics of Jegg-Sau]]'', Kettlewell's robot designs are revived in the 26th century, where the Robots once again go mad.
* In his confusion immediately after his regeneration, the Doctor briefly refers to [[Alexander the Great]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Farewell, Great Macedon (audio story)|Farewell, Great Macedon]]'')
*Hilda Winters (again played by Patricia Maynard) returns in [[BFSJS]]: ''[[Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre]]''
* In post-regenerative confusion, the Doctor mumbles references to recent events:
*In post regenerative confusion, the Doctor refers to ''[[The Time Warrior]]'' ('[[Sontaran]]s perverting the course of human history'), ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'' ('I tell you, Brigadier, the Brontosaurus is large and placid. And stupid!').
** "[[Sontaran]]s perverting the course of human history." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time Warrior (TV story)|The Time Warrior]]'')
*The destructor codes are utilised once more in [[NA]]: ''[[Return of the Living Dad]]''.
** "I tell you, Brigadier, the [[Brontosaurus]] is large and placid. And stupid!" ([[TV]]: ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)|Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'')
*The Doctor uses his [[sonic screwdriver]] to detonate a minefield, much as he did in ''[[The Sea Devils]]''.
* The Doctor again uses [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] to detonate a [[minefield]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'')
*The Doctor carries a small spyglass in his pocket, much as he later produces in ''[[The Fires of Pompeii]]''.
* As the Doctor empties his pockets at the SRS meeting, he produces a document from [[Skaro]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'') and references that [[Alpha Centauri (planet)|Alpha Centauri]] table tennis players have six arms, which is consistent with the appearance of [[Alpha Centauri (The Curse of Peladon)|their representative]] to the [[Galactic Federation]], whom the [[Third Doctor]] met on [[Peladon]] on two occasions. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Curse of Peladon (TV story)|The Curse of Peladon]]'', ''[[The Monster of Peladon (TV story)|The Monster of Peladon]]'').
* The Doctor had previously hidden a [[TARDIS key]] inside his shoe shortly after his regeneration into his third incarnation. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')
* In [[November]] [[1969]], [[James Stevens]] interviewed Kettlewell for the ''[[Daily Chronicle]]''. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Who Killed Kennedy (novel)|Who Killed Kennedy]]'')
* The Doctor faced the K1 robot again in his [[Twelfth Doctor|twelfth incarnation]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Robo Rampage (comic story)|Robo Rampage]]'')
* Kettlewell's direct descendants included the [[27th century]] failed writer and historian [[Ethan Kalwell]] and his daughter [[Elise Kalwell|Elise]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Relics of Jegg-Sau (audio story)|The Relics of Jegg-Sau]]'')


==DVD and Video Releases==
== Home video and audio releases ==
 
=== DVD releases ===
'''DVD Releases'''
This story was released as ''Doctor Who: Robot''.
[[Image:Robotdvdcover_region2.jpg|right|76px]]
[[Image:Robotdvdcover_region1.jpg|right|76px]]
 
Released as ''Doctor Who: Robot''.


Released:
Released:
*Region 2 [[4th June]] [[2007]]
* Region 2 - [[4 June (releases)|4 June]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]
::PAL - [[BBC DVD]] BBCDVD2332
::PAL - [[BBC DVD]] BBCDVD2332
*Region 4 [[4th July]] [[2007]]
* Region 4 - [[4 July (releases)|4 July]] 2007
*Region 1 [[14th August]] [[2007]]
* Region 1 - [[14 August (releases)|14 August]] 2007
 
Notes:
* Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].


'''Video Releases'''
Contents:
* Commentary by [[Tom Baker]] ([[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]]), [[Elisabeth Sladen]] ([[Sarah Jane Smith]]), [[Terrance Dicks]] (writer) and [[Barry Letts]] (Producer)
* ''[[Are Friends Electric? (documentary)|Are Friends Electric?]]'' - A new documentary examining Tom Baker's introduction as the Doctor and the making of his first story. Featuring Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, [[Alec Linstead]], [[Patricia Maynard]], [[Michael Kilgarriff]], [[Edward Burnham]], Barry Letts, [[Philip Hinchcliffe]], Terrance Dicks, [[Christopher Barry]] and [[George Gallaccio]]
* ''[[The Tunnel Effect (documentary)|The Tunnel Effect]]'' - Graphic designer [[Bernard Lodge]] explains how he created the complex opening titles for Tom Baker's stories
* ''[[Blue Peter (series)|Blue Peter]]'' - Due to a 1974 strike, the ''Blue Peter'' team present the programme from the sets of ''Robot''
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Listings - Original listings from ''Radio Times'' (DVD-ROM PC/Mac)
* Photo Gallery
* Production Subtitles
* [[Easter Egg]]: Continuity announcements for this story and part one of ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]''. To access this hidden feature, press left at Special Features on the Main Menu to illuminate the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' logo.


Released as ''Doctor Who: Robot''.
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:Robotdvdcover region2.jpg|Region 2 UK cover
File:Robot DVD Australian cover.jpg|Region 4 Australian cover
File:Robotdvdcover region1.jpg|Region 1 US cover
</gallery>


Released:
=== Digital releases ===
*[[UK]] [[January]] [[1992]]
This story is available:
*[[US]] [[May]] [[1994]]
* in non-UK [[iTunes]] stores ([[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[France]], [[Germany]] and [[US]]) as part of the ''Doctor Who: The Classic Series'' collection ''Doctor Who Sampler: The Fourth Doctor'', which additionally includes the story ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'';
*[[Australia]] [[July]] [[1992]]
* for streaming through [[BritBox]] (Canada and US) as part of Season 12 of ''Classic Doctor Who''.
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:FourthDoctorSampler.jpg|''Fourth Doctor Sampler''<br /> collection iTunes cover
</gallery>


Contents:
=== Video releases ===
*Commentary by [[Tom Baker]], [[Elisabeth Sladen]], [[Terrance Dicks]] and [[Barry Letts]].
This story was released as ''Doctor Who: Robot''.
*[[Are Friends Electric?]] - A new documentary examining Tom Baker's introduction as the Doctor and the making of his first story. Featuring Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, [[Alec Linstead]], [[Patricia Maynard]], [[Michael Kilgarriff]], [[Edward Burnham]], Barry Letts, [[Philip Hinchcliffe]], Terrance Dicks, [[Christopher Barry]] and [[George Gallaccio]].
*[[The Tunnel Effect]] - Graphic designer [[Bernard Lodge]] explains how he created the complex opening titles for Tom Baker's stories.
*[[Blue Peter]] - Due to a [[1974]] strike, the Blue Peter team present the programme from the set of ''Robot''.
*Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM PC/Mac)
*Photo Gallery
*Production Subtitles


==Novelisations==
Released:
[[Image:1GiantRobot.jpg|right|75px]]
* [[UK]] February 1992
[[Image:RobotJr.jpg|right|75px]]
* [[US]] May 1994
: ''Main article: [[Doctor Who and the Giant Robot]]''
* [[Australia]] July 1992
*Novelised as ''[[Doctor Who and the Giant Robot]]'' by [[Terrance Dicks]] in [[March]] [[1975]]
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
*Also novelised as the ''[[Junior Doctor Who and the Giant Robot]]'' by [[Terrance Dicks]] in [[1980]]
Bbcvideo-779-uk.jpg|UK VHS cover
Bbcvideo-779-us.jpg|US VHS cover
Robotvhs.jpg|AUS VHS cover
</gallery>


==External Links==
== External links ==
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/robot/ BBC Episode Guide to '''Robot''']
* {{bbcepguideclassic|robot/|Robot}}
*[http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=4a Outpost Gallifrey Episode Guide: '''Robot''']
* {{radiotimes|2010-05-06/robot|Robot}}
*[http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_4a.htm Robot at Doctor Who Reference Guide: Detailed Synopsis - '''Robot''']
{{dwcast}}
*[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4a.html A Brief History of Time (Travel) entry to '''Robot''']
{{dwrefguide|who_4a.htm|Robot}}
*[http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/robot The Locations Guide to Doctor Who - '''Robot''']
* {{briefhistory|serials/4a.html|Robot}}
* {{locguide|robot|Robot}}
* {{library|display.asp?779|Video|Robot}}
* {{library|display.asp?478|Book|Robot}}
* [http://www.tom-baker.co.uk/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=84 Tom Baker Official Website - Robot episode guide]


*[http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?779 The Tardis Library: Video release information to '''Robot''']
{{DWTV}}
*[http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?478 The Tardis Library: Book release information to '''Robot''']
{{Post-regeneration stories}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[es:Robot (serial)]]
[[fr:Robot (TV)]]
[[ru:Робот]]


{{season 12}}
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Fourth Doctor episodes]]
[[Category:Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart television stories]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith episodes]]
[[Category:UNIT television stories]]
[[Category:Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart episodes]]
[[Category:UNIT episodes]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:1974 television stories]]
[[Category:1974 television stories]]
[[Category:1975 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 12 stories]]
[[Category:Previous Spotlight Articles]]
[[Category:Third Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]
[[Category:Post-regeneration stories]]
[[Category:New Beginnings television stories]]
[[Category:An Introduction To The Fourth Doctor television stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:05, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

Robot was the first serial of season 12 of Doctor Who. This story had numerous notable firsts and lasts.

In terms of firsts, Robot was Tom Baker's debut episode as the Fourth Doctor, which followed on directly from the end of Planet of the Spiders. It was also the first story to feature new companion Harry Sullivan, played by Ian Marter. It was the first story for which Robert Holmes was the script editor.

In terms of lasts, this was the final story produced by Barry Letts. It was the last story in which Nicholas Courtney had a regular role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, as the character did not appear again until Terror of the Zygons the following season. After that, he was entirely absent from the series until Mawdryn Undead in 1983. Likewise, John Levene's newly promoted Warrant Officer John Benton made his final appearance as a regular character. His only subsequent appearances were in the aforementioned Terror of the Zygons and The Android Invasion.

Outgoing script editor Terrance Dicks saw this as an opportunity to quickly secure a contract now that he had returned to the ranks of freelance writing. He convinced his replacement, Robert Holmes, that the programme had a tradition of departing script editors being commissioned by their successors, and so was assigned the task of writing this story.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Trouble is brewing once again; a series of robberies are taking place which seem linked to plans for a top secret disintegrator gun. All evidence seems to point to the culprit being a sentient robot, created by an eccentric professor and owned by a think tank. However, the robot's basic programming prevents him from killing, providing a contradiction to the clues.

At the same time, the Doctor is recovering from his latest regeneration; can he regain his senses and help UNIT solve the case before time runs out?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor regenerates.

Sarah Jane Smith and the Brigadier watch as the Third Doctor's features fade into those of the Fourth Doctor. The newly regenerated Doctor is delirious, waking to spout random lines from past adventures before again falling unconscious. The Brigadier summons the base medical officer, Lieutenant Harry Sullivan, to take the Doctor to sickbay and care for him.

Meanwhile, something large and mechanical enters a Ministry of Defence advanced research centre. It kills a guard, scares a guard dog and breaks easily through a gate to steal documents from a vault. In the Doctor's laboratory, the Brigadier confides to Sarah that the plans are for a disintegrator gun. Sarah asks the Brigadier to arrange for a visitor's pass to the National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research, or "Think Tank", which admits journalists only rarely. The Brigadier is glad to help. The two leave for his office just as the Doctor, dressed in a nightshirt and the previous Doctor's black velvet jacket, sneaks into the laboratory. Finding the TARDIS locked, the Doctor discovers the key in one of his boots. However, before he can enter his ship, he is interrupted by Harry, who tries to persuade him to return to sickbay.

When Sarah and the Brigadier return to the lab, they find Harry shut up in a locker and hear the wheezing sound of the TARDIS starting to take off. Sarah bangs frantically on the police box doors, causing the takeoff sound to stop and the Doctor to pop his head out. Sarah tries to coax the still unstable Doctor out of the TARDIS, saying they need his help to find a stolen secret weapon. She almost fails, until the Doctor recognises the Brigadier and her.

The Doctor has entered the TARDIS to find a new wardrobe. He emerges in a Viking outfit, complete with horned helmet, much to the Brigadier's annoyance, who points out that UNIT is supposed to be an undercover organisation. The Doctor tries again, but comes out wearing the costume of a playing card jack, which he immediately goes back in to change. His third attempt is a Pierrot clown outfit, complete with face-paint, which is also met with disapproval. His fourth attempt has him emerge in what will be his regular outfit, with a long multi-coloured scarf and floppy hat; the Brigadier decides this look is much better than the ones before.

The mechanical creature breaks into another facility, this time stealing components from a vault. The Brigadier brings the Doctor to investigate the break-in, but the Doctor seems more interested in a pulverised dandelion on the grounds. He points out that the force needed to do that would have to be about a quarter ton. He also deduces from the stolen items that whoever is doing this is stealing the components of a disintegrator gun. The last component is a focusing generator. The Brigadier orders the factory where it is housed to be guarded.

Sarah visits Think Tank. She is shown around the grounds by the director, Hilda Winters, and her assistant, Arnold Jellicoe. Think Tank is a pure research facility — once research reaches a certain stage, it is handed to another organisation with more resources, like the government. The initial work on the disintegrator gun was done by Think Tank. Sarah notices a door marked "No Admittance" and pushes her way through into the former robotics section run by Professor J.P. Kettlewell. She remembers that Kettlewell left Think Tank after he turned against conventional science. He now works on alternative energy facilities. Sarah nearly slips on a wet patch as she looks around. Jellicoe insists, however, that there is nothing in the section. Winters and he escort Sarah out.

At Emmett's Electronics, UNIT sets up barriers against the thief. The Doctor observes they have covered all directions... except down. Sure enough, the mechanical thing tunnels upward into the vault where the generator is kept. By the time the others arrive, all that is left is a dead guard and a hole in the floor. At the other end of the tunnel in the woods, Benton discovers a giant, rectangular and very deep footprint.

Sarah goes to see Kettlewell, who brusquely tells her that Think Tank cannot be carrying on his robotics research because no one else has the ability to do so. Still suspicious, she drives back to Think Tank and sneaks back into the robotics section, discovering the wet patch was actually oil. At that moment, a set of doors opens, and a giant, gleaming robot lumbers menacingly towards her, demanding to know who she is and what she is doing here.

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sarah, panicked, runs to where she came in and meets Winters. The director explains that since Sarah was so insistent on seeing what was in there, they activated the robot as a joke. In response to Sarah's questions, the robot identifies itself as Experimental Prototype Robot K1. Its purpose is to replace human beings in carrying out hazardous activities like mining or handling radioactive materials. Sarah asks if the robot can be dangerous. Winters demonstrates by ordering K1 to kill her. K1 is unable to do so and the conflicting impulses cause it distress. Jellicoe explains that K1's prime directive is to serve and not harm humanity. Sarah observes that that was a cruel demonstration and apologises to K1 for its distress, despite Winters claiming that the robot has no feelings. After she leaves, Jellicoe tells Winters that the demonstration was dangerous. K1's programming had just been reset.

Jellicoe and Winters adjust K1 again before sending it out. They show K1 a picture of Cabinet Minister Joseph Chambers, telling it that Chambers is an enemy of humanity. Meanwhile, Sarah reports what she has seen to UNIT. The Brigadier cannot act without more evidence. They decide to send Harry to Think Tank, undercover, to gather information. The others go to see Kettlewell, who is hostile at first but warms up when the Doctor shows interest in his work. Kettlewell tells them that he reluctantly ordered K1 dismantled because its capacity to learn and its power began to frighten him. He scoffs at the idea that Winters or Jellicoe would have the ability to alter the robot's programming but concedes that, if they had, it would drive the robot mad.

K1 enters Chambers' home, kills him and disintegrates the door of his safe to steal a set of documents. At UNIT, the Brigadier has discovered that many Think Tank scientists, including Winters and Jellicoe, belong to the Scientific Reform Society, a fringe group advocating a society ruled by a scientific elite. K1 arrives at Kettlewell's lab in a confused state, knowing it has gone against its programming. It asks its creator for help. When the Doctor and the Brigadier go to Think Tank, Winters tells them K1 has been dismantled, but Winters is aware the Doctor knows she is lying. Meanwhile, Harry arrives at Think Tank disguised as a medical inspector.

In his lab, the Doctor receives a call from Kettlewell, who tells him of K1's presence. The Doctor agrees to go over but leaves a note tacked up on the TARDIS in case it is a trap. Indeed, after Kettlewell hangs up, Winters and Jellicoe enter the professor's lab. When the Doctor arrives, he finds the place empty except for K1, who has been ordered to kill the Doctor as an enemy of humanity. Although the Doctor tries to get away, it knocks him out and raises its arm to deliver the coup de grace.

Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]

An enthusiastic Winters unveils the robot

Before K1 can land the killing blow, Sarah (having read the note) arrives. K1 recognises her as the person who showed concern for its well-being. When Sarah tells it that Think Tank are deceiving it, K1 flails about in confusion and distress. At that moment, Benton and a squad of UNIT soldiers arrive, but it easily shrugs off their gunfire and escapes. They find Kettlewell tied up inside a cupboard and take him back to UNIT headquarters. There, he confirms that Jellicoe and Winters altered the robot's programming and made it unstable. He explains that K1 is made of a living metal he invented, one that can grow like a living organism. That led him to another discovery, a virus that could biodegrade metal into a recyclable form.

When Sarah discovers that Kettlewell is still a member of the Scientific Reform Society, she persuades him to attend that evening's meeting and let her in secretly. When Benton protests, she points out that neither of them are under UNIT's jurisdiction, and they leave. When the Doctor wakes up, he has realised that Chambers must have had access to some kind of ultimate threat. The Brigadier explains that some months before, to ensure peace, the governments of Russia, China and America decided to give the locations and launch codes of their nuclear weapons to a neutral country, Britain, for safekeeping, with the intention that Britain could publish these codes if war was imminent and allow things to cool down. Chambers was holding on to these destructor codes. If Think Tank has them, they could hold the world to ransom. When Benton tells them that Sarah has gone off with Kettlewell, the Doctor is alarmed.

At the SRS meeting, Kettlewell opens a side door to let Sarah in. She hides in the meeting room as Winters addresses the membership, ranting that soon they will rule as is their right. To Sarah's shock, she credits this to one man: Kettlewell, who joins them on stage, as does K1. The robot senses Sarah's presence and homes in on her, just as the Doctor arrives to provide a distraction. He knew Kettlewell was the only one capable of altering K1's programming; the attack on him was a ruse to gain UNIT's confidence. Kettlewell explains that for years he had tried to persuade people to stop destroying the environment. Now with Think Tank, he can make them stop. The Doctor points out that in science, as in morality, the ends never justify the means, and Kettlewell gets an inkling of Winters' ruthlessness when she orders the Doctor and Sarah killed.

UNIT arrives at that moment, but using K1 as cover and Sarah as a hostage, Winters, Jellicoe and Kettlewell make their escape. Harry contacts the Brigadier from Think Tank, reporting that the scientists are evacuating to a bunker, but is knocked unconscious by Jellicoe and Phillips and taken captive before he can relate any more. UNIT troops proceed to Think Tank's atomic shelter but are held off by its automated defences. Winters contacts the Brigadier; they have already given the governments of the world their demands. Unless these are agreed to, in full, in thirty minutes, she will use the destructor codes.

Benton and his men knock out the bunker's machine gun nests while the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to detonate the mines surrounding the entrance. Winters sends K1 out, armed with the disintegrator gun, which he proceeds to use on a soldier, then a UNIT tank. It warns that it will destroy them all.

Part four[[edit] | [edit source]]

In the bunker, Winters has Kettlewell make the international computer linkups so they can use the destructor codes. Kettlewell still believes Winters is bluffing, but she disabuses him of the notion. If the world governments do not give in, she will fire the missiles. The countdown begins.

Kettlewell has a change of heart and tries to stop the countdown, but Jellicoe pulls a gun on him. Harry and Sarah have escaped their bonds, and Harry knocks Jellicoe to the ground. Kettlewell holds the countdown while the other two open the doors. As they exit the bunker, K1 swings the disintegrator gun on them. Sarah tries to convince K1 that Think Tank are evil. K1 struggles with the dilemma and fires the gun, disintegrating Kettlewell. With a wail, the robot cries out that it has killed its creator and collapses. With K1 apparently disabled, the Doctor and the UNIT troops make their way into the bunker.

Winters has resumed the countdown. Although she moves away from the console when ordered, she is confident that no one can stop the countdown. She has not reckoned on the Doctor, who reprograms the computer and cancels the order. In the mop-up, nobody notices that K1 has revived and has taken Sarah with it into the bunker. The Doctor realises that K1 is in a state of emotional shock after killing its "father" and has developed an Oedipus complex. K1 intends to carry out Kettlewell's last orders and ensure the destruction of humanity, although the robot assures Sarah that she alone will be saved.

Benton tells the Doctor of Kettlewell's description of the robot's living metal and the accompanying virus he developed. The Doctor is delighted and tells the Brigadier to find the robot while Harry and he go to Kettlewell's lab to cook up a batch of the virus. K1 locks the bunker and restarts the countdown. This time, the world governments' fail-safe procedures are activated in time. The missiles remain unfired.

As K1 exits the bunker, the Brigadier fires at it with the disintegrator gun. Instead of being destroyed, the robot grows to gigantic size. It picks up Sarah like a doll and heads towards the nearby village.

It places her on a rooftop as a pitched battle takes place between K1 and UNIT troops, while the Doctor races back with the virus. Driving by K1's feet in his roadster, Bessie, the Doctor throws the batch of virus at it. The virus instantly spreads over the robot, throwing its growth into reverse. It shrinks to doll size and then dissolves completely.

The end of K1.

Back at the Doctor's laboratory, Sarah is saddened by K1's demise. She realises the Doctor had to do what he did, but it had seemed so human. The Doctor observes it was capable of great good as well as great evil, so one could say that it was human. He suggests a trip in the TARDIS to cheer Sarah up. She agrees but wonders why the Doctor wants to do so right now. He has been invited to dinner at Buckingham Palace. Unlike his predecessor, the Doctor finds much of his work at UNIT to be boring. He simply doesn't wish to do so much work. Harry enters, asking where they are going. When the Doctor tells him, Harry considers the idea that a police box can go anywhere in time and space absurd. The Doctor invites Harry to step inside the TARDIS too, just to prove it is no illusion. Harry does so and is heard by the Doctor and Sarah to exclaim in surprise; they follow him in, grinning. The TARDIS dematerialises just as the Brigadier enters the lab. Seeing the empty corner where the TARDIS was, the Brigadier muses to himself that he will have to tell Buckingham Palace that the Doctor will be a little late for dinner.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Organisations[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor performs a trick after gatecrashing the meeting.

Cultural references from the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Sarah makes a mocking comparison between Harry and James Bond.
  • At one point the Doctor mentions the Titanic and its supposedly unsinkable design.
  • The Doctor attempts a card trick.
  • In his confusion immediately after his regeneration, the Doctor mistakes the Brigadier for Hannibal.
  • While discussing unappreciated scientists, Professor Kettlewell mentions Galileo and Copernicus.
  • When the Doctor empties his pockets, he takes out a Lumar Disney Donald Duck yo-yo.

Materials[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Weapons[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This story had the working title The Giant Robot. The existing camera script for part one also lists Robot as a working title. (REF: The Scripts: Tom Baker 1974/5)
  • This is the last time that the Third Doctor's lab is seen.
  • This is the last story to feature Bessie until The Five Doctors. It is also the last occasion that the current Doctor drives her until Battlefield with the Seventh Doctor.
  • This was the first Doctor Who serial to have location as well as studio material shot on videotape, as opposed to the more usual BBC television drama practice of the time of shooting studio interiors on videotape and location exteriors on film. This was due to the large number of video effects involving the eponymous robot required in exterior scenes, which were easier and more convincing to marry to videotape than to film. The next serial to be produced completely on videotape was The Sontaran Experiment later that season. Beginning with The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986, videotaping exteriors became standard practice for the remainder of the 1963-89 series' run. The revived (2005-) series, by comparison, is largely shot on digital using ARRI ALEXA Camera, ARRI ALEXA XT Camera, Sony Betacam (Unknown) Camera, Sony CineAlta F35 Camera, Sony HDW-F900 Camera and editing was done on the Apple Final Cut Pro 7.
  • As a consequence of the above point, this was the first colour serial to be recorded entirely on videotape. (REF: The Fourth Doctor Handbook)
  • The seeming disappearance of the robot's legs when it grows was due largely to a change in the way in which colour separation overlay was achieved. Generally, Barry Letts had ordered blue as the background to all CSO shots during the Pertwee era. However, as with the previous story, Planet of the Spiders, yellow was used. While this switch had produced generally desirable results for the shots of the Whomobile in flight in Planet of the Spiders, it didn't work so well in this story, due to the fact that the reflection of the studio lights on the silver of the robot's body registered as yellow to the camera. When the growing robot was keyed into the shot with Sarah, the CSO process removed all yellow from the shot, which took away not just the yellow background, but also those parts of the robot's body which the camera saw as yellow.
  • Benton is promoted to Warrant Officer, thus entitling him to be addressed as "Mister". This is not reflected in the closing credits, which continue to give his rank as Sergeant.
  • This story features the debut of another new opening and closing title sequence, again designed by Bernard Lodge and realised using the "slit scan" process, but in this instance featuring Tom Baker rather than Jon Pertwee and, for the first time, the TARDIS's police box exterior. It is the first time in which the title sequence is changed, but the series' logo is not.
  • The Radio Times programme listing for part one was accompanied by black-and-white head-and-shoulders publicity stills of the Third and Fourth Doctors which depicted a four-stage "regeneration" sequence via trick photography, with the accompanying caption, "Who's Who? The Time Lords never die, they just sort of transmute... and become...? Tom Baker takes over as Dr. Who this evening in Robot: 5.35". (original published text)
  • Terrance Dicks later said that two major influences for this story were King Kong and Isaac Asimov's I, Robot. Indeed, the scenes in which Sarah Jane is carried by the robot greatly resemble scenes from King Kong.
  • This is the first story which makes note of the Brigadier's full name: Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Before this story, his middle name had never been revealed.
  • Parts of this story were recorded at the same time as parts of Planet of the Spiders. This not only meant that Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker were literally playing the Doctor at the same time, but also that Elisabeth Sladen and, to a lesser extent, Nicholas Courtney and John Levene, were rushing back and forth between the two productions.
  • The TARDIS interior is not seen throughout this serial, nor indeed at any point until Planet of Evil, the first post-Harry Sullivan story.
  • Director Christopher Barry considered Colin Baker for the role of Arnold Jellicoe. (REF: The Fourth Doctor Handbook)
  • Terrance Dicks's novelisation Doctor Who and the Face of Evil suggests that the Doctor's first unrecorded visit to the planet of the Sevateem took place early during this story; he left in the TARDIS one night, performed his initial repair work on the Mordee expedition's spaceship computer and then returned to UNIT H.Q. before anyone noticed he had been gone. This was not derived from any information given in the televised version of The Face of Evil.
  • This is the first introductory story for a new companion since The Wheel in Space to not be written by Robert Holmes.
  • Professor Kettlewell's hair was a suggestion from Edward Burnham, as his hair actually did go like that naturally if he grew it out long enough.
  • The King of Hearts outfit that the Doctor wears originates from a 1972 musical version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although he's wearing it with the hat worn by the Knave of Hearts (presumably because of his unusually large hat size).
  • Terrance Dicks drew on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which he co-wrote with Malcolm Hulke, most notably for the scenes in which Sarah Jane infiltrates the meeting of the Scientific Reform Society.
  • Tom Baker thought it would be a great idea for the robot to sing "There's An Old Mill by the Breeze", as Michael Kilgarriff had a lot of knowledge of music hall songs. He decided against suggesting this to Barry Letts.
  • Terrance Dicks later admitted that he had no idea what the Fourth Doctor would be like at this stage, so he largely based him on Tom Baker himself.
  • Eaglemoss Collections released a special issue magazine that included a hand painted figurine of Robot K1 on 2 September 2014. It was presented as the fourth special in the Doctor Who Figurine Collection.
  • Doctor Who Battles in Time released a rare card number 787 of Robot K1 in the Ultimate Monsters which was part of the other card category collections of Exterminator, Annihilator, Invader and Devastator.
  • Christopher Barry defended the infamous model tank shot by saying that Barry Letts and designer George Gallaccio didn't take him seriously when he said a model tank wouldn't do.
  • Nicholas Courtney regretted the length of his hair in the serial. He cut his hair prior to his next appearance in Terror of the Zygons.
  • This is one of two Doctor debut stories, along with An Unearthly Child, to not have any extra-terrestrial elements except for the Doctor and the TARDIS. Deep Breath also has robots as antagonists, but they originate from space and not from Earth as with the K1.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 10.8 million viewers
  • Part two - 10.7 million viewers
  • Part three - 10.1 million viewers
  • Part four - 9.0 million viewers

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Wood Norton Hotel, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11, 4YB (PRIVATE) (Small amount of scenes are NO ACCESS at all due to BBC studio)
  • BBC Television Centre (TC3 & TC7), Shepherd's Bush, London

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • The robot's legs keep vanishing after growing. (This was because the shiny metal of the costume reflected the chromakeyed background, thus causing the robot's legs to disappear. For the DVD release, the Doctor Who Restoration Team corrected this error by recreating the missing limbs electronically.)
  • The Doctor chops a brick in half, but it sounds like balsa wood when it hits the ground.
  • The close-up shot of the Doctor's note shows the opening paragraph says "Professor Kettlewell tells me that he has the robot hidden at his cottage". But when Sarah reads the note aloud, she says "house" rather than "cottage" and also reads it as starting with "Sarah".
  • The height of the robot is inconsistent after it grows to a huge size.
  • When the robot picks Sarah up off the ground the chromakeyed blanket she is wrapped in can be seen from the creases. When it places her on the rooftop and she grabs the chromakeyed object mapped to the chimney, it clearly wobbles.
  • After the giant robot has placed Sarah on the chromakey rooftop, some UNIT soldiers attack it with missiles and grenades. In the quick special effects shot that follows, the smoke from these explosions rises in front of the backdrop of the houses but behind the figure of Sarah (who is supposed to be clinging to the rooftop).
  • Outside Kettlewell's lab, when the soldiers attack the robot, the robot loses it footing and almost falls over.
  • When the robot knocks a UNIT soldier unconscious as it escapes from Kettlewell's lab in part three, the robot's hand visibly doesn't come into contact with the soldier, but the soldier collapses anyway.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video and audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was released as Doctor Who: Robot.

Released:

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD2332

Notes:

Contents:

  • Region 2 UK cover

    Region 2 UK cover

  • Region 4 Australian cover

    Region 4 Australian cover

  • Region 1 US cover

    Region 1 US cover

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story is available:

  • in non-UK iTunes stores (Australia, Canada, France, Germany and US) as part of the Doctor Who: The Classic Series collection Doctor Who Sampler: The Fourth Doctor, which additionally includes the story Logopolis;
  • for streaming through BritBox (Canada and US) as part of Season 12 of Classic Doctor Who.
  • Fourth Doctor Sampler collection iTunes cover

    Fourth Doctor Sampler
    collection iTunes cover

Video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was released as Doctor Who: Robot.

Released:

  • UK VHS cover

    UK VHS cover

  • US VHS cover

    US VHS cover

  • AUS VHS cover

    AUS VHS cover

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

v • e
Doctor Who television stories
 
Seasons 1-4: William Hartnell
Season 1: 1963-1964
Season 2: 1964-1965
Season 3: 1965-1966
Season 4: 1966
 
Seasons 4-6: Patrick Troughton
Season 4: 1966-1967
Season 5: 1967-1968
Season 6: 1968-1969
 
Seasons 7-11: Jon Pertwee
Season 7: 1970
Season 8: 1971
Season 9: 1972
Season 10: 1972-1973
Season 11: 1973-1974
 
Seasons 12-18: Tom Baker
Season 12: 1974-1975
Season 13: 1975-1976
Season 14: 1976-1977
Season 15: 1977-1978
Season 16: 1978-1979
Season 17: 1979-1980
Season 18: 1980-1981
 
Seasons 19-21: Peter Davison
Season 19: 1982
Season 20: 1983
Children in Need 1983
Season 21: 1984
 
Seasons 21-23: Colin Baker
Season 21: 1984
Season 22: 1985
Season 23: 1986
 
Seasons 24-26: Sylvester McCoy
Season 24: 1987
Season 25: 1988-1989
Season 26: 1989
 
TV Movie & 2013 specials: Paul McGann
TV Movie: 1996
Specials: 2013
Minisodes
 
Series 1: Christopher Eccleston
Series 1: 2005
Regular episodes
 
Series 2-4: David Tennant
Series 2: 2005-2006
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Series 3: 2006-2007
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Animated special
Series 4: 2007-2010
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Minisodes
Animated special
Seasonal specials
 
Series 5-2013 specials: Matt Smith
Series 5: 2010
Regular episodes
Series 6: 2010-2011
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: Apr 2011)
Regular episodes
(Part 2: Aug 2011)
Minisode
Series 7: 2011-2013
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: 2012)
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
(Part 2: 2013)
Specials: 2013
 
Series 8-10: Peter Capaldi
Series 8: 2014
Regular episodes
Series 9: 2014-2015
Christmas Special
Minisode
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
Series 10: 2016-2017
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
 
Series 11-13: Jodie Whittaker
Series 11: 2018-2019
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 12: 2020-2021
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 13: 2021
Minisodes
Regular episodes
Seasonal specials
 
60th Anniversary Specials: David Tennant
Specials: 2023
Minisodes
60th Anniversary Specials
 
Season 1 (2023)-present: Ncuti Gatwa
Season 1: 2023-2024
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
v • e
Post-regeneration stories
For the purposes of this list, a "post-regeneration story" is one in which the after-effects of a regeneration is actually and initially depicted and the Time Lord fully settles into their new body. For this reason, Rose is not included below, even though it is commonly thought of as a "post-regeneration story". It doesn't actually include a clear scene of regeneration, and the preponderance of stories in other media confirm that the Ninth Doctor has not immediately regenerated prior to the story.
The Doctor
Television
Prose
Audio
Comics
Poetry
The Master
Prose
Alternate
universe
Romana
Television
The Multitude
Audio
Other Time Lords
Television
Proto-Time Lords
Television
Audio
Others
Television
Regeneration is usually considered a biologic process exclusive to Time Lords and a few other species. However, some consider Regeneration to also be a "post-regeneration story", though neither describes anything close to a biological process.
v • e
UNIT stories
TV
Doctor Who
Major
Minor
Torchwood
SJA
PROSE
U.N.I.T.
website
UNIT Press
Briefings
Operations
Board
Candy Jar UNIT series
Operation Wildcat and Other Stories
Operation Fall-Out and Other Stories
More to be added
Retrieved from "https://tardis.wiki/w/index.php?title=Robot_(TV_story)&oldid=3889693"