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{{Infobox TV|
{{title dab away}}
story name= The Invasion of Time|
{{real world}}
image= [[Image:Invasionoftime_title.jpg|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] - [[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= 97 |
|image= Invasionoftime title.jpg  
doctor= [[Fourth Doctor]] |
|series=[[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
companions= [[Leela]] (departure) <br/> [[K-9 Mark I]] (departure)|
|season number= Season 15 (Doctor Who 1963)|
enemy= [[Vardan]]s and<br>[[Sontaran]]s |
|season serial number = 6
year= [[Gallifrey]] |
|story number= 97
writer= [[David Agnew]] |
|doctor= Fourth Doctor  
director= [[Gerald Blake]] |
|companions= [[Leela]], [[K9 Mark I]]
producer= [[Graham Williams]] |
|featuring= {{MacKay}}, [[Andred (The Invasion of Time)|Andred]]
broadcast date= [[4th February]] - [[11th March]] [[1978]] |
|enemy= [[Commander]] [[Stor]], [[Vardan]]s
format= 6 25-minute Episodes |
|setting= {{il|[[Gallifrey]]|[[The Doctor's TARDIS]]}}
production code= [[List of production codes|4Z]] |
|writer= David Agnew (writer)
previous story = [[Underworld]] |
|director= [[Gerald Blake]]  
next story = [[The Ribos Operation]] }}
|producer= [[Graham Williams]]  
|epcount = 6
|broadcast date= 4 February - 11 March 1978
|network = BBC1
|format= 6x25-minute episodes
|serial production code= [[List of production codes|4Z]]  
|prev = Underworld (TV story)
|next = The Ribos Operation (TV story)
|novelisation = Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time (novelisation)
|clip = A Premature Celebration - The Invasion of Time - Doctor Who - BBC
|thwr = 158}}
'''''The Invasion of Time''''' was the sixth and final serial of [[Season 15 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 15]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It made extensive use of [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] interior and added to the mythology of [[Gallifrey]]. It featured the final regular appearances of [[Louise Jameson]] as [[Leela]] as well as the final appearance of [[K9 Mark I]] — although it also immediately implied that the Doctor was merely replacing K9 with [[K9 Mark II|a new model]].


==Synopsis==
Its script was a last-minute replacement, written quickly by Read and Williams when the original season-ender by [[David Weir]] was abandoned. Contemporary viewers of the programme who participated in the [[Doctor Who Appreciation Society]]'s season 15 poll voted it the best story of the season. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fourth Doctor|The Fourth Doctor Handbook]]'') Narratively, it established that [[Sontaran]]s were a major, credible threat to the [[Time Lord]]s, carrying through on a foreshadowing reference in their first appearance in ''[[The Time Warrior (TV story)|The Time Warrior]]''. It laid the groundwork for future Sontaran stories, including their pursuit of time travel in ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'' and their knowledge of [[Gallifrey]]'s demise in ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]''.
After a meeting in space with a group of unseen aliens the Doctor returns to Gallifrey and claims the presidency of the Time Lords. Leela meanwhile tries to work out why he is behaving out of character. At his induction, the Doctor is 'crowned' with a device giving him access to the Matrix. He then arranges for the transduction barriers around Gallifrey to be put out of action by K9. When this is done, his alien 'friends' materialise. They are telepathic invaders called Vardans.


The Doctor links K9 to the Matrix in order to determine their point of origin. His plan is to place a time loop around their home planet, but he must avoid arousing their suspicions - hence his erratic behaviour. He banishes Leela to the wastelands of outer Gallifrey for fear that she might unintentionally jeopardise his plans. There she meets a group of Gallifreyan outsiders, and together they organise an attack on the Capitol to fight off the invaders.
The fact that Leela remains on Gallifrey with K9 Mark I and she appears to intend to marry [[Andred (The Invasion of Time)|Andred]] forms the basis for many [[Big Finish]] stories in both ''[[The Companion Chronicles]]'' and ''[[Gallifrey (audio series)|Gallifrey]]'' audio series. This story is also the ostensible link between ''Doctor Who'' and the Australian ''[[K9 (TV series)|K9]]'' series, since the K9 at the beginning of ''[[Regeneration (TV story)|Regeneration]]'' appears to be the Mark I, who then "regenerates" into the [[K9 Mark 2|model seen throughout that programme]].


The Doctor finally springs his trap and the Vardans are banished. Then, however, Gallifrey is invaded by Sontarans who, unknown to the Doctor, were using the Vardans to enable them to conquer the Time Lords. The Doctor uses knowledge extracted from the Matrix by K9 to construct a forbidden de-mat gun, activated by the Great Key of Rassilon. He then uses this to kill the Sontarans, although his memory of recent events is wiped in the process.
== Synopsis ==
[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] returns to [[Gallifrey]], claims his rights and is crowned President. It soon turns out that he has led a group of aliens called [[Vardan]]s to the planet to eradicate them completely. After they are destroyed, the [[Sontaran]]s take their opportunity and follow them in their invasion until they are destroyed by the Doctor.


Leela announces that she wishes to stay behind with Andred, one of the Chancellery guards, with whom she has fallen in love. K9 elects to remain with her.
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
[[File:Read before you sign.jpg|left|thumb|"I never sign anything before I've read it."]]
The [[Fourth Doctor]] meets a group of aliens in space and returns to [[Gallifrey]], bringing [[Leela]] and [[K9 Mark I|K9]] with him. He is behaving very strangely, and when the [[Chancellery Guard]] under their [[Commander]], [[Andred (The Invasion of Time)|Andred]], arrive at the [[Panopticon|Panopticon Chamber]] to interrogate him, the Doctor demands to be taken to Chancellor {{MacKay}}, who is now in charge of the [[Time Lord]]s.


==Plot==
The Doctor claims the vacant Presidency of Gallifrey, having been a candidate. After the demise of Chancellor Goth, he is elected automatically. The aliens watch him keenly, stating that they have chosen well. The Doctor chooses a presidential chamber and asks it be redecorated with [[lead]] lining throughout. Shortly afterward, a ceremony is held to swear him in as President of Gallifrey, and he is presented with the trappings of office. However, when [[Crown of Rassilon|the circlet]] connecting him to [[the Matrix]], repository of all Time Lord knowledge, is placed on his head, the Doctor collapses in pain...
''to be added''


==Cast==
=== Part two ===
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
[[File:FourthDoctorIOT1.jpg|thumb|The Doctor falling during his coronation as President.]]
*[[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
The Doctor is taken to the [[Chancellery]] to rest and recover. When he regains consciousness, he reminds the Time Lords that no aliens are allowed on Gallifrey and instructs that Leela be expelled from the [[Capitol]] Citadel, where she will have to fend in the wastelands.
*Voice of [[K9]] - [[John Leeson]]
*[[Ablif]] - [[Ray Callaghan]]
*[[Andred]] - [[Christopher Tranchell]]
*Bodyguard - [[Michael Harley]]
*[[Borusa]] - [[John Arnatt]]
*Castellan Guard - [[Eric Danot]]
*[[Gold Usher]] - [[Charles Morgan]]
*Guard - [[Christopher Christou]]
*[[Jasko]] - [[Michael Mundell]]
*[[Kelner]] - [[Milton Johns]]
*Lord [[Gomer]] - [[Dennis Edwards]]
*Lord [[Savar]] - [[Reginald Jessup]]
*[[Nesbin]] - [[Max Faulkner]]
*[[Presta]] - [[Gay Smith]]
*[[Rodan]] - [[Hilary Ryan]]
*[[Sontaran]] - [[Stuart Fell]]
*[[Stor]] - [[Derek Deadman]]
*[[Vardan]] - [[Stan McGowan]]
*[[Vardan]] - [[Tom Kelly]]


==Crew==
She tries to avoid banishment, but the Doctor insists as president. The Doctor retreats to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]], where he shares a secret plan with K9. He is obviously very concerned about the situation in which he has found himself. Meanwhile, Leela meets [[Rodan]], and they find that a massive warship is moving towards Gallifrey.
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Terry Winders]], [[Romey Allison]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[Dee Kelly]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Barbara Gosnold]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[Ken Westbury]]
*[[Film Editor]] - [[Chris Wimble]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Maureen Winslade]]
*OB Cameraman - [[David Goutier]], [[Alan Hayward]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Colin Dudley]]
*[[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Anthony Read]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Mike Jefferies]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Anthony Philpott]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Colin Mapson]], [[Richard Conway]]


==References==
The Doctor is planning to aid an invasion of Gallifrey itself. To this end he sets about destroying the [[transduction barrier]] that shields the planet from external threat. K9 sets about this task while the Doctor returns to the Panopticon, the great hall of the Time Lords. He laughs cruelly as three alien beings start to materialise...
*While in the [[Matrix]] the Doctor learns of the [[Timwyrm]] but erases his memory to protect himself from it and leaves a message for his future self.
*The [[Sash of Rassilon]], The [[Rod of Rassilon]], [[The Great Key]], The [[Coronet of Rassilon]] are all [[Artefacts of Rassilon]] given to a Gallifreyan President when they're elected.
*The Doctor has [[Rodan]] and K9 build the [[D-Mat Gun]], powered by [[The Great Key]].
*[[The Capitol]] is a part of the [[Citadel]].
*Those who live outside the Citadel are [[The Outsiders]].


==Story Notes==
=== Part three ===
''to be added''
[[File:Just over there.jpg|thumb|right|Leela and [[Rodan]] explore the wastes.]]
The invading beings are known as [[Vardan]]s. They appear as shimmering manifestations who made an alliance with the Doctor some time ago. The Doctor advises the Time Lords, including the stubborn Borusa, to submit to their new and powerful masters. He asks Borusa to meet him in his office, where the Doctor explains he had the lead walls installed to prevent the Vardans entering the room on thought waves and reading his mind. He hadn't told the other Time Lords because their minds are too single-minded, and the Vardans would be able to hear them. He sent Leela away to protect her and can now work with Borusa to defeat the Vardan threat.


===Ratings===
A new problem has emerged, however, with the ascendancy of the obsequious and compliant [[Castellan]] [[Kelner]]. He is being far too co-operative with the Vardan occupation. The toadying yet ambitious Castellan soon has Borusa placed under house arrest and starts expelling trouble-making Time Lords from the safety of the Capitol.
*Part 1 - 11.2 million
*Part 2 - 11.4 million
*Part 3 - 9.5 million
*Part 4 - 10.9 million
*Part 5 - 10.3 million
*Part 6 - 9.8 million


===Myths===
Leela has kept her faith in the Doctor. She decides that if he wishes her to leave the Capitol it is with good reason, so she departs for the wastelands. She is accompanied by Rodan. They are welcomed warily by a tribe of [[Outsider]]s who have rejected Time Lord society and live in the wastelands. Their leader, [[Nesbin]], explains some of the background to his tribe. Back in the Capitol, however, things are looking grim for the Doctor when Andred corners him and decides to execute him in the name of liberty...
''to be added''


===Location Filming===
=== Part four ===
''to be added''
[[File:Matrix.jpg|left|thumb|The Doctor consults [[the Matrix]].]]
K9 helps the Doctor overpower Andred. The Doctor explains the danger and abilities of the Vardans to Andred, with his TARDIS providing a shield to his thoughts. The Doctor is hoping to persuade the Vardans to fully materialise so that he can find their planet and [[time loop]] it. Leela has also organised her own resistance movement in the wastelands, comprising Nesbin's people and the exiled Time Lords, all of whom are drilled into a fighting force which soon launches an assault on the Capitol.


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
Meanwhile, the aliens and Kelner have decided the Doctor is behaving in an untrustworthy manner. The Doctor reaffirms his loyalty to them by agreeing to dismantle the final [[force field]] protecting Gallifrey from attack. He does not fully disable it, but rather places a large hole in it. The Vardans use the hole to properly invade Gallifrey and appear as humanoid warriors. In space, a ship approaches Gallifrey. Their manifestation enables K9 to track down their home planet and supply the Doctor with the correct co-ordinates.
''to be added''


==Continuity==
[[File:Gallifrey (The Invasion of Time, Part IV).jpg|right|thumb|A spaceship approaches Gallifrey.]]
*The Vardans reappear in [[No Future]].
He uses this to beam the Vardans back to [[Varda|their home world]] and then traps it in a [[time loop]] at the same time Leela and her warriors reach the Panopticon.
* The Doctor receives his past self's message of the Timewyrm in [[Timewyrm: Genesys]].
*Leela and K9 re-meet the Doctor in [[Lungbarrow]] and [[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]].
*Lord Savar is mentioned in [[Seeing I]] and [[The Infinity Doctors]].
*The Doctor is again offered the Presidancy in [[The Five Doctors]].
*Gallifrey is invaded again in [[The Apocalypse Element]].


==DVD, Video and Other Releases==
When the Doctor is giving a celebratory speech to everyone in the Panopticon, everyone but the Doctor becomes silent, while the Doctor looks confused. Looking behind him, he sees three [[Sontaran]] soldiers. The leader raises his gun...
''to be added''


==Target Novelisations==
=== Part five ===
''to be added''
Gallifrey has now been invaded by the Sontarans, led by Commander [[Stor]], who reveal that they used the Vardans to open up the force field to let them in and have served their purpose. The Doctor and his party escape to the President's office, while Kelner pledges support to the invaders. Borusa has placed [[titanium]] alloy on the door to reinforce it. The Sontarans are delayed while the Doctor and his party escape through another exit.


==See Also==
The Doctor uses his freedom to try to pressure Borusa into revealing to him the location of the [[Great Key of Rassilon]], a missing item of the Presidential regalia. On the way back to the TARDIS, Nesbin is killed by a Sontaran. The Doctor looks for the Great Key in a large group of keys, and Borusa pulls it out of a drawer keyhole. Meanwhile, the Sontarans have been trying to get Kelner to widen the gap in the force field.
''to be added''


==External Links==
They then regroup at the TARDIS where Rodan is put to work using the TARDIS's controls to repair the hole in the force field, while the Doctor explains that the Sontarans want domination over all universes and all time. However, Kelner imperils their resistance when he manipulates the stabiliser banks of the Doctor's TARDIS to try to destroy the resistance force within by hurling them to the heart of a [[black star]]...
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/invasiontime/ BBC Episode Guide for '''The Invasion of Time''', with video clips]
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_4z.htm Doctor Who Reference Guide detailed sypnosis of '''The Invasion of Time''']
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4z.html '''The Invasion of Time''' entry at A Brief History of Time (Travel)]
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=4z Outpost Gallifrey entry for '''The Invasion of Time''']


{{Stub}}
=== Part six ===
[[File:The One and Only...DEMAT GUN!!.jpg|right|thumb|The Doctor presents the [[De-mat Gun|de-mat gun]].]]
The Doctor overrides the threat, so their enemies change tactics. Commander Stor and one of his troopers, assisted by Castellan Kelner, gain access to the Doctor's TARDIS. They pursue the Doctor and his friends through the labyrinth of corridors. Stor is after the Great Key too, knowing the Doctor has now persuaded Borusa to yield it to him. The Doctor uses distractions to buy time. On the Doctor's instruction, a hypnotised Rodan and K9 construct a special forbidden Time Lord weapon: the [[De-mat Gun]]. Powered by the Great Key itself, the de-mat gun erases its victims from time itself. The Doctor takes the gun and confronts Stor in the Panopticon. Stor intends to destroy the galaxy, and the Time Lords and Sontarans with it, with a grenade, but the blast is cancelled out by the Doctor using the de-mat gun. It obliterates Stor, wipes the Doctor's mind of recent events, and also destroys itself. Kelner is arrested and Borusa begins the process of rebuilding Gallifrey.


[[Category:Fourth Doctor episodes|Invasion]]
The Doctor is ready to leave, but Leela decides to stay on Gallifrey because she has fallen in love with Commander Andred. K9 decides to stay behind to look after Leela, and they both watch as the TARDIS dematerialises. Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor pushes out a box labelled "K9 MII." He grins mischievously.
[[Category:Time Lord episodes|Invasion]]
 
[[Category:Sontaran episodes|Invasion]]
== Cast ==
[[Category:Stories set on Gallifrey|Invasion]]
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
[[Category:Stories set in the Rassilon Era|Invasion]]
* [[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
[[Category:1978 television stories|Invasion]]
* [[Vardan]]s - [[Stan McGowan]], [[Tom Kelly]]
* [[Andred (The Invasion of Time)|Andred]] - [[Christopher Tranchell]]
* [[Kelner]] - [[Milton Johns]]
* {{MacKay}} - [[John Arnatt]]
* Lord [[Gomer]] - [[Dennis Edwards]]
* Lord [[Savar]] - [[Reginald Jessup]]
* [[Gold Usher (The Invasion of Time)|Gold Usher]] - [[Charles Morgan]]
* Voice of [[K9 Mark I|K9]] - [[John Leeson]]
* [[Guard (The Invasion of Time)|Guard]] - [[Christopher Christou]]
* [[Rodan]] - [[Hilary Ryan]]
* [[Ablif]] - [[Ray Callaghan]]
* [[Jasko]] - [[Michael Mundell]]
* [[Varn (The Invasion of Time)|Bodyguard]] - [[Michael Harley]]
* [[Nesbin]] - [[Max Faulkner]]
* [[Presta]] - [[Gai Smith]]
* [[Castellan guard|Castellan Guard]] - [[Eric Danot]]
* [[Stor]] - [[Derek Deadman]]
* [[Sontaran]] - [[Stuart Fell]]
 
=== Uncredited cast ===
* Vardan - [[Julian Hudson]] ([[DWMS Holiday 1992]])
 
== Crew ==
* [[Writer]] - [[David Agnew (writer)|David Agnew]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Colin Dudley]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Mike Jefferies]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Anthony Philpott|Anthony Philpot]]
* [[O.B. lighting|O.B. Lighting]] - [[John Sterling]]
* [[O.B. sound|O. B. Sound]] - [[Ian Leiper]]
* [[Visual effects designer|Visual Effects Designers]] - [[Colin Mapson]], [[Richard Conway]]
* [[Special sounds|Special Sound]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Costume designer|Costume Designer]] - [[Dee Kelly]]
* [[Make-up artist|Make-up Artist]] - [[Maureen Winslade]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Anthony Read]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Barbara Gosnold]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Gerald Blake]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[Ken Westbury]]
* [[Film sound|Film Recordist]] - [[Graham Hare]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Chris Wimble]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]] and the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]
* [[Title sequence|Title Sequence]] - [[Bernard Lodge]]
 
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Costume assistant|Costume Assistants]] - [[Dennis Brack]], [[Terrance Parker]], [[Richard Winter]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Graphics]] - [[Elizabeth Freeman]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Design assistant|Design Assistant]] - [[Bob Steer]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Costume dresser|Dressers]] - [[Sheila Parkinson]], [[Mervin Bezar]], [[Michael Chard]], [[Steve Cornish]], [[Mark Creed]], [[Tony Mannings]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Grams operator|Grams Operator]] - [[Gerry Borrows|Jerry Borrows]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistants]] - [[Renny Tasker]], [[Sue Williams]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Errol Ryan]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[O.B. lighting|O.B. Lighting]] - [[Tommy Thomas]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Film camera assistant|Film Camera Assistant]] - [[John Sennett]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Electronic effects|Electronic Effects]] - [[Dave Chapman]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[Shirley Coward]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Props buyer|Props Buyer]] - [[Brenda Barker]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Film operations manager|Film Operations Manager]] - [[Ian Brindle]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Film operative|Film Operatives]] - [[John Francis]], [[Alan Twine]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Grip]]s - [[Roy Caney]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Engineering co-ordinator|Engineering Co-Ordinators]] - [[Trevor Gibbs]], [[Bob Newton]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[OB engineering manager|OB Engineering Manager]] - [[Bob Wade]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Make-up assistant|Make-Up Assistants]] - [[Norma Hill]], [[Vicky Pocock]], [[Vanessa Poulton]], [[Karen Sherrie-Morton]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Visual effects assistant|Effects Assistant]] - [[Chris Lawson]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Senior cameraman|Senior Cameraman]] - [[Jim Atkinson]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[OB cameraman|OB Cameramen]] - [[David Goutier]], [[Alan Hayward]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Film sound assistant|Film Sound Assistant]] - [[Patrick Quirke]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Joy Sinclair]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Invasion of Time'')
 
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Gallifreyan artefacts ===
* The [[Sash of Rassilon]], the [[Rod of Rassilon]], [[the Great Key]] and the [[Crown of Rassilon]] are all Artefacts of Rassilon given to a Gallifreyan President when he is elected.
 
=== Gallifreyan weapons ===
* [[Iridium alloy]] is used in the construction of the de-mat gun.
 
=== History From the real world ===
* The Doctor tells Borusa that he had "nothing to do with" the sinking of the ''[[Titanic]]''. However, several of his later incarnations would indeed find themselves on the ship, including [[Ninth Doctor]] who apparently "ended up clinging to [the] iceberg", commentating that "it wasn't half cold." ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of the World (TV story)|The End of the World]]'')
 
=== K9 ===
* Whilst in the TARDIS, the Doctor offers K9 a [[ball bearing]].
 
=== Literature from the real world ===
* Borusa reads a copy of the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' from [[1912]].
 
=== Music from the real world ===
* The Doctor whistles the [[Colonel Bogey March]].
 
=== Planets and timeline ===
* The Doctor discusses [[Quasar Five]], [[Riga (The Invasion of Time)|Riga]], [[Simian Empire]] second dynasty and [[Earth]] 073 period architecture with Kelner.
* A [[Thessorian Empire]] is mentioned.
 
=== Psychic powers ===
* Borusa taught the Doctor advanced techniques of [[telepathy]].
 
=== Spacecraft ===
* The Vardans and the Sontarans approach Gallifrey in a [[Sontaran assault ship]].
 
== Story notes ==
* Even though [[Louise Jameson]] was adamant that this would be her last story and [[Romana|a new companion]] had been developed, [[Graham Williams]] remained optimistic that he could persuade her to stay. As such, he gave little thought to Leela's departure because he was anticipating a last-minute rewrite to retain her. He tried to persuade right up to the studio recording, until it turned out that she'd accepted a stage role (Portia in a production of Shakespeare’s ''The Merchant of Venice''), meaning that she couldn't appear in [[Season 16 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 16]] anyway. This resulted in Leela's exit being abrupt, much to Jameson's displeasure.
* The Sontarans return in this story, making it their third appearance on TV and their last (save flashbacks) until ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]''.
* [[Stan McGowan]] (Vardan) is credited as "Vardan Leader" in ''Radio Times''.
* [[Christopher Tranchell]] (Andred) has his first name billed as "Christopher" on-screen for parts one and two; and as "Chris" on-screen for parts three to six, and in ''Radio Times'' for all episodes.
* [[Rodan]] is the first female Gallifreyan to appear on screen since [[Susan Foreman]] more than a decade earlier.
* According to ''[[Into the Unknown (documentary)|Into the Unknown]]'', a featurette on the DVD release of the preceding story, ''[[Underworld (TV story)|Underworld]]'', the budget on that story was so tight consideration was given to cancelling it and allotting the story's budget to ''The Invasion of Time''.
* This story provides one of the most extensive views of the interior of the TARDIS ever provided on television. As in ''[[The Masque of Mandragora (TV story)|The Masque of Mandragora]]'', the deep TARDIS interior is shown to be an eclectic combination of rooms with highly variable designs, such as an indoor swimming pool and an industrial building. The interior TARDIS became much more homogenised after this. In the [[John Nathan-Turner]] era, the TARDIS interior greatly resembled the [[TARDIS console room|console room]], with white, [[roundel]]ed walls throughout. ([[TV]]: ''[[Castrovalva (TV story)|Castrovalva]]'', et al.) Such an extensive exploration of the TARDIS interior would not be undertaken again until the 2013 television story ''[[Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (TV story)|Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS]]''.
* This story replaced the cancelled ''[[Killers of the Dark]]'' story.
* Working titles for this story included ''The Invaders of Time''.<ref>http://www.shannonsullivan.com/doctorwho/serials/4z.html</ref>
* Leela was supposed to be killed off in this episode, dying defending the Doctor against the Sontarans. Ultimately, [[Graham Williams]] and [[Anthony Read]] felt that this would traumatise children. [[Louise Jameson]] would have much preferred this exit, as she was unhappy with the one she got.
* [[Robert Holmes]] was supposed to write this story, but he declined, not wanting to return to the series having just left his post as script editor. He did suggest that the first four episodes focus on Gallifrey and the last two feature the Sontarans.
* Initially, it was revealed that the Time Lords were not native Gallifreyans, but rather had been permitted to construct their Citadel there in return for ensuring that the planet's populace lived in total comfort and security. It was these indigenous Gallifreyans that Leela met following her banishment.
* The Doctor's actions as President originally threw the Time Lords into open civil war, and part two ended with several rebellious Time Lords threatening to execute the Doctor (much as Andred does in the part three cliffhanger of the finished serial).
* The Vardans were originally going to betray the Doctor, ordering his annihilation at the close of part three.
* [[Angus MacKay]] was unable to reprise his role as {{Arnatt}} from ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'', so [[John Arnatt]] took over. The character’s two subsequent appearances would also see different actors in the role: [[Leonard Sachs]] ([[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]) and [[Philip Latham]] ([[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]).
* [[Graham Williams]] loved the Sontarans, hence their reappearance.
* [[Gerald Blake]] had previously directed ''[[The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)|The Abominable Snowmen]]''. He recalled chastising a typically badly behaved [[Tom Baker]] by saying, "I remember when you were [[Patrick Troughton]]".
* Following the troubled shoot, [[Graham Williams]] sent a memo to his superiors that in future, all directors would take the show seriously.
* The closing credits of parts three, four, and six feature the return of the section of the ''Doctor Who'' theme commonly called the "Middle Eight", this sequence not having been heard since the early [[Jon Pertwee]] era.
* The production team considered writing K9 out of the show altogether at the end of the serial due to the technical problems caused by the prop.
* In rehearsals, [[Louise Jameson]] and [[Christopher Tranchell]] tried to introduce additional moments of tenderness between Leela and Andred in order to make Leela's exit more credible.
* [[Roger Murray-Leach]] was supposed to work as production designer in order to maintain continuity with ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'', but he was unavailable. [[Barbara Gosnold]] took his place.
* [[Graham Williams]] was unhappy with [[Derek Deadman]]'s choice of accent for Commander Stor, and the actor refused to heed the producer's request to modify it.
* The giant plant which consumed the Sontaran trooper inspired [[Tom Baker]] to suggest that his next companion should be a talking [[cabbage]], to whom he could explain the plot as it perched on the Doctor's shoulder.
* [[Graham Williams]] suggested the alias “Richard Thomas”, after his young son, but Head of Serials [[Graeme MacDonald]] requested that “David Agnew” receive the credit. This was a ''nom de plume'' used on a variety of BBC programmes dating back to 1971, and would be used again for the [[Douglas Adams]]/Graham Williams rewrite of [[David Fisher (writer)|David Fisher]]’s ''The Gamble With Time'', which was broadcast under the title [[City of Death (TV story)|''City of Death'']].
* [[Graham Williams]] had planned for [[Season 16 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 16]] to explore more of the TARDIS interior. He used that idea in this serial.
=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 11.2 million viewers
* Part two - 11.4 million viewers
* Part three - 9.5 million viewers
* Part four - 10.9 million viewers
* Part five - 10.3 million viewers
* Part six - 9.8 million viewers
 
=== Myths ===
* [[Rodan]] was the prototype for [[Romana I]]. Related rumours include actress [[Hilary Ryan]] being unavailable for the following season, which resulted in Romana being created as a replacement for Rodan.
 
=== Filming locations ===
* Beachfields Quarry, Cormongers Lane, Redhill, Surrey
* St Anne's Hospital, Redstone Hill, Redhill, Surrey
* British Oxygen, Blacks Road, Hammersmith
* [[Bray Studios]], Slough
* [[BBC Television Centre]] (TC8), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
 
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* When the Doctor hops down the corridor in part two, he knocks the camera as he goes past.
* When the Doctor is on the spaceship at the beginning of the story, he has his hat and [[The Doctor's scarf|scarf]] with him but when he enters the TARDIS, they are on the hatstand, and not being worn by the Doctor.
* In one scene there is a dirt mark one side of the Doctor's face, but in the next scene it is on the other side of his face.
* In the end scene of part four Commander Stor holds his gun between his fingers, but at the start of part five his grip is different.
* In part five, when Commander Stor is attempting to get Kelner to widen the gap in the Citadel's force field, the mesh in his helmet's eye holes is missing, leaving his actual eyes clearly visible.
* When K9 blasts the guard protecting the transduction barrier equipment, the guard drops his staser as he falls, and the gun breaks apart as it hits the floor.
* The Sontaran costumes were cumbersome and limited the field of vision of the actors wearing them, so much so that they are often seen tripping through and over props. At one point, a Sontaran (played by [[Stuart Fell]]) nearly takes a fall after missing a short jump and landing on a pool chair. As the aliens originate on a planet of notably high gravity, however, their clumsiness is easily explained.
 
== Continuity ==
* Andred uses the term "[[Relative Time]]", which previously appeared in [[TV]]: {{cs|Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)}}.
* The Doctor assuming the Presidency is a direct consequence of putting himself up for the position as a ploy during a previous trip to Gallifrey. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'')
* The Doctor brings Leela to Gallifrey, although he had previously shown reluctance to bring an outsider there. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'')
* Leela complains about the lack of her [[janis thorn]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Face of Evil (TV story)|The Face of Evil]]'' et al.)
 
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
* Region 2 (PAL) [[5 May (releases)|5 May]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]]
* Region 4 (PAL) [[3 July (releases)|3 July]] 2008
* Region 1 (NTSC) [[2 September (releases)|2 September]] 2008
 
==== Special features ====
* Commentary by [[Louise Jameson]] ([[Leela]]), [[John Leeson]] ([[K9 Mark I|K-9]]), [[Anthony Read]] (Writer) and [[Mat Irvine]] (Visual Effects Designer)
* ''[[Out of Time (documentary)|Out of Time]]'' - The cast and crew look back at the making of this story, featuring [[Christopher Tranchell|Chris Tranchell]] ([[Andred]]), [[Milton Johns]] ([[Kelner|Castellan Kelner]]) and [[Colin Mapson]] (Visual Effects Designer)
* ''[[The Rise and Fall of Gallifrey (documentary)|The Rise and Fall of Gallifrey]]'' - A look at how the portrayal of the [[Time Lord]]s and [[Gallifrey|their home planet]] has changed over the years
* ''[[The Elusive David Agnew (documentary)|The Elusive David Agnew]]'' - Script editors [[Terrance Dicks]] and Anthony Read try to find out who really wrote ''The Invasion of Time'' (in actuality, "David Agnew" was a house pseudonym used by several ''[[Doctor Who]]'' writers)
* Deleted Scenes - From the film sequences for Parts Five and Six
* Optional CGI effects - New CGI effects to accompany this story
* Continuity - [[BBC One|BBC1]] continuity announcements from 1978
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Billings - Artwork and articles for this story from the ''Radio Times'' (PDF DVD-ROM)
* Photo Gallery - A selection of rare production photos from this story
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[K9 Tales]]''
* Production Information Subtitles
* [[Easter Egg]]: Bonus interview in which Visual Effects Designer Colin Mapson discusses the [[Crown of Rassilon]]. To access this hidden feature, press left at ''Radio Times'' Listings on Disc Two to reveal a hidden ''Doctor Who'' logo.
 
Notes:
* Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="180">
File:The Invasion of Time DVD UK cover.jpg|DVD Region 2 UK cover
File:The Invasion of Time DVD Australian cover.jpg|DVD Region 4 Australian cover
File:The Invasion of Time DVD US cover.jpg|DVD Region 1 US cover
</gallery>
 
==== Boxed set release ====
This story was re-released in the ''[[Bred for War]]'' DVD boxset on [[5 May (releases)|5 May]] alongside all the classic series Sontaran stories (''[[The Time Warrior (TV story)|The Time Warrior]]'', ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'', ''[[The Invasion of Time (TV story)|The Invasion of Time]]'' and ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]''). The DVD is the same as the one sold separately. It was released [[8 July (releases)|8 July]] in [[Australia]].
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="180">
File:Bred for War.jpg|DVD Region 2 UK cover
Bred for War The Sontaran Collection.jpg|DVD Region 4 AUS cover
</gallery>
 
=== VHS releases ===
This story was released as ''Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time''.
 
Released:
* [[UK]] March 2000 (Double tape set)
* [[Australia]] August 2000 (Single tape set)
* [[US]] August 2000 (Same as UK edition)
<u>Note:</u> For all VHS releases, the video sleeve credited Louise Jameson as well as Tom Baker.<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="120">
File:The Invasion of Time VHS Australian cover.jpg|VHS Australian cover
File:The Invasion of Time VHS US cover.jpg|VHS US cover
</gallery>
 
== External links ==
* {{bbcepguideclassic|invasiontime/|The Invasion of Time}} (with video clips)
* {{radiotimes|2010-12-06/the-invasion-of-time}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_4z.htm|The Invasion of Time}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/4z.html|The Invasion of Time}}
* {{locguide|invasionoftime|The Invasion of Time}}
* {{library|display.asp?871|Video|The Invasion of Time}}
* {{library|display.asp?485|Novelisation|The Invasion of Time}}
* {{library|display.asp?1731|DVD|The Invasion of Time}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Vardan stories}}
{{Sontaran stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[de:The Invasion of Time]]
[[es:The Invasion of Time]]
[[ru:Временное вторжение]]
 
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Sontaran television stories]]
[[Category:Television stories set on Gallifrey]]
[[Category:Stories set in the Rassilon Era]]
[[Category:1978 television stories]]
[[Category:K9 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 15 stories]]
[[Category:Time Lord television stories]]
[[Category:Six part serials]]
[[Category:Vardan stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:07, 3 November 2024

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The Invasion of Time was the sixth and final serial of season 15 of Doctor Who. It made extensive use of the TARDIS interior and added to the mythology of Gallifrey. It featured the final regular appearances of Louise Jameson as Leela as well as the final appearance of K9 Mark I — although it also immediately implied that the Doctor was merely replacing K9 with a new model.

Its script was a last-minute replacement, written quickly by Read and Williams when the original season-ender by David Weir was abandoned. Contemporary viewers of the programme who participated in the Doctor Who Appreciation Society's season 15 poll voted it the best story of the season. (REF: The Fourth Doctor Handbook) Narratively, it established that Sontarans were a major, credible threat to the Time Lords, carrying through on a foreshadowing reference in their first appearance in The Time Warrior. It laid the groundwork for future Sontaran stories, including their pursuit of time travel in The Two Doctors and their knowledge of Gallifrey's demise in The Sontaran Stratagem.

The fact that Leela remains on Gallifrey with K9 Mark I and she appears to intend to marry Andred forms the basis for many Big Finish stories in both The Companion Chronicles and Gallifrey audio series. This story is also the ostensible link between Doctor Who and the Australian K9 series, since the K9 at the beginning of Regeneration appears to be the Mark I, who then "regenerates" into the model seen throughout that programme.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor returns to Gallifrey, claims his rights and is crowned President. It soon turns out that he has led a group of aliens called Vardans to the planet to eradicate them completely. After they are destroyed, the Sontarans take their opportunity and follow them in their invasion until they are destroyed by the Doctor.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

"I never sign anything before I've read it."

The Fourth Doctor meets a group of aliens in space and returns to Gallifrey, bringing Leela and K9 with him. He is behaving very strangely, and when the Chancellery Guard under their Commander, Andred, arrive at the Panopticon Chamber to interrogate him, the Doctor demands to be taken to Chancellor Borusa, who is now in charge of the Time Lords.

The Doctor claims the vacant Presidency of Gallifrey, having been a candidate. After the demise of Chancellor Goth, he is elected automatically. The aliens watch him keenly, stating that they have chosen well. The Doctor chooses a presidential chamber and asks it be redecorated with lead lining throughout. Shortly afterward, a ceremony is held to swear him in as President of Gallifrey, and he is presented with the trappings of office. However, when the circlet connecting him to the Matrix, repository of all Time Lord knowledge, is placed on his head, the Doctor collapses in pain...

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

The Doctor falling during his coronation as President.

The Doctor is taken to the Chancellery to rest and recover. When he regains consciousness, he reminds the Time Lords that no aliens are allowed on Gallifrey and instructs that Leela be expelled from the Capitol Citadel, where she will have to fend in the wastelands.

She tries to avoid banishment, but the Doctor insists as president. The Doctor retreats to the TARDIS, where he shares a secret plan with K9. He is obviously very concerned about the situation in which he has found himself. Meanwhile, Leela meets Rodan, and they find that a massive warship is moving towards Gallifrey.

The Doctor is planning to aid an invasion of Gallifrey itself. To this end he sets about destroying the transduction barrier that shields the planet from external threat. K9 sets about this task while the Doctor returns to the Panopticon, the great hall of the Time Lords. He laughs cruelly as three alien beings start to materialise...

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

Leela and Rodan explore the wastes.

The invading beings are known as Vardans. They appear as shimmering manifestations who made an alliance with the Doctor some time ago. The Doctor advises the Time Lords, including the stubborn Borusa, to submit to their new and powerful masters. He asks Borusa to meet him in his office, where the Doctor explains he had the lead walls installed to prevent the Vardans entering the room on thought waves and reading his mind. He hadn't told the other Time Lords because their minds are too single-minded, and the Vardans would be able to hear them. He sent Leela away to protect her and can now work with Borusa to defeat the Vardan threat.

A new problem has emerged, however, with the ascendancy of the obsequious and compliant Castellan Kelner. He is being far too co-operative with the Vardan occupation. The toadying yet ambitious Castellan soon has Borusa placed under house arrest and starts expelling trouble-making Time Lords from the safety of the Capitol.

Leela has kept her faith in the Doctor. She decides that if he wishes her to leave the Capitol it is with good reason, so she departs for the wastelands. She is accompanied by Rodan. They are welcomed warily by a tribe of Outsiders who have rejected Time Lord society and live in the wastelands. Their leader, Nesbin, explains some of the background to his tribe. Back in the Capitol, however, things are looking grim for the Doctor when Andred corners him and decides to execute him in the name of liberty...

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

The Doctor consults the Matrix.

K9 helps the Doctor overpower Andred. The Doctor explains the danger and abilities of the Vardans to Andred, with his TARDIS providing a shield to his thoughts. The Doctor is hoping to persuade the Vardans to fully materialise so that he can find their planet and time loop it. Leela has also organised her own resistance movement in the wastelands, comprising Nesbin's people and the exiled Time Lords, all of whom are drilled into a fighting force which soon launches an assault on the Capitol.

Meanwhile, the aliens and Kelner have decided the Doctor is behaving in an untrustworthy manner. The Doctor reaffirms his loyalty to them by agreeing to dismantle the final force field protecting Gallifrey from attack. He does not fully disable it, but rather places a large hole in it. The Vardans use the hole to properly invade Gallifrey and appear as humanoid warriors. In space, a ship approaches Gallifrey. Their manifestation enables K9 to track down their home planet and supply the Doctor with the correct co-ordinates.

A spaceship approaches Gallifrey.

He uses this to beam the Vardans back to their home world and then traps it in a time loop at the same time Leela and her warriors reach the Panopticon.

When the Doctor is giving a celebratory speech to everyone in the Panopticon, everyone but the Doctor becomes silent, while the Doctor looks confused. Looking behind him, he sees three Sontaran soldiers. The leader raises his gun...

Part five[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gallifrey has now been invaded by the Sontarans, led by Commander Stor, who reveal that they used the Vardans to open up the force field to let them in and have served their purpose. The Doctor and his party escape to the President's office, while Kelner pledges support to the invaders. Borusa has placed titanium alloy on the door to reinforce it. The Sontarans are delayed while the Doctor and his party escape through another exit.

The Doctor uses his freedom to try to pressure Borusa into revealing to him the location of the Great Key of Rassilon, a missing item of the Presidential regalia. On the way back to the TARDIS, Nesbin is killed by a Sontaran. The Doctor looks for the Great Key in a large group of keys, and Borusa pulls it out of a drawer keyhole. Meanwhile, the Sontarans have been trying to get Kelner to widen the gap in the force field.

They then regroup at the TARDIS where Rodan is put to work using the TARDIS's controls to repair the hole in the force field, while the Doctor explains that the Sontarans want domination over all universes and all time. However, Kelner imperils their resistance when he manipulates the stabiliser banks of the Doctor's TARDIS to try to destroy the resistance force within by hurling them to the heart of a black star...

Part six[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor presents the de-mat gun.

The Doctor overrides the threat, so their enemies change tactics. Commander Stor and one of his troopers, assisted by Castellan Kelner, gain access to the Doctor's TARDIS. They pursue the Doctor and his friends through the labyrinth of corridors. Stor is after the Great Key too, knowing the Doctor has now persuaded Borusa to yield it to him. The Doctor uses distractions to buy time. On the Doctor's instruction, a hypnotised Rodan and K9 construct a special forbidden Time Lord weapon: the De-mat Gun. Powered by the Great Key itself, the de-mat gun erases its victims from time itself. The Doctor takes the gun and confronts Stor in the Panopticon. Stor intends to destroy the galaxy, and the Time Lords and Sontarans with it, with a grenade, but the blast is cancelled out by the Doctor using the de-mat gun. It obliterates Stor, wipes the Doctor's mind of recent events, and also destroys itself. Kelner is arrested and Borusa begins the process of rebuilding Gallifrey.

The Doctor is ready to leave, but Leela decides to stay on Gallifrey because she has fallen in love with Commander Andred. K9 decides to stay behind to look after Leela, and they both watch as the TARDIS dematerialises. Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor pushes out a box labelled "K9 MII." He grins mischievously.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gallifreyan artefacts[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gallifreyan weapons[[edit] | [edit source]]

History From the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor tells Borusa that he had "nothing to do with" the sinking of the Titanic. However, several of his later incarnations would indeed find themselves on the ship, including Ninth Doctor who apparently "ended up clinging to [the] iceberg", commentating that "it wasn't half cold." (TV: The End of the World)

K9[[edit] | [edit source]]

Literature from the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Music from the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Planets and timeline[[edit] | [edit source]]

Psychic powers[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Borusa taught the Doctor advanced techniques of telepathy.

Spacecraft[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • Even though Louise Jameson was adamant that this would be her last story and a new companion had been developed, Graham Williams remained optimistic that he could persuade her to stay. As such, he gave little thought to Leela's departure because he was anticipating a last-minute rewrite to retain her. He tried to persuade right up to the studio recording, until it turned out that she'd accepted a stage role (Portia in a production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice), meaning that she couldn't appear in Season 16 anyway. This resulted in Leela's exit being abrupt, much to Jameson's displeasure.
  • The Sontarans return in this story, making it their third appearance on TV and their last (save flashbacks) until The Two Doctors.
  • Stan McGowan (Vardan) is credited as "Vardan Leader" in Radio Times.
  • Christopher Tranchell (Andred) has his first name billed as "Christopher" on-screen for parts one and two; and as "Chris" on-screen for parts three to six, and in Radio Times for all episodes.
  • Rodan is the first female Gallifreyan to appear on screen since Susan Foreman more than a decade earlier.
  • According to Into the Unknown, a featurette on the DVD release of the preceding story, Underworld, the budget on that story was so tight consideration was given to cancelling it and allotting the story's budget to The Invasion of Time.
  • This story provides one of the most extensive views of the interior of the TARDIS ever provided on television. As in The Masque of Mandragora, the deep TARDIS interior is shown to be an eclectic combination of rooms with highly variable designs, such as an indoor swimming pool and an industrial building. The interior TARDIS became much more homogenised after this. In the John Nathan-Turner era, the TARDIS interior greatly resembled the console room, with white, roundeled walls throughout. (TV: Castrovalva, et al.) Such an extensive exploration of the TARDIS interior would not be undertaken again until the 2013 television story Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.
  • This story replaced the cancelled Killers of the Dark story.
  • Working titles for this story included The Invaders of Time.[1]
  • Leela was supposed to be killed off in this episode, dying defending the Doctor against the Sontarans. Ultimately, Graham Williams and Anthony Read felt that this would traumatise children. Louise Jameson would have much preferred this exit, as she was unhappy with the one she got.
  • Robert Holmes was supposed to write this story, but he declined, not wanting to return to the series having just left his post as script editor. He did suggest that the first four episodes focus on Gallifrey and the last two feature the Sontarans.
  • Initially, it was revealed that the Time Lords were not native Gallifreyans, but rather had been permitted to construct their Citadel there in return for ensuring that the planet's populace lived in total comfort and security. It was these indigenous Gallifreyans that Leela met following her banishment.
  • The Doctor's actions as President originally threw the Time Lords into open civil war, and part two ended with several rebellious Time Lords threatening to execute the Doctor (much as Andred does in the part three cliffhanger of the finished serial).
  • The Vardans were originally going to betray the Doctor, ordering his annihilation at the close of part three.
  • Angus MacKay was unable to reprise his role as Borusa from The Deadly Assassin, so John Arnatt took over. The character’s two subsequent appearances would also see different actors in the role: Leonard Sachs (Arc of Infinity) and Philip Latham (The Five Doctors).
  • Graham Williams loved the Sontarans, hence their reappearance.
  • Gerald Blake had previously directed The Abominable Snowmen. He recalled chastising a typically badly behaved Tom Baker by saying, "I remember when you were Patrick Troughton".
  • Following the troubled shoot, Graham Williams sent a memo to his superiors that in future, all directors would take the show seriously.
  • The closing credits of parts three, four, and six feature the return of the section of the Doctor Who theme commonly called the "Middle Eight", this sequence not having been heard since the early Jon Pertwee era.
  • The production team considered writing K9 out of the show altogether at the end of the serial due to the technical problems caused by the prop.
  • In rehearsals, Louise Jameson and Christopher Tranchell tried to introduce additional moments of tenderness between Leela and Andred in order to make Leela's exit more credible.
  • Roger Murray-Leach was supposed to work as production designer in order to maintain continuity with The Deadly Assassin, but he was unavailable. Barbara Gosnold took his place.
  • Graham Williams was unhappy with Derek Deadman's choice of accent for Commander Stor, and the actor refused to heed the producer's request to modify it.
  • The giant plant which consumed the Sontaran trooper inspired Tom Baker to suggest that his next companion should be a talking cabbage, to whom he could explain the plot as it perched on the Doctor's shoulder.
  • Graham Williams suggested the alias “Richard Thomas”, after his young son, but Head of Serials Graeme MacDonald requested that “David Agnew” receive the credit. This was a nom de plume used on a variety of BBC programmes dating back to 1971, and would be used again for the Douglas Adams/Graham Williams rewrite of David Fisher’s The Gamble With Time, which was broadcast under the title City of Death.
  • Graham Williams had planned for Season 16 to explore more of the TARDIS interior. He used that idea in this serial.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 11.2 million viewers
  • Part two - 11.4 million viewers
  • Part three - 9.5 million viewers
  • Part four - 10.9 million viewers
  • Part five - 10.3 million viewers
  • Part six - 9.8 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Rodan was the prototype for Romana I. Related rumours include actress Hilary Ryan being unavailable for the following season, which resulted in Romana being created as a replacement for Rodan.

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

  • Beachfields Quarry, Cormongers Lane, Redhill, Surrey
  • St Anne's Hospital, Redstone Hill, Redhill, Surrey
  • British Oxygen, Blacks Road, Hammersmith
  • Bray Studios, Slough
  • BBC Television Centre (TC8), 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.
  • When the Doctor hops down the corridor in part two, he knocks the camera as he goes past.
  • When the Doctor is on the spaceship at the beginning of the story, he has his hat and scarf with him but when he enters the TARDIS, they are on the hatstand, and not being worn by the Doctor.
  • In one scene there is a dirt mark one side of the Doctor's face, but in the next scene it is on the other side of his face.
  • In the end scene of part four Commander Stor holds his gun between his fingers, but at the start of part five his grip is different.
  • In part five, when Commander Stor is attempting to get Kelner to widen the gap in the Citadel's force field, the mesh in his helmet's eye holes is missing, leaving his actual eyes clearly visible.
  • When K9 blasts the guard protecting the transduction barrier equipment, the guard drops his staser as he falls, and the gun breaks apart as it hits the floor.
  • The Sontaran costumes were cumbersome and limited the field of vision of the actors wearing them, so much so that they are often seen tripping through and over props. At one point, a Sontaran (played by Stuart Fell) nearly takes a fall after missing a short jump and landing on a pool chair. As the aliens originate on a planet of notably high gravity, however, their clumsiness is easily explained.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Andred uses the term "Relative Time", which previously appeared in TV: Genesis of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)"].
  • The Doctor assuming the Presidency is a direct consequence of putting himself up for the position as a ploy during a previous trip to Gallifrey. (TV: The Deadly Assassin)
  • The Doctor brings Leela to Gallifrey, although he had previously shown reluctance to bring an outsider there. (TV: The Hand of Fear)
  • Leela complains about the lack of her janis thorns. (TV: The Face of Evil et al.)

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

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

Special features[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes:

Boxed set release[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was re-released in the Bred for War DVD boxset on 5 May alongside all the classic series Sontaran stories (The Time Warrior, The Sontaran Experiment, The Invasion of Time and The Two Doctors). The DVD is the same as the one sold separately. It was released 8 July in Australia.

VHS releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was released as Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time.

Released:

  • UK March 2000 (Double tape set)
  • Australia August 2000 (Single tape set)
  • US August 2000 (Same as UK edition)

Note: For all VHS releases, the video sleeve credited Louise Jameson as well as Tom Baker.

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]