The Time Monster (TV story)

The Time Monster was the fifth and final story of Season 9. It featured another explanation of the destruction of Atlantis (1967's The Underwater Menace and 1971's The Dæmons also offered explanations). This was also the penultimate serial to feature Roger Delgado as the Master and was the last story to feature the Master on "present day" Earth against the Doctor and UNIT. In addition to his use of hypnosis, the Master also demonstrated a newly seen ability to perfectly imitate another person's voice.

This story marked the debut of the first redesign for the TARDIS console room, which was shared for both the Third Doctor's and the Master's respective TARDIS interiors. It featured heavy alterations to the original roundel design of the TARDIS interior set that had remained in use since 1963, and a new time rotor prop. However, the exaggerated roundel design was subjected to criticism and suffered heavy damage during the filming break between Season 9 and Season 10, necessitating the disposal of the new set and the construction of a second redesign that would appear in the upcoming season.

Synopsis

The Master, in the guise of Professor Thascalos, has constructed at the Newton Institute in Wootton a device known as TOMTIT - Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time - to gain control over Kronos, a creature from outside time. The creature is summoned but proves to be uncontrollable.

Plot

Episode 1

The Doctor sits before the Master, who stands next to a crystal, laughing. Explosions resound.

In UNIT HQ, Jo wakes the Doctor. He enquires if there have been any reports of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes lately.

Elsewhere, The Master - or Professor Thascalos, as he calls himself - holds the crystal the Doctor saw in his dream. He's in a laboratory at the Newton Institute, working with Dr. Ruth Ingram. The crystal, the Master claims, is no different than any other piece of quartz, yet it is. Stuart Hyde, a co-worker, enters. The Master leaves them to conduct further experiments. After he has left, Ruth says she doesn't know which is more annoying: "his dictatorial manner or that infernal courtesy of his."

At UNIT HQ, Mike Yates points out the Thera islands, where the quakes have struck. Jo mentions Atlantis, telling the Doctor that Thera is reputedly its location. The Doctor talks to the Brigadier on the phone and tells him to put out a warning to every UNIT section and HQ, because of a dream he had about a half hour ago. He says he is too busy to see the TOMTIT demonstration at the Newton Institute, so Benton is asked to go instead.

At the institute, the Master hypnotises the Director, Dr. Charles Percival, into believing him about his TOMTIT experiments and his credentials. In the lab, Ruth and Stu decided to run the test without "the Professor". Outside, a window cleaner observes their efforts, having been distracted from his work.

The Master apologises to Ruth Ingram and Stuart Hyde for his outburst.

At UNIT HQ, the Doctor uses a time sensor to detect the Master. It shows a TARDIS in use. The experiment at the Institute shows the jar at one end disappearing and reappearing at the other. Looking at the clock outside his window, the Master notices it has slowed down. The experiment is causing an overload, but Ruth and Stu contain it. Outside, the window cleaner falls from his ladder.

The Doctor and Jo decide to follow the signal. They set off in Bessie. Back at the institute, the Master confronts Ruth and Stu, berating them for their foolishness. They tell him about the overload and he tells them they were drawing power from outside time itself. Stu looks out the window; a convoy is approaching with a UNIT Jeep in it. The Master tells Ruth and Stu to leave him to his work.

The Doctor and Jo realise that the signal must be coming from Wootton, where the institute is. Using Bessie's super-drive function, they speed along. UNIT arrive at the institute and find the window cleaner, alive but injured.

The Brigadier, Benton, Dr. Cook, his aide Proctor and Percival enter the control room with Ruth at the research station. Cook complains about his pheasant lunch and expenditures. The Master enters in a radiation suit, his features hidden.

The test begins and Ruth warns the Master that the power is overloading. Stu is in the crystal room. He gets too much power and can't control it. He calls to them to switch off. Ruth shouts the warning at the Master. The Master only yells out, "Come, Kronos, come!!!"

Episode 2

Stu aged into an old man.

The Doctor and Jo arrive in Bessie. Jo seems to freeze. The Doctor runs to the laboratory, where he orders Ruth to reverse the polarity and cut the power. They go to help Stu, only to find he has been aged to an eighty year old man.

Different theories are suggested - radiation and a change in metabolism, both of which the Doctor denies. The Brigadier points out that the only thing that makes people age naturally is the passing of time; the Doctor realises this is the explanation - Stu's personal time has been vastly accelerated. They learn that Professor Thascalos is the Master - Thascalos is Greek for Master.

Stu wakes up and starts rambling. The Doctor demands he tell what he saw. With difficulty, Stu replies "Kronos!" The Doctor and Ruth go back to the laboratory whilst the Brigadier orders troops from UNIT, as well as the Doctor's TARDIS. He tells Percival to order an evacuation of the building of all but essential personnel by 3 o' clock.

Meanwhile, Ruth shows the Doctor the crystal. He explains that outside space-time live creatures called Chronovores, time eaters. Kronos is the most fearsome of the lot. The crystal is the original from Atlantis, which summoned Kronos. Long ago, in Ancient Atlantis, Kronos begins to stir.

Percival finds the Master in his study, and panics. The Master hypnotises him into not worrying and continues with his sums. Both the Doctor and the Master are confused about the earlier power build up, which logically shouldn't have happened. The Doctor discovers that the crystal has been moved through interstitial time. This means it really is the original crystal used to summon Kronos in Atlantis.

The Master tricks Benton out of the laboratory by faking instructions from the Brigadier. Benton, however, climbs back in through the window, having seen through the Master's ruse. The Master knocks him out and summons an Atlantean priest called Krasis.

Episode 3

Whilst the Master orders Krasis to give him the secret to controlling Kronos, Benton escapes and warns the Doctor. Kronos is summoned and devours Percival. The Brigadier, Benton and Ruth run towards the lab and begin to run in slow motion. The Doctor notices what is happening and pulls them out of the time field. Stu's ageing is suddenly reversed, returning his age to twenty-five. The Doctor orders them all back inside.

The Master returns Kronos to the crystal, which Krasis claims is but a portion of the original. In Atlantis, Hippias asks Lord Dalios if the time has come for Kronos to return at last. Dalios is old enough to remember the time of Kronos and fears his return. He shows Hippias the true crystal, which is guarded by a "horrible" creature.

The Doctor constructs a device out of assorted items.

The Doctor cobbles together a time flow analog, which works like jamming a radio signal. It works, until the Master uses the TOMTIT device to overload it. He sets about delaying the convoy from UNIT, using a medieval knight, a troop of Roundheads, and finally, a German V1 "doodlebug" bomb. The Brigadier, Jo and the Doctor watch as the bomb explodes where the convoy is.

Episode 4

The Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier go to meet the convoy. Fortunately they are unharmed. Ruth, Stu and Benton go to the laboratory to stop the Master. The Doctor and Jo follow in the Doctor's TARDIS, using the time sensor as a homing device and placing the Doctor's TARDIS inside the Master's.

The Doctor explains that if the frequency of the two TARDISes is too high, even by a fraction, a Time Ram will occur resulting in utter annihilation. This does not dissuade Jo, so they take off.

The Doctor's TARDIS inside the Master's TARDIS.

They end up stuck in a space loop with the Master's TARDIS - if they enter one, they come out into the other. The UNIT convoy arrives at the Institute, but the Master freezes them in space-time. Krasis and he escape into the TARDIS, leaving Benton, Ruth and Stu trapped inside the building. As this is going on, the Master taunts the Doctor, pointing out that he could easily throw his enemy into the Time Vortex and refusing to listen to the Doctor. When the Doctor forces the sound of his voice through to the Master's TARDIS, the Master feeds the words back to him and makes them come out as garbled nonsense.

In the lab, Ruth and Stu try to turn off the machine. It has no effect on the Brigadier and his men, who are still frozen, and Benton is regressed in age to a baby.

With no other options, the Doctor orders Jo to close the door behind him when he steps into the Master's TARDIS. Yet again the Master refuses to listen to reason and summons Kronos, who devours the Doctor. The Master sends Kronos back into the crystal and breaks the lock on the Doctor's TARDIS, sending it and Jo tumbling through the Vortex.

Episode 5

Jo hears the Doctor calling to her, along with many other whispering voices. He explains they are his subconscious thoughts and tells her not to listen too closely. The TARDIS is relaying his thoughts to Jo; she follows his instructions and pulls a red handle on the third control panel, allowing the TARDIS to pull the Doctor out of the Vortex.

In Atlantis, Dalios holds court. Hippias speaks to the king, saying the people wish for the blessings their ancestors enjoyed under Kronos. Dalios tries to convince his people that Kronos was a curse. The Master arrives in his TARDIS, bringing Krasis with him. Krasis says he has seen Kronos. Dalios takes the Master and Krasis with him to discuss the matter.

Later in the courtyard, the TARDIS materialises. The Doctor and Jo are confronted by Hippias and Krasis, who calls the guards. The Doctor and Jo are taken to the king.

"Good afternoon. Now where have I seen that face before?"

The Master tries to hypnotise Dalios but fails. He is sent away, and to his surprise sees the Doctor and Jo being brought to the king. The Doctor and Jo meet the king, and Jo is brought to Galleia. The king asks for the Doctor's help to save Atlantis. Galleia and the Master meet to discuss the crystal, with Jo eavesdropping on their conversation. The crystal is in a maze guarded by the Minotaur. Galleia sends Hippias to retrieve the crystal. Jo follows them while Lakis goes to tell the king and the Doctor. Krasis catches Jo and puts her in the maze. She hears a loud roaring...

Episode 6

Hippias saves Jo from the Minotaur but is killed in the process. The Doctor arrives and bull fights the Minotaur. It falls in a pit, breaking open a wall to a hidden chamber.

The Doctor and Jo discover the Crystal of Kronos.

The Doctor and Jo find the Crystal of Kronos waiting inside the secret room, but are caught by Krasis, who takes the crystal. The Doctor demands to be taken to the king and is taken to — the Master, who has taken over with Galleia's help. The Doctor and Jo are imprisoned. The Doctor tells Jo about his hermit friend. Dalios is put in the cell with them, and dies there.

Galleia presents the Master to the council. The Doctor and Jo are in attendance. The Master announces he will bring Kronos. Jo tells Galleia that the king is dead. Galleia orders the Master seized, but Krasis summons Kronos, whom the Master orders to destroy Atlantis. Jo tries to stop the Master but is taken to his TARDIS, which dematerialises. The Doctor escapes into his TARDIS. The Doctor contacts the Master and threatens him with a time ram. The Master calls his bluff, but the Doctor gives him one last chance. Jo pleads with the Doctor to do it, but when he says there's another way, Jo pushes the button, causing the time ram.

Both TARDISes are in a featureless place. Jo thinks they're dead but the Doctor isn't sure. Suddenly a large female face appears. She is Kronos, and was freed when the two TARDISes collided. She is grateful for the Doctor's help and plans to keep the Master to torment him. The Doctor asks to take the Master with them, and Kronos agrees. However, the Master makes a run for his TARDIS and escapes.

Back in the lab, Stu takes care of baby Benton while Ruth works on the machine. The TARDIS lands back in Cambridge. The machine finally releases the Brigadier and his men, then it overloads. The soldiers enter the room, believing the Master is still there, only to find him long gone. The Brigadier questions Jo's strange Atlantean getup, a spontaneous change from his point of view. However, Stu goes to check on the baby Benton, finding nothing but the clothes he shrank out of. Then, a man rises up from the floor. To everyone's surprise, Benton has returned back to his original age... only he's no longer sporting his uniform, but his birthday suit.

Cast

Dr. Who - Jon Pertwee
Jo Grant - Katy Manning
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
Sergeant Benton - John Levene
Captain Mike Yates - Richard Franklin
The Master - Roger Delgado
Dr. Ruth Ingram - Wanda Moore
Stuart Hyde - Ian Collier
Dr. Percival - John Wyse
Dr. Cook - Neville Barber
Proctor - Barry Ashton
Window cleaner - Terry Walsh
Krasis - Donald Eccles
Hippias - Aidan Murphy
Neophite - Keith Dalton
UNIT Sergeant - Simon Legree
Kronos - Marc Boyle
Dalios - George Cormack
Knight - Greg Powell
Roundhead officer - Dave Carter
Farmworker - George Lee
Galleia - Ingrid Pitt
Crito - Derek Murcott
Lakis - Susan Penhaligon
Miseus - Michael Walker
Guard - Melville Jones
Minotaur - Dave Prowse
Face of Kronos - Ingrid Bower

Uncredited Cast

Infant Benton - Darren Plant (DWM 268)

Crew

Assistant Floor Manager - Rosemary Hester
Costumes - Barbara Lane
Designer - Tim Gleeson
Film Cameraman - Peter Hamilton
Film Editor - Martyn Day
Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
Make-Up - Joan Barrett
Producer - Barry Letts
Production Assistant - Marion McDougall
Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
Special Sounds - Dick Mills
Studio Lighting - Derek Hobday
Studio Sound - Tony Millier
Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
Title Music - Ron Grainer
Visual Effects Designer - Michealjohn Harris

References

The Doctor

The Doctor's reaction times are ten times faster than those of a human.
The Doctor talks to Jo (while they're tied up) about his home: "When I was a little boy, we used to live in a house that was perched halfway up the top of a mountain. Behind our house, there sat under a tree an old man. A hermit, a monk. He'd lived under this tree for half his lifetime, so they said, and had learned the secret of life. So, when my black day came, I went and asked him to help me.'"
The Doctor asks Jo not to listen too closely to his subconscious thoughts, saying he's "...not all that proud of some of them". At least one of the voices seems to be humming thoughtlessly.

The Doctor's items

Bessie has brakes that absorb inertia, resulting in an instant, safe stop, even at high speeds. The Doctor has also installed a super drive which allows Bessie to reach extreme velocities.

Earth locations

Atlantis is destroyed.

Governments

The Seventh Enabling Act allows the Brigadier to take over from government forces.

Individuals

Kronos knows of the Doctor.
The Chronovore spares the Master.

The Master

The Master is capable of flawlessly imitating the voice of others, including the Brigadier.

TARDIS

The Doctor tells Jo the TARDIS has been redecorated. (The Master's TARDIS appears to have undergone a similar redecoration.)
Jo uses the Master's TARDIS to time ram the Doctor's (both the Doctor and the Master hesitated to start the time ram).
The perceived speed of a journey outside of space-time (i.e. in the Time Vortex) depends, according to the Doctor, on the mood of the TARDIS.

Temporal theory

The Doctor makes a time flow analog from a Moroccan burgundy bottle, spoons, forks, corks, key rings, tea leaves and a mug.
The Doctor gets ejected into the time vortex and speaks to Jo through the TARDIS telepathic circuits.
The Doctor has built a time sensor which detects disturbances in the time field.
The effect of the crystal ages Stuart by over fifty years.
Interstitial Time exists between each moment of time.

Transport technology

The TOMTIT machine works with assistance from the Master.

Culture

Stuart Hyde has a poster of Elton John in his room.

Story notes

During the Doctor's vision, the volcano stock footage used in the title sequence of the parallel Earth story TV: Inferno is re-used.
This is the only appearance of the "washing up bowl" interior for the TARDIS (designed by Tim Gleeson).

Ratings

Episode one - 7.6 million viewers
Episode two - 7.4 million viewers
Episode three - 8.1 million viewers
Episode four - 7.6 million viewers
Episode five - 6.0 million viewers
Episode six - 7.6 million viewers

Myths

Well-known actress Susan Penhaligon, making an early television appearance as Galleia's handmaiden Lakis, was originally to have been credited as Virginia Mull. (Virginia Mull was a different actress who had a small uncredited walk-on role as a serving girl in the Atlantis scenes of this story. Susan Penhaligon, who was a late replacement for actress Ann Michelle, was always to have been credited under her own name.)
The Master's alias is 'Thascales'. (The majority of printed and online episode guides say this. Unfortunately, (a) 'Thascales' isn't the Greek for 'Master', and (b) no-one in the story says 'Thascales'. They all say 'Thascalos', which is the Greek for 'Master'. The error first appears in the Radio Times 1973 Doctor Who Special, and presumably has been taken from there by all subsequent episode guides without checking against the broadcast episodes. Terrance Dicks, however, has the correct spelling in the novelisation.)

Filming locations

Swallowfield Park, Swallowfield, Berkshire
Stratfield Saye Park, Stratfield Saye, Hampshire
Old Church Farm (road), Hartley Wintney, Hampshire
Park Lane, Fair Cross, Berkshire
School Lane, Heckfield Heath/Riseley, Hampshire
Ealing Television Film Studios, Ealing Green, Ealing
BBC Television Centre (Studio 3 & 4), Shepherd's Bush, London

Production errors

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.

In episode one, the interior of the police box prop is visible.
Jo is obviously operating a button with her index finger on the time sensor in episode one to make the prop spin as it "detects" the Doctor's TARDIS.
The crystal moves when Benton tries to lift it, even as he and the Doctor talk about it being impossible to move.
The Doctor doesn't close the TARDIS door all the way before taking off with Jo, yet it is completely shut when they dematerialise.
The V1 footage is black and white.
The Doctor's supposedly backwards dialogue when played backwards is still gibberish.
In episode three, the Doctor states that the Master is using the crystal to bring enemies "back in time." However, these characters are clearly from the past, and therefore were brought forward in time.

Continuity

PROSE: The Quantum Archangel is a sequel to this story.
Another Chronovore appears in PROSE: No Future.
The destruction of Atlantis is further explained and shown. The Second Doctor had visited Atlantis in its future, and was told an historical account of its destruction based on what those residents believed of their past. (TV: The Underwater Menace) Azal had indicated that a failed experiment of the Daemons was at least in part responsible for its destruction. (TV: The Dæmons)
The Doctor goes for another "dip" in the time vortex in HOMEVID: Shada / WC: Shada / AUDIO: Shada and AUDIO: Seasons of Fear.
The Doctor builds a device similar to his time sensor in TV: Blink.
The Doctor mentions a "crack in time", which appears again in TV: The Eleventh Hour.
The Doctor mentions a hermit he used to talk to on Gallifrey. This hermit would later be given a name and appear in TV: Planet of the Spiders. He later referenced his childhood hermit friend to Romana (also in the form of a fond musing while locked up in a dungeon). (TV: State of Decay)
The Doctor's TARDIS and the Master's TARDIS would again materialise inside one another in TV: Logopolis.
The Doctor's TARDIS will again be caught in a space loop in the mini-episodes Space and Time.
Ruth Ingram was a protégé of Professor Rachel Jensen at the University of Cambridge. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice)
The Doctor will once again lure a minotaur like being towards him with a red cloth in TV: The Horns of Nimon.

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

This story was first released on DVD in the UK on 29 March 2010 as part of the Myths and Legends Boxset. The one disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:

Commentary by John Levene (Benton), Susan Penhaligon (Lakis), Barry Letts (Producer), Marion McDougall (Production Assistant), Graham Duff (Fan/Writer), Phil Ford (Fan/Writer), Joe Lidster (Fan/Writer), James Moran (Fan/Writer) and Toby Hadoke (Moderator).
Between Now… And Now!
Restoration Comparison
Coming Soon Trailer
Radio Times Billings
Production Subtitles
Photo Gallery

Editing for DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.

AUS DVD cover
AUS DVD Box Set cover
US DVD cover
Region 2 UK DVD cover

It was released as issue 137 of Doctor Who DVD Files.

VHS releases

This story was released in the UK as Doctor Who: The Time Monster in November 2001 (as part of the Master box set which also contains TV: Colony in Space).

UK & AUS Box Set
UK VHS cover
US VHS cover
AUS VHS cover

Digital releases

The story is available for streaming on Amazon Instant Video in the UK.

External links

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