The Invasion of Time was the sixth and final story of Season 15. It marked the final appearances of Leela and K-9 Mark I.
Synopsis
The Doctor returns to Gallifrey, and his behaviour is somewhat unusual. He claims presidential rights and is crowned President. It soon turns out that he has led a group of aliens called Vardans to the planet, in order to eradicate them completely. After they are destroyed, the Sontarans take their oppurtuinty and follow them in their invasion, before being destroyed by the Doctor.
Plot
After a meeting in space with a group of unseen aliens the Doctor returns to Gallifrey and claims the presidency of the Time Lords. Leela meanwhile tries to work out why he is behaving out of character. At his induction, the Doctor is 'crowned' with a device giving him access to the Matrix. He then arranges for the transduction barriers around Gallifrey to be put out of action by K9. When this is done, his alien 'friends' materialise. They are telepathic invaders called Vardans.
The Doctor links K9 to the Matrix in order to determine their point of origin. His plan is to place a time loop around their home planet, but he must avoid arousing their suspicions - hence his erratic behaviour. He banishes Leela to the wastelands of outer Gallifrey for fear that she might unintentionally jeopardise his plans. There she meets a group of Gallifreyan outsiders, and together they organise an attack on the Capitol to fight off the invaders.
The Doctor finally springs his trap and the Vardans are banished. Then, however, Gallifrey is invaded by Sontarans who, unknown to the Doctor, were using the Vardans to enable them to conquer the Time Lords. The Doctor uses knowledge extracted from the Matrix by K9 to construct a forbidden de-mat gun, activated by the Great Key of Rassilon. He then uses this to kill the Sontarans, although his memory of recent events is wiped in the process.
Leela announces that she wishes to stay behind with Andred, one of the Chancellery guards, with whom she has fallen in love. K9 elects to remain with her. Inside the TARDIS, The Doctor constructs another robot dog-K9 II/ The Doctor smiles as the adventure ends.
Cast
- The Doctor - Tom Baker
- Leela - Louise Jameson
- Voice of K-9 - John Leeson
- Andred - Christopher Tranchell
- Borusa - John Arnatt
- Ablif - Ray Callaghan
- Rodan - Hilary Ryan
- Stor - Derek Deadman
- Sontaran - Stuart Fell
- Vardan - Stan McGowan
- Vardan - Tom Kelly
- Presidential Bodyguard - Michael Harley
- Castellan Guard - Eric Danot
- Gold Usher - Charles Morgan
- Guard - Christopher Christou
- Jasko - Michael Mundell
- Castellan Kelner - Milton Johns
- Lord Gomer - Dennis Edwards
- Lord Savar - Reginald Jessup
- Nesbin - Max Faulkner
- Presta - Gay Smith
Crew
- 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
Gallifreyan artefacts
- The Sash of Rassilon, The Rod of Rassilon, The Great Key and The Coronet of Rassilon are all Artefacts of Rassilon given to a Gallifreyan President when they're elected.
Gallifreyan culture
- Those who live outside the Citadel are the Outsiders.
Gallifreyan locations
Gallifreyan weapons
- The Doctor has Rodan and K9 build the De-mat Gun, powered by The Great Key, Iridium alloy is used in the construction of the de-mat gun..
Planets and Timeline
- The Doctor discusses Quasar Five, Riga, Sinian Empire second dynasty and Earth 073 period architecture with Kelner.
Psychic powers
- Borusa taught the Doctor telepathy.
Races and species
- The Vardans can travel along any broadcast wavelength and are telepathic. Their planet has the co-ordinates 3052 alpha 7, 14th span.
Time Lords
- When a Time Lord becomes Lord President they gain access to the Matrix.
Story Notes
- Leela remains on Gallifrey in the conclusion of this story. This was Louise Jameson's final ongoing onscreen appearance; she reprised the role in Dimensions in Time and later in the Big Finish Productions Gallifrey series of audio dramas.
- Leela's romance with Andred is undeveloped in the story. Jameson was invited to continue her role. She was unsure whether she would stay until the end of recording, so a plot device had to be ready to allow her to stay on Gallifrey.
- The Sontarans return in this story making it their third appearance on TV.
- This story had a working title of The Invaders of Time.
- Rodan is the first female Gallifreyan to appear on screen since Susan Foreman more than a decade earlier.
- The Doctor breaks the fourth wall at the end of Part 6, by looking directly at the camera and smiling to the audience. He also breaks it earlier in the story, when trying to open the secret door in Borusa's office, saying "Even the sonic screwdriver won't get me out of this one!" to the audience.
Ratings
- Part 1 - 11.2 million viewers
- Part 2 - 11.4 million viewers
- Part 3 - 9.5 million viewers
- Part 4 - 10.9 million viewers
- Part 5 - 10.3 million viewers
- Part 6 - 9.8 million viewers
Myths and rumours
- Rodan was the prototype for Romana. 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
- There are gaps around the collar of Stor's armour.
- 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 his hat stand, and not with the Doctor.
Continuity
- The Vardans reappear in NA: No Future.
- In NA: Timewyrm: Genesys the Doctor receives a message from his past self, sent during this story.
- Leela and K9 re-meet the Doctor in NA: Lungbarrow and BFA: Zagreus.
- Lord Savar is mentioned in EDA: Seeing I and seen in PDA: The Infinity Doctors.
- The Doctor is again offered the Presidency in DW: The Five Doctors after putting himself up for presidency in DW: The Deadly Assassin.
- Gallifrey is invaded again in BFA: The Apocalypse Element.
- The TARDIS pool would be seen again in DW: Paradise Towers.
Timeline
- This story occurs after VD: People of the Trees
- This story occurs before TVC: The Snow Devils
DVD and Video Releases
DVD releases
- Region 1 (NTSC) 2nd September 2008
Bonus features:
- Commentary:Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Anthony Read and Mat Irvine
- Out of Time: the making of this story.
- CGI effects: new CGI effects to accompany this story.
- The elusive David Agnew: a feature on the writer (who is, in fact, a house pseudonym used by several Doctor Who writers)
- The Rise and fall of Gallifrey: a feature on the planet of the Time Lords.
- Deleted Scenes: scenes removed from this story.
- Continuity Compilation: continuity announcements from the BBC.
- Radio Times billings: artwork and articles for this story from the Radio Times.
- Photo Gallery: a selection of rare production photos from this story.
- Coming Soon: a preview of the K-9 Tales Box set.
Notes:
- Editing for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.
DVD Region 2 UK cover
DVD Region 4 Australian cover
DVD Region 1 US cover
Boxed set release
This story was released in the Bred for War DVD boxset on the 5th May alongside all the classic series Sontaran stories. The DVD is the same as the one sold seperately. Released 8th July in Australia.
DVD Region 2 UK cover
Video Releases
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)
VHS UK cover
VHS Australian cover
VHS US cover
Novelisation
- Main article: Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time
Novelised as Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time by Terrance Dicks in 1980.
See also
Concerning Gallifrey being invaded or destroyed
External Links
- The Invasion of Time at the BBC's official site (with video clips)
- The Invasion of Time at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Invasion of Time at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
- The Invasion of Time at The Locations Guide
- The TARDIS Library (Doctor Who books, DVDs, videos & audios) - Video release information for: The Invasion of Time
- The TARDIS Library (Doctor Who books, DVDs, videos & audios) - Novelisation release information for: The Invasion of Time
- The TARDIS Library (Doctor Who books, DVDs, videos & audios) - DVD release information for: The Invasion of Time