The Invasion of Time (TV story)

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Synopsis

The Doctor returns to Gallifrey but is arrested after bringing the Vardans to the planet, this breaks out into a bit of a battle until the Sontaran invasion force arrives and attempts to take over Gallifrey.

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.

Cast

Crew

References

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.
  • 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.

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

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • If the transduction barrier prevents the Vardans invading Gallifrey, why does the Doctor destroy it? The story's premise, that the Doctor makes a deal with the Vardans in order to save Gallifrey, makes no sense. Even as a ruse, it was unecessary to use the Vardans to gain power over the Timelords; as the only candidate for the presidency, he already had it. When the Vardans invade, he tells Borusa they have more power and knowledge than he 'could possibly imagine'. If they do, why do they want the Matrix and the Great Key? Borusa had previously told the Doctor that the Matrix would give the Doctor access to great power. Why then give that power to the Vardans?
  • It is painfully obvious that the Vardans in their dematerialised form are sheets of cellophane. Even in their materialised form they are unimpressive and almost comical.A version was produced which substituted CGI human-like images.
  • There are gaps around the collar of Stor's armour.
  • Stor also has a cockney accent.
  • The Doctor forgets his induction, though in later Gallifrey stories such as Arc of Infinity and The Five Doctors, he seems to remember the events very well. (he was faking forgetfullness to get out of it)
  • What happens to the Sontarans waiting to invade Gallifrey?
  • Why don't the Sontaran ships just come in one at a time? The first one got through alright.
  • And why are there only 4 Sontarans in a single ship? (Perhaps the rest of the ship's crew were off capturing other parts of the Citadel, or they could have come down in a shuttle because the Time Lords seemingly have no way of resisting.)
  • After taking ages wandering round the TARDIS, they find their way out rather quickly.
  • This serial features one of the more frequently-replayed on-air bloopers when an actor playing a Sontaran stumbles and trips over a chair while running through the swimming pool area. (This was apparently deliberate.)
  • Just after the doctor takes something similar to fit when the Crown of Rassilon is place on his head Borusa said "This is unearthly" Even though they are Gallifreyan

Continuity

DVD, Video and Other Releases

DVD releases

PAL -
PAL -
NTSC -

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.
  • Boxset 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.

Video Releases

Released as Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time

Released:

Novelisation

Invasion of Time novel.jpg
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

Template:Season 15

v • e
Sontaran stories
For the purposes of this list, a "Sontaran story" is one in which one living, authentic Sontaran plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as The Halloween Apocalypse and Survivors of the Flux are not counted due to the Sontarans' appearance being defined by their importance to following stories. Stories like The End of Time and The Time of the Doctor are also not included due to the Sontarans' appearance being no consequence to the plot of the story. Stories featuring Strax of the Paternoster Gang are only included on the Paternoster Gang story template.
Television
Broadcast
Home video
Audio
Prose
Comics
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Complete list of appearances
v • e
Aliens and Enemies of Season 15
Horror of Fang Rock
The Invisible Enemy
Image of the Fendahl
The Sun Makers
Underworld
Minyans  • Oracle  • Seer  • Guard  • Trogs
The Invasion of Time
Sontarans (Stor)  • Vardans  • Time Lords (Andred  • Borusa  • Rodan  • Kelner  • Bodyguard  • Gomer  • Savar  • Gold Usher)  • Gallifreyans (Nesbin  • Ablif  • Jasko  • Presta)
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