A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference

A Girl's Best Friend was a single-episode story produced in 1981 as a pilot for a potential Doctor Who spin-off called K-9 and Company. The BBC chose not to commission a new series, but did televise the episode as a holiday season special (the first of its kind for the Doctor Who franchise, to be followed many years later by an annual series of Doctor Who Christmas specials). This was the only attempt at a spin-off series during the "classic series" era to make it to the filming stage; it would be more than a quarter-century before this was attempted again.

It is common for this episode to be referred to only by the series title, K-9 and Company, including its initial release on home video and in the Target Books novelisation.

Synopsis

Sarah pays a Christmas visit to her Aunt Lavinia's house in the village of Moreton Harwood. She discovers that Lavinia, a noted scientist, has yet to return from a lecture tour of the USA. She does however meet Brendan - Lavinia's ward - and Commander Bill Pollock - her partner in a small market garden business. Also in the house, in a box sent to her by the Doctor, she finds K9. Brendan is kidnapped by a local coven of witches who want to sacrifice him to the goddess Hecate. Sarah, with K9's assistance, foils their plan and unmasks their leaders - Commander Pollock and local postmistress Lily Gregson.

Plot

to be added

Cast

Crew

References

  • The Doctor sent K-9 to Sarah in 1978, it was in her flat in Croydon.
  • K-9 announces himself as "Mark III", referencing the previous two versions of K-9 (last seen in The Invasion of Time and Warriors' Gate, respectively) and in particularly differentiating himself from the version last seen with Romana.
  • K-9 plays on the running gag regarding the Doctor's name and the title of the parent series when Brendan asks, "Who is the Doctor?" and K-9 replies, "Precisely."

Story Notes

  • This is the first official Doctor Who spin-off (the second is Torchwood, the third is Sarah Jane Adventures). The Sarah Jane Adventures debuted with its pilot episode, Invasion of the Bane only 3 days after the 25th anniversary of the original broadcast of this pilot.
  • The Winter Hill transmitter in the North West region suffered a power blackout at the time this story was screening (most likely resulting in lower than expected ratings).
  • The theme music was composed by Ian Levine, supposedly it was meant to be an orchestral score, but was altered to be electronically performed, with John Leeson "singing" in character as K-9.
  • Running 50 minutes, this was the first time a Doctor Who-related production had exceeded 30 minutes in length.

Ratings

  • 8.4 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Location Filming

  • Cirencester in the Gloucestershire countryside.
  • Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

to be added

Continuity

DVD, Video and Other Releases

  • A Girl's Best Friend was released on video on 7 August 1995.
  • Released along side The Invisible Enemy on DVD as part of K-9 Tales

Novelisation

XK9andCompany.jpg
Main article: K-9 and Company (novelisation)

See Also

External Links


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