The Time Thief (DWAN short story)

The Time Thief
Doctor:	Third Doctor
Companion(s):	Sarah
Main enemy:	Madrigor
Main setting:	Lunargov III
Key crew
Read by:	Terry Molloy
Release details
Part of:	Doctor Who Annual 1975
Release date:	September 1974
Doctor Who annual
← Previous	Revenge of the Phantoms
Next →	Dead on Arrival

You may wish to consult Time Thief (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

The Time Thief was a short story published in Doctor Who Annual 1975. It featured the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.

Summary

The Doctor is sent by Karr to Lunargov III, where rogue Time Lord Madrigor plans to steal the Time Lord's Time Ioniser and conquer the galaxy. The Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive on Lunargov and meet Madrigor. After learning his plans, the Doctor sends Madrigor and his planet to somewhere they can't cause any more harm.

Characters

• Third Doctor
• Sarah Jane Smith
• Karr
• Madrigor

Worldbuilding

• The plants on Lunargov III are made from Telatron.
• The Doctor and Sarah are partaking in afternoon tea in the TARDIS.
• Sarah eats blackberry jam.
• Sarah has been on a diet, which the Doctor thinks is ridiculous. As apart of this, she is avoiding having sugar in her tea (it appears she would usually take two lumps of sugar). However, she gave up the diet two days before but doesn't want to admit to it the Doctor.
• There is a hidden panel within the TARDIS control room. This leads to a chamber which the Doctor communicates with fellow Time Lord, Karr.

Notes

• The TARDIS is referred to both as "the Tardis" and as simply "Tardis".
• This story was read by Terry Molloy for the audio anthology The Planet of Dust & Other Stories.

Continuity

• COMIC: Voyager ^[+]Loading...["Voyager (comic story)"] would later see the Sixth Doctor meeting a villainous Time Lord plundered going by the name of Astrolabus, whom he recognises as "the Thief of Time". Although Astrolabus bears a marked physical resemblance to Madrigor, however, the Doctor's prior encounter with Madrigor is not explicitly referenced, making it unclear that this was intended as an actual reference rather than convergent evolution.
• "The Time Thief" would, however, later be explicitly name-dropped in PROSE: I Walk in Eternity ^[+]Loading...["I Walk in Eternity (feature)"] as an alternative possible Renegade Time Lord protagonist who might be used as a focal character for the Adventures in Space and Time role-playing game.