The time meddler is the latest of the old Doctor Who’s I
have been watching. This particular one stars William Hartnell in the lead role
and Maureen O’Brien as Vicki. Peter Purves is introduced as Steven Taylor. This was a four part story and was originally
shown in 1964. This was the first story after the departure of Ian and Barbara.
This is also the last story produced by Verity Lambert.
Basic Plot:
The Doctor and Vicki have just landed and they hear banging
and clanging in the TARDIS someone has got in uninvited…..
As they exit the TARDIS they are being watched by a monk on
the cliff-top above but why is he so interested in the TARDIS?
Soon the Doctor discovers where they are and more
importantly when they are. Something about the monk is not quite right just why
is he in that monastery by himself? Just what is he plotting? More importantly
who is he? The Doctor discovers his plan and decides the monk must be stopped
but how….?
What I thought of it:
Personally I think this is the best one from the William
Hartnell era that I have seen. It is well written and on the whole is well
acted. Hartnall is brilliant in the part as the doctor. Hartnall played the
part as a highly intelligent thinker all be it rather fussy and set in his
ways. Hartnell was well known for the occasional fluffed line and there is one
such fluff in the first episode. Although he did cover it well it is pointed
out if you listen to the commentary track. Also Hartnall is absent from episode
two and only has a pre-recorded voice over. This is due to Harnall being on
holiday whilst they filmed episode two. His absence does give both Purves and
O’Brian a chance to shine in their respective parts also it give more screen
time to Peter Butterworth who played the monk/time meddler.
The sets well the one on the beach is obviously fake although
I can guess that for some of the rocks only the best poly(styrene) has been
used and the views from the top of the cliffs and out to sea have, more than
likely, been edited in from other films and programmes. The inside of the
monastery has been well done but perhaps they have overdone it a bit with the
lighting. However, this is one part of the setting where the fact that it is
filmed in black and white does add atmosphere to the story.
The scene from outside the monastery when a light goes on is
obviously an electric one as there is no movement or flickering to it and considering when this story was set
this is very out of place. The Saxon village, well what you see of it, has been
well done and they did not go over the top with the decoration inside the hut.
The costumes are well done for the best part of it and it is good to see the
Vikings were not given the stereotypical horned helmets (which they never actually
wore). The historical setting is fairly accurate but I’m sure a historian who
specialises in this era will find a few errors.
Peter Butterworth (from carry-on fame) is brilliant as the
monk/time meddler. He puts in a stellar vocal performance in the part and even
his occasional giggles and raucous “Ha Ha!” fits the part very well. Also Peter
Purvis (from Blue Peter fame) is introduced as the new companion takes to the
part well. This is despite the obviously fake beard he has at the start of
episode one – although this does do a disappearing act part way through the
episode. As with a lot of older Doctor Who’s there are a number of extras some
of which act like they were pulled in off the street given the costume and then
thrown onto the set. The fight scene is
about as convincing as giving someone a tea spoon of salt and telling them it
is sugar but this is the only really poorly done part of the story, if you
ignore the terrible accents of the main two Vikings that is.
Extras:
Commentary:
The commentary track over the episodes is worth listening to
and is done by Peter Purvis, Verity Lambert, Clayton Hickman, Donald Tosh and
Barry Newberry. This gives an insight into what they remember about filming the
story and also some insight into how Hartnell played the part. There is no
indication as to when this was recorded but it would be pre November 2007.
Voiced menus:
This disc has a feature which enables you to access a set of
menus which are spoken menus. Whilst these are more limited than the visual menus
they do enable those who have sight problems to navigate the disc more easily.
Obituary for Verity Lambert
Verity Lambert, who died in 2007, was the producer for this
series and it was the last Doctor who she produced. Her written obituary is
included on the disc.
Stripped for action (oooh errr…)
Not as rude as it sounds – this is a look at how the first
Doctor was featured in comic strips with interviews with those who drew the
comic strips and the storylines etc.
The lost 12 seconds
An additional 12 seconds from episode 4 is added. It was originally
removed probably due to it being ‘unsuitable for children’ well they probably
see far worse than this on things like Hollyoaks and Eastenders.
Restoration
A look at how this story was improved and touched up for the
DVD
Photo gallery
Self-explanatory.
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