Serial S, in four parts:
- The Watcher - 7/3/65, 8.9m viewers
- The Meddling Monk - 7/10/65, 8.8m
- A Battle of Wits - 7/17/65, 7.7m
- Checkmate - 7/24/65, 8.3m
Sound Bytes:
"The character of the monk had a certain comic element that I wanted to emphasize, particularly in contrast to the Doctor. I chose Peter Butterworth because he was a very good comedy actor, and seemed suited to the monk. The contrast worked well, and we were very lucky to have one of Dennis Spooner's better scripts." - Douglas Camfield, quoted in The Handbook: The First Doctor by Howe, Stammers and Walker (Virgin, 1994)
"An atmospheric story populated by cheesy Saxons and Vikings called Sven and Ulf. Despite the limp fight sequences and slow pace the story actually heralds a massive change of emphasis for the programme: the Doctor's TARDIS is no longer unique, and time can be changed by interference, a contrast to previous ('straight') historicals." - review from The Discontinuity Guide by Cornell, Day and Topping (MonkeyBrain Books, 2004)
Comments:
The Time Meddler has never been one of my favorite Hartnell serials, but it's a welcome oasis of quality coming after the preceding nine weeks' worth of mediocre-to-bad Doctor Who.
Dennis Spooner was a weak script editor, but his solo stories are pretty good, and far more serious than their "jokey" reputations would suggest. Certainly, The Time Meddler has some silly elements, but most of the characters are portrayed realistically and the Monk, though comical, is engaged in a deadly gambit.
Frankly, the silliest thing about The Time Meddler is that it's a little on the cheapo side. Doctor Who usually is, but somehow this serial calls extra attention to its low budget. For example, fans often point out (with a chuckle) that the story involves a Viking invasion of Northumbria, but we only ever get to see about three Vikings. In fairness, though, these Vikings are supposed to be a scouting party, and I don't really think that any 1960s TV show -- no, not even Bonanza -- had a big enough budget to serve up huge invading armies consisting of thousands of extras. So a little cost-cutting is only to be expected, no?
I think what really matters is that the few Viking and Saxon characters we do meet during the story seem genuine, thanks to some excellent work by the guest cast. I have almost infinite respect for two of the actors in particular - Alethea Charlton (Edith) and Michael Miller (Wulnoth). Somehow, they manage to come across convincingly as people from the past, with different value systems and different ways of thinking and speaking. And they accomplish this minor miracle without any help from the sets, which all look fake, with the exception of the impressive ruined monastery. Charlton in particular is good, and she shares some nice moments with Hartnell's Doctor.
Curiously, the worst part of The Time Meddler is the setup in the first episode -- which is often the best part of Doctor Who -- though it's not too bad. The introduction of Steven, the new companion, is pretty funny, since he stubbornly refuses to accept that the TARDIS is a time machine. But, aside from a few choice jokes, the episode drags. Hartnell blows several lines, and there's a lot of tedious exposition about the TARDIS and the whole background of the series. (I find it a little strange that The Time Meddler tried so hard to reintroduce audiences to the basic concepts of Doctor Who when it was situated right at the end of a season. I mean, how many new viewers were tuning in at this point?)
Things definitely get better once the Monk becomes involved. His scheme represents a fundamental alteration to the laws of the Doctor Who universe, suggesting that it is indeed possible to change history with a little ambition and a very large cannon. I think this is a reasonable development, which could've saved the historical format if future production teams had bothered to stick with it. As for the Monk himself, he occupies an interesting moral gray area; he's got good intentions, and his plan isn't the usual conquer-the-Universe malarkey that I associate with more cardboard villains like the Master. It's a shame that he only reappeared once, as a fawning toady in The Daleks' Masterplan.
There's some great interplay between the Doctor and the Monk, culminating in the Doctor's very cool and brilliant plan to sabotage his fellow Time Lord's TARDIS. Acting-wise, Peter Butterworth is pretty good as the Monk, but he blows a fair number of lines, proving that it wasn't just Hartnell's specialty.
I'm afraid I might have damned this story with faint praise, but I didn't mean to. The Time Meddler is good -- it misses a few beats here and there and ends up a little slow, that's all. But it has a certain dignity, unlike The Romans, The Web Planet, The Space Museum and The Chase. Doctor Who's second season, though rocky at points, was bookended by quality stuff.
Grade: A-