Writer: Dennis Spooner
Original Broadcast Date: 3 July 1965 - 24 July 1965
After almost two seasons, Doctor Who had shared little to no information of The Doctor's planet and people, that is until The Time Meddler, a pitch perfect ending to Hartnell's best season.
Among other firsts, The Time Meddler is also the show's very first Pseudo-Historical, a genre that would eventually outlive the basic historical, with a meddling monk threatening to change the course of history, situated in England, 1066. The first episode opens with The Doctor and Vicki mourning the departure of Ian and Barbara, only to find another member onboard: Steven Taylor. This opening has some wonderful dialogue as The Doctor explains the TARDIS to Steven, including probably my favourite Hartnell quote:
That is the dematerializing control, and that over yonder is the horizontal hold. Up there is there is the scanner; those are the doors; that is a chair with a panda on it. Sheery poetry, dear boy! Now please stop bothering me!
The first episode is extremely atmospheric thanks to a wonderful echo-y chorus of singing monks, setting a gloomy, mysterious and slightly creepy mood. Vicki and Steven, separated from The Doctor most of the story, are brilliant together and have great chemistry. Its a definite shame there are no more surviving stories of these two.
Peter Butterworth, in the role of the Monk, is a star, playing a perfect counterpart to Hartnell's mischievous Doctor, and their relationship reminds me of The Master's with The Doctor. The side characters are abnormally good in this story, with developments I genuinely cared about!
The Time Meddler is a masterpiece, with a great plot, wonderful characters and a perfect villain. Dennis Spooner has done it again!
10/10
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