The Androids of Tara

(Series 16, Episodes 13-16)

Summary: Whilst the Doctor goes fishing, Romana displays a complete lack of understanding of the rules of Doctor Who.  Count Grendel confuses ‘sweeping off your feet’ with kidnapping and the denouement is a very long sword fight after which Grendel just…swims away?  Reynart and Strella are reunited, but poor old K9 is left floating in the moat.

Watch it because: Swash-buckling androids…only in Doctor Who.

Original Air Date: 25 November – 16 December 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: David Fisher.

Director: Michael Hayes.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Stones of Blood

(Series 16, Episodes 9-12)

Summary: Ooh, I do love a good cult, with bonus flames and chanting and stone circles, but those poor hapless campers have clearly never read the rules about camping in horror films.  It all goes a bit Hitchcock with the crows, the Doctor is attacked by creepy walking stones and the Megara are massive pedants.  And goodness me, three intelligent women have a conversation!

Watch it because: “Doctor!  In the cause of science, I think it our duty to capture that creature!”

Original Air Date: 28 October – 18 November 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: David Fisher.

Director: Darrol Blake.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Pirate Planet

(Series 16, Episodes 5-8)

Summary: There’s a neat little twist in the tail in this story of planet pillaging and a whole lot of LOL too.  The Doctor looks a bit peaky, Romana starts to show off her skills and K9 engages in a battle with a robot parrot.  After the reign of Queen Xanxia is spectacularly ended, the second part of the key to time is retrieved and onwards we go.

Watch it because: Check the writing credit.

Original Air Date: 30 September – 21 October 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: Douglas Adams.

Director: Pennant Roberts.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Ribos Operation

(Series 16, Episode 1-4)

Summary: The quest for the story arc begins.  Enter Romana I and K9 II.  If you ask me, the Doctor is all too happy to accept the instructions of an absinthe-swilling cowboy and take his word for it that he’s the good guy just because he’s wearing white.  The Doctor and Romana arrive on Ribos to collect the first segment of the key to time but, for reasons best known to the Doctor, become embroiled in the plans of two con artists with fake accents who seem to be able to walk in and out of a heavily guarded castle with ease.  Everyone has confusingly similar moustaches and furry hats, K9 becomes the dog-ex-machina and the Doctor plays a mean swappiddy-doo with an explosive.

Watch it because: Poor, put-upon Unstoffe.  It’s never fun being the one with all the emotional investment in a relationship.

Original Air Date: 2 – 23 September 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: “David Agnew” (Graham Williams & Anthony Read).

Director: Gerald Blake.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Invasion of Time

(Series 15, Episodes 21-26)

Summary: You know, our Earth religions could learn a thing or two about pomp and circumstance from the Time Lords, who seem to have now formed into coloured teams.  The Doctor goes bonkers, K9 gets his sass on and everyone is looking for a key whilst ineffectually battering at doors. (Side note: I kind of love how refreshingly open Castellan Kelner is about his obsequiousness.)  Things get really exciting when the Doctor returns to normal and the Sontarans turn up to chase him around the interior of the TARDIS.  In the end, the Sontarans are defeated by a Magic Time Gun and poor Leela gets married off to man who has more chemistry with K9 than with her.

Watch it because: Leela’s knife throw into the probic vent.  Ah, Leela.  You shall be missed - questionable costume decisions and all.

Original Air Date: 4 February – 11 March 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Leela (Louise Jameson) & K9 Mk I (John Leeson).

Writer: “David Agnew” (Graham Williams & Anthony Read).

Director: Gerald Blake.

Producer: Graham Williams.

Underworld

(Series 15, Episodes 17-20)

Summary: Let the sky falllll!  Are you sure you’re not in the Matrix?  ‘Cause those tunnels don’t look real to me…  The Tardis materialises on a Minyan spaceship which is off on a quest to find another spaceship full of missing race banks, after the Time Lords meddled in their society, leading them to destroy their home planet in an all-consuming civil war.  Turns out, the missing Minyans are in a bit of a pickle, enslaved by a sentient computer to dig rocks in underground tunnels.  The Doctor confronts the computer, steals the race banks and makes his escape.  And in the end, sometimes two cigar-shaped bombs are just two cigar-shaped bombs.

Watch it because: The music when they’re floating is just delightful.

Original Air Date: 7 – 28 January 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Leela (Louise Jameson) & K9 Mk I (John Leeson).

Writer: Bob Baker & Dave Martin.

Director: Norman Stewart.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Sun Makers

(Series 15, Episodes 13-16)

Summary: The Doctor and Leela arrive on Pluto in the far future; a planet where fake suns have been implanted in the sky, people are taxed to breaking point (leading, of course, to many taxing puns) and the government pump fear-inducing drugs into the air in order to control the population.  The Doctor wastes no time in stirring up a revolution, Leela nearly gets steamed, Gatherer Hade meets a rather untimely end and the Collector turns out to be Flubber in disguise.

Watch it because: Cordo’s wonderfully innocent excitement at the success of the revolution.

Original Air Date: 26 November – 17 December 1977.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Leela (Louise Jameson) & K9 Mk I (John Leeson).

Writer: Robert Holmes.

Director: Pennant Roberts.

Producer: Graham Williams.