The Time Meddler (TV story)

The Time Meddler was the ninth and final story of Season 2 of Doctor Who. This story was the first pseudo-historical: a historical story with science-fiction elements other than the presence of the regular characters and the TARDIS. (Although there were science-fiction elements mixed with historical facts in a portion of The Chase, this was the first full story to combine the two.)

The Monk was the first Time Lord other than the Doctor and Susan to appear in the series, although the term Time Lord would not be invented for another four years. The Monk also became the series' first recurring individual villain.

This story contains the first reference to what will become the Time Lord's non-interference policy. Although the Doctor never mentions it directly, he clearly shuns those who meddle with time. As in The Space Museum, time is shown to be malleable, contradicting the view of time presented in The Reign of Terror. The concept of time would later be enlarged upon in numerous stories including Attack of the Cybermen, Blink, and The Wedding of River Song.

It is evident that this story was produced in the 1960s. All the Monk's possessions are contemporary to that era, and he refers to the TARDIS as a modern police box. Only his gramophone is old fashioned, and that was intended to be a tape recorder in the script.

Synopsis
The Doctor, Vicki, and a new companion, Steven Taylor, arrive in Saxon Northumbria on the eve of the Viking and Norman invasions. It is 1066, a pivotal moment in British history, and the hand of a mysterious Monk is at work in the nearby monastery, intending that history takes a different course.

The Watcher (1)


A bored Vicki is sloping around the TARDIS, clearly missing the company of Ian and Barbara. The Doctor offers to take Vicki back home if she is so unhappy, especially due to the fact that he never really gave her much of a choice when they left Dido. This conversation is interrupted by a sound coming from the TARDIS' living quarters. Convinced that it is a Dalek, the Doctor and Vikci prepare themselves to defend an attack, however instead of a Dalek a human form is revealed to the travelers - that of Steven Taylor who collapses to the ground.

As this revelation is discovered the TARDIS materialises on a rocky shore line. From atop a cliff a monk looks down at the time machine clearly paying it a lot of attention.

Meanwhile in the TARDIS Vicki and the Doctor are helping Steven to re cooperate. Steven explains that as the Mechonoid City collapsed he escaped from the rubble and began to look for the Doctor. Luckily finding his space ship and collapsing before the Doctor and his companions left the planet. As he starts to feel more normal Vicki begins to explain that the TARDIS is a time machine - however Steven is far from convinced and brands the TARDIS an IDBY - I Don't Believe You. Putting his doubts to one side the Doctor suggests that Vicki go and show Steven where to get washed and changed in order for them to go and explore.

In the outside world two humans, dressed in tunics and living in primitive tent like structures are interrupted when another of their party comes to inform them of the fact that a box has landed on the beach - suspecting it to be washed up from a ship wreck. The two men go off to explore it.

The travelers have now disembarked the TARDIS and are exploring their surroundings. Vicki discovers a Viking helmet that the Doctor dates to the tenth or eleventh century and suspects that this is where they have found themselves. Steven remains skeptical saying that the helmet may have been left there as the plaything of a child. The Doctor and his friends decide to go off exploring. The Doctor goes off alone leaving Vicki and Steven to make their own way. As the travelers go off the Monk sneaks out from behind a rock and inspects the outside of the TARDIS, trying the door before moving on. He makes his way up the cliff and makes his way towards a monastery. Contemplatively he enters and locks the door behind him. Soon singing starts.

The two men who have gone to look for the TARDIS are disappointed to discover that the ship is no longer there due to the high tide. The men speculate that the waves have dashed the ship against the rocks.

Later on that day the Doctor is exploring the local area. He stumbles across the homestead of the couple that went to look for the TARDIS. As he begins to snoop around looking for clues of the time he has landed in he turns to have a stick pushed against his throat, trapping him in position. It is discovered that the stick belongs to the wife of the house. She apologises for her rough behaviour saying that you can't be too careful with strangers. She soon becomes very hospitable, offering the Doctor mead and chatting with him. From his conversation with her he discovers that is the Summer of 1066, just the Viking invasions that led to the Battle of Hastings. Whilst the woman is fetching more mead for him, the singing, which has been continuing throughout the Doctor's conversation with the woman, begins to to distort and warp as if it is created by an inhuman voice. The Doctor quickly cross examines the woman guessing that the monastery has only just come back into use and that no one has seen any of the monks. With this information he goes up to explore the mysterious building.

In another area Steven and Vicki are interrupted in their explorations by another figure. They hide in the undergrowth waiting for the man to disappear, however he bends and seems to be inspecting something very closely. Worried that it may be something of theirs Steven confronts the man which ends up in a scuffle. Steven is hit and the man escapes - however Steven has got what the man was looking at. It is a modern day watch.

By this time the Doctor has found his way to the monastery. Little does he know he is being expected by the monk who unlocks the door for him. The Doctor moves throughout the building following the sound of the singing. Eventually he finds the source of the noise - a gramophone attached to a large amplifying device. The Doctor stops the record but before he goes any further bars crash down trapping him in the room. The monk makes his way towards the Doctor laughing manically.

The Meddling Monk (2)
For the character, see The Monk.

The Monk makes the Doctor breakfast with his toaster, electric griddle, and teapot. He takes it to the Doctor who petulantly rejects it, throwing the tea in the Monk's face.

Steven and Vicki have spent the night in a clearing. As Steven goes to fetch breakfast, leaving Vicki asleep, the two men who went in search of the TARDIS the previous day stumble across her. Luckily Vicki awakes before they can do anything with her, however as Steven returns and the two make their way back to the TARDIS the two friends are ambushed and taken back to the village.

In another part of the countryside the Monk is given food by the local women of the village which he receives gratefully. He then goes off to wait on the cliff side. After a short while he sees a viking longboat loom over the horizon, much to his joy and delight.

Once Steven and Vicki are taken to the Saxon village an argument breaks out between the two men who reval themselves to be called Wulnoth and Eldred. Wulnoth is the headman of the village and wants to let the travellers go, whilst his friend Eldred is convinced that they are spies for the vikings and should be retained. After a vociferous argument in which Wulnorth's wife Ethel, the woman with whom the Doctor spoke the previous night, has to intervene. Eventually it is decided that the travellers can leave. Ethel gives Vicki provisions for her journey and states that the last she saw of the Doctor who was heading off to explore the monastery - Vicki and Steven head off to join him.

By this time the Vikings have made their way to dry land. The leader gives orders to three other vikings, Sven, Ulf and Gunnar the Giant to survey the land and sack the first village that they come to for provisions. The two men make their way out into the wilderness.

Steven and Vicki have arrived at the monastery only to be told by the Monk that he has seen no one out of the ordinary for the last few days. Steven presses him to go in and ask the rest of the monks. While he is gone he and Vicki suspect that the Monk is lying to them and devise a plan to see if he really hasn't seen the Doctor. When the Monk reemerges to say that the monks haven't seen him Steven asks him to keep a look out and "remember the description I gave you." When the Monk retorts with a description of the Doctor Steven and Vicki know that he is lying as they had never given this description to the Monk. They propose to break into the monastery that night in order to free the Doctor.

Later on that night Wulnoth's village is sacked by the Vikings and Ethel is wounded. When Wulnoth and Eldred return they find her body. Eldred immediately suspects Steven and Vicki however with Ethel struggles to state that it was Vikings. Wulnoth and his men follow the tracks of the Vikings and soon catch up with them which leads to a mighty battle in which Eldred is wounded and Gunnar is killed. The two men make their way to the monastery for sanctuary.

While this is happening Steven and Vicki break into the monastery and begin to look for the Doctor. As they explore they discover the Monk's gramophone and begin to suspect something is awry. The Monk sees them and begins to silently stalk them through his monastery, however the arrival of Wulnoth and Eldred at his door soon distracts him. He goes to let them in. As he does Steven and Vicki arrive at the prison door and break in - only to find the Doctor gone, replaced with blankets in order to make it look like he is sleeping.

A Battle of Wits (3)


Looking around for how the Doctor might have disappeared Steven and Vicki discover a secret passage, and assume the Doctor has taken the passage. They elect to follow it. As they leave the cell the Monk goes to check on the Doctor, only to find the door open and the secret passage breached. Before he has any time to explore this further he is called to the aid of the two Saxons.

After his escape the Doctor has found his way back to the Saxon village and is back in the company of Edith who explains to him where his friends are. She also informs the Doctor of the Vikings arrival in Britain. The Doctor decides that the Monk and the Vikings must be linked somehow and decides he must go back to face the Monk again. Before going he reassures Edith that this is not the main invasion as due to the fact that he has knowledge of the Vikings from "the places I have visited" he is aware that they arrive at the Humber and are defeated, however as he leaves he expresses the view that it is possible that the Monk's presence in 1066 might affect this.

Meanwhile Steven and Vicki have emerged from the tunnel and are unable to find the Doctor. They decide to go back to the TARDIS in hope that he would have done likewise.

At the monastery the Monk uses his knowledge of modern medicine to nurse Eldred back to health. Wulnoth insists that Eldred stay with the Monk until he is well. Reluctant to blow his cover the Monk is forced to consent. In conversation with Eldred the Monk learns that from the looks of the Vikings the Saxons encountered a full invasion may be expected within three days. The Monk seems happy at this news, stating that he is on schedule.

Lurking in the undergrowth, the two remaining Vikings, Sven and Ulf, plan there next move. Sven is keen to continue on with the mission and report back to the rest of their group however Ulf insists that the best thing to do is hide due to the fact they are vastly outnumbered by Saxons. Initially Sven is very hostile to this plan, calling Ulf a coward and even threatening to kill him, however he soon relents. They decide the monastery as the safest place to use for sanctuary and head off towards the building.

In the solace of the monastery the Monk pores over a plan that reads:

1. Arrival in Northumbria 2. Position atomic cannon 3. Sight Vikings 4. Light beacon fires 5. Destroy Viking fleet 6. Norman landing 7. Battle of Hastings 8. Meet King Harold.

Points 1-3 are ticked on this plan and the Monk ruminates that he must start to action the fourth point imminently. He is interrupted from his scheming by a frantic knocking at the door. The Monk goes off to answer it only to find no one there. As soon as the door is closed the knocking continues. Bemused he goes out to explore only to be met by the Doctor hiding behind the door. The Doctor points a stick in the Monk's back stating that it is a rifle and that he has come for answers. He leads a docile Monk into the monastery.

Steven and Vicki arrive at the cliff edge above where the TARDIS materialised, however much to their concern there is nothing but sea below. Vicki is left with only two options: the TARDIS has been swept off to sea or the Doctor returned to it and left his two companions behind. Faced with no other options Steven suggests that they go back to the monastery to seek sanctuary and see if the Doctor is still there. As they make their way back them come across the Monk's atomic cannon pointing out to sea. Seeing this as yet another sign of the Monk's curious place in history they hurry back to the monastery to put a stop to whatever it is the man is up to. they elect to sneak back in through the secret passage they had sneaked out of previously.

Before the Doctor can begin to interrogate the Monk they are interrupted, yet again, by a hammering at the door. In order for the Monk not to use the Doctor's more modern dress as a way of turning the visitors against him he demands the Monk give him a spare Monk's cassock before they answer the door. The Monk relents. This plan backfires, however, when the Doctor, now adorned in the garb of a monk, opens the door to the Vikings who immediately take the Doctor hostage - their plan being to threaten the other monks to hide them away by threatening the 'chief monk's' life. In this confusion the Monk slips away. The Doctor is put back in his original cell where he is guarded by Sven whilst Ulf goes out to look for the other monks. Whilst looking the Monk sneaks up on Ulf and knocks him unconscious and ties him up. He then slips out of the monastery to visit the Saxon village. Once there he speaks to Wulnoth and informs him that he is expecting a boat to arrive imminently with provisions for the monastery and asks Wulnoth's village's support in setting the fires on the cliff and keeping them lit. Wulnoth agrees, however when the Monk leaves he and Edith suspect that it may be something to do with the Viking invasion of which the Doctor spoke.

Back at the monastery Sven looks into the Doctor's cell and see's the door to the secret passage left open. He runs in to investigate only for the Doctor to emerge from behind the door and knock him unconscious. By this time the Monk has returned and begins to gloat in front of Ulf about how the beacons are to be lit and that all he has to do is deal with the Doctor and his plan will come to fruition. As the Monk turns round he finds the Doctor standing behind him with Sven's sword. This time he demands answers.

In another part of the monastery Steven and Vicki are looking for the Doctor. As they do they find a power cable that is emerging from a sarcophagus. They find a set of doors in the side of the sarcophagus and open them only to discover that this leads to a TARDIS. The Monk's TARDIS!

Checkmate (4)
The Monk has meanwhile returned to the monastery and is once more under the Doctor's control. He reveals his plan is not to help the Vikings but to lure them to the coast where he hoped to destroy the invasion fleet with atomic bazookas. This would prevent the Viking invasion and thereby shore up King Harold to such an extent he would then not lose the Battle of Hastings. In short, the Monk is a Time Meddler who left the Doctor's own planet some fifty years after the Doctor himself. Steven and Vicki have found further evidence of his meddling in his TARDIS: a journal recording his meeting with Leonardo da Vinci to discuss powered flight, providing anti-gravity lifts to help build Stonehenge, and using time travel to collect a fortune in compound interest from a bank. The Doctor denounces the Monk for seeking to alter history and forces him to reveal his TARDIS, where they find Steven and Vicki. Together the time travellers piece together the Monk's immoral plot, the Monk insisting the plan will stabilise England and benefit Western civilisation.

The Vikings have meanwhile freed themselves from their bonds and decide to avenge themselves on the monks who have imprisoned them. Eldred spots them and, despite his injuries, flees to the village where he raises Wulnoth and a squad of Saxons to deal with the marauders.

At the monastery the tables have turned. Ulf and Sven have formed a contrived alliance with the Monk and have tied up the Doctor's party while the three of them decide to take the neutron grenades down to the cannons on the beach. The scheme is foiled however when the Saxons arrive and engage the fleeing Vikings in a nearby clearing, presumably killing Sven and Ulf in battle.

The Monk hides while this fighting rages, little knowing that the Doctor and his friends have been freed and are tampering with his TARDIS. With his scheme in ruins, the Monk decides to leave and returns his TARDIS. The Doctor has gone and left a note assuring the Monk has meddling days are ended. When the Monk looks inside his TARDIS he realises the Doctor has disabled the dimensional stabiliser and the interior of his ship has shrunk beyond use, leaving him stranded in 1066 with an angry band of Saxons nearby. The tide having gone out, the Doctor and his friends are, however, free to leave in their TARDIS, and journey onward to the stars.

Cast

 * The Doctor - William Hartnell
 * Vicki - Maureen O'Brien
 * Steven Taylor - Peter Purves
 * The Monk - Peter Butterworth
 * Edith - Alethea Charlton
 * Eldred - Peter Russell
 * Wulnoth - Michael Miller
 * Saxon Hunter - Michael Guest
 * Ulf - Norman Hartley
 * Viking Leader - Geoffrey Cheshire
 * Sven - David Anderson
 * Gunnar the Giant - Ronald Rich


 * The Time Meddler Uncredited Cast

Crew

 * Writer - Dennis Spooner
 * Director - Douglas Camfield
 * Producer - Verity Lambert
 * Script Editor - Donald Tosh
 * Designer - Barry Newbury
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Gillian Chardet
 * Costumes - Daphne Dare
 * Fight Arranger - David Anderson
 * Make-Up - Monica Ludkin
 * Make-Up - Sonia Markham
 * Percussion - Charles Botterill
 * Production Assistant - David Maloney
 * Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
 * Studio Lighting - Ralph Walton
 * Studio Sound - Brian Hiles
 * Studio Sound - Ray Angel
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer

Story notes

 * This is the first story in which the acronym TARDIS is said to stand for "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space", rather than the singular "Dimension" as had been used in An Unearthly Child. This was an error made by Maureen O'Brien during recording, and was retained throughout much of the series' history.
 * The working title for this story was The Monk. The working title of episode 1 was The Paradox.
 * All episodes exist as 16mm telerecordings, though a 12 second sequence showing two Saxons being stabbed to death in episode 4 is still missing from the print. The audio portion of this sequence survives from an off-air recording and is included on the DVD release as a special feature.
 * A print of episode 2 is held in the Film & TV Library. Incomplete prints of all episodes were found in Nigeria in 1985. Complete prints of episodes 1 and 3 were returned to the archive in 1992.
 * Telesnaps for this episode are held by a private collector.
 * During production of this story, new producer John Wiles began taking over production duties.
 * William Hartnell, displeased at the number of changes the production underwent, play-acted throwing a temper tantrum during the rehearsal of this story.
 * No next episode caption is present on episode 4. Instead, an extended version of the theme music is heard as images of the three lead actors appear on screen.
 * Some versions of this story, especially those distributed in the US during the 1980s, cut the sequence in which the Doctor and Vicki discover Steven hiding in the TARDIS.

Ratings

 * The Watcher - 8.9 million viewers
 * The Meddling Monk - 8.8 million viewers
 * A Battle of Wits - 7.7 million viewers
 * Checkmate - 8.3 million viewers

Myths

 * Peter Butterworth was chosen because of his roles in Carry On films. (He did not appear in a Carry On film until August 1965.)
 * The Doctor's race are identified as Gallifreyans. (The word Gallifrey is not used until the Third Doctor story The Time Warrior.)
 * Due to the fact Episode 4 ends with no lead-in to the next serial and instead ends with a unique sign-off showing closeups of the three leads, it's been suggested that perhaps this was at one point expected to be the final episode of the series. (The ending is rather similar to The Reign of Terror, the previous finale, and there is no indication the series was in danger of cancellation at this point, given it was still the height of Dalekmania.)

Filming locations

 * Ealing Television Film Studios

Production errors

 * A deadbolt lock can be seen in the monastery door in episode one, albeit without any handles attached to it.
 * The blankets seen at the beginning of episode three don't match those seen in episode two.
 * When Steven acquires the watch, after the fight in the first episode, he asks Vicki "still think this is 10th century England?". The year is 1066, so therefore it's the 11th century. This could be a character mistake, not a production error. It's neither. At this point in the story, only the Doctor knows the year for certain, so Steven only has the Viking helmet and the Doctor's musings at the beginning of the story to go on. Call it an estimation.

Continuity

 * At the outset of the story, the Doctor and Vicki discuss the departure of Ian and Barbara in The Chase, and the Doctor mentions his granddaughter Susan. Later, the Doctor regrets that Barbara could not be there to see (and, no doubt, fill in the facts of) this period of history.
 * The Meddling Monk again returns during DW: The Daleks' Master Plan, in the novel NA: No Future, and in the audio story BFA: The Book of Kells.
 * Steven stows away onboard the TARDIS at the end of the previous story, DW: The Chase.
 * Vicki refers to their visit to New York during the events of DW: The Chase, including the Empire State Building.
 * The Doctor's handwriting is completely different from that in DW: The Sensorites.
 * The Eighth Doctor and his companion Mary Shelley would later meet Harold Godwinson during the Battle of Hastings. (BFA: Mary's Story) While in his sixth incarnation, the Doctor and Peri Brown encountered Harold, who was then operating under the alias of "Hereward the Wake", in the aftermath of the battle. (DWAN: The Real Hereward)

Timeline

 * This story takes place after DW: The Chase
 * This story takes place before DWM: Are You Listening?

DVD releases

 * Region 2 4 February 2008


 * PAL -


 * Region 4 2 April 2008


 * PAL -


 * Region 1 5 August 2008


 * NTSC -

Contents:
 * Verity Lambert Obituary - A concise essay looking back at the career of one of Doctor Who's co-creators
 * The Lost Twelve Seconds - A small part of Episode Four is still missing, and this short item uses an off-air audio recording and an original script to place the missing 12 seconds in context
 * Restoration - Featurette showing the techniques used in the restoration of this story
 * Stripped for Action - The First Doctor - A look back at the First Doctor's colourful comic strip adventures
 * Verity Lambert Photo Gallery
 * Radio Times Listing (PDF)
 * Production Notes Subtitles
 * Photo Gallery
 * Audio Commentary by producer Verity Lambert, Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), story editor Donald Tosh and designer Barry Newbury, moderated by Clayton Hickman

Rear Credits:
 * Starring William Hartnell with Peter Purves and Maureen O'Brien
 * Written by Dennis Spooner
 * Produced by Verity Lambert
 * Directed by Douglas Camfield

Notes:
 * Restored for DVD release by Doctor Who Restoration Team

VHS releases
This story was released as "Doctor Who: The Time Meddler".
 * UK Release: June 2000 / US Release: October 2003
 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV7275
 * NTSC - Warner Video E1854
 * It was released as part of The First Doctor Collection in the UK.
 * It was released as part of The End of the Universe Collection in the US.


 * Editing for VHS and DVD releases was completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.

Novelisation and its audiobook

 * Main article: The Time Meddler (novelisation)


 * This story was novelised as The Time Meddler by Nigel Robinson in 1988.