An Hour of Who a Day

February 15: "Horse of Destruction" / "The Nightmare Begins"

(The Myth Makers episode 4 & The Daleks' Master Plan episode 1)

The thing about "Horse of Destruction" is how different in tone it is from the previous three episodes. Before it's been quite fun, largely larking about with Greeks and Trojans, but this episode is decidedly darker in tone. There's little humor present, with the proceedings much more concerned about the drama of the situation. Vicki convinces Troilus to leave Troy before it's sacked but without telling him why, but when he's out on the plains he encounters Achilles and has a fight with him which appears to leave him wounded. Meanwhile Odysseus is shown to be a cruel man who hopes that Agamemnon or Achilles is killed so that he can gain more of the booty -- interested more in wealth than any sort of honor or pride. And there's something quite upsetting about finding Priam and Paris dead, after we've spent two episodes in their quite pleasant company. Death and carnage abound, and even Steven is gravely injured. Yet Vicki decides to stay behind, apparently because she's quite taken with Troilus, and so the Doctor and Steven leave without her (but with Cassandra's servant Katarina instead) as she plans with Troilus and his cousin Aeneas to found another Troy (or in other words, Rome). So good-bye to Vicki, who at least gets a decent farewell scene, even if we don't actually see her farewell to the Doctor.

I have to admit, before this I hadn't really given much thought to The Myth Makers -- I'd listened to the soundtrack once before and read the Target novelization, but that was about it. But now, having listened more closely, I find this story has gone way up in my estimation. Sure, the last episode is rather at odds with the other three, but it's at least somewhat appropriate for the tale ultimately being told, and those other three episodes sound like quite a delight. The Myth Makers is now quite high on my wish list for missing episodes recoveries.

But it's time to move on, back to the planet Kembel (where we were four episodes ago), to find out what's been happening since "Mission to the Unknown". Earth has sent someone to investigate the disappearance of Marc Cory, so say hello to Nicholas Courtney's first role on Doctor Who, as agent Bret Vyon. He doesn't exactly make the best first impression though, seeing how he takes the TARDIS key from the Doctor and tries to hijack the ship -- albeit to warn Earth about "those things." So not only is it the introduction of Nicholas Courtney, but also of not discussing the identity of the main villains, despite the fact that not only was the Daleks' return spoiled in the Radio Times that week, but also the fact that we're on the same planet as we were in "Mission to the Unknown" -- you know, the last episode to feature the Daleks. But whatever. At least Bret Vyon helps cure Steven's blood poisoning, acquired from his wound last time.

There's also a casual infodump where two technicians on Earth watch the news, where we learn about Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System, the fact that it's currently the year 4000, and that there's been peace in the system for 25 years. It's really quite lovely, and a long way from an "as well you know" speech. But it also sets up Mavic Chen for his betrayal at the end of the episode, as he plans on selling the Solar System out to the Daleks. And really, that's about it for this episode. Not that much really happens, but the clips we can see suggest it was directed well, and to its credit it does keep things moving quite nicely, so that you don't really notice how little actually goes on this episode. And it's got a nice evocative title too.

February 14: "Small Prophet, Quick Return" / "Death of a Spy"

(The Myth Makers episodes 2 & 3)

Seriously, though. How did Donald Cotton get away with a title like "Small Prophet, Quick Return"? Especially given that his original title for "Death of a Spy" was nixed...¹⁷

A Trojan goddess emerges from the shrine. ("Small
Prophet, Quick Return", from 8mm off-air footage) ©BBC

But anyway. Last time our attention was focused mainly on the Greek encampment. This time we get a lot in Troy, which is generally portrayed as something less out of Homer and more out of a P.G. Wodehouse novel. Paris behaves like a member of the Drones Club, frightfully polite and not really into this whole fighting business at all, but he's being forced into it by his father King Priam, taking the "rich uncle" role, albeit a slightly bloodthirsty one. ("I should think not indeed, bringing back blessed shrines," Priam remarks after Paris announces he's captured a shrine for the temple. "Go back and bring Achilles' body, if you want to do something useful.") And Cassandra is the sister who no one listens to because all she prophesies is doom and destruction ("Don't pay any attention to Cassandra," Paris tells Vicki, "she takes the gloomiest view. I suspect it's a kind of insurance, so that if things do go wrong she can always say, 'I told you so.'"). It's into this that Vicki is thrust, but she never tells anyone anything other than the truth: that she's from the future. Cassandra seems to dislike her, but everyone else is quite taken with Vicki.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is forced to admit he's not Zeus, and consequently Odysseus gives him two days to win the Trojan War. Steven, meanwhile, decides to go rescue Vicki from the Trojans, so he plans to be taken prisoner by Paris. That whole conversation leading up to the duel is quite a delight:

PARIS: It's Achilles I seek.
STEVEN: And must my Lord Achilles be roused to undertake your death, adulterer?
PARIS: Yes, well, I'm prepared to overlook that for the moment. I assure you I have no quarrel with you.
STEVEN: I'm Greek, you're Trojan. Is not that quarrel enough?
PARIS: Yes, well, personally, I think this whole business has been carried just a little bit too far. I mean, that Helen thing was just a misunderstanding.

(from The Doctor Who Transcripts - The Myth Makers)

It's also great how quickly Steven turns to flattery after "losing" the duel, which leads to Paris willing to take him back to Troy just so he can tell the Trojans how great the Greeks think Paris is! Of course, that backfires slightly when Vicki recognizes Steven, leading Cassandra to declare them both Greek spies. Next Episode: "Death of a Spy"...

"Death of a Spy" isn't quite as witty as the last two episodes, but that's probably because Steven and Vicki spend the majority of the episode locked up in a Trojan cell. This does give Vicki (who's been rechristened Cressida) a chance to chat happily with Troilus, and let a little bit of romance blossoms -- complemented by a rather sweet, understated guitar piece from composer Humphrey Searle (one of the more distinguished composers to ever work on the series).

There's some humor in the Greek camp, though. The Doctor's first thought for defeating the Trojans is to be catapulted over the walls in giant paper airplanes, but he rather goes off the idea when Odysseus informs him that he'll be the first to fly. Finally, somewhat defeatedly, he gives the Greeks the idea for the Trojan Horse, which Odysseus seizes on eagerly and presents to Agamemnon and Menelaus. There are a couple jokes here: for instance, when the Doctor describes how they'll build the horse and the Greeks will sail away, Menelaus perks up, until the Doctor informs him that the Greeks will, of course, return: "Why is there always a catch in it?" And it's quite clear that the Doctor, who is forced to be inside the Trojan Horse, would really rather be somewhere else, as he keeps fidgeting and making noise until Odysseus has to basically threaten him to get him to stop.

The cliffhanger to this episode is interesting. Paris announces he's having the Horse brought into Troy, and the credits roll. It's the first time that the cliffhanger has relied on the viewers having prior knowledge of history/myth (delete according to preference), rather than on some obvious danger apparent on screen. It's worrying not because we think the Doctor and his friends might not get out of their predicament, but rather because we know what's going to happen next.

¹⁷ It was going to be called "Is There a Doctor in the Horse?", but this was apparently too much for the production team.

February 13: "Mission to the Unknown" / "Temple of Secrets"

("Mission to the Unknown" & The Myth Makers episode 1)

So "Mission to the Unknown" (or Dalek Cutaway, if you really, really must¹⁶) must have come as something of a surprise to viewers at the time. Instead of the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven, we focus in on Marc Cory, Space Security Service Agent ("Licensed to kill"), and the crewmen he's forced into service: Jeff Garvey and Gordon Lowery. They're on the planet Kembel, "the most hostile planet in the universe", where Cory suspects the presence of a Dalek base. And he's right: the Daleks are using Kembel as a place to form an alliance with six other major galactic powers in order to conquer the universe -- with Earth as their first target; there's a pause when the Black Dalek announces that the first planet to be conquered will be.......Earth! Which could be a dramatic pause, or he might be gesturing at a map of the solar system, but either way, pure melodrama. (Though not quite as melodramatic as the stock music they've decided to use, which is so over-the-top that it's almost taking the piss.)

But the thing that's perhaps most surprising about this episode is that, fairly unequivocally, the Daleks win. Their alliance has been formed, Garvey and Lowery both fell victim to Varga plants, and Cory is exterminated by the Daleks before he can send his warning message off. And no one knows Cory and company are on Kembel. The Daleks are therefore ready to conquer the universe...

"Mission to the Unknown" isn't really designed as a stand-alone story, but rather as a teaser for an upcoming Dalek story. What's perhaps most interesting about it is how it's then disconnected from the next four episodes, which means it's sort of a "meanwhile" scene hinting at larger machinations at work. In this regard it's surprisingly modern (especially since we know with hindsight that a huge Dalek epic is in fact on its way), confident enough to tell a story completely separate from the Doctor and his companions -- and a story that doesn't have a real resolution. And, thankfully, the Daleks here are back on form as a powerful force in the universe, rather than the somewhat buffoonish characterization we got in The Chase. And this is where the Daleks really start to become that galaxy-conquering army of terror: a characterization distinct from where we've seen them before (The Dalek Invasion of Earth was pretty small fry compared to this) but one that will launch them into new heights.

And finally: this episode was only made because they had to make up an episode after Planet of Giants episodes 3 and 4 were edited down into a single part. So this is in production terms Galaxy 4 episode 5, but more importantly it's the last episode to be produced by Doctor Who's original producer, Verity Lambert. Now Bill Hartnell is the only person from the beginning who's still around...

What was it like for viewers, who, having gotten over the surprise of an episode with Daleks and no Doctor, next got an episode with the Doctor and no Daleks? "Temple of Secrets" is completely disassociated from events on Kembel, and indeed seems to follow on directly from "The Exploding Planet", as Vicki's still got a sprained ankle. But fortunately, "Temple of Secrets" makes up for any lack of Daleks by being quite a witty script. The TARDIS arrives at the end of the Trojan War, and writer Donald Cotton wastes no time in deflating the myths. Achilles is shown to be something of an idiot, who only slays Hector because Hector is distracted by the Doctor walking out of the TARDIS to ask for information. And Agamemnon and Menelaus are depicted quite entertainingly, with Agamemnon a ruler using Helen's abduction as an excuse to try and gain control of the trade routes through the Bosphorus by conquering Asia Minor, and Menelaus as a man who's quite content to see the back of Helen ("It wasn't the first time she'd allowed herself to be abducted," he complains. "I can't keep on going off to the ends of the Earth to get her back. It makes me a laughing stock.").

Odysseus is probably the characterization closest to the one we're familiar with today, but that's simply because he's somewhat conniving and refuses to take Achilles' claims of the Doctor's godhood seriously (since Achilles thinks the Doctor is Zeus). And he gets a great line when he drags Steven into Agamemnon's tent: "Who is this?" Agamemnon asks. "My prisoner, the god Apollo," Odysseus replies. "Achilles, will you not worship him? He is a Trojan spy, but of such undoubted divinity he must be spared." It's fortunate that an episode that exists only on audio relies so much on dialogue, because it means we can still enjoy the proceedings without wondering as much what we're missing (which often was the case in Galaxy 4). And that next episode title! I'm amazed Donald Cotton got away with it.

¹⁶ It's one thing to debate the merits of using An Unearthly Child vs. 100,000 BC, but some people insist on calling this story Dalek Cutaway, despite the fact that it's only one episode long and has the title "Mission to the Unknown" on it, simply because there's some contemporary paperwork that calls it Dalek Cutaway (even though no one goes around referring to The Claws of Axos as The Vampire from Space, and that name got as far as a filmed title sequence). This is basically the Doctor Who equivalent of hipsterism -- referring to "Mission to the Unknown" as Dalek Cutaway simply because it's more obscure. Or you could call it a form of elitism, but that essentially boils down to the same thing.

February 12: "Air Lock" / "The Exploding Planet"

(Galaxy 4 episodes 3 & 4)

"Air Lock" was one of the two missing episodes recovered in 2011¹⁵, which means that we can actually enjoy watching this episode, rather than just listening to the soundtrack. And it does make it clear how much the visuals improve things: the soundtrack alone denies you the pleasure of Stephanie Bidmead's performance as Maaga, and how she turns directly to camera to deliver some of her asides; or how the Rill's recollection of events immediately after the crash are augmented by a flashback sequence that shows Maaga gun down her crewmember; or even the appearance of the Rill itself. We're also treated to an interestingly abstract building that the Rills have constructed, a simple frame with pieces of plastic attached to the geometric design: the Rills, it seems, think in terms of triangles for their structures.

Maaga prepares to kill one of her soldiers. ("Air Lock") ©BBC

Of course, the story itself continues more or less down the same path as the last two episodes. We're introduced to the Rills and we learn that they're actually quite decent folk. Meanwhile, Steven manages to escape from the main part of the Drahvin ship, but then he ends up trapped in the airlock for the rest of the episode. And, er, that's about it. This episode is more about illustrating the morals of the two sides (the Rills are decent and giving, the Drahvins are ruthless and selfish -- witness their conversation about self-sacrifice) than anything else. And like I said, it does help tremendously to be able to see things, but this continues to be not the most action-packed serial.

Back to the soundtrack for "The Exploding Planet", which is a bit sad because it sounds like things are actually happening this time around. We can hear a Drahvin soldier stealthily approach a Chumbley and smack it with an iron rod. The Drahvins start to attack the Rills' base, and then the TARDIS. And the planet actually explodes! One wonders if they used stock footage of volcanoes and things to show the destruction of the planet. As such this is actually a fairly urgent-feeling episode, as the Rills need to power up their ship before the planet explodes. Of course, we still get a little poetic moment: "To think that at dawn all this will explode into nothing," Vicki muses. "No, not just nothing, child," the Doctor replies. "Hydrogen gas that springs itself out like molten silver against the other stars in the same galaxy." But beyond that, this is primarily wrapping everything up, as the Rills fly away and the Drahvins are left to their fate. And then we get a teaser for the next episode: as Vicki wonders what's happening on a planet seen on the scanner, we travel to that planet, to see (well, hear) a man muttering about how he must kill...

Galaxy 4 isn't a terrible story by any means, but it's hardly a stand-out. The tale seems a bit simplistic, honestly, as it focuses first on showing how ruthless the Drahvins are before then demonstrating how decent the Rills are. If there is a sense of "appearances aren't everything", it's from the Drahvins, who believe the Rills to be evil just because they look weird. But as the Drahvins are also shown not to understand things like friendship and loyalty, this more demonstrates that the Drahvins are really in the wrong, rather than just being misguided. It's entertaining enough, and the existing episode suggests that this might have looked pretty good indeed (certainly "Air Lock" shows us that new director Derek Martinus has put some thought and care into things), but ultimately this is one of those pleasantly average stories that Doctor Who occasionally turns out, not doing anything wrong but not really wowing anyone either.

¹⁵ The other episode being The Underwater Menace Episode 2.

February 11: "Four Hundred Dawns" / "Trap of Steel"

(Galaxy 4 episodes 1 & 2)

So Doctor Who is pretty lucky in that the majority of the episodes from the first two seasons exist (with only 11 out of 81 missing). But now that we've reached season 3, the number of missing episodes increases sharply -- and there also aren't any more telesnaps until we reach Innes Lloyd's producership, starting with The Savages. So I'll be listening to a lot of soundtracks for a while, with no pictures to help guide the process. Ah well.

Of course, "Four Hundred Dawns" is a bit unusual, in that a 5 minute clip exists, which means that we can actually get some idea of what it looked like. The clip's not the most exciting thing ever, being primarily exposition, but we do get a sense of what the Drahvin spaceship looked like, and what the Drahvins themselves looked like, as well as some shots of the Chumblies. Before 2011 this was pretty exciting; now with the recovery of "Air Lock", this isn't quite as intriguing, but it's still nice to have a decent chunk of the episode to view.

As far as the actual story goes, though, season 3 opens rather mutedly. We get a continuity reference back to The Space Museum, and that's about the most exciting thing to happen at the start. I'll allow for the reasonable possibility that a lot of this was more visual, but still. Once the Drahvins "rescue" the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven, we get a lot of backstory explaining what's going on, about how the Drahvins and the Rills both crashed on this planet four hundred dawns ago, and the Rills are vicious murderers, and also the planet is going to blow up in fourteen dawns. And this is the part where people usually point out that the reputation this serial has for being about not judging by appearances is inaccurate, as it's clear from the outset that we're meant to mistrust the Drahvins and their story. In fact, it's less clear how Galaxy 4 got this reputation in the first place, given just how clearly we're meant to be against the Drahvins. I blame Peter Haining.

"Trap of Steel" continues the fun, with the Doctor (who previously learned that the planet only had two dawns left) returning to the Drahvins and inexplicably telling them that, yes, the planet's toast in fourteen dawns. It doesn't even last that long, as Maaga, leader of the Drahvins, quickly cottons on that the Doctor's lying, and forces him and Vicki to go capture the Rills' ship. There is a nice bit where Steven tries to convince one of the Drahvin soldiers to take Maaga's weapon to fight Chumblies, and he'll just look after her gun in the meantime, and Vicki gets to test her theory about the Chumblies ("I noted, observed, collated, concluded, and then I threw the rock"). And then there's some exploration of the Rills' ship and the structure built around it, which, again, probably looked more interesting than it currently sounds. And, once again, that's it. Not the most action-packed pair of episodes around, but they're not too bad.

February 10: "Checkmate" / Dr. Who and the Daleks

(The Time Meddler episode 4 & the first Peter Cushing film)

So by the end of "A Battle of Wits" we knew exactly what the Monk was planning, but the Doctor didn't, so consequently there's a recap where the Monk gleefully tells the Doctor of his plan to change history. The Doctor is of course outraged, but the Monk rejects his arguments: "Doctor, it's more fun my way. I can make things happen ahead of their time... For instance, do you really believe the ancient Britons could have built Stonehenge without the aid of my anti-gravitational lift?" This is a great line, suggesting that the Monk has already changed history to what we "know" it to be, and he's clearly having a lot of fun.

But the discovery of another TARDIS! The suggestion before this has often been that the Doctor built the TARDIS himself, but this shows that's clearly not the case. There are other TARDISes, and other members of the Doctor's race. It's a bit difficult to convey how significant this is, given how blasé we are about such a thing nowadays, but it proves that there are more than just the Doctor and Susan out there in the universe.

Really though, the rest of the episode is just showing the results of the actions put into motion in the previous episodes. The Saxons know the Vikings are planning an invasion and that the Monk (who previously requested that the villagers light beacon fires) isn't to be trusted. The Vikings hiding in the monastery are routed and killed¹³ by the Saxons, and the Monk is chased out as well, foiling his attempt to meddle with history. Except he still has his atomic cannon and its neutron mortars, but it seems like it's too late for him to carry out his plan.

The Time Meddler is a lovely little story. It's about history, but really more about history itself: 1066 is little more than a backdrop to the Monk's machinations (albeit an event that really would lead to dramatic differences if it were altered), but they're the actions of someone amusing themselves rather than of a megalomaniac. It's also a direct challenge to the premise set up in The Aztecs, of the immutability of history. We've got Donald Tosh editing scripts now, but this is still clearly Dennis Spooner's domain. It looks great (even if the prints themselves are a bit rough, with "A Battle of Wits" clearly in the worst shape), it's well directed and well acted -- with a superb guest turn from Peter Butterworth -- and it's a great script. Really, what's not to love?

The Time Meddler is the last story of season 2. If season 1 saw Doctor Who establishing the guidelines for the show, season 2 saw everyone trying to push the boundaries. We get more humor, more abstract concepts (such as in The Space Museum), and more ambition. It doesn't always pay off (stand up, The Web Planet), but there's always a sense of trying to go beyond what they've done before, and when they occasionally try to play it safe (such as with The Chase), the result falls a bit flat. Season 2 demonstrates that there's still plenty of life left in the show -- it's survived the loss of all three original travelling companions, and it's done so with confidence. Season 1 ends with a speech about the TARDIS crew finding their destiny in the stars. Season 2 does one better by ending with the time travellers' faces actually out among the stars. It's a fitting end.

But we're not quite done yet! Between the end of season 2 and the start of season 3 came something monumental: that's right, it's time for Dr. Who and the Daleks, the first Peter Cushing film. Which means this is more like two hours of Who today, but never mind.

But Doctor Who, in color and with money thrown at it! It looks pretty impressive, even if it doesn't always succeed -- full marks for the Daleks, somewhat less for their salmon-colored city. But you have to admire a production that sticks lava lamps prominently in frame as a symbol of alienness.

This film is a relatively faithful adaption of the first Dalek serial. Most of the big changes have to do with the main characters: Dr. Who is an eccentric inventor who lives with his granddaughters Barbara and Susie Who (yes, really), and who happens to have invented a time machine, which he keeps in a police box in his garden. Ian Chesterton is Barbara's bumbling boyfriend. Everything else is largely in keeping with the original: all the plot beats are there -- almost to the point where it feels mechanical, rather than organic. Dr. Who wants to investigate the alien city, so he sabotages the fluid link (which is even the same error code on the fault locator). The Daleks want to ambush the Thals, so they make Susie write a letter inviting them into the city. Dr. Who needs the fluid link back, so a small party goes around the back of the city while the main force attacks the front. (This is actually probably the most pointless plot beat to repeat, since Ian's small party doesn't seem to have any real effect on the outcome of events here.) This is definitively a big color remake of the original story, but it hasn't stopped to consider why events in the original serial were there in the first place, content instead to just forge on ahead regardless.

That's not to say things aren't entertaining -- they're just not as entertaining as they could be. Peter Cushing steals the show as Dr. Who, playing a version of William Hartnell's character with all the irascibility removed. He's a kindly old grandfather, and you can see Peter Cushing put the twinkle in Dr. Who's eye in almost every scene. And although Ian Chesterton is portrayed as an idiot, Roy Castle puts enough sympathy in the role that you can't help but root for him by the end. On the other hand, Roberta Tovey's Susie Who is one of those precocious child geniuses that film and television companies seem to think audiences will like for some reason, and although she tries, virtually every line of dialogue Tovey has to deliver makes her seem stuck up and unlikeable. And Jennie Linden, sadly, is rather wasted, as Barbara's character fades primarily into the background. Special mention, though, for the moment when she puts mud on the Dalek's eyestalk: "Dalek!" she yells. "Yes?" the Dalek replies obligingly, whereupon Barbara slaps the mud on its eye: "Aaah!"

It's not perfect, and the attempts to artificially graft humor onto the proceedings typically fall flat (and nowhere worse than in the awful ending scene, showing Ian panic about Roman soldiers and start faffing about in Tardis¹⁴ like he's having a seizure), but there's still enough to enjoy here, especially if you can look past the salmon shower curtain walls. It's not as good as the original, but it is as confident, and that carries things a long way.

Malcolm Lockyer seems to think he's composing music for a Bond film, though.

¹³ Though not in the episode as it currently exists: "Checkmate" is missing 12 seconds of the Vikings being killed -- the result of overseas censor cuts; the audio of the missing segment, though, still exists and is on the DVD.
¹⁴ In an interesting reversal of the custom of the television show, in the entirety of Dr. Who and the Daleks the time machine is always called Tardis, with nary a definite article in sight.

February 9: "The Meddling Monk" / "A Battle of Wits"

(The Time Meddler episodes 2 & 3)

So William Hartnell's off for a week (other than some prerecorded lines), which means that it's the Monk's turn to take the spotlight. And, having set up the mystery last time, the show proudly presents its anachronisms: the Monk uses a toaster and an electric griddle to make breakfast before perching on a cliff side, using binoculars to look for incoming ships (while trying to take a pinch of snuff). It's clear the Monk isn't from 1066, and the question becomes, how is this possible? And Peter Butterworth does a fantastic job as the Monk -- he doesn't seem to be particularly villainous, more just mischievous, which is far more interesting (and entertaining).

And Steven Taylor really shines as a new companion, doesn't he? His continued skepticism starts to give way to the belief that they really are in 11th-century England ("I mean they'd hardly go to all this trouble for a fancy dress ball, now would they?" he remarks), but he doesn't let it worry him. His somewhat shamefaced thanks to the Saxons is rather lovely, and his conversation with the Monk shows he has initiative -- even if it's not clear who's tricking who. I think we're going to be all right with this new companion.

For much of the time, "The Meddling Monk" feels quite fun, which makes the moments with the Vikings more shocking -- there's a clear suggestion that they've raped the woman Edith, and the battle that ensues, although a bit more stagey than one might like, still is pretty intense, with Saxons brutally stabbing downward into what one presumes are fallen Vikings. It's a somewhat striking juxtaposition, albeit one that the show has played with before (notably in Dennis Spooner's last contribution, The Romans), but it still works.

"A Battle of Wits" features the return of William Hartnell, and we get to see the Doctor and the Monk engaged in a lovely little struggle as each tries to get the better of the other, with the Doctor usually coming out on top. But we also learn the full extent of the Monk's plan: he's going to repel the Viking invasion at Stamford Bridge, thus leaving King Harold Godwinson fresh to repel William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. He is, in other words, going to change recorded history. What's striking about this is how much of a sea change this represents for the programme: before it had been established that you couldn't rewrite history at all, and then that was stretched a little to suggest that time travellers could be the cause of established history (namely the Doctor giving Nero the idea for the Great Fire of Rome), but this seems to be a suggestion that history can in fact be altered -- the Monk's plan doesn't make any sense otherwise. The history of Earth, it seems, is becoming no more inviolable than any other world. And it's a great cliffhanger, too: the Monk has his own TARDIS! Now that's a sea change.