C09S05 The time monster

Synopsis

The Master is back!  Assuming the alias of Professor Thascales at the Newton Research Unit at Cambridge University, he harbours his latest deadly plot to seize control of time for himself.  Can the Doctor and Jo thwart his terrible plan?

What secrets does the mysterious trident-shaped crystal hold?  Why is the ancient city of Atlantis central to the Master's plan?  And what mythical terror lies at the heart of the Maze?  With time literally against them, the odds might just be too great for the time travellers...

Cover notes

The Time Monster offers up the third Doctor's first Earth-based, historical adventure, with Atlantis playing a key role in the central storyline.  Representing Doctor Who at perhaps its most eccentric, with a rampaging half-man/half-bird, a rapidly ageing science assistant and a time travel device known rather amusingly as TOMTIT, The Time Monster certainly doesn't lack imagination.

Worthy of note is the stylistic technique in which we alternate between the real time story itself and the events happening in Atlantis, thus helping to give both scale and depth to the adventure.

There's also the welcome return of The Master - last seen in The Sea Devils, faking a heart attack and escaping on a rescue hovercraft.  The character's involvement is one of the main factors in the story's success, which heralds Roger Delgado's penultimate appearance in the role.

Although The Time Monster may not be oft-cited as a fan favourite, the six-part story attempts to overcome its ambitious plot points with relentless determination and drive, and in doing so provides a thoroughly entertaining serial.

Cast

Crew

DVD Extras

Commentary