Product description

Doctor Who - The Time Meddler [1965]

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Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5014503233129
Label : 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer : 2 Entertain Video
Publisher : 2 Entertain Video
Release date : 2008-02-04
Title : Doctor Who - The Time Meddler [1965]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Universal, suitable for all
Format : PAL
Number of items : 1
Region code : 2
Running time : 98
Studio : 2 Entertain Video

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the most popular adventures from the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who, The Time Meddler pits the Time Lord against Carry On star Peter Butterworth in an entertaining, well-written adventure.

Set in England back in 1066, on the eve of the Battle of Hastings, The Time Meddler sees the Doctor drawn to a monastery where a single monk resides. So how come the singing of the monks can be heard from far away? And what’s the reasoning behind the modern utensils he discovers? All paths lead to the aforementioned Butterworth, whose character’s backstory adds a nice twist to the story.

The Time Meddler throws in the backstory of Jamie discovering the world of time travel for the first time, but it’s the sparring between Hartnell and Butterworth that provides the sparks. And while it’s not a perfect adventure, The Time Meddler is very entertaining, and a nice slice of classic Doctor Who.

Poignantly, the late Verity Lambert joins an intelligent, interesting commentary track in the highlight of the disc’s extras. The Time Meddler was the last Doctor Who story she produced, and her contribution to the supplementary features package is both interesting and a fitting tribute to her work. It also helps make a very strong release for fans of classic Doctor Who. --Simon Brew

Customer reviews

review by: Armchair Pundit. date: 2008-07-29 rating:

He's got to be stopped.
Season Two.
Another amusing gem from the prolific Dennis Spooner. This is regarded as the first of the Pseudo-Historicals, and is one of my favourite season two stories.
I can never feel anything but sorrow for the Monk at the end of this story as he's left stranded. I know he was a rogue, as witnessed by his Tardis full of stolen art treasures, but he did help the ancient Britons build Stonehenge with the aid of his anti-gravitational lift, after all.
"Carry on" film star Peter Butterworth plays the part of the monk with amusing relish. I would have loved to have seen him as a regular recurring.....I hesitate to use the word villain, so I'll say character instead.
And by being "shades of grey" in temperament, as opposed to the "black and white" pantomine personality of another Time Lord renegade from the seventies and eighties, makes the Monk a far more interesting and entertaining character in the process.
Here's an example, when the Doctor asks him why he behaves the way he does, the Monk replies with glee,
"Doctor it's more fun my way...". No heavy intellectual reasoning, just, it's more fun. That made a refreshing change from the pretentious reasons of some other sci-fi shows.
The Monk is the kind of character that would go back in time just for fun, and etch some contemporary comment on some ancient artifact just to give future archaeologists headaches.
Not an evil character as such, just extremely naughty.
Although there's no worlds to save, (just a particular time-line) and no companions die this is still an enjoyable slice of early Who.
From the season with the highest overall ratings ever.
~~~~
DVD extras.
Commentary:~ Verity Lambert, Peter Purves, Donald Tosh, Barry Newbury.
Verity Lambert Obituary.
Photo Gallery Subtitle Production Notes.
English subtitles.
pdf files of Radio Times billings.
"The Lost Twelve Seconds" - 12 lost seconds recreated using off-air audio recording and the script.
Stripped for action - a look at the first Doctor's comic strip adventures.
Restoration featurette.
Coming soon trailer.
Originally aired:~3 july - 24 july 1965.

Trivia:~ Ello, ello, ello what's all this then? Doctors aboard the USS Enterprise,well yes, kind of, check this out.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Neutral Zone, as Dianna Troi helps a woman from the past search for living family members the computer screen flashes up a family tree with the names William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker.
Maybe some Trek writers were closet Whovians?

review by: Socialite date: 2008-05-21 rating:

Solid Story if nothing else
Truthfully I bought this dvd because it was cheap and I wanted to but some doctor who from each doctor and I chose this story.
It has moments of pure cheese I cant deny but it is an interesting concept. The fighting is terrible but in that hilarious retro way that anything from that time would be like. All I can say is its a bit of fun and like all the doctor who dvds, its extras are excellent.

review by: Feltano date: 2008-04-01 rating:

Enjoyable tale from the early days
Barcode: 5014503233129

A curious serial from the William Hartnell years when the show was still very much in its infancy, The Time Meddler, as mentioned in the accompanying booklet, set the scene for the psuedo-historical episodes of the series that were to become a frequent reoccurance in the future. This time we see the doctor in Northumbria on the cusp of Viking invasion, a backdrop for the sinister actions of fellow Time Lord, the Meddling Monk.

Looking back, on the whole this episode has quite a comic, jokey feel to it in the fights between the Saxons and Vikings and the traipsing back and forth between the monastary and the village but while you're watching it never feels overdone and you soon immerse yourself in the fun of it. Companions Vicki and Steven play well off each other and First Doctor William Hartnell is instantly likable in his ways.

The Monk himself works well as a kind of comedic villain, the juxtaposition of capturing the doctor and then serving him tea perfectly summing up his character. Ultimately, 'The Time Meddler' represents a more innocent, care-free feeling Doctor Who. Along with the usual extras, this makes for a very enjoyable DVD. I think even new fans would be easily charmed by this episode, don't be put off by the black & white, the quality of the acting and script testament as always to the lasting appeal of Doctor Who.

review by: GrumpyGeezer date: 2008-03-29 rating:

An Enjoyable but Minor Story.
This is a fun story, but its simple plot does reveal that much of the production team in its era pitched the show squarely to children.(If you can't surmise the Meddler's plan by the end of the first episode you shouldn't be allowed to drive, vote or look after a friend's pet while they are on holiday.)

Unfortunately, it doesn't really enlarge the Whovian mythos either as some reviewers are suggesting - all we really learn is that there is more than one TARDIS in existence. We don't learn the Doctor is an alien let alone a Timelord. If Hartnell is "your" Doctor you are going to be bathed with a warm glow of nostalgia as you watch this adventure but if,say,you are a Tom Baker or Pertwee fan I think you'll find it an oddity.

But let's don't condemn it for what it isn't. This is a slow, unremarkable outing. The Master is a much better foe for our hero.

That said Peter Butterworth is great, he porttrays the Meddler with such charm and with a twinkle in his eye that it is easy to feel sorry for the old rogue.

But charm is not enough to rate this as high as "Genesis of the Daleks", "The Caves of Androzani" or "Blink".

The commentary is great though; Clayton Hickman is a genial, informed moderator and Verity Lambert and her friends are great company. Unfortuately, this just highlights the shameful lack of a tribute documentary to Verity who arguably helped to form the series into an icon of British television drama.

Overall, unremarkable but enjoyable.

review by: date: 2008-02-19 rating:

Did it really happen like this?
Not the best on offer but this story has a lot going for it. And if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'll find it. Look, this is the first story that suggested the Doctor and the TARDIS were in no way unique. It must have been quite a surprise in its day when our heroes enter another TARDIS, and a fully functional one at that. This was Verity Lambert's final outing as producer. It's also the first of the sci-fi based historical shows, and an interesting study in the way Dr Who was made in those days. Although the commentary is a trifle bland, featuring remarkable comments like, Pat Troughton was miscast as the Doctor, and the Pertwee era was the beginning of the end for Dr Who. (Who are these people? Have they never heard of Tom Baker?). Peter Butterworth leans somewhat towards slapstick, but overall it's not a bad show.

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