Companion: Sarah Jane Smith
Written by: Robert Holmes
Directed by: Alan Bromly
Background & Significance: Again, we come back to Robert Holmes for his last Pertwee story.
I know, I know. I mention him a lot. But Doctor Who, as television is, is very writer-centric. Different writers sculpt different types of stories and have different visions of what the show could be. They write slightly tweaked and different variations on particular Doctors and use unique conventions and world views to sculpt their stories.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEdLYJL-J3Hdypuxalp_4BxMP72UXGtYuIuKDjlnp9ddm9PPSG3y_b8lAY1UtIDdgFVbs9s6s_HR3tkqHqcYMh3xQURhNZwfNt-myQ1ZFWSKlIOWsTxtr7T6LaoMTfU6IKkcnx0-fhBYO/s320/vlcsnap-2010-09-25-17h52m43s44.jpg)
What makes this story most interesting, I think, is the insertion of Robert "The God Damn" Holmes. It's not necessarily particularly Holmesian, but his behind-the-scenes input made this story all the more important. Holmes apparently refused to do a straight historical story because he saw that as too much of the "educational" show mission statement of the Hartnell. He would only agree to it if it was the story was rooted in the deep science fiction vision he had for the show.
Luckily, the production team of Letts/Dicks agreed, and Holmes turned around a story that introduced not just fan favourite and long-time companion Sarah Jane Smith but also the occasionally recurring, B-list Doctor Who alien-villains The Sontarans.
Which is awesome. And besides being another very good and compelling story, it's another notch on the belt of contributions by the wonderful Robert Holmes. And what a hell of a delightful contribution it is.
So let's get to it!