Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5994 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-04
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 98 minutes

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

Synopsis
Doctor Who returns for this exciting collection of episodes that make up the Time Meddler story, set on the eve of the Battle of Hastings, and starring William Hartnell as the Doctor. Includes four episodes: 'The Watcher', 'The Meddling Monk', 'A Battle Of Wits' and 'Checkmate'.

Customer Reviews

One for the fans - but in a good way
Let's face it, THE TIME MEDDLER from 1965 is not going to make most people's top 10 list of favourite DR WHO stories. By today's standards it's very slow-paced and cheap-looking. The script is by no means terrible, although the plans of Peter Butterworth's Meddling Monk to alter history seem ill-conceived and there are lots of dull sections mostly containing beardy Saxons and Vikings (with names like Wulnoth and Sven) arguing in a way that will make you want to spool forward to the next scene.

If all of that makes it look like I'm going to be wholly negative about this release, then I should also say that actually I quite like it. And that's rather the point. I like it because I'm a fan and because I have a certain mindset. One of the reasons I love watching old episodes of DR WHO is to imagine myself back into the mind and feelings of a first time viewer at the time of original transmission. I can see just how exciting and gripping this serial might have been for viewers in 1965. After all if you didn't know about the Doctor's back story(more or less set in stone since 1969's THE WAR GAMES) then the revelation of the Monk's identity must have come as a real surprise to an audience of that time. With the advantage of hindsight this is less exciting now, as since then we've met a veritable host of time travelling renegades (the War Chief, the Master, the Rani, Drax, etc).

However, I do not imagine that most "normal" people will share my enthusiasm and the serial may well come across as tedious, especially if the only contact you've had with DR WHO is the revived Russell T.Davies version. Although maybe fans of the Carry On... films might find something to love in Peter Butterworth's cheeky performance - even if he's not playing a lecherous old man here.

Talking of Butterworth, he and William Hartnell look like they really enjoy their scenes together - apparently much of their dialogue was improvised - and these scenes have an energy and sense of fun absent from a lot of the rest of the tale. Director Douglas Camfield shoots and lights Barry Newbery's effective sets with as much style as he can muster considering the low budget and occasionally turgid pacing of the script. New companion, Steven played by Mr Blue Peter himself, Peter Purves, makes a good start even if I wince at the incongruously US-sounding dialogue he's sometimes given ("Quite a ship you've got here,Doc...").

For those of you who are hardcore fans then I would suggest the best reason to buy is actually the commentary. It's one of the best I can remember. Moderator Clayton Hickman does a good job of teasing interesting answers out of the panel and by the end I felt I had gained a new appreciation for the earliest days of the programme. Peter Purves, especially is excellent, and I look forward to the release of THE ARK and THE GUNFIGHTERS so we can have more of this gentleman. But the commentary is also effective because the mix of people they use: producer Verity Lambert, script editor Donald Tosh, designer Barry Newbery and Peter Purves is so unusual, not to say unique as Verity Lambert died only a few weeks after recording it. Knowing this makes the last few minutes especially moving as the other commentary guests celebrate her achievement as first producer of the series. Her love for her period of DR WHO is still touchingly in evidence right to the end and as fans we're the poorer for her loss.

The other extras are a little thin on the ground. The only feature of any significant length is STRIPPED FOR ACTION, a piece on the 1960's DR WHO comic strips starring William Hartnell. This is full of enthusiastic interviewees and professionally done, but I confess to a lack of interest for this aspect of DR WHO fiction. However, if you are a fan of the comics then maybe this will be a treat.

Sadly, the film print of THE TIME MEDDLER is not considered strong enough to undergo the vidFIRE process that has thus far sharpened up the picture quality of many of the black and white 1960's stories. Nevertheless the Restoration Team have done a good job in cleaning it up and it's certainly a vast improvement on my grainy VHS copy.

The Time Meddler
I'm 15 years old, and I have to say that this story really is awesome, even by today's standards.

It's certainly one of Hartnell's best, with Hartnell's Doctor really getting into the role brilliantly. Here, we see the bully in him, and the very funny/calm side too. Place him with the Monk, and we have a fantastic combination.

I watched this in one sitting (something I find hard to do with Hartnell/Troughton) and absolutely loved it. I would recommend it for people of all ages because it's a huge lump of fun and a great story!

"He's not the master, he's a very naughty boy!"
This story marked the 1st time that we met another timelord as a time traveller dressed as a Monk tries to prevent King Harold's defeat at Hastings. There is a very comic feel to the story and Peter Butterworth is perfect casting for the Monk who is far more mischievous than evil.

The scenes between the Doctor & the Monk sparkle as Butterworth and dear old Billy Hartnell try to outdo each other. the story rolls along, never fast but never dragging either.

There is fun to be had as companions played by Maureen O'Brien & Peter Purves try to work out whether they are in the past or in a more modern age with the discovery of the Monk's wristwatch adding to the confusion.

Hartnell is cleverly absent from episode 2 and yet they still create a sense of him being present.

There are a few scenes where the cheapness of the show works against it the stock footage of a viking ship (cut in from an earlier piece of film but less jarring since the restoration work) being completely at odds with the fancy dressed yokels that later turn up claiming to be a scout party. Also, the backcloth/projection could be a little more convincing.

Nonetheless this is a good example of a story that is no classic but still solid fun and a good example of something that is just the right length and does not outstay its welcome.

I have bought a copy since I 1st posted this review. The extras contain a commentary with Peter Purves, the late Verity Lambert (the last one she recorded before her sad death), designer Barry newberry and script editor Donald Tosh. It is a good one despite a few odd and rather controversial comments e.g. Patrick Troughton was miscast, too light and too like Hartnell and Unit was the beginning of the end for Dr Who? Verity is her usual charming self and it is very fitting she recorded her last commentary for her last story to exist intact. She benefits from having different people to interact with. Donald Tosh has some funny remarks about Spooner's flippant atitude to bringing back the Monk later and Peter Purves has some funny comments about wigs, props and timings and touches on Hartnell's occasionally difficult behaviour. memories of hartnell and Peter Butterworth are warm and plentiful.
A recreation of a several lost seconds of footage from the original broadcast version with an off-air soundtrack which also places it in context is hot and miss because it is such a short piece of missing footage, but something to try on later releases perhaps?

There is a docummentary on the 1st Doctor stories done in comic strips which could have been a bit longer than 15 minutes but at least uses its time well and offers one of the artists as an interviewee.

We have a hastily produced text feature serving as obituary to Verity Lambert and a photo gallery about her too. A nice touch.

The restoration featurette is very good particularly as they have worked wonders despite vidfire not being used, and the Viking footage I had believed was from a film is explained as being from an early (1949) news report about a reconstruction of a Viking ship and more of the footage is shown here.

A good package where even if the extras do not offer quantity, quality is present throughout.