So the Marathon started this weekend with Tom Bakers regeneration story Robot. I must first say that although I have watched doctor who for 28 years and did a viewing marathon of all available stories back in 1991 that this is only the second time that I have viewed this particular story.

Having just witnessed the latest regeneration to Matt Smith it was nice to compare how they handled this process back in 1974.

The doctor having faded from Pertwee to Baker is, as we have now come accustomed, confused after his ordeal. He talks erratically and then is sent to the sick bay. He tries to take off in the Tardis a few times but is convinced to look into a serious break in at Ministry of Defence advanced research centre.

I thoroughly enjoyed the choosing of the outfit (where can you get a King of Hearts outfit like that?).

Sarah Jane heads off to investigate Think Tank while the Doctor and Brigadier check out the break in at the Ministry of Defence advanced research centre. It was very coincidental that Sarah Jane suddenly wants to report on Think Tank at the same time as these incidents take.

The doctor works out that the thefts are occurring to build a disintegrator gun and that whatever is doing it weighs ¼ of a ton because of the weight required to crush a dandelion.

When Sarah Jane meats the director at Think Tank she makes the chauvinistic assumption that the director is a man, however the director Miss Winters (Patricia Maynard – who wrote the minder theme for her then husband Dennis Waterman) corrects Miss Smith who is apologetic. During the tour on the Think Tank Sarah Jane walks into an area with Strictly No Admittance written on the door. This is the former robotics area that was run by Professor Kettlewell. Sarah Jane slips on some oil but is assured that nothing is going on before being ushered out. Later she returns and discovers the Robot.

Miss Winters says she operated the robot as a joke and it is used only for dangerous activities. She then tells the robot to kill Sarah Jane. The robot cannot do this because it is against its primary objective. Sarah Jane then expresses concern for the robots well being when it becomes confused.

The robot now identified as Experimental Prototype Robot K1 is instructed to go to a ministers house and steal top secret documents.

The doctor however visits Kettlewell and charms the old man. Harry is convinced to go under cover at Think Tank. Though Miss Winters thinks that the timing of his visit is suspicious, as it coincides with a visit from the Doctor and the Brigadier. The doctor goes through the same ‘No Admittance’ door that we saw Sarah Jane go through in part 1. He however doesn’t buy what Winters and her number two (I love saying that ) have to say about the robot (K1) being dismantled. The doctor then pops to see Kettlewell after he calls about K1 having emotional issues! The doctor thinks this maybe a trap and leaves a message, in a comical type writing scene. However the doctor gets to Kettlewell’s home to late and Winters and her number 2 have already paid a visit. K1 attacks the doctor. Though I’m not sure why the door The Doctor opened with ease at the start of the scene was unable to be opened while the robot lumbered around Kettlewell’s home.

Luckily (for the doctor) Sarah Jane arrives and K1 recognises her as the person that showed compassion earlier. So leaves the doctor alone, UNIT arrive and K1 escapes, we hear banging and Kettlewell is found in a cabinet. Kettlewell shows his anti-metal that decomposes metal.

The Think Tank scientist are members of the Scientific Reform Society and they are having a meeting when Sarah Jane finds out that Kettlewell is a member they head along to the meeting,

While Sarah and the Professor are heading to the meeting the doctor finds out that the information stolen was the codes for the world’s nuclear deterrents. Miss Winters and the Scientific Reform Society have the codes and are willing to use them to blackmail the world. The Doctor finds out Sarah Jane is with Kettlewell and becomes worried for her well being. Sarah Jane gets let into SRS meeting through the side door by the Professor where we witness Winters doing an impressive Hitler’esque speech. The Robot and Kettlewell go on stage with Winters, the Robot seeks out and attacks Sarah. The Doctor arrives at this points and UNIT moment later.

K1, Winters and Kettlewell take Sarah hostage and escape, this scene is full of issues but entertaining to watch (watch out for the robot being helped!).

They escape to a defended bunker, Bentons team destroy the gun above the door and the Doctor gets his ever faithful sonic screwdriver out and destroys the mines (as seen previously in The Sea Devils). The Robot is ordered to defend the bunker now equipped with a disintegrator gun, and takes out a soldier and a UNIT (toy) tank!!

Kettlewell connects to the world computers so that they can activate the weapon codes, a countdown begins. Kettlewell tries to stop this now realising he has gone too far but he is made to continue the countdown. The Doctor, Sarah and Kettlewell encounter the Robot at the bunker door, Sarah Jane confuses the robot and he accidently kills his creator Kettlewell, K1 now carries on with what he believes Kettlewell would have wanted but he takes Sarah as she is now his only kind ally.

K1 is zapped by the disintegrator gun but instead of disintegrating the Robot Grows, this is where we some quite poor special effects, but for the time they are probably state of the art!

The Doctor uses the anti-metal on the Robot by driving in Bessie to K1 and throwing the virus on it. K1 disolves.

Back at UNIT HQ Harry and Sarah get in the Tardis and it dematerialises.


I have heard people criticise the robots appearance but its no worse than Metal Mickey and that aired 6 years later.

It was great that UNIT are involved, I have always loved the UNIT stories with Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton (or Warrant Officer Benton as we find out in this story)

I believe that the building UNIT are based in is the same building that was used for the hospital in Spearhead from Space, Pertwees regeneration story.