Synopsis:
Steven and Vicki enter the Doctor's cell, only to find that he has vanished...
As they look around, they discover a loose stone and realise that there is a secret tunnel in the walls. They crawl into it, hoping it will lead them to the Doctor.
He, meanwhile, has found his way back to Edith's home, where she is recovering from her ordeal at the hands of the Viking scouts. She is able to tell him that his young friends had visited and been guided towards the monastery. He in turn warns her of an impending attack by the Vikings which he has learned about.
The Monk gives Eldred some penicillin as part of the treatment for his wounds, then finally manages to get Wulnoth to leave. He discovers that the Doctor and his young companions are no longer in the monastery. He produces a task list which outlines his plans, and ticks off those items which have already taken place. The two remaining Viking scouts - Ulf and Sven - have decided to hide out at the monastery and make for it.
The Monk's plotting is interrupted by a knock at the door. Investigating, he is waylaid by the Doctor - threatening him with a gun in his back. This proves to be just a stick.
Steven and Vicki, meanwhile, have discovered a powerful cannon hidden on the clifftop, overlooking the sea.
As the Doctor and Monk argue there is another knock at the door. The Doctor dons a spare habit as a disguise. They discover that the new arrivals are Sven and Ulf - come to hide out. The Doctor is locked up in the cell he earlier escaped from, whilst the Monk is able to flee after knocking out Ulf.
As Steven and Vicki head back to the monastery, the Doctor escapes his cell by knocking out Sven.
The Monk goes to Wulnoth's home and asks him to organise the setting up of beacon fires above the beach. He claims these are to guide in a ship bringing building materials for the monastery. However, the headman is immediately suspicious, having heard what the Doctor warned Edith about.
The Doctor recaptures the Monk whilst the two Vikings are still unconscious.
Steven and Vicki regain entry to the building through the secret passage to the cell.
Exploring the chapel, they discover a power cable emerging from a great stone sarcophagus. They bend down and push their way through a set of doors - only to find themselves in a familiar futuristic control room. The Monk has a TARDIS...
Next episode: Checkmate
Written by: Dennis Spooner
Recorded: Friday 25th June, 1965 - Television Centre Studio TC4
First broadcast: 5:40pm, Saturday 17th July, 1965
Ratings: 7.7 million / AI 53
Designer: Barry Newbery
Director: Douglas Camfield
Whilst The Time Meddler was in production, writer John Lucarotti approached Donald Tosh about contributing a third script for the series. He had previously written Marco Polo and The Aztecs for the first season - both based on his past experiences (he had previously written a radio serial about the Venetian explorer, and had lived for a time in Mexico and become fascinated by Aztec culture). He claimed that he had been given a promise that he could contribute three stories, and so one submission was still outstanding.
The idea he had in mind was an adventure involving Eric the Red and his discovery of the North American continent. Thinking that his idea had been accepted, he went ahead and wrote a set of scripts.
Tosh accepted that a verbal agreement had been made with him, but had to point out that a story involving Vikings was already being produced. The new story editor wanted to use an experienced writer of Lucarotti's calibre, but this particular story could go no further. He was given another historical subject to consider - one he never felt comfortable about. We'll see how that worked out when we get to the episodes which comprise The Massacre...
William Hartnell returned from his holiday, and the break seems to have done him the power of good. That, and the fact that he was once again being allowed to use his comedic skills, honed by years of quota-quickie comedy films before the war. It is noticeable that he often rises to the occasion when confronted by an actor whom he admires, and who doesn't necessarily intimidate him (such as classically trained stage actors). The last time he could be seen enjoying a story this much was when he was partnered with Derek Francis on The Romans - another actor better known for light-hearted roles, whose background was in media other than the live stage, and in a script with more than the usual amount of humour (both from the pen of Dennis Spooner, of course).
Tosh had very little to do on this set of scripts - apart from an aspect of this episode. He was unhappy with the Doctor's dialogue with Edith, in which he described events which were about to unfold (such as the landing of the Viking fleet on the Humber and William the Conqueror's invasion) - feeling that the Doctor would never do such a thing as to reveal the future, thus potentially changing history. Tosh attempted to get Hartnell to drop these lines on the day of recording, but he greatly disliked change once he'd committed his lines to memory at the very start of the rehearsal week. He would often attempt to reduce his line-learning burden - but only at the start of the process.
As it was, Tosh later reported that Hartnell had ad-libbed much of the sequence anyway.
During the rehearsal period, Hartnell, O'Brien and Purves took time off to attend Ealing, for filming work on Galaxy 4 with one-time associate producer Mervyn Pinfield. This story would be held back to open the third season after the summer break.
One recording break allowed the crew to add more trees and bushes to make the forest look larger, and another was used to allow Hartnell to change into his monk's habit. Another allowed O'Brien and Purves to move on to the Monk's TARDIS set - simply reusing elements of the Doctor's.
Despite being described as a sarcophagus throughout, the TARDIS exterior designed by Newberry was actually based on a Saxon altar.
- The ratings take a big tumble this week - losing more than one million viewers. This resulted in A Battle of Wits becoming the lowest rated episode of the whole second season. As well as its lack of Daleks - or any monsters - and that trouble comprehending the anachronisms, we are now into mid-July and the summer holiday season.
- The AI figure, on the other hand, rises 4 points - so once again we have fewer people watching, but those who are viewing are enjoying what they see.
- After a brief stop in TC3 last week, the story reverts to TC4 at Television Centre.
- There were a couple of brief trims for timing - Sven looking through the cell door to see the Doctor sitting on the bed, and a longer sequence with the Monk treating Eldred.
- The Monk converting kilometres into miles was actually an ad-lib by Peter Butterworth.
- Daleks were discussed on the Friday evening following broadcast, on Late Night Line-Up. The first Peter Cushing / Aaru Dalek movie was in cinemas at this time.
- On the Wednesday, on Junior Points of View, it was revealed that viewer Lorna Goldsworthy had written her own story, titled "Where Death Walks!", in which Vicki was captured by a race called the Kratonians and threatened with imprisonment in their purple cave. Not sure what Freud would have made of that one.
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