Vikings! We all love those warrior Norsemen, don’t we?
Except when the Doctor is not in the mood for them, with or without their historically inaccurate but amusing horned helmets.
‘The Girl Who Died’ was one of this season’s most anticipated episodes, primary for the much trumpeted casting announcement of Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams and the swirling fan theories of who she might be playing. It was also a return for writer Jamie Mathieson, author of last year’s ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ and ‘Flatline’.
> Buy Season 9 on DVD on Amazon.
> Buy Season 9 on Blu-ray on Amazon.
While we wait for the concluding part of Ashildr’s story, ‘The Woman Who Lived’, here are our tips for a few other related Doctor Who tales worth digging out…
‘The Time Meddler’ (1965)
Rounding off William Hartnell’s second season, the Doctor, Vicki and new companion Stephen Taylor encountered some of the Norseman wrapped up in a temporally meddlesome plot by another of his race, The Monk (Peter Butterworth from the Carry On series).
This was the first time we had encountered a Time Lord, although the name had not been dreamt up, and the first time we saw another TARDIS.
‘The Time Warrior’ (1974)
If you enjoy a little swordplay with some alien influence thrown in for good measure, ‘The Time Warrior’ is worth a look. The tale begins with the Doctor investigating the disappearance of some scientists, and with journalist Sarah Jane Smith investigating him.
Discovering that the abductees have been drawn back in time to the 13th Century, the Time Lord follows and uncovers a Sontaran plot to arm bandits with anachronistic weapons in exchange for help repairing his ship.
As well as introducing Sarah and the Sontaran race, the tale also features June Brown (EastEnders’ Dot Cotton) and is the first to name the home planet of the Time Lords as Gallifrey.
‘Robot of Sherwood’ (2014)
Striking some similar notes, Capaldi’s third adventure ‘Robot of Sherwood’ found the Doctor arriving in the famous titular forest to disprove the existence of Robin Hood to Clara.
With a broad comic tone, the Doctor and Robin eventually join forces to defeat the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Miller) and his robotic knights.
Lightening up far more than he previously had at that point, the tale finds the Doctor taking on Robin armed only with a spoon and indulging in a serious case of bow envy as they compete for the golden arrow.
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