Episode #155 : Battlefield

"Well if my hunch is right, the Earth could be at the centre of a war that doesn't even belong to this dimension!"

Episode 155:   Battlefield.
Companions:   7th Doctor and Ace.
Air Date:          6th to 27th September 1989.

The TARDIS materialises in the English countryside near the village of Carbury, where a nuclear missile convoy under the command of UNIT's Brigadier Winifred Bambera has run into difficulties. Lying on the bed of the nearby Lake Vortigern is a spaceship from another dimension containing the body of King Arthur, supposedly held in suspended animation, and his sword Excalibur. Ancelyn, a knight from the other dimension, arrives on Earth to aid the King but is followed by his rival Mordred and the latter's mother, a powerful sorceress named Morgaine. They all recognise the Doctor as Merlin - a fact that the Time Lord attributes to events in his own future.

Doctor Who meets Arthurian legend and surprisingly does it very well. Our lore of King Arthur comes down to us from another dimension where the figures of legend are very much real, and where a possible future version of the Doctor (in an untelevised adventure) is the wizard Merlin. Or maybe that universe has it's own Doctor? The writers have combined the Arthurian tales with a strange pseudo-science that gels very well even when you realise that you are watching knights in armour fighting with swords and laser guns.

The Doctor is back to his dark manipulative self at last. Ace also gets a good amount of screen time and a fair amount of dialogue which is refreshing since she hasn't really had the opportunity since Dragonfire. It is a shame that the writing and storytelling for McCoy get so much better on his last year as the BBC plot to cancel the show.

This story also sees the long awaited return of UNIT and the Brigadier. Even good old Bessie gets brought out of mothballs for this adventure. We also get a short meeting with Doris, the Brigadier's wife who was frequently mentioned but never seen. Though I do think the references were probably lost on younger fans at the time who hadn't watched the earlier classic show.

With Battlefield I do appear to be in the minority as apparently many fans dislike this story. It is considered to have too many characters who don't get enough individual screen time. I've also read that many feel the battle sequences uninspired and the sparkler-like effects for the laser guns just a poor choice. I can see past all that and find Battlefield an entertaining adventure for the Doctor.