Battlefield

"You don't need to go on playing soldier anymore."

Writer: Ben Aaronovitch
Format: TV
Broadcast: 6-27 September 1989
Season: 26.01

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Brigadier

Synopsis

The Doctor and Ace arrive on Earth in the late 1990s where they become involved in a battle between King Arthur and Morgaine. However, these are not the heroes of Britain's past, but warriors from another dimension – and they recognise the Doctor as the wizard Merlin. As usual, it is down to the Doctor and Ace to save the planet, but this time they find some help in the guise of the Doctor's old UNIT ally, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

Verdict

Battlefield was a very good way to kick off the twenty-sixth and final season of Doctor Who! It's a really solid opening from start to finish that has a lot riding on it and shows just what kind of direction the show was heading in before it was hastily retired. I think it's a big shame that Doctor Who didn't survive into the 1990s, but who knows what kind of show, if any, we would have now had it done so. This serial has the right levels of nostalgia and new with the return of the Brigadier being accompanied by an excellent storyline containing beings from another dimension. They had all the appearances of being from the tale of King Arthur which was very interesting and whilst I did really enjoy the concept, I felt a bit more explanation was required as to how they had got onto Earth and in our universe, and more importantly why they'd come through in the first place. Having them arrive at Lake Vortigern with all the historical significance that possessed was really good and I liked how seriously those from the other dimension were taking seriously the words of what humanity were meaning as comedy. The moment Morgaine stopped her soldiers to reflect and remember those that had fallen in the cemetery was a touching moment and showed that despite her evil intentions, this woman had the potential to be good which I thought was important. We were introduced to a brand new Brigadier in this story by way of rank in the form of Winifred, but I wasn't overly keen on her character if I'm being honest. She didn't exactly ooze the authority that Lethbridge-Stewart so effortlessly did. Seeing our Brigadier in a home environment planting in the garden and with his wife was a lovely scene that showed us that even Lethbridge-Stewart had a normal life despite everything going on with UNIT. When the Doctor discovered that the UNIT were on the case he'd picked up in the TARDIS, his letting Ace use a pass of Liz Shaw's was another wonderful moment of nostalgic continuity. It worked terrifically well. It doesn't seem right that someone with the rank of Brigadier at UNIT wouldn't know of the Doctor, but when Winifred is told of the Doctor and his regenerative capabilities her reaction is more than decent. It's clear to see she cannot believe it. The Doctor being mistaken for Merlin and the story that came with that was fantastic and I really liked that it was acknowledged that events here were possibly influenced from the future. May there have been a future tale from the Doctor of the future's perspective? One thing I was very impressed with throughout this serial was the set design. I thought that was of a really high standard which is obviously pleasing to say. The cliffhanger to part two really is tremendous with Ace on the verge of drowning and the Doctor knocked out, but the resolution with the Doctor turning out to actually be okay seemed a bit like cheating. Ancelyn was a really good character who shared some good relationships with both the Doctor and Brigadier. His coming sideways in time was intriguing but again needed some more explanation. The moment the Doctor and Brigadier are reunited is magnificent and I really did get a big feeling of nostalgia, perhaps because I know this is the last time they meet on screen which is a huge moment when you think of it. The arrival of the Destroyer was good, but a little too late to have much of an impact. He looked impressive that's for sure, but didn't seem to really live up to its name. The special effects when he was quite easily destroyed by the Brigadier and the silver bullets were really impressive though. Overall, a great little serial on the whole!

Rating: 8/10