The Sontaran Experiment

"Now, where's my five hundred year diary. I remember jotting some notes on the Sontarans..."

Writers: Bob Baker & Dave Martin

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 22nd February - 1st March 1975

Season: 12.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis 

Transmitting down from Nerva Beacon, the Doctor, Sarah and Harry find themselves on Earth in the far future, long-since abandoned by the human race. But it soon becomes clear that they are not alone: a shipwrecked crew of Galsec colonists are being hunted down, one by one. What is the creature that lives in the rocks, and what is the purpose of the lethal tests it is conducting? Can the Doctor ensure the safety of the Earth for future generations of mankind?

Verdict 

The Sontaran Experiment is a fantastic little story and I'm glad that after an impressive debut, the Sontarans were back for more. Now, it's quite ironic how the budgetary costs of their first story meant they'd return due to the wonderfully impressive Sontaran ship capsule and costume. I find it quite funny with Classic stories when they leave the reveal of the big enemy until a cliffhanger despite the name of that very monster being in the title! It happened here and it happened in Destiny of the Daleks and The Power of the Daleks. But, in saying that, I do like knowing that a great cliffhanger is on the horizon with the return of a great enemy. That was the case here with the Sontarans. I liked the continuity from The Ark in Space with the far in the future setting remaining consistent and Earth being abandoned. Imagine coming to this planet with all its wonders and there wasn't a soul in sight. I imagine that'd be pretty daunting! Sarah's reaction to the Doctor saying where Trafalgar Square might be was brilliant. The arrival of the trio to the countryside was quite humorous and I liked how the Doctor immediately got to work on his task of fixing the circle. I liked his lack of reaction to Harry coming and going and then being quite oblivious to Sarah landing on her back a distance away. I really liked Sarah in this story despite the outfit being somewhat questionable, even for the 1970s. Her relationship with Roth throughout the story was nice to see and it's clear that she can get along with just about anybody if they're nice in return. Tom Baker was magnificent as the Fourth Doctor in this one and even for an early adventure we see some wonderful traits that would become synonymous with the incarnation. I loved it when he told Harry never to throw away anything as he was throwing away the very thing that saved him from the Sontaran gunshot. I liked the numerous references to The Time Warrior with Sarah believing that Styre was actually Link whom she had encountered way back into history from this time zone. I liked how it was established that the Sontarans were a clone race and I also liked how we saw the Grand Marshall who was eager to see that the experiments on the human race were finished. Styre though was having problems with the GalSec party and the arrival of the TARDIS trio. The Doctor intentionally going into where Harry had gotten himself trapped was pretty funny I must say! I liked how the Doctor challenged Styre to single combat and knowing that the Sontaran was prone to a weakness and the cure being removed from his ship, the Sontaran literally withered away into nothingness. It was quite a gruesome death! The Doctor talking to the Marshall about his victory was fantastic. He does like to gloat! Overall, a great little two part story and I'm glad that the Sontarans returned and went on to become a memorable villain. 

Rating: 8/10