or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
More Buying Choices
skyvo-direct Add to Cart
£11.70
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 

Doctor Who - The Time Meddler [1965] [DVD]

William Hartnell , Maureen O'Brien , Douglas Camfield    Parental Guidance   DVD
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
Price: £6.75 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 11 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Doctor Who - Series 7
Order Doctor Who - Series 7 on Blu-ray or DVD, or visit the Doctor Who Store to discover a universe of Doctor Who DVDs, Blu-ray, toys, homeware and more
Learn about LOVEFiLM
Amazon’s film and TV subscription service with unlimited access to thousands of titles to watch instantly, many in HD at no extra cost. Go to LOVEFiLM for title availability. Enjoy a 30-day free trial and watch across many devices including the Kindle Fire. Learn more at LOVEFiLM.com

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Find all the best television shows from the other side of the pond in our US TV store and catch the latest shows in our 2013's Hottest TV page.

  • doctor who 4
    Time and Relative Deals in Space Our Doctor Who Store truly is bigger on the inside. We've got all the DVDs, audiobooks, toys and everything else the Doctor's put his name to.


Frequently Bought Together

Doctor Who - The Time Meddler [1965] [DVD] + Doctor Who - The Ark [DVD] [1966]
Price For Both: £13.50

Buy the selected items together

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product details

  • Actors: William Hartnell, Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves
  • Directors: Douglas Camfield
  • Format: PAL
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 4 Feb 2008
  • Run Time: 98 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0010S3PUS
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,804 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

One of the most popular adventures from the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who, The Time Meddler pits the Time Lord against Carry On star Peter Butterworth in an entertaining, well-written adventure.

Set in England back in 1066, on the eve of the Battle of Hastings, The Time Meddler sees the Doctor drawn to a monastery where a single monk resides. So how come the singing of the monks can be heard from far away? And what’s the reasoning behind the modern utensils he discovers? All paths lead to the aforementioned Butterworth, whose character’s backstory adds a nice twist to the story.

The Time Meddler throws in the backstory of Jamie discovering the world of time travel for the first time, but it’s the sparring between Hartnell and Butterworth that provides the sparks. And while it’s not a perfect adventure, The Time Meddler is very entertaining, and a nice slice of classic Doctor Who.

Poignantly, the late Verity Lambert joins an intelligent, interesting commentary track in the highlight of the disc’s extras. The Time Meddler was the last Doctor Who story she produced, and her contribution to the supplementary features package is both interesting and a fitting tribute to her work. It also helps make a very strong release for fans of classic Doctor Who. --Simon Brew

Product Description

Four episodes of the classic sci-fi series starring the first Doctor, William Hartnell. Episodes comprise: 'The Watcher', 'The Meddling Monk', 'A Battle of Wits' and 'Checkmate'.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Psudo-Historical Hartnell Romp 31 Dec 2011
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
1965's The Time Meddler is a strange addition to the Hartnell era, its neither here nor there, a mixture between historical fact and futuristic humour. By the end of the second production block, the producers were keen to inject new life in to Doctor Who, Dennis Spooner, since taking up the reign as script editor was keen to experiment with the programme and so we have The Time Meddler, a story that would not be misplaced in the late Jon Pertwee era next to the Time Warrior. In fact, the similarities between these two serials is quite something. We have an alien {Peter Butterworth's "Monk"}, a historical setting {1066} and the Doctor {Billy} trying to end the tampering with time. I have always felt that "The Time Warrior" was a sequel or remake of this story as they are very similar. Nevertheless the two stories are classics {well in my opinion anyway} and they certainly deserve recognition for daring to step out of the norm.

The Time Meddler is short, at 4 episodes, instead of the usual 6 it is not the standard length of any pre season 3 adventure, its length is a good thing mainly because there is not enough going on to keep it alive after the 4 episodes, if it was a 6 parter then I would have knocked it down to 4 stars. I have never been a fan of the 6 parters, they always drag in the middle {Reign of Terror} and you can lose track of the real plot. However, as stated above this story is a nice 100 min breeze and keeps my attention all the way through.

There is great casting in this story by director Douglas Camfield, Doctor Who's greatest director, here we have great comedian Peter Butterworth and familiar face Alethea Charlton {who appered in the first ever serial}. The only thing that would have been a nice touch would have to be Dudley Simpson on incidental music duty, but owing to the ever widening dispute between him and Dougie Camfield, that was never really going to happen, shame.

The BBC DVD release of this classic story from 1965 was handled beautifully by the Restoration Team, the remastering has come a long way since the good old days of VHS, it is a shame however that the Vidfire process could not be applied to this story as the recordings were not of good enough quality. Nevertheless, thats not to say the picture and sound on this 46 year old production was not up to scratch, because it really is, the DVD is presented very well and the Team have done a great job in putting it all together. Comiserations.

All in all then, this is a great Hartnell story that is more suited in the 70's than the mid 60's, but that does not but add to the enjoyment of this BBC DVD of The Time Meddler.

Serial - 9/10
DVD - 10/10
Overall - Great buy and well worth it.
Was this review helpful to you?
32 of 40 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars One for the fans - but in a good way 2 Feb 2008
By Hector Lerbioz VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD
Let's face it, THE TIME MEDDLER from 1965 is not going to make most people's top 10 list of favourite DR WHO stories. By today's standards it's very slow-paced and cheap-looking. The script is by no means terrible, although the plans of Peter Butterworth's Meddling Monk to alter history seem ill-conceived and there are lots of dull sections mostly containing beardy Saxons and Vikings (with names like Wulnoth and Sven) arguing in a way that will make you want to spool forward to the next scene.

If all of that makes it look like I'm going to be wholly negative about this release, then I should also say that actually I quite like it. And that's rather the point. I like it because I'm a fan and because I have a certain mindset. One of the reasons I love watching old episodes of DR WHO is to imagine myself back into the mind and feelings of a first time viewer at the time of original transmission. I can see just how exciting and gripping this serial might have been for viewers in 1965. After all if you didn't know about the Doctor's back story(more or less set in stone since 1969's THE WAR GAMES) then the revelation of the Monk's identity must have come as a real surprise to an audience of that time. With the advantage of hindsight this is less exciting now, as since then we've met a veritable host of time travelling renegades (the War Chief, the Master, the Rani, Drax, etc).

However, I do not imagine that most "normal" people will share my enthusiasm and the serial may well come across as tedious, especially if the only contact you've had with DR WHO is the revived Russell T.Davies version. Although maybe fans of the Carry On... films might find something to love in Peter Butterworth's cheeky performance - even if he's not playing a lecherous old man here.

Talking of Butterworth, he and William Hartnell look like they really enjoy their scenes together - apparently much of their dialogue was improvised - and these scenes have an energy and sense of fun absent from a lot of the rest of the tale. Director Douglas Camfield shoots and lights Barry Newbery's effective sets with as much style as he can muster considering the low budget and occasionally turgid pacing of the script. New companion, Steven played by Mr Blue Peter himself, Peter Purves, makes a good start even if I wince at the incongruously US-sounding dialogue he's sometimes given ("Quite a ship you've got here,Doc...").

For those of you who are hardcore fans then I would suggest the best reason to buy is actually the commentary. It's one of the best I can remember. Moderator Clayton Hickman does a good job of teasing interesting answers out of the panel and by the end I felt I had gained a new appreciation for the earliest days of the programme. Peter Purves, especially is excellent, and I look forward to the release of THE ARK and THE GUNFIGHTERS so we can have more of this gentleman. But the commentary is also effective because the mix of people they use: producer Verity Lambert, script editor Donald Tosh, designer Barry Newbery and Peter Purves is so unusual, not to say unique as Verity Lambert died only a few weeks after recording it. Knowing this makes the last few minutes especially moving as the other commentary guests celebrate her achievement as first producer of the series. Her love for her period of DR WHO is still touchingly in evidence right to the end and as fans we're the poorer for her loss.

The other extras are a little thin on the ground. The only feature of any significant length is STRIPPED FOR ACTION, a piece on the 1960's DR WHO comic strips starring William Hartnell. This is full of enthusiastic interviewees and professionally done, but I confess to a lack of interest for this aspect of DR WHO fiction. However, if you are a fan of the comics then maybe this will be a treat.

Sadly, the film print of THE TIME MEDDLER is not considered strong enough to undergo the vidFIRE process that has thus far sharpened up the picture quality of many of the black and white 1960's stories. Nevertheless the Restoration Team have done a good job in cleaning it up and it's certainly a vast improvement on my grainy VHS copy.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
36 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Time Meddler 16 Feb 2008
Format:DVD
I'm 15 years old, and I have to say that this story really is awesome, even by today's standards.

It's certainly one of Hartnell's best, with Hartnell's Doctor really getting into the role brilliantly. Here, we see the bully in him, and the very funny/calm side too. Place him with the Monk, and we have a fantastic combination.

I watched this in one sitting (something I find hard to do with Hartnell/Troughton) and absolutely loved it. I would recommend it for people of all ages because it's a huge lump of fun and a great story!
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Starts Great gets Worse
The first 2 parts of this episode are amazing and flow beautifully however in the last two parts it isn't very good. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. D. P. Metcalfe
5.0 out of 5 stars doctor who classic
Its the first time i have watched the "time meddler"and i was very impressed its a very atmospheric story set in a great location on the northumberland coast,peter butterworth... Read more
Published 17 months ago by S. Cartlidge
5.0 out of 5 stars I'd have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling time...
Having grown up with Baker, Davison, Baker and McCoy playing the Doctor, I only knew the Hartnell stories through the Target novelisations (although I'd read all of those several... Read more
Published on 18 April 2011 by Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth
4.0 out of 5 stars The Meddling Monk
My there's a lot of jaded people out there. Haven't bought the DVD yet but lets make one thing clear - if you were 8 years old at the time this was dynamite. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2010 by Mr. W. Norman
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!
Loved the episode, kept me entertained,
I loved watching it and you will too. :)
Published on 9 Aug 2010 by John Crowley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great release
Can't really fault this release at all, and everything is pretty much covered in other reviews, but for those that are interested, both the feature and audio commentary tracks are... Read more
Published on 31 May 2010 by LesserShadow
4.0 out of 5 stars he's not the master, the rani, but a one off, never again seen...
the doctor and co. are stuck in viking time. and this is the first appearance of a villainous timelord, a tradition that is by now worn out and expected. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2010 by Julia Trott
4.0 out of 5 stars The Doctor meets The Monk
Doctor Who abandons the most strict revision of history in the past-in-time episodes, to create what was in 1965 a step further in the magic of the tv series. Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2009 by Joan Genis Valverde Albons
1.0 out of 5 stars A Poor Production
This was AWFUL

I put it in our next Charity Bag

I cannot find anything good to say about it. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2009 by Ronald Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantabulous.
This is my favourite William Hartnell serial.
The atmosphere of the Northumbrian coast is captured beautifully, the script and acting are superb. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2009 by Mr. E. A. Greenlay
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges