The Key to Time

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The Key to Time is the umbrella title that links all six serials of the sixteenth season of Doctor Who. The arc was originally conceived by producer Graham Williams, who had proposed it as part of his application for the producer's job in 1976. The name refers to the powerful artefact for whose segments the Doctor, Romana and K-9 are searching during the season.

Video The Key to Time

Synopsis

A figure calling himself the White Guardian commissions the Doctor and K9, assisted by a new companion, the Time Lady Romana, to find the six segments of the Key to Time, a cosmic artifact resembling a perfect cube that maintains the equilibrium of the universe. Since it is too powerful for any single being to possess, it has been split into six different segments and scattered across space and time, disguised by the raw elemental power within them into any shape or size. However, since the forces balancing the universe are so upset, the White Guardian needs to recover the segments of the Key to stop the universe so that he can restore the balance. The White Guardian also warns the Doctor of the Black Guardian who also wishes to obtain the Key to Time for his own purposes. In the final episode, the Black Guardian, disguised as the White Guardian, attempts to take the Key from the Doctor. However, the Doctor sees through the figure's charade and orders the segments of the Key to Time to once again become scattered across all of time and space, bar the sixth, which he reinstates as Princess Astra. Afterward, the Doctor decides to install a device called a randomiser into the TARDIS' navigation system for a period of time to make his following voyages unpredictable to evade the Black Guardian.

The six segments

1. The first segment is disguised as a lump of Jethrik on the planet Ribos.
2. The second is the planet Calufrax, shrunk to miniature size by the space-hopping pirate planet Zanak.
3. The third is the Great Seal of Diplos, which has been stolen by a criminal of that planet.
4. The fourth is part of a statue on the planet Tara.
5. The fifth has been consumed by the squid Kroll, causing it to turn into a gigantic monster.
6. The final segment is a female humanoid - Princess Astra.

Maps The Key to Time

Casting

Main cast

• Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor
• Mary Tamm as Romana
• John Leeson as Voice of K-9 Mk. II

Guest Cast

• Valentine Dyall as the Black Guardian

Tom Baker continued his role as The Fourth Doctor, and saw the introduction of Romana played by Mary Tamm. This season was the only one to feature Tamm as the first incarnation of Romana, as the second incarnation, played by Lalla Ward, began her run in the first serial of the next season (Destiny of the Daleks).

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Serials

Douglas Adams took over as script editor from Anthony Read for The Armageddon Factor. Season 16 consists of one long story arc encompassing six separate, linked stories.

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Broadcast

The Key to Time was broadcast from 2 September 1978 to 24 February 1979.

DVD Release

This entire season was released on 1 October 2002 with minimal restoration and commentaries and pop-up production notes in region 1, both as a box set as well as being available individually. A limited edition box set of 15,000 copies with full restoration, expanded extras and a fold out box design was released in region 2 on 24 September 2007. This limited edition version was later issued in a standard box for the 7 November 2007 region 4 release and the 3 March 2009 region 1 "Special Edition" release (region 1 serials were also available individually), and the 16 November 2009 non-limited region 2 re-release in a slipcase box. There is also a region 4 version with the same fold out box design as the UK limited edition.

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In print

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia