The Sontaran Stratagem (16 May 2008)

UNIT's newest recruit Martha Jones enlists The Doctor's help to investigate kid genius Luke Rattigan and his ATMOS system that is used in every car on Earth.

Director:

Douglas Mackinnon

Writers:

Helen Raynor, Robert Holmes (character: "The Sontarans")

Stars:

David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Catherine Tate	...	Donna Noble
Freema Agyeman	...	Martha Jones
Bernard Cribbins	...	Wilfred Mott
Jacqueline King	...	Sylvia Noble
Ryan Sampson	...	Luke Rattigan
Rupert Holliday-Evans	...	Colonel Mace (as Rupert Holliday Evans)
Christopher Ryan	...	General Staal
Dan Starkey	...	Commander Skorr
Eleanor Matsuura	...	Jo Nakashima
Clive Standen	...	Private Harris
Wesley Theobald	...	Private Gray
Christian Cooke	...	Ross Jenkins
Radoslaw Kaim	...	Worker (as Rad Kaim)
Elizabeth Ryder	...	Atmos Voice (voice)

Storyline

The Doctor gets a call from onetime traveling companion Martha Jones with a request that he return to Earth immediately. She and the military have taken over the ATMOS plant and she needs his help after 52 people around the world all died simultaneously. All had the ATMOS anti-pollution device fitted on their cars so the military has raided the factory believing it to be controlled by aliens. The Doctor learns that the Sontarans are planning to take over the Earth. They take Martha prisoner and she is cloned. Donna meanwhile misses her family and decides to pay them a visit.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Release Date:

16 May 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Margam Castle, Margam, Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Wales

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (50 episodes)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original 1963-1989 series presented conflicting evidence about when the stories featuring UNIT were meant to take place, and there has been much confusion and continuing fan debate on this subject. Although there is strong evidence that at least some of the production team intended for the UNIT stories to take place in the "near future" (in other words, the 1980s), this policy was not consistently applied and there is equally strong evidence to suggest the stories took place at the time of their broadcast (during the 1970s). The Doctor references this confusion when he says he is unsure if his time on the UNIT staff took place during the '70s or '80s.

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Quotes

Commander Skorr: I see you face battle open-skin, Sir. Might I share that honor?
General Staal: You may.
Commander Skorr: Thank you.
[removes his helmet]
Luke Rattigan: [looking between Staal and Skorr; finally] How do you tell each other apart?
General Staal: [turns towards Luke; short pause] We say the same of humans.

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Connections

Featured in Doctor Who Confidential: Lords and Masters (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Doctor Who Closing Credits"
(uncredited)
Written by Ron Grainer
Performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales

User Reviews

A strangely unsatisfying first parter

There's something missing from "The Sontaran Stratagem". While the use of sat-nav devices to evil effect is inspired and reminiscent of something like "Terror of the Autons", the episode somehow fails to inspire.

There's something very un-Sontaran about the whole affair. The menace here is Sontaran-lite, just as I was bitterly disappointed with the return of The Doctor's silver nemesis in Season 2. Perhaps it's me but while the make-up is wonderful (the early close-up of the Sontaran is excellent), the costume looks like something from a '90s Action Man.

Donna remains the strongest companion to-date, making Martha look rather lightweight in comparison.

7 out of 10. Only the first part of this double-header so things may improve but this is a very average tale so far. At the end of the day, Helen Raynor just doesn't deliver the quality of scripts that you expect from this series. It's missing fizz and pop and, overall, disappoints.