Doctor Who Robot Of Sherwood: 8 Continuity References You Might Have Missed
7. The Time Warrior Mk.2?
While only Mark Gatiss would be able to confirm whether or not this was intentional, Robot Of Sherwood certainly feels like it draws a lot of inspiration from The Time Warrior (1974); a Third Doctor story set in the Middle Ages that introduced Sarah Jane Smith and the Sontarans. While both stories are independently their own beasts with their own individual plot points and idiosyncrasies, the broad similarities are definitely there. The Tardis lands in a forest in the Middle Ages where a starship has crashed and a local robber baron has forged an alliance with the occupants. The spaceship is inside the barons castle, will cause massive damage if it takes off, and the Doctor joins forces with a skilled archer who kills the villain and saves the day. Oh and theres at least one robotic knight thrown into the mix. Though the knight in The Time Warrior is an easily defeatable remote-controlled contraption rigged together as payment for robber baron Irongron rather than much more impressive robots faced by the Doctor and Robin Hood. While the similarities are noticeable to those who have watched The Time Warrior, they dont drag down the story since (if they are intentional), the inspiration taken from it is very broad and forms only a few building blocks of what is very much an original story.
JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.
