SEASON TWELVE AT FIFTY: 'THE SONTARAN EXPERIMENT'

The Sontarans are back!

Earth 10,000 years hence and life has been exterminated - or has it? The Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry find themselves in the Piccadilly Circus of the future where the mysterious alien in the rocks rules. Then the Doctor bumps into an old enemy... and finds himself part of a lethal experiment....

Original BBC VHS release story synopsis - 1991

An effective little two-parter from the talented writing duo of Bob Baker and Dave Martin that pits our heroes against a truly cruel and sadistic enemy in the Sontaran expeditionary warrior Styre (another gruesome member of Robert Holmes memorable 'Humpty Dumpty--esque oddity monsters) - Kevin Lindsay impressing once more in another ghoulish mask for the character as well as his online superior in the Marshal. The excellent and eerie Dartmoor photography is a fine backdrop for the barren Earth and the ongoing drama/action, but it's such a shame that such great work would all have to be shot on cheap videotape. 

I recall the entire story vividly, but specifically via its omnibus repeat in 1976 (It was a great treat to watch after a hospital emergency visit earlier in the day). I don't know how I missed the original on its 1975 two-parter transmission, but things happen...

The Sontaran Experiment ★★★★ | Radio Times

The Doctor gets to work on repairing the Trans Mat ring on the now solar flare-free, deserted Earth.

The watchful Sontaran capture robot ready to capture any humanoids it finds.

The scary figure of Field Major Styre (Kevin Lindsay) departs his ship.

Sarah is captured and brought to Styre.

The experiments begin for Sarah and the luckless humanoid Roth (Peter Rutherford).

Behind the scenes on the classic sequence filmed at Dartmoor.

Styre is a Sontaran who loves his job...

Styre observes Sarah's ongoing mental torture.

The remaining three astronaut humanoids captured by Styre (Donald Douglas, Glyn Jones, Peter Walshe), are put to the test.

As a diversion, the Doctor challenges Styre to single combat.

Whilst Harry sabotages the Sontaran ship and the creature dies with its power loss.

A miserable looking star on location with his broken collar bone.

Original Target book cover art by Roy Knipe.

VHS release art by Andrew Skilleter.

In-Vision cover art by Andrew Martin.

DVD release sleeve key art by Clayton Hickman.

US DVD release sleeve.

Striking German DVD release cover.

Target Book fan art cover by Philip James Allison.

Get the BBC audio book adaptation here:

Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment: A Fourth Doctor Novelisation (Audio Download): Ian Marter, Jon Culshaw, BBC Audio: Amazon.co.uk: Books