K-9 and Company

Did You Know?

• 51.55% of Doctor Who Magazine readers in "The Mighty 200" poll liked K-9 and Company.
• The title sequence came first in TV's Top 5 worst title sequences as part of David Walliams' Awfully Good TV.
• Bill Fraser previously appeared with Tom Baker and K9 Mark II in the Doctor Who story Meglos.

Programme origins

Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner wanted Elisabeth Sladen to return to the TARDIS, initially planning for her to appear from Logopolis through the second story of series 19. Sladen declined, uninterested in reprising her role without change. Nathan-Turner also sought a solution for K9, whose technical difficulties and perceived over-powerfulness led him to consider a child-oriented spin-off. He offered Sladen the lead as Sarah Jane Smith, now the heroine rather than a sidekick, which she accepted.

"A Girl's Best Friend"

Sarah Jane Smith visits her Aunt Lavinia, only to find she has left for an American lecture tour. Lavinia's ward, Brendan Richards, arrives, and they discover a crate containing K9, a gift from the Doctor. Sarah investigates local witchcraft concerns, while Brendan tests K9. Brendan is attacked by gardener George Tracey and his son Peter; K9 stuns Peter but fails to catch George. The next morning, Tracey feigns ignorance about the greenhouse damage K9 caused. That night, Peter kidnaps the sleeping Brendan while Sarah reads about witchcraft.

Production

Bill Fraser and Colin Jeavons had previously appeared in Doctor Who stories. The electronic theme music was composed by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench, arranged from a demonstration by Peter Howell. Location filming occurred near Cirencester, with studio work and editing at Pebble Mill Studios, Birmingham; the pilot was commissioned by BBC London Drama Serials. Despite 8.4 million viewers—higher than average Doctor Who episodes of the era—the series was not commissioned after BBC1 controller Bill Cotton was replaced by Alan Hart, who disliked the concept. The episode was repeated on BBC2 on 24 December 1982.

Commercial releases

A novelisation titled K-9 and Company was published in October 1987 as the last of The Companions of Doctor Who series by Target Books. The pilot was released on VHS on 7 August 1995, then on DVD on 16 June 2008 as a double pack with The Invisible Enemy. It was re-released on DVD on 25 October 2010 and included in the Doctor Who: The Collection Season 18 Blu-ray set, remastered to HD. It is available for streaming on BritBox and BBC iPlayer.