K9
Written by Andrew Weston
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Just the one companion this month, but one whose impact has been felt throughout not just Doctor Who, but his own spin-off and that of a companion he never travelled with. Not bad for a ‘tin dog’.
K9
K9 aka the ‘tin dog’ aka the ‘shooty dog thing’. K9 was one of the Doctor’s longest serving companions, appearing for roughly half of the Fourth Doctor’s long reign. He certainly went through some changes in that time, and technically was more than one companion in a way that Romana wasn’t. While she changed bodies, she was the same person underneath, while K9 was a different model with a different – albeit similar – ‘brain’.
The K9 we first meet is the invention of Professor Marius, created to replace his own dog which had to be left on Earth. He proves a useful aid to the Doctor and Leela, and at the adventure’s end Marius offers him to the pair as a gift since he himself will be returning to Earth. Quite why he couldn’t take him back with him is anyone’s guess (fearful of the jealous nature of his canine counterpart perhaps?), but the Doctor and Leela gratefully accept; and so begins the lengthy travels of one of the best remembered of companions. A shame then that he doesn’t appear in the story immediately following it!
K9 is a unique companion in several ways. He was unique in that he was the only non-humanoid to travel with the Doctor (and technically still is, since Kamelion, while a robotic lifeform, was also humanoid in appearance) and that there were different versions of him existing at the same time. When the first K9 was left with Leela on Gallifrey, the Doctor was seen unpacking a box labelled ‘K9 Mark II’. It showed that whilst he was happy for Leela to benefit from K9’s assistance, he was too fond of him to relinquish him completely, even giving a fourth wall-breaking grin as he pulled out the box.
The first K9 we actually saw in a very few stories, since aside from his debut he only appears in two further tales before it’s time for his last bow (wow). In those stories (The Sun Makers and Underworld) he isn’t given a great deal to do, though does get slightly more involvement in his final tale, The Invasion of Time. Considering the final two episodes of the latter consist of a great deal of chasing, it’s impressive that there’s room for K9 at all, but he does assist in the construction of the Demat Gun while all this occurs. Earlier in the story he’s also responsible for tracking down the Vardans’ home planet, thereby assisting in their defeat. He certainly impresses Andred – just as well since he’ll end up living with him!
While the first K9 was underused, due to having to be worked into stories late in the day, the second model did prove to be more useful. This K9 was certainly more involved in the Doctor’s adventures, less of a handy get-out tool and more of a proper companion. While his uniqueness definitely made him more useful, his interaction with the Doctor and Romana was far more than that of just a mere machine. He gets to come into his own, taking on villains (take THAT Polyphase Avatron! And THAT Ogri!) and generally getting into the action in a way that his first ‘incarnation’ wasn’t permitted to (though one hopes that was ultimately down to time constraints on the part of the writers rather than through animosity). While his participation in The Power of Kroll was minimal (to say the least), the Key to Time season really allowed him to shine...
...yet by the start of the next season he’s abandoned in the TARDIS once again! Barely appearing in Destiny of the Daleks and not at all in City of Death, it’s not until we get to The Creature from the Pit that our lovable ‘tin dog’ shows his robotic face once again. He is given a larger role here, appearing throughout as he did in David Fisher’s previous story The Stones of Blood. In Nightmare of Eden and The Horns of Nimon he is once more able to assist his companions, but really it’s his last great hurrah.
By the time of season 18, K9 was lacking once more in stories, sadly being underused or beaten up. In The Leisure Hive he’s written out early on, and in the next two stories he’s kicked (Meglos) and has his head pulled off (Full Circle). No other companion (even Adric!) was treated so shabbily towards the end of their time with the Doctor, yet K9 really seems to be put through the wringer, almost as if forcing him to go.
The continued absence of K9 throughout season 18 seems to be pointing the way to his ultimate departure, the air of melancholy and theme of entropy that pervades the season indicating that there will be no place for him in the TARDIS in the future. Obviously behind the scenes it was well known that K9 was departing, and with a new incoming producer it was inevitable that something had to give – and that something was K9.
K9 certainly had a good run in Doctor Who, lasting in some form from season 15 almost until the Fourth Doctor’s regeneration in season 18. Not many companions can claim to have travelled with the Doctor for such a long period, nor can they can claim to be as well remembered and appreciated (by the public if not the programme makers) as K9. Considering what occurs in his final stories, it’s a miracle he survives in one piece, yet survive he does. He does stay with Romana because of the damage the time winds have inflicted on him (not that he really has much choice in the matter), but it’s the right choice and it’s probably best that he leaves when he does. At least he does live to fight another day, even if that other day has to be in E-Space.
Yet, it wasn’t the end. How could it be? K9 had already been seen in two forms (though in reality the same prop – shhh!), so why couldn’t he appear once more?
After mark II had left with Romana, the natural step was, of course, to introduce mark III. Yet surely not in Doctor Who, so soon after he’d gone? So it was that K9 became the first companion to receive his own spin-off show, K9 and Company, and remains the only one – to date – to feature on his own theme tune. Though in truth it was more the first, but not the last, spin-off to feature Sarah Jane Smith (though more on her another time). This model returned once more when the Tenth Doctor arrived and met his new ‘mistress’ in School Reunion (which I’ve written about in my other column this issue). Here, he nobly sacrificed himself in order to rid the world of the devious plans of the Krillitanes, seemingly gone for good...
...until the Doctor left a K9 mark IV, though ostensibly this was mark III with an upgrade, using the same memory wafers but a new body (at last!). This version of K9 remained, and appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures sporadically throughout its run, still fighting the good fight and proving his worth as a trusted companion in addition to being a useful tool.
Yet, that wasn’t the only series to feature K9, gaining as he did a spin-off show called simply K-9. This featured his earliest self appearing in a near-future London though quickly ‘regenerating’ into a new form, capable of flight. Ostensibly he was still the same dog, though his memory was damaged and he could no longer remember his old ‘master’.
The fact that K9 keeps reappearing is a testament to the popularity of the character and just how well he can work if used properly (and certainly more true in the actual use of the prop too one suspects). For a character who first appeared 34 years ago to receive continued appearances and recognition and not be the lead in the original show is truly staggering proof of just what an innovative and interesting creation he was, and definitely unique in Doctor Who history.
Here’s hoping he continues to delight and enthral new generations. After all, there’s no keeping a good dog down.
Andrew Weston is the host of the podcast Fast Return Switch and can be found on Twitter under the alias @ColeHawlins
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Comments
And since the Doctor is a technical genius (building the TARDIS up from scrap bits in House's junkyard), it might be sweet to see the Doctor puttering about now and again, fussing with his dog, upgrading it, getting it to "scan things" when his screwdriver won't (bet K9 can handle wood.)
Thanks for this article!
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