K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend (TV Movie 1981)
It is the year 1981, and some years have passed since journalist Sarah Jane Smith ended her adventures in time and space with The Doctor, resuming her career as an investigative journalist. Days before Christmas, Sarah Jane Smith arrives at the home of her Aunt Lavinia in the cosy village of Moreton Harwood only to find that Lavinia is nowhere to be found. However, a large and heavy mysterious box has been left behind. Upon opening it she finds out the Doctor has left her a parting gift in the form of a robot metal dog: K·9 Mark III. With the help of K-9 and Lavinia's young ward Brendan Richards, Sarah Jane starts investigating her aunt's disappearance. In the process, they discover that Moreton Harwood is home to a coven worshipping the pagan god Hecate and preparing for a human sacrifice. Originally intended as a spin-off series, this show was to follow Sarah Jane after her departure with the Doctor and return to Earth. Unfortunately, the pilot episode didn't do well enough to grant it a series and is now classed as a TV movie. The film is still part of the world of Doctor Who, with the story being a part of the canon. We know this because we later see Sarah has K-9 in an episode of the amazing show Doctor Who: The Classic Era (TV Series 1963-1989) - The Five Doctors. This episode was a celebration story marking the 20th Anniversary of the series, where many characters returned for a huge event. Sarah and K-9 returned in Doctor Who: The Revival Era (TV Series 2005-2017) in the episode - School Reunion, even getting a new series: The Sarah Jane Adventures (TV Series 2007-2011). This series was far more successful and made up for the failed attempt of K-9 and Company. Although we are never told which incarnation of the Doctor sent K-9 I believe it was Tom Baker's incarnation of the 4th Doctor who sent him as a gift since he was the last version of the Doctor Sarah met before her departure. In my opinion, despite only being one episode, I thought the short story was fine, although nothing special. I enjoyed K-9 being back and the new friendship he made with Sarah, which would be explored further in their later revival show and Doctor Who episodes. Sarah moves into her Aunt's town for the Christmas holiday but little did she know there were strange occurrences taking place. With most of the town believing in witchcraft, we are left with a great deal of mystery as to whom we can trust since the mysterious goings-on involved pagan god worship. Most of the time Sarah would call on the help of other townfolk, but we would later find out they are involved. From kind older gentlemen to even policemen, everyone appears to be part of it. I do find it to be quite an unusual and brave first choice for an episode pilot, especially for a Christmas one targeted at the younger audience and then having some rituals worshipping the devil. My favourite part of the entire episode was when K-9 mentions the Doctor to Sarah. As he starts talking about him, we hear his theme from the show played, which genuinely gave me goosebumps. It was extremely cool. Even just seeing Sarah's reaction to hearing his name and seeing the amazing gift, is sure to make any fan smile. The intro is quite catchy too, giving off those very 80s vibes. Watching it simply makes me wonder how this whole concept could have turned out as a running Doctor Who spin-off series. Overall, K-9 and Company is a fun addition to the Whoniverse and if you are a fan of all things Doctor Who, especially Sarah Jane and K-9, this is a nice instalment to check out. With only being a 50 minutes episode, it makes for some quick viewing even if it is likely to be a one-time viewing as it can get a bit boring. Also, being released and set at Christmas this short can be viewed during the festive season or all year round.
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