London deserted, dinosaurs roaming the streets, and the Doctor versus bad special effects.
Short Synopsis
The Doctor and Sarah return to London only to find it evacuated and full of dinosaurs (of the “wobbly plastic” variety). A conspiracy is afoot to roll back time and create a “golden age” for humanity — but only for a select few.
Extended Storyline
Fresh off their medieval romp, the Doctor and Sarah Jane land the TARDIS back in modern-day London, expecting traffic jams and grumpy cab drivers. Instead, they find the streets eerily empty — which in 1970s Britain is probably the scariest thing this show ever depicted.
Cue the shock reveal: dinosaurs are rampaging around London! Okay, “rampaging” is generous — more like “standing on wobbly sets, looking confused, while someone shakes the camera.” Still, the city has been evacuated, UNIT is on edge, and the Doctor is intrigued.
As the plot unfolds, it’s revealed that the dinosaurs aren’t random rampagers — they’re part of a grand plan orchestrated by a shadowy group of politicians, scientists, and idealists. Their scheme? To roll back time itself to a pre-industrial “golden age” of humanity, free from pollution, war, and disco. The catch? Only they get to survive the trip. Everyone else? Wiped out like last year’s fashion.
Sarah Jane gets kidnapped (standard companion contract clause) and brainwashed into believing she’s boarding a spaceship bound for “New Earth.” Unfortunately for her, it’s just a windowless basement with some actors pretending to be colonists. She figures it out, because of course Sarah Jane is way too smart to fall for a sci-fi escape room scam.
Meanwhile, the Doctor investigates the time-scoop technology responsible for yanking dinosaurs from the prehistoric era into London. Eventually, the conspirators are exposed, UNIT smashes the operation, and the Doctor sends the dinosaurs back where they belong — hopefully to live out their days away from papier-mâché rocks and CSO backgrounds.
The final kicker? One of the traitors is none other than Captain Mike Yates, UNIT’s boy scout. Turns out he bought into the whole “save the planet by erasing everyone else” plan. He resigns in shame, leaving fans both shocked and slightly impressed that someone remembered Mike Yates existed.