The one where the Doctor wears more disguises than James Bond, and Jamie swaps bagpipes for time travel.
Short Synopsis
The TARDIS crew land in 18th-century Scotland right after the Battle of Culloden. They immediately get caught between the defeated Highlanders and the ruthless Redcoats. There’s treachery, sword fights, and slavery plots — but the real highlight is the Doctor’s growing fondness for wigs and silly accents. Oh, and Jamie joins the team.
Extended Storyline
Freshly regenerated and still fiddling with his recorder, the Second Doctor drags Ben and Polly into the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. It’s a grim setting: defeated Highlanders on one side, opportunistic Redcoats on the other, and in the middle… the TARDIS crew, who — in typical fashion — immediately get captured. Honestly, they could land in a marshmallow factory and still end up tied to a post within five minutes.
The group meets a ragtag bunch of Scots, including young Jamie McCrimmon, who’s brave, loyal, and not too picky about following strange men in blue boxes. Unfortunately, the Doctor, Ben, and Polly are accused of being spies, which in this time period earns you a trip to the gallows (or worse). The women face the usual “be quiet and look helpless” treatment, but Polly is having none of it — she’s soon scheming her way to freedom, while Ben does his best “angry sailor” impression to keep the guards busy.
Meanwhile, the Doctor reveals his new love of disguises. Within a few episodes he’s a German doctor, a camp servant, and a wig-wearing dandy. Patrick Troughton is clearly having the time of his life, and you can almost hear the production crew wondering if they’ve accidentally signed up for Doctor Who: The Costume Drama.
Polly proves herself the brains of the operation by manipulating an unscrupulous solicitor, while the Doctor’s deceptions keep the Redcoats in circles. Eventually, the crew orchestrates a revolt, rescues the captured Highlanders from being shipped off as slaves, and sends the Redcoats packing.
The real prize, however, is Jamie, who decides to join the Doctor in the TARDIS. His reasoning? “Why not?” Which is fair enough — when you’ve just lost your clan and spent three episodes dodging bayonets, a time machine sounds like a solid career move. Little did Jamie know he’d stick around longer than almost anyone else in the show’s history, wearing that kilt like it was a badge of honor.