Season 2 draws to a close with a story which introduces us to the Meddling Monk, presents a new approach for the show towards the rules of time travel and launches a new genre of story - the pseudo-historical. Steven is aboard the TARDIS for his first trip through time and the Vikings are invading Northumbria. The Time Meddler is meddling in TV Club:
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I adore this story - not quite 5/5 (the Vikings are a bit naff) but Peter Butterworth is sublime and the trio of Hartnell, O’Brien and Purves are such a good TARDIS team.
Also, this our first TV Club Tales of the TARDIS entry so feel free to comment on this aspect as well:
Its a solid 4/5 for me.
I think the Monk is great, and the overall story is interesting. Sadly, it gets bogged down a little in the middle. I always feel the same way when the Doctor is trapped somewhere because Harnell is on holiday.
It’s honestly quite incredible how modern this story feels.
Taking place after the excessively cartoonish The Chase, a story I’m not too fond of myself, it’s refreshing to have a grounded story with great characters and fun interactions.
The Monk is a great villain and is shockingly similar to the Master despite debuting half a decade earlier. I do however have to note that the Doctor suddenly pretending like he doesn’t constantly meddle with time is a little jarring.
Dennis Spooner was probably the most innovative and interesting writer of this era, or at least tied with John Lucarotti because between this and The Romans, he practically laid the foundations of Doctor Who; I think The Time Meddler is the first episode of Doctor Who that undeniably feels like the Doctor Who we have today.
Watched the TOTT version for the first time recently and forgot how good it was, the Monk is a fantastic villain and one I’m glad to see return so frequently in audios. It’s one of the most creative uses of time in 60’s Who which makes it stand out a lot, so a solid 4/5 for me
After An Unearthly Child this was the next first Doctor story I saw & remains 5 out of 5. Everything about it is great, the story, Peter Butterworth, the supporting characters (a descendant of Hur?), the Monk’s Progress Chart! I never get tired of watching it.
I just wish BF would do an Unbound style version where it really is a space helmet for a cow! Doctor Who & The Bovine Continuum. 
This is one of the handful of Hartnell stories I can rewatch time and time again. It’s refreshing and fun!
Here are a few highlights from my review!
The opening part takes some time to reminisce about Ian and Barbara, who left at the end of the previous story, in what is a beautiful and rare little piece of character introspection in Classic Who.
The blend of history and modern technology isn’t explored all that much, which is a pity because it could have made for some interesting and tense plot developments. It is used effectively to pique your interest in the first half of the serial, though, and helps The Time Meddler stand out among the historical adventures of the Hartnell era.
Also for the first time, we have here a historical adventure that isn’t about the time period or historical event itself; no, it’s about two members of a mighty alien race with different philosophies facing off against each other in a mostly harmless battle of wits.
It’s always a joy to see a story that holds such historical importance in terms of the show’s canon, and the Part 3 cliffhanger must have been a shocking revelation because it feels satisfying even for those of us who know it’s coming.
I’m somewhat bummed about how Dennis Spooner makes Steven and Vicki wander back and forth between the monastery and the outside woods multiple times since they cannot make up their minds about what to do. Spooner doesn’t give them anything useful to do.
Hartnell brims with his usual grandfatherly warmth and sass here, particularly when trying to prove to Steven that the TARDIS is a time machine. Hartnell is at his very best in the second half of the serial (because he barely appears in the first due to his holiday), once he finally faces the Monk, allowing the two Carry On legends to steal the show together.
Maureen O’Brien truly stands out as the more seasoned of the TARDIS companions. Alongside Vicki, we find the energetic and defiant Steven in a part still somewhat finding his footing but not too obviously trying to replace Ian.
We meet another acting legend in Peter Butterworth, who appears as the Meddling Monk—one of the most memorable villains of the Hartnell era and the first Time Lord character other than the Doctor or Susan to appear on the show. Butterworth is a highlight; funny and mischievous, yet just the right amount of selfishness as well, but all in the name of fun!
It’s refreshing to meet a villain who isn’t evil for the sake of it or who plans to take over the world or destroy it—and we are still a few years away from the Master’s introduction—so the Monk is simply meddling for the fun of it! I almost want him to win!
The Saxon supporting characters aren’t all that interesting or integral to the plot. The Vikings are here to provide a bit more tension, but they end up quite forgettable and useless (but I always root for Scandinavian characters in Doctor Who!).
After a string of mostly very serious and educational historicals, it is refreshing to watch an adventure that feels more tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted and doesn’t take itself or its setting too seriously. However, the pacing is perhaps a tad on the slower side during the first half of the story; there are a lot of teases and beginnings, but very little plot development.
It’s weird to watch the clumsy and unconvincing fight scenes given how well previous historicals have choreographed and directed similar scenes.
I just read all the reviews on the Guide and wanted to give a shout-out to @deltaandthebannermen for his great review. Most of what he wrote is exactly how I feel about The Time Meddler, and my favourite section is the one quoted below. It got a good chuckle out of me 
The Vikings are a bit lacklustre and look a little like Swedish 1970s porn stars with long shaggy hair and large handlebar moustaches.
Sorry @Tian - I didn’t know any Swedes back then…
It is okay. I agree with your comment
I’m currently watching the “Looking for David” documentary found on the Season 2 BluRay release on the Time Meddler disc. It’s a really intresting doc about David Whitaker, a familar name for Doctor Who fans, yet such an enigma as a person. Toby Hadoke does a great job narrating and interviewing.
I’ve yet to get that set but the Looking for Peter (R Newman) on The Sensorites DVD is one of the best DVD extras they’ve done, so I imagine this one is just as good.
(And isn’t it Toby Hadoke, not Whithouse…?)
It is indeed, what a stupid brainfart 
Like so many of you, I also adore this story. It’s groundbreaking, so fresh and a dyed-in-the-wool classic. Many things that The Time Meddler did for the first time have since become staples of the modern series.
I absolutely agree with @deltaandthebannermen about the Vikings yet, even then, would suggest it is more a production issue than a script issue. Their pillaging activities are actually portrayed with a surprising degree of brutality.
Love this story.
Poetry, dear boy. Sheer poetry!
This one is easily one of my favorites of the Hartnell era. Kinda a paradox, since this was the slow beginning of the end of the pure historical (in some ways).
Watching this after The Chase probably also helped it at my first viewing, since while I do find some aspect of that Story appealing, I feel like this one balances the Comedy and the stakes a lot more.
Butterworth is the great standout here really, his Monk is just amazing, and it’s a great shame we only got him here (and later in the DMP). The Monk while in many ways similar to the Master, feels to me like a unique version of an antagonist, since he really all does it to mess with it.
Another Thing I highly can praise is the Pacing, dare I say while I love the slower pace of the Hartnell era a lot, this one feels perfectly paced with its 4 Parts.
There is a lot I can praise. For example the whole subplot where Vicki tries to convince Steven that the Tardis is a time machine, it doesn’t play for too long to become annoying, no the right amount of time.
As always, Hartnell is a blast, especially his banter with Steven in the beginning is lovely “and there is a chair with a panda sitting on”
This serial has some very interesting conceptual ideas with the introduction of the monk. Vicki and Steven make a nice tardis team, the story is good but not great and the Vikings are a bit too oddly made for my taste.
I’d love to see the monk revisited by a modern doctor, I think that’s got a lot of potential with just how much the later doctors meddle. It’s interesting just how much the approach to time travel in the show has changed since then.
This story was even better than I remember. The Monk is just the perfect first other time lord. He has some good intentions but also does things in the opposite way than the Doctor. I also like how it unfolds where we learn more and more. Vicki and Steven are also good in this. It is fun to see Vicki teach Steven about life as a Tardis Crew. The Vikings are the part that drags this story down a bit (they are probably from Norway). Their story is just not interesting.
