Back La estratagema Sontaran Spanish A.T.M.O.S., première partie French 侵略前夜 Japanese The Sontaran Stratagem Korean План сонтаранцев Russian The Sontaran Stratagem Turkish План сонтаранців Ukrainian Cütadesin elanas Sontaran Volapuk 桑塔人的陰謀 Chinese
| 192a – "The Sontaran Stratagem" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who episode | |||
| Cast | |||
Guest
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Douglas Mackinnon | ||
| Written by | Helen Raynor | ||
| Script editor | Nikki Smith | ||
| Produced by | Susie Liggat | ||
| Executive producer(s) | |||
| Music by | Murray Gold | ||
| Production code | 4.4 | ||
| Series | Series 4 | ||
| Running time | 1st of 2-part story, 45 minutes | ||
| First broadcast | 26 April 2008 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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"The Sontaran Stratagem" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as The Doctor. The episode was broadcast on BBC One on 26 April 2008. The episode and its sequel, "The Poison Sky", were written by Helen Raynor, who previously wrote the linked episodes "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks" in the third series.
"The Sontaran Stratagem" features the first appearance of the alien Sontarans in the series since the 1985 story The Two Doctors, as well as former companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), last seen in "Last of the Time Lords." The episode takes place on present-day Earth, where Martha and UNIT summon the Doctor (David Tennant) for assistance concerning ATMOS, a revolutionary piece of green technology installed in 400 million cars worldwide. ATMOS is later revealed to be part of a Sontaran plot to poison the atmosphere.
Showrunner Russell T Davies had considered bringing the Sontarans back since the revival of the series and wanted to show changes in Martha's personality after her departure. The episode was viewed by 7.06 million viewers after its original broadcast, with an Appreciation Index of 87. Critics gave generally positive reviews, praising the return of the Sontarans, Christopher Ryan's portrayal as Staal, and Raynor's writing; some stated Raynor improved from her previous episodes.