1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 274

It's been quite a while since I have had a chance or interest in keeping up with my A Madman Turns 40 posts. I'm not feeling my age as much as just all of the crap of the past several weeks just haven't motivated me to reflect on the past while heading towards the future. 

Well, that all changed today. See today marks the debut of a favorite character of mine from when I was a very little kid. The character in question is from the very television show that has inspired the name of my blog- Doctor Who. And that character is...

K-9.

Just who is K-9? K-9 is the Doctor's robot dog. He first appeared on the BBC on October 1st 1977 in the first chapter of the classic Tom Baker episode The Invisible Enemy. Ever since his introduction, the character has been voiced by John Gleeson. Though technically, there have been four K-9s over the past 40 years.

• The Mark I is the one that debuted 40 years ago today. He left the show with Leela when she decided to stay on Gallifrey in the 1978 episode The Invasion of Time.
• The Mark II first appears in The Ribos Operation. This model was more articulated and much more mobile. He was damaged while the Doctor and his Time Lord companion Romana were in E-Space. Upon being repaired, K-9 and Romana stayed there. Depending on if you believe the audio dramas are canon or not K-9 is still in E-Space or he and Romana are not on Gallifrey. 
• The Mark III was a gift from the Doctor to Sarah Jane Smith. The pair had a number of adventures until disrepair caused the unit to break-down. In the David Tenant episode School Reunion, the Doctor fixed K-9 only for the loyal dog sacrifice his life to save the Doctor and Sarah Jane.
• The Mark IV was given to Sarah Jane at the end of School Reunion. This version made a few appearances on the Sarah Jane Adventures. But due to licensing issues, K-9 was shown to be in outer space trying to patch up a black hole.

Well that's my look at 1977 for today. Before I go, I want to present to you a video of some of the trailers for the Invisible Enemy, the first appearance of K-9. Enjoy!