The Doctor of Sleepy Hollow

The Doctor of Sleepy Hollow is the third episode of the first season of the BloodLoomis Productions Lego Doctor Who Series, first uploaded on 25th October 2015. It was written and directed by Cameron Hughes.

In the episode, the Doctor and Jess arrive in Sleepy Hollow in the 19th Century, and are surprised to discover the Headless Horseman is real, and has been committing a wave of murders throughout the town. The Doctor and Jess investigate, and uncover the secret that the Horseman is in fact an alien criminal whose head was cut off for his crimes.

The Doctor of Sleepy Hollow was the first story in the series to be set in the past and was designed to provide a trilogy feel to the first three episodes, showcasing a range of settings, similar to the 2005 relaunch of the television series.

Plot
Sleepy Hollow, sometime in the 19th Century. A woman is pursued through the woods by a man on horseback. Elsewhere, the Doctor and Jess have arrived thanks to the randomiser, and the screams of the woman draw them to her. They find her dead body, with its head cut off. They are found by the townspeople, who claim it is the work of the Headless Horseman, and take them back to the town. They discuss what they are going to do about the party being held that night at the Van Tassel home.

At the party, the Horseman gatecrashes, delivers an intimidating speech and kidnaps Katrina van Tassel. The Doctor follows, using the sonic screwdriver to interfere with the horse's nervous system. He fights the Horseman with a tree branch, sending the villain packing, and saving Katrina. Jess finds him, and the two examine a small trinket left by the Horseman. Upon closer investigation, the Doctor discovers the trinket features an emblem: Tachyon Judicial Alliance.

The TJA is an interstellar judicial service that punishes its accused by cutting off their heads and sending them to a distant planet. The Horseman is most likely an alien criminal. The Doctor and Jess decide to head into the woods to find the capsule the Horseman arrived in. Whilst in the woods, the Doctor, Jess and Brom Bones, who accompanies the Doctor, are overcome by hallucinogenic vapour released by the capsule to ward people off. They each find the capsule and enter. Jess is captured whilst Brom is decapitated. The Doctor surmises that the Horseman is in actuality, a Chendaki, a race of warriors that use their intimidating appearance to frighten their enemies, despite their brains being located somewhere else in their body. The Horseman simply wanted to rob people of their own heads in jealousy.

The Doctor persuades the Horseman to come with him and Jess to a distant planet where outcasts can live in peace. The capsule is destroyed and the Horseman is integrated into his new community. As the travellers leave, an ominous voice taunts them...

Continuity
The randomiser was created to avoid detection by the Black Guardian in The Armageddon Factor. The other rooms of the TARDIS are mentioned, such as the library and the swimming pool. The pink paint used on the TARDIS (The Happiness Patrol) is brought up.

Joe, who died in 'The Minus Men' returns in the form of a hallucination. This story also features the first appearance of the Vultures, also in the form of a hallucination. The Chendaki appeared again in the penultimate episode of the season.

Writing
The story was inspired by both the release of the Headless Horseman minifigure and a mock-up next time trailer for a story featuring Johnny Depp as the Doctor using footage from the film Sleepy Hollow. The story was written as a historical romp with an emphasis on fun over grim reality. The Horseman's simple motivation was inspired by the Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The inclusion of the Vultures was an afterthought purely featured to set up the storyline of the season, which was loosely followed up on.

Filming
The filming was more creatively lit than previous episodes, due to a large amount of it being set at night. The shooting was interrupted by a sudden compulsion to film a trailer for a Lego Spider-Man series that has not yet seen the light of day.

Trivia

 * This is the first appearance of the sonic screwdriver in the series.
 * The Ninth Doctor's skill in sword fights is first seen here.
 * It is unknown whether Brom Bones murdered Ichabod Crane, but it is implied.