Editing Robot (Doctor Who) (section)

=== Conception and writing ===
Terrance Dicks stated that a major influence for this story was ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933).<ref name="Muir 1999" /> The initial script was written before Tom Baker had been cast as the Fourth Doctor, and there was some discussion of returning to an older actor. This would have required a younger character to handle the action scenes, so the character of Harry Sullivan was created. This was Sullivan's debut story, but he had been mentioned in the final episode of the preceding serial, when the Brigadier telephoned him, requesting medical help for the Doctor.

Dicks included a number of elements from ''Spearhead from Space'': the Doctor being disorientated after [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regeneration]], going to hospital to recover, changing costume as a result of escaping from hospital in a hospital gown, viewing himself in a mirror to see his new face, and storing the [[TARDIS]] key in his shoe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/robot/detail.shtml|title=BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Robot – Details|publisher=BBC}}</ref> These elements helped the audience with the transition between actors.<ref name="BBC staff 2007" /><ref name="Cornell 2004" /><ref name="Howe 2004" />