As Geoff Sinton is about to head to the pub, two strangers, the Doctor and Lieutenant Sullivan, arrive at his house, claiming to be from the television company. As the Doctor works on their television, Geoff and his sons watch. The Doctor connects the television to the telephone, and an alien in a spaceship appears on the screen. The Doctor and the alien converse, and Sullivan explains that the alien is a Verulan named Kathnor.