Doctor Who season 23

The Trial of a Time Lord
Season 23
No. of episodes	14
Release
Original network	BBC
Original release	6 September 1986 – 6 December 1986
Season chronology

The Trial of a Time Lord is the name of a serial that encompasses the entire twenty-third season of British science fiction series Doctor Who. It was aired in weekly episodes between 6 September and 6 December 1986. No on-screen title was given to the four distinct segments; the titles were used in production and novelisations.

In the serial, the Doctor is tried by the High Council of Time Lords for breaking several Gallifreyan laws, including inteference with outside worlds and genocide. In The Mysterious Planet and Mindwarp, the prosecutor, the Valeyard, uses events from the past and the present, and in Terror of the Vervoids, the Doctor uses future events as his defence. In the final segment, The Ultimate Foe, the Doctor's trial is abruptly stopped by accusations of subterfuge; the Doctor faces off with the Valeyard and the Master to clear his name and to save the High Council.

The serial is the last appearance of Colin Baker in the lead role of the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant in the role of Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown, the Doctor's companion; their last appearances are The Ultimate Foe and Mindwarp respectively.^[a] To replace Bryant, Bonnie Langford portrayed Melanie Bush in the remaining two segments. Notable guest stars are, in order of appearance: Michael Jayston as the Valeyard; Lynda Bellingham as the Inquisitor; Joan Sims as Katryca; Tony Selby as Sabalom Glitz; Brian Blessed as King Yrcanos; Nabil Shaban as Sil; Christopher Ryan as Kiv; Honor Blackman as Professor Lasky; and Anthony Ainley as the Master.

The serial was produced as a direct result of several production changes to Doctor Who which prompted a more creative format. Several problems occurred during production, including the death of scriptwriter Robert Holmes and the resignation of the show's script-editor Eric Saward, who withdrew his completion of the Holmes' final serial. On its original broadcast, public reaction was mixed; it was viewed by fewer people but was appreciated more by the audience.

Production

The serial was first proposed in 1985 for several reasons: production on Doctor Who was suspended; the amount of screen time was reduced to fourteen 25-minute episodes; and BBC controller Michael Grade wished for the series to contain less violent content. Executive producer John Nathan-Turner and script editor Eric Saward realised the new system would need a more creative format, and therefore scrapped all of the planned serials, and focused on a trial story arc with an A Christmas Carol-inspired "past, present, and future" storyline. By July 1985, the characters of the Valeyard, the Inquisitor, and Mel were conceived.

Robert Holmes was commissioned to write the first and fourth segments of the season. His draft of the first segment, The Mysterious Planet, was criticised heavily by BBC Head of Drama Jonathan Powell for its comedic content. Holmes had to postpone writing the fourth segment, Time Inc., to make several changes, and was unable to return to finish the fourth segment due to his deteriorating health; he died of liver failure on 24 May 1986. His death was one of many problems encountered during the writing of the final segment: Saward quit working for Doctor Who after disagreeing with Nathan-Turner about the ending of the fourteenth episode. Pip and Jane Baker, who had written Terror of the Vervoids, were commissioned by Nathan-Turner at short notice to complete the episode.

The second segment, Mindwarp, was written by Philip Martin. Martin's character of Sil was popular among the production team, who asked Martin to bring the character back. Sil was slated to appear in Mission to Mangus, which was to be the third serial of season twenty-three, until the show was put on hiatus. Nathan-Turner asked Martin to write a serial, and asked for Peri to be killed off. The third segment was to be interlinked with the fourth segment, and was slated to be written by Holmes; he declined, citing a dislike of six-part serials. Christopher H Bidmead and PJ Hammond were asked to write, but both Saward and Nathan-Turner disliked their scripts. In March 1986, Nathan-Turner approached Pip and Jane Baker to quickly write a studio-based serial, Terror of the Vervoids.

Filming for the serial took place began on 7 April 1986 and ended on 14 August 1986. For the opening sequence, Nathan-Turner commissioned a 45-second model sequence that cost £8,000. The outdoor sequences in The Mysterious Planet were filmed in mid-April in Queen Elizabeth Country Park, with studio work following on 24 April and 10 May. Studio work for Mindwarp took place on 27–29 May and 11–13 June, and location shots were filmed in Brighton on 15–16 June. Terror of the Vervoids and Time Inc. were produced together. Production block 7C began with location filming for the latter in late June, before returning to the studio to film scenes for both segments on 16–17 July. Terror of the Vervoids was the last segment to be completed, with studio work taking place on 30 July–1 August and 12–14 August.

Serials

#	Eps.	Title	Director	Writer	Start airdate	End airdate	PC
144	1–4	The Mysterious Planet	Nicholas Mallett	Robert Holmes	6 September 1986	27 September 1986	7A
The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) is taken out of time and space and is charged by the High Council of Gallifrey for transgressing the First Law of Time, which forbids interference with outside worlds. Prosecuting, the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) intends to show two instances of transgression from the Matrix, the Time Lord repository of knowledge: the first focuses on the planet Ravalox. The Doctor and his companion Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) arrive on the tribal planet Ravalox, approximately two million years in the Earth's future; concurrently, rogue Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby) attempts to come into possession of hidden secrets and advanced technology guarded by a robot. Throughout the trial, the Doctor becomes suspicious about evidence being censored and his TARDIS being bugged. The Doctor a;sp notes that Ravalox is very similar to Earth: their only astronomical difference is the position in the galaxy; and elements of Earth—notably, Marble Arch tube station and the novel Moby Dick—are present on Ravalox. The Doctor and Glitz deactivate the robot: the former because the robot's power supply is unstable; the latter to gain access to the secrets. The secrets are destroyed, and all of the parties leave Ravalox, but the Doctor remains inquisitive on why Earth was moved several million light years.
145	5–8	Mindwarp	Ron Jones	Phillip Martin	4 October 1986	25 October 1986	7B
The Valeyard presents his second piece of evidence: the Doctor and Peri's activities on Thoros Beta immediately before the trial. The serial's narrative shows the Doctor at first investigating arms sales; after he sees his old adversary Sil (Nabil Shaban), he surmises that Thoros Beta is the home planet of Sil's race, the Mentors. The Doctor arrives while a scientist, Crozier (Patrick Ryecart) is experimenting brain surgery on a local king, Yrcanos (Brian Blessed), before performing on Kiv (Christopher Ryan), an influential Mentor. The Doctor is shown as malevolent in this segment of evidence, prompting confusion and objections at the trial; the Doctor is convinced that the evidence has been altered. Specifically, the Doctor's transgressions are based on helping Crozier by betraying Peri and Yrcanos. When the Doctor learns that Peri will be Kiv's host, he allies with Yrcanos to kill the Mentors, but is captured by the High Council before he can attack, resulting in Peri's death.
146	9–12	Terror of the Vervoids The Ultimate Foe	Chris Clough	Pip and Jane Baker	1 November 1986	22 November 1986	7C
The Doctor is allowed to present evidence in his defence: he elects to choose evidence from the future, in the hope it will prove he has reformed. The Doctor's opening statement describes the segment as taking part in the year 2986 on the interstellar ship Hyperion III. He and his new companion Mel (Bonnie Langford) answer a distress call from the Hyperion. The voyage is initially unproblematic, but the ship is being sabotaged while people begin to perish at the hands of the Vervoids, plant-like humanoids. The Doctor discovers the Vervoids are humans genetically engineered by Professor Lasky (Honor Blackman). The Vervoids prevent the sabotage, but only to further their own goal of dominating Earth. The Doctor, Mel, and Lasky succeed in preventing the Vervoids from reaching Earth. The Doctor's suspicions are furthered by the evidence shown being different from that he reviewed. The Valeyard's questioning becomes more aggressive; after the Doctor admits that no Vervoids survived the voyage, the Valeyard charges him with genocide.
147	13–14	The Ultimate Foe Time Inc.	Chris Clough	Robert Holmes (episode 13) Pip and Jane Baker (episode 14)	29 November 1986	6 December 1986	7C
In response to the Doctor's allegations the Matrix has been altered, the Keeper of the Matrix (James Bree) is called, seconds before the Master (Anthony Ainley) appears on the court's video system, which is linked to the Matrix, to prove that the Matrix can be infilitrated. Glitz and Mel are called as witnesses to the Doctor's innocence. The Master and Glitz inform the Doctor of the Council's duplicity: The secrets Glitz sought had been stolen from the Time Lords, and Earth was ravaged and moved to preserve them. The Doctor was used as a scapegoat to hide the incident, and the Valeyard—an amalgam of the Doctor's evil personalities—was offered the Doctor's remaining regenerations. To ensure a guilty verdict to a neutral jury, the Valeyard falsified evidence: most notably, Peri's death: she survived the attack on the laboratory and married Yrcanos. The Valeyard escapes to the Matrix, and the Doctor and Glitz follow. The Doctor's attempts to prevent the Valeyard from killing the High Council are impeded by the Master's machinations: the Master is attempting to concurrently dispose of the Doctor and seize power during an insurrection. The Doctor thwarts Valeyard by causing the destruction of the Matrix archive. The Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham) is now fully aware of the situation and clears the Doctor of all charges. He is offered the Time Lord presidency, but declines, suggesting that she run instead. After he leaves, she asks the Keeper of the Matrix to enact repairs; the Keeper turns to the camera to show he is the Valeyard.

Reception and analysis

Ratings and figures

Public reception to the season was mixed. The Audience Appreciation figures had improved since the previous season—the lowest figure was 66% for parts seven and nine and the highest was 72% for parts one, four, and eight—but the viewing figures for the season were lower, due to opposition from ITV import The A-Team and the long break since season 22.

The Discontinuity Guide

Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping, co-authors of The Discontinuity Guide, gave a mixed reaction to the serial. They stated "the plot hangs together remarkably well". They said the "opening shot is lovely" and "episode 13 is a masterpiece". They praised Brian Blessed's acting in Mindwarp, but thought the script "[tried] to be comic, grotesque, straight, and farcical all at the same time, and, directed without much thought, falls between several stools". Their reaction to Terror of the Vervoids was also mixed, calling it "a well constructed, archetypal Doctor Who story, let down by ridiculous dialogue and the by now intrusive trial scenes".

Doctor Who: The Television Companion

David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, authors of Doctor Who: The Television Companion, negatively reviewed the serial in its fourteen-episode form. The opening sentence of their analysis stated that "Sadly [...] The Trial of a Time Lord, although a brave attempt, falls a long way short of expectations". They criticised the production team's ambivalence between classing the season as one or four serials and felt the story's quality could have been improved by more consultation in writing; in defence, they lamented Holmes' death and the rejection of two scripts. Their opinion of the trial storyline was negative, finding it "very difficult to believe that in the Time Lord legal system - or indeed in any reasonable legal system - the charge directed at the accused, and even the type of proceedings involved, could really be changed at a moment's notice seemingly on the whim of the prosecuting counsel". However, they found the meta-humour of "the Doctor effectively sitting down to watch Doctor Who for fourteen weeks" amusing but repetitive. They also liked Baker's acting during the season. Closing their analysis, they considered the serial a "monumental wasted opportunity".

Howe and Walker's opinion of the serials when treated as four segments was more positive. In The Mysterious Planet, they enjoyed the beginning, but found the story to be decreasing in quality towards the end. They liked the Doctor's calmer relationship to Peri and the character of Sabalom Glitz, but summarised the segment as "uncharacteristically lacklustre". They thought Mindwarp was "a little better than part one", citing Peri's death and Sil as positive; the former was labelled "one of the most dramatic and impressive moments of the entire season" and Bryant's best scene since The Caves of Androzani. Their review of Terror of the Vervoids was mostly positive: they said "Arguably the most successful segment of the story as a whole is the third one [...] This is partly because the irritating courtroom scenes are kept to a minimum, allowing the story to flow rather better than during the other segments, but mainly because the scripts themselves are entertaining and quite easy to follow, complemented by Chris Clough's well paced and stylish direction". Their only objection was Bonnie Langford's appearance. They appreciated the final segment for its imagery and direction, but thought that it was a "severe let-down" as a conclusion to the serial.

Notes

• ^a Although the following serial Time and the Rani was the Sixth Doctor's final appearance, Baker declined an offer to return to film a regeneration scene; his part was portrayed by Sylvester McCoy wearing a blond wig.

References

• Howe, David J. (1998). Doctor Who: The Television Companion. BBC Books. ISBN 1903889510. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Cornell, Paul (1995). The Discontinuity Guide. BBC Books. ISBN 0426204425. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Howe, David J. (1993). Doctor Who: The Handbook: The Sixth Doctor. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0426204008. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Howe, David J. (1998). Doctor Who: The Handbook: The Seventh Doctor. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0426205278. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Howe, David J. (1993). Doctor Who: The Eighties. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 1852276800. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Pixley, Andrew (2000-04-05). "Archive: The Trial Of A Time Lord Parts One To Four". Doctor Who Magazine (289). Panini Comics Ltd. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
• Pixley, Andrew (1997-03-12). "Archive: The Trial Of A Time Lord Parts Five to Eight". Doctor Who Magazine (249). Panini Comics Ltd. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Pixley, Andrew (1992). "Archive: The Ultimate Foe". Doctor Who Magazine (Winter Special 1992). Marvel Comics UK Ltd.
• Pixley, Andrew (1993-04-14). "Archive: Time and the Rani". Doctor Who Magazine (193). Marvel Comics UK Ltd. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Brown, Anthony (September 1999). "Production". In-Vision (86). Cybermark Services.
• Brown, Anthony (January 2000). "Production". In-Vision (88). Cybermark Services.
• Brown, Anthony (April 2000). "Production". In-Vision (89). Cybermark Services.
• Brown, Anthony (August 2000). "Production". In-Vision (91). Cybermark Services.
• Boies, Dominique (last modified 2006-01-21). "The Trial of a Time Lord". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-06-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Writers Robert Holmes, Philip Martin and Pip and Jane Baker, Directors Nicholas Mallett, Ron Jones and Chris Clough, Producer John Nathan-Turner. The Trial of a Time Lord. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC1. {{cite serial}}: Unknown parameter |began= ignored (|date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |ended= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)

External links

• The Trial of a Time Lord at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
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Reviews

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