Doctor Who: The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)

Doctor Who: The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)

Dirs. Various (see below) | 14 episodes, approx 25 mins each.

'The twenty-third season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, known collectively as The Trial of a Time Lord, aired in weekly episodes from 6th September to 6th December 1986.

It contained four adventures: The Mysterious Planet, Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids, and The Ultimate Foe; the season also marked the final regular appearance of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.'

The paragraph above is copied from Wikipedia, with just a few minor grammar changes on my part. The passage had much of the info that I was seeking, so it seemed pointless to write anything new. I'll add only that it marked the end of an eighteen month 'hiatus' for the show, so expectation levels among fans at the time was understandably high. Thoughts on the actual production are below the cut.

The format of Season 23 is a frame narrative that has the Doctor redirected to the planet Gallifrey and put on trial by his own people (again).

The prosecutor in the case is a man known as The Valeyard (Michael Jayston), while the trial is presided over by The Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham). The Doctor calls it a farce. It sure is, from a production standpoint, too. The trio use the trial procedure to engage in a schoolyard slanging match, with most of the infantile insults coming courtesy of the Doctor himself. And most episodes end with a trite reaction shot of him looking shocked or angry (or both) after receiving further accusations from the Valeyard. It's embarrassing for everyone concerned.

-The Inquisitor and the Valeyard. Someone call the Fashion Police.-

The 'evidence' as presented to the court is a series of events from the rogue Time Lord's life played back on a large viewscreen that's connected directly to the Matrix. The footage is typical of a regular episode, which means it's basically the Doctor watching episodes of Doctor Who and commenting on them. The fact that it has editing, music, and camera angle changes make it all very silly. There's an attempt to explain that incongruity, but it's a complete pig's ear.

Three pieces of 'evidence' are submitted that way, i.e., three new adventures, split equally over the course of the first twelve episodes of the season, with each four-part story set in a different location. Two of the stories are from the Doctor's past and one is from his future. The final two episodes are contemporaneous with the frame narrative. The writers deserve credit for writing three NEW adventures to fill the slot, seeing as how such a format is often used to justify footage from previous episodes getting reused. Mercifully, it's not a lazy-ass clips show.

In the order presented: 01. The Mysterious Planet (Eps 01-04 / Dir. Nicholas Mallett) involves a society that's split between those that live above ground and those that live below, during a kind of Dark Age for humanity. The script feels hurriedly written. It lacks drama and has a number of contradictions that get highlighted in a counterproductive attempt to gloss over them. There's one character of importance (played by Tony Selby), but overall it's largely forgettable.

02. Mindwarp (Eps 05-08 / Dir. Ron Jones) is a 24th Century caper that sees the Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) meet an old foe and run afoul of a wicked scientist. Brian Blessed guest stars as a warrior; even in his shittiest roles, I've never seen Blessed give less than 100%.

03. Terror of the Vervoids (Eps 09-12 / Dir. Chris Clough) was my personal favourite of the three 'evidence' sections, mostly because the creature effects were much better than usual Doctor Who fare. They weren't threatening, which lessened their power somewhat, but conceptually and visually they're comparable to something you might see in a Japanese Tokusatsu series, minus the rudimentary martial arts ability. It features Honor Blackman and is notable for being the first appearance of travelling companion Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford). [1]

04. The Ultimate Foe (Eps 13-14 / Dir. Chris Clough) closes the season and is a two-part resolution to the frame narrative. It's a loosely written mess at times, but at others it's the most interesting of them all, with hints of The Prisoner in its surreal happenings. It was also Colin Baker's last time playing the lead role. A change in management at the BBC meant someone new pulled the strings and that particular someone (Michael Grade) wanted it entirely his way. Consequently, Baker was 'dismissed' and DW was revamped with Sylvester McCoy in the role.

NOTE: if you like your Doctor Who in book form, all four parts of TToaTL were novelised as part of the Target Books Doctor Who Library series, but the numbering isn't sequential. In revised order: #127: The Mysterious Planet (1988) by Terrance Dicks. 127 Pages. #139: Mindwarp (1989) by Philip Martin. 142 Pages. #125: Terror of the Vervoids (1988) by Pip and Jane Baker. 144 Pages. #131: The Ultimate Foe (1988) by Pip and Jane Baker. 126 Pages.

[1] Interestingly, because it's set in the future of the Doctor's personal timeline, from his perspective he's not actually met Mel yet. He's therefore watching a series of events that he's not lived through. It begs the question that if he knows in advance how it all ends, will it play out the same when the time comes around? His foreknowledge means he's no longer oblivious to the facts, nor blind to the secrets being held by the players. Don't expect any kind of explanation, though. It's one of many things in the season that don't make sense and lack a proper resolution.

- The covers of each of the four individual parts -