Doctor Who - The Trial Of A Timelord [VHS] [1963]

MYSTERIOS PLANET is brilliant,Drathro is impressive,Tony Selbys Glitz is super and goes on to return to Doctor Who and the secrets are interesting and go on to appear later.The first story is very original and is written by the late great Robert Holmes.

MINDWARP is very good but the evil Doctor bit is annoying.Sil makes his second and final appearence in the show(he was going to appear in the cancelled series with the Ice Warriors in a story called Mission to Magnus) bringing the story to life thanks to Nabil Shabans brilliant acting.Sil is killed with Peri in a dramatic scene(Peri turns out to survive).Philip Martins writing is very good.

TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS is also very good but sadly this story introduces the appaling Mel who lets down an other wise good story by screaming all the way through.The Vervoids are good but look a bit rude when you think about it.

THE ULTIMATE FOE is an excellent conclusion written partly by Robert Holmes(who sadly died part way through writing it).This is anexcellent end where the Master appears all questions rae answered and the Doctor defeats the Valeyard.

This is an excellent story where Colin Baker takes a great bow out as one of my favorite Doctors.

The main three players in the story's courtroom arc are all very good. Colin Baker seems particularly settled in the part and it is a great shame that he never got to have another crack at the whip after these fourteen episodes came to an end. Lynda Bellingham is also a pleasing female presence as The Inquisitor, acting as a nice mediator between The Doctor and The Valeyard. Michael Jayston probably deserves most praise here as the evil Time Lord, out to bring about The Doctor's execution at all costs.

The three stories presented as "evidence" both for and against The Doctor's case are very much a mixed bag. Robert Holmes's "The Mysterious Planet" features his usual host of well written characters but it lacks any real depth as a story in it's own right. Philip Martin's "Mindwarp" is probably the best of the three in my opinion. Sil was a great creation and he is back at his dastardly, yet amusing, best here. The relationship between Peri and Brian Blessed's Ycarnos is also touching and the story's climax remains shocking even now.

Pip and Jane Baker's "Terror Of The Vervoids" is a very Agatha Christie-esque who-dunnit in space and is certainly fun to watch. The cast all seem to be having a good time, and Honor Blackman appears to be relishing her role as the irrascible Professor Lasky.

It is the final two episodes of the season though which are the strongest, and they do wrap up events of the past 12 weeks quite nicely. I don't really feel there was ever any need to incorporate The Master here, but it seems that during the early 1980's it was compulsory to employ Anthony Ainley every year. Otherwise it's a great 50 minutes of television as everything seems to come together through slightly complex explanations. The scenes in the matrix are truly inspired (and doubtless inspired the writers of the recent films of the same name?!?!) The cliffhanger ending is also a nice touch though sadly was never referred to in future episodes.

All in all, it's a good romp and is highly watchable so I would recommend it to all fans of the show.