Doctor Who - The Trial Of A Time Lord [1986] [DVD]

With flagging ratings, a script editor in bitter creative conflict with the producer, a final episode that had to be re-written from scratch at the last minute, the behind-the-scenes dramas faced by the production team of 1986's THE TRIAL OF A TIME LORD mirrored the fictional pressures upon Colin Baker's Doctor, here put on trial by his own people.

Although the story is presented as 1 ongoing narrative, the episodes have traditionally been divided up into 4 separate sections of the trial (with the non-canonical titles: THE MYSTERIOUS PLANET, MINDWARP, TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS and THE ULTIMATE FOE). The 4 discs in the set reflect this division.

Overall, the concept of the trial itself is not a success, although the actors involved work hard (Michael Jayston is particularly good). Part of the problem is that we're never quite sure how the Time Lord's legal system works. Inexplicable absurdities of plotting mean that as a perceptive viewer following episode by episode, one cannot really take the legal proceedings seriously. Furthermore as the first 3 sections of the trial mainly involve Colin Baker's Doctor and Michael Jayston's Valeyard arguing about the events that they're watching on the Matrix screen, even as early as episode 3 the trial scenes have become repetitive and intrusive. It really should not have taken until episode 13 for things to get exciting in the court room.

Put simply TOATL was not what the public wanted and was deemed a failure. Certainly its interminable length put off the casual viewer, and perhaps it was just a bit too left field for its own good. Poor Colin Baker, as the leading man, got the blame for the perceived shortcomings of the series and was asked to leave the role of the Doctor not long after the end of the original transmission. Looking at the extras on the discs, it seems clear that most people believe this was unfair as he was simply the most obvious target and in the wrong place at the wrong time. While it's true that the horrible clown costume was a disastrous lapse of judgement and Baker was not always well-served by the scripts, he's a fine actor and on the extras he comes across as an intelligent, warm, affable and enthusiastic man.

So if the supporting structure of the serial doesn't work what are we left with? Well actually, divorced from the trial sequences, the individual stories aren't that bad. Robert Holmes' THE MYSTERIOUS PLANET (the last full DR WHO script he wrote before his death) is a perfectly decent DR WHO story even if there is at least one dodgy cliff-hanger and the last episode lacks tension. It kicks off the series very well and the opening effects sequence with the Cathedral-like space station is magnificent - a pity the show never had the budget to sustain this level of visual flair. Its main problem is that it lacks the edge of some of Holmes' better work (such as THE ARK IN SPACE or THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI). Indeed some of it appears to be ideas recycled from his earlier work - Glitz and Dibber for instance appear to be a revamped version of Garron and Unstoffe from THE RIBOS OPERATION. Nevertheless, the story chugs along agreeably enough with some witty lines and fun performances from Tony Selby and Joan Sims.

MINDWARP (episodes 5 to 8) is for me the best segment. A bizarre mix of H.G.Wells' ISLAND OF DR MOREAU, FRANKENSTEIN and various pulp sci-fi cliches it succeeds largely because it dares to be mad-as-you-like bizarre. It boasts an eye-boggling planet, impressive sets, an excellent cast (including a glorious turn from Brian Blessed), a superb incidental score that really accentuates the weird ambience of the story's alien setting and a cracking last episode. However, the script does Colin Baker no favours as we see him turn nasty again (much as he did in his first story THE TWIN DILEMMA) further alienating his audience - even if the events we see are most likely "falsified" due to tampering with the Matrix.

I can't say I'm a fan of TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS, but there are those who say this "Agatha Christie in space" story is their favourite, and for all its faults, I have to concede that the plot, at least, is solid enough. Bonnie Langford came in for a lot of criticism for her portrayal of new companion Mel. To be fair to her, she plays what she's given in the script for all its worth. She does so professionally and competently, and one should give her the benefit of the doubt. My belief is that people simply did not like the character - and, granted, her constant perkiness can be grating. But honestly, how else would you play lines like: "that's it Doc - now we're getting at the dirt!"? VERVOIDS, for me is a case of nice idea, shame about the execution. Not only the monsters, but also the sets and effects look a little bit cheaper and nastier than almost anything else we've seen so far this season. The dialogue too is florid and ludicrous - though those who love VERVOIDS tell me this is all part of the fun. The rather feeble shots of the HYPERION III travelling through space only serve to remind one of the majestic opening of episode one and cannot help but look that little bit worse by comparison. A reasonable cast including Honor Blackman and Malcolm Tierney work hard with the material they have.

The last 2 episodes (THE ULTIMATE FOE) are miraculously good considering the production nightmare of script editor Eric Saward withdrawing the final segment at the last minute. Husband and wife team Pip and Jane Baker (no relation to either Colin or Tom) were called in at short notice to create the series finale. Episode 13 provides some nice surprises and an excellent plot-twist. The scenes in the Matrix are exciting and only in the final 3 minutes does the story disappoint. Jayston is wonderful and it's a crying shame that he was never asked back to the show.

The discs are complimented by a staggering cornucopia of extras. I felt a vast sense of relief when I finished watching the lengthy deleted scenes (the VERVOIDS deleted scenes alone feel like they could have doubled the length of the story proper)! For '80's nostalgia fans there are WHO-related clips from Roland Rat, Lenny Henry, Saturday Superstore, Points of View and Blue Peter. For fans of naff '80's music there's the unexpurgated video of DR WHO's notoriously awful answer to DO THEY KNOW IT'S XMAS? - DOCTOR IN DISTRESS. Once heard, never forgotten!

There are multiple commentary options - although the ones without Eric Saward are generally the most engaging. There's a fun little piece on the art of the cliff-hanger, with writers Rob Shearman, Joseph Lidster and Nev Fountain discussing some of the more interesting examples. The "Making Of.." features are as watchable and professionally put-together as always. The undoubted highlight is the hour long TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS which covers the story of Colin Baker's brief time as the Doctor. Hopefully you 'll leave this box set with a new affection for the 6th actor to play the role on TV. My one criticism is that Brian Blessed wasn't asked to provide a commentary. His appearance on the Making of MINDWARP feature reminded me that he's a national treasure - his impression of Her Majesty the Queen is just one of the many strange delights on offer in this weird and sometimes wonderful release.

As a thirteen year old I had no concept of the behind-the-scenes struggle to keep Doctor Who on air; I had no more knowledge of the programme's dwindling audiences or fan and press criticisms of its producer - John Nathan-Turner. What I did know was that after 18 tortuous months my favourite programme was back; with a promised fourteen week long epic story which would see my hero on trial for his very existence!

This long-awaited box set from 2entertain separates the trial into four individual stories; the first, written by fan-favourite Robert Holmes, is entitled `The Mysterious Planet', and sees The TARDIS hijacked and brought onto a space station on which an inquisition has been set up to investigate The Doctor's interference in the affairs of other worlds and races. As the camera pans across the side of the giant spaceship it is clear that an effort is being made to improve production values and this is immediately successful with such an impressive start to the story.
We are subsequently introduced to the mercenary Sabalom Glitz, played with relish by the excellent Tony Selby, and his faithful assistant `Dibber'. The pair are classic Holmesian creations and add weight to a somewhat unoriginal storyline. Switching between the inquisition and the events on the planet Ravalox, where Glitz and Dibber are attempting to knock-out a mysterious transmitter, The Doctor watches from the court as he and his assistant, Peri, become involved with a rebellion which seeks to overthrow the planet's despotic ruler `The Immortal'.
The DVD extras are a mixed bunch - `The making of The Mysterious Planet' gives a fascinating insight into the (for the programme) groundbreaking model effects, and explains how the Doctor Who production team pulled out all the stops to improve the show's legendarily ropey special effects. Two features involving Colin Baker and promoting the new series, from Wogan and Blue Peter respectively, are painful reminders of how crude 80s talk shows and children's magazine programmes were in comparison to today's vibrant and youth oriented counterparts. Baker sweats his way through an interview with the Irish legend whilst Linda Bellingham tries not to mention those Oxo ads and damns Doctor Who with her faint praise. The BP segment tells us that Janet Ellis' `Pa' helped build the robots for The Mysterious Planet and spends about 30 seconds with an increasingly be-whiskered Sixth Doctor and the operator of the robot Drathro. A pre-Weakest Link Anne Robinson presents Points of View which emphasises how hard to please fans of DW were, even then. The obligatory Photo Gallery rounds things off.

Disc two features the second segment of the trial, `Mindwarp', which sees the return of the slimy `Mentor' Sil, last seen in 1984 story `Vengeance on Varos'. This time, the TARDIS lands on Thoros Beta, home of the Mentors and host to ghoulish experiments aimed at prolonging the life of Kiv, Ruler of the Mentors, by transplanting his brain into another body, as his own is wearing out.
The garish pink colour overlay that greets The Doctor and Peri as they arrive on Thoros Beta's coastline has dated badly, but the story itself is meatier than its predecessor, and gives the viewer more to think about; almost too much at times. Nabil Shaban is suitably repellent as the amoral and avaricious Sil, whilst Christopher Ryan predates his recent appearance as a Sontaran warrior with an appropriately weary and paranoid Kiv. Unfortunately, Brian Blessed predictably hams it up as warlord Yrcanos, and the overtly sci-fi costumes worn by many of the cast are too redolent of a mid-80s edition of Top of the Pops.
The frequent returns the courtroom just about manage to avoid disrupting the flow of the story too much, and the sparring between The Doctor and The Valeyard keeps proceedings from becoming too stagnant.

Episodes 9-13 of the season are collected together under the title: Terror of the Vervoids. This segment is included as The Doctor's defence; The Hyperion III is a deep-space vessel which houses a dark secret; what is agronomist Professor Lasky hiding in the Hydroponic Centre and who is bumping-off the passengers one-by-one..?

The story is notable for being the first in the show's history to introduce a companion for The Timelord without giving them a back-story. Melanie Bush is a computer programmer and fitness freak whom we first see attempting to get The Doctor to lose some weight, by forcing him to ruse an exercise bike and feeding him copious quantities of carrot juice! The pair arrive on The Hyperion III and are quickly used by the Commander of the vessel (who appears to have met The Timelord before) to investigate the murders; whilst in the courtroom The Doctor and The Valeyard continue to bicker.

The eponymous plant creatures are impressively realised, whilst the guest cast - including Honor Blackman - seem to be enjoying themselves. With hindsight Mel could have made a decent companion and she and Colin Baker spark off each other well throughout. Sadly this was not to be, as the story proved to be Baker's swansong, being the final instalment of the season to be filmed; subsequently I felt that Mel and the Seventh Doctor never quite gelled in the same way.

The final instalment - The Ultimate Foe - is a two part story that is mostly memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Valeyard's dying line: "Doctor, there's nothing you can do to prevent the catharsis of spurious morality" is probably the best/worst line ever uttered in Doctor Who, whilst Mel's discovery of a `megabyte modem' cruelly highlights how out of touch the production team were and the gobbledygook that became a feature of Pip and Jane Bakers' scripts. As a way of bringing the trial to an end it is fine and there are some memorable moments such as The Doctor being sucked under the ground in the matrix and Tony Selby's devious Sabalom Glitz twisting and turning like a trapped eel as he tries to work out which will be the winning side. Overall the trial is good fun but is ultimately less than the sum of its parts.

Everyone seems to have criticism for this Colin Baker season, including the Who team members themselves but for me this is one of the best Dr. Whos. along with the "key to time" series of Tom Baker's Doctor and many other fine stories. The actors are on top form including Nicola Bryant who is to marry/pair up with Brain Blessed - surely the stangest match of all time. There is nothing trivial about saving the cosmos from a black light explosion and the questions raised during the first adventure to make the court room story rivetting throughout the entire run of connected stories. Perhaps the odd costume of the Doctor puts people off - but wouldn't you expect aliens with concerns for Earth people to dress stangely? Bonnie Langford gives a good performance - forget her floppy panto. image and give her a break. Quick, rush and buy this box set!