THE TRIAL OF A TIMELORD: Parts 1 - 4
(The Mysterious Planet)

After an 18 month hiatus and many false starts, the show returned for its first umbrella themed season since Season 16's Key to Time stories.  Deciding to base the season on a trial by jury motif, the production team seemed to have bitten off more than they could chew.....

Getting Robert Holmes to write the first story was a good idea and the general tale set in Ravolox is interesting enough - but it immediately exposes the flaws of this season.

Speaking from the hindsight of what's to come, the biggest problem is the logic in the Valeyard presenting this as evidence when he would know all too well that the planet was directly affected by the actions of the Timelords who put him in the Prosecuting role.

Why show this when he knew this could potentially lead to questions later on? Why not show another tale that wouldn't reveal the lie the trial was based on?  Once again I may be pedantic but this strand doesn't make any sense.

Whilst Parts 1 - 4 are full of Holmes' witty writing and great double acts like Dibber and Glitz, it mainly falters due to the constant interuptions of the trial.  This criss-crossing between past and present really affects the flow of a story that although not Holmes' best, still has a lot going for it than other 6th Doctor tales.

The acting by everyone is quite good, with Baker and Bryant finally settled into how they wanted to portray their roles.  This is perhaps the best aspect of the story with their light touch making even some slow patches watchable.

Much ado has been made about the new theme tune over the years, although I found that it gave the show some freshness and effectively conveyed the realisation that time had marched on.  The switch to O.B. video worked as well - finally marrying the studio bound sections sucessfully with the engaging outside battles.

The video and sound quality is fantastic as are the plethora of genuine extras.

I've often complained about the appalling sparsity of extras on other releases, but I can't do so here - and this is only the first story!!

The making of doco is great and I was especially thankful that it wasn't of the usual 'chat with the special effects technician' variety.  Most of the actors turn up as well as Eric Saward who gives us his usual waspish comments.

Speaking of which, I listened to Saward's audio commentary which is definately worth a listen.  Detailing a lot of fascinating background info on the first ep only, he has his usual digs at JNT which are highly entertaining.  Interesting to note he WASN'T joined by Colin Baker who records his own separate commentary.

Deleted scenes, the obligatory Blue Peter segment and various other items add to the packed extras list making for one of the more satisfying dvds released of late.

Generally the Trial season began reasonably well, but the problems with the format are quite apparent to see from almost the first frame.  Sadly things were about to get worse.....

Next - Parts 5 - 8 (Mindwarp)

THE TRIAL OF A TIMELORD: Parts 5 - 8 (Mindwarp)

The 2nd and perhaps most controversial chapter of the Trial season saw the return of Sil and the departure of Peri.

Very much in the style of Philip Martin's earlier piece 'Vengeance on Varos', this tale is full of darkness and about the desire to stay alive and cheat death.  It's ironic given BBC management's ruling for a 'brighter and fun' series, that this season seemed even bleaker than the last.  In some ways Colin Baker's tenure mirrored the more tough and grittier times of the mid 80's which stories like these thrived on.

The cast including Brian Blessed and Christopher Ryan give excellent performances and certainly gave Nicola Bryant a very memorable send-off.  Having Baker turn rogue was an interesting wrinkle, although his sudden relapse into his 'usual good self' doesn't quite come off as well as it should have. It was also great seeing Nabil as Sil again with Martin's writing very much in the style of Robert Holmes in terms of wit and use of intelligent wordmanship.

Many fans have derided this story as being a mess and whilst it isn't perfect it does have a lot going for it in terms of pacing and less court-room scenes disrupting its momentum.

Again the trial strand doesn't quite work as there is very little suspence generated as the audience knows the Doctor will survive his many mis-haps if he is to stand trial in the first place!  By this stage you get a sense the production team wrote themselves into a corner they would find impossible to escape from.

One would perhaps assume that given the revelations about Peri's alledged demise in ep 14 that Sil and Co are still alive?? 

On that note, it seemed strange to me as to why the court-room was set on a ship - why wasn't it on Gallifrey??  Surely if this was meant to be an important trial wouldn't it have made sense to have it on the Doctor's home planet?

As usual the dvd is top notch with again some very fine extras.  The illuminating making of doco sheds some new light on the backroom dealings of the story's creation and a mini audio commentary from Baker and Bryant on ep 14's denouncement is an amusing touch.  The rest of the extras are quite interesting with the Now and Then feature worth a look.

Generally Mindwarp was much more focussed and slotted in reasonably well within its limited strictures.  Whilst I do agree that its conclusion is somewhat messy it's certainly much better than its reputation would suggest.  A pity the next story introduces Mel.........

Next - Parts 9 - 12 (Terror of the Vervoids)

THE TRIAL OF A TIMELORD: Parts 9 - 12
(Terror of the Vervoids)

Like their previous entry Mark of the Rani, Pip and Jane Baker's Terror of the Vervoids is a silly frollic delighting in its Agatha Christie riff.

Groaning with suspects all trapped in one location, the whodunnit angle works reasonably well and is a light hearted affair difficult to take seriously.

Unfortunately for the Baker's it's totally out of place within the Trial season, coming after 2 very dark tales and arriving before the intense final 2 chapters.  Whilst quite entertaining and well acted, once again it exposes the season's flaws.

If the story is set in the future then one assumes the Doctor wins the trial in order to participate in it?  This strand really trips up the whole Trial concept and shows the lack of foresight in planning a logical path for situations to occur.

Another problem is the introduction of Mel.  Along with most fans I certainly rate her as being one of the worst companions, although the main issue I have here is her poor entrance into the Who universe.  Given little background or build-up, the character shoe-horns her way into the Tardis without establishing her persona or creating any audience empathy.  I think this lack of proper introduction got her role off to a bad start and got up the noses of some fans angered by her sudden arrival. Especially coming after the story featuring Peri's demise, Mel seemed to be on a hiding for nothing.  Funnily enough Bonnie Langford and Colin Baker work quite well here and manage to create a genuine rapport crucial in making the new partnership work.

Nothing more can be said of this fluffy tale, except in any other season it could have been one of the stand outs.  Mixed into the bleak Trial season it doesn't quite gel amongst the general darkness.

Yet again the dvd is superb in the quality of extras with highlights being a doco on the show's cliffhangers and a look at the 'lost' original Season 23. 

I'm delighted 2Entertain have gone to town with the extras for this box set and they give a very good feel for the behind the scenes dramas that went on - of which we all know!!

Next - Parts 13 - 14 (The Ultimate Foe)

THE TRIAL OF A TIMELORD: Parts 13 - 14
(The Ultimate Foe)

So we come to the final end of the season.  After 12 episodes of drama and intrigue the all important resolution arrived. 

Part 13 works very well in revealing the main twists with the revelation of the Valeyard's true persona a masterstroke.  Having him revealed as the Doctor's evil incarnation opens up lots of possibilities and the by-play between Baker and Jayston was a pleasure to watch. 

I'd love to see the Valeyard return in the new series at some point - possibly when Doctor No. 12 arrives?  I reckon there's a lot more potential for the character and I'm rather surprised he hasn't been used since his Trial appearance.

The use of The Master was ok, although I felt the Valeyard was more than sufficient in the villain stakes....I believe the Master's inclusion was purely a JNT idea as he hadn't been seen for a year and audience withdrawal symptoms were threatening to break out!!!

Part 14 does a reasonable job of wrapping everything up - although several questions still remained. The main problem with these final 2 chapters was that the behind the scenes chaos really affected what should have been the most vital of stories of the entire season.  Holmes' death, Saward's departure and the rush to complete an alternative script for part 14 all had the feel of a mad scramble to reach any conclusion possible. 

The scenes within the Matrix are great - I guess anything Matrix related is hard to botch - and this allowed the various writers to indulge in their imaginations.

The actors all do a fine job - except for Bonnie Langford who reverts to the 'annoying screaming companion' archtype that have rattled her naysayers for decades.  It's interesting she's like this in this story considering the Vervoid one was made after this in production order.

The Ultimate Foe is a landmark story in many ways.  It represented the last completed Holmes script, the end of Saward's tenure, the last Colin Baker story and the last time the show revelled in anything remotely resembling a bleak tale until its' relaunch in 2005.

The dvd itself is absolutely fantastic - a whole array of extras.  Too numerous to mention, for me the ones I enjoyed the most were the commentary by Eric Saward which yet again is very illuminating and a pleasure to listen to.

The documentary titled 'Trials and Tribulations' detailing Baker's time as the Doctor is one of the best doco's 2Entertain have produced.  Remarkable in its frankness, the many contributors, including a JNT video from years ago, is a real eye opener and wonderful in its objective honesty.

Perhaps the dvd's only downside is the inclusion of the music video for Doctor In Distress.......what an appalling travesty that was!!!!  Even Baker seems to cover his face to avoid being seen in the video! A horrid spectacle to be sure.

The Ultimate Foe is a pretty good finale to the 6th Doctor's short era, ironically showing what sort of Doctor he could have been had he been allowed to continue.

And to think that the next story was Time and the Rani.........

THE TRIAL OF A TIMELORD - Aftermath

With the season done and dusted - where did things go right/wrong?

I think the whole Trial concept should have been more carefully mapped out with ample time given to paper over the many flaws such an idea could bring.

The fact that the production crew ran close to the wire in writing and shooting the season seemed unforgivable given the 18 month time-frame to work out what stories to develop.

In viewing the doco on the original Season 23 it got me thinking that perhaps they should have stuck to some of the stories already written, such as The Nightmare Fair, and
re-crafted them within the new 14 episode season. 

I also believe that reverting back to the 25 min timeslot was a mistake given that Season 22 showed the team hitting their stride in creating genuine character development within a longer 45 min structure.

From the outset the Trial season asked a lot from the casial viewer - which demanded they watch every episode with an ending even the crew didn't know what to do with when the first episode went to air!!  I know serialised shows are part and parcel of today's landscape but maybe in 1986 viewer's weren't ready.

Another error the writers made was interupting their stories with the constant interjections of the trial room.  This disrupted the flow of the tales and took the viewer out of the moment.  It would have been better had these scenes been done 'top and tail' style with each trial sequence perhaps increasing the tension at the beginning and end of episodes.

After hearing what Eric Saward originally planned for the ending for Ep 14, I can't help to but say - for the first time - that I agree with JNTs decision to change it.  There was no guarantee at all that the show would return and having it possibly end on an inconclusive note would have been disastrous.  If it was well known there would have been a further season, then certainly the Saward ending would have been a great cliffhanger.  As it was, JNT was correct - but only this time!!

What can't be faulted is Colin Baker's performance throughout.  This season really showed what a good Doctor he made, with the potential to become one of the best clearly shown in the last 2 episodes.  His grandiose attack on the Timelords in Episode 13 is very memorable and shows what a great actor he is.  Even watching the show over the last few days I felt sad that he was never given the chance to fully shine, with the many outside dramas faltering his tenure from the very beginning.

It was also a great pity that after a fairly experimental season, Season 24 would stick to a tried and trusted formula with disastrous stories such as Time and the Rani further blackening the show's once fine reputation.

As for the entire Trial box set, I would definately recommend it for the extras alone and are worth anyone's currency.  The stories are a mixed bag, but are much more preferable to anything that followed it in the ensuing years.

Future dvd releases:

Some suggestions for future releases.

A Kinda/Snakedance set,

The Black Guardian Trilogy set

and more Pertwee stories! 

I reckon Pertwee fans have been given short shrift of late - if 2entertain are eager for box sets then why not one for Curse/Monster of Peladon and maybe one for Day/Planet of/Death to The Daleks?

I still think they could do a giant box set of Season 8 - The Master season - even though Claws of Axos has already been released. Would make logical sense.

The Pertwee era production team aren't getting any younger and I'd like to hear their thoughts on future dvd docos........

I have a burning desire to revenge all Who fandom on the dork credit thief with a very poor opinion of historical research, as heard on The Invasion commentary -- "You can't prove that!"

Beyond that I have no strong feelings on DVD releases. Other than you probably want to be putting these reviews in print before posting them on the forum.

I'm not sure if these reviews are print worthy - but if anyone wants to print them go ahead - just make sure you spell my name right!!!!

I have now found out that Frontier In Space/Planet of the Daleks will be released in a 'Dalek War' box set.

Glad to see 2Entertain have woken up from their 80's fixation for awhile and are finally releasing some Pertwee stories.

I hope this is an emerging trend as I'm getting rather tired of seeing the same 80's sets all the time....

Theres the Dalek War box set coming out this year with Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks and ive heard theres plans for the black gaurdian trilogy for release next year

I want Revenge of The Cyberman.

I don't get it??

It can't be 'Revenge of the Jedi' as Jedi don't lower themselves to the emotional response of revenge.

It can't be 'Revenge of the Borg' as Borg are just machines with some organic parts and don't get emotions so can't 'get' revenge.

So how can it be 'Revenge of the Cybermen' when Cybermen are just like Borg - machines run by biological components with all 'humanity' wiped from their attic grey matter.

There are no emotions in order to raise a feeling of a desire for revenge??? 

That maybe true, but it us the organic sacks that give the titles so we put the negative emotions onto them.

I must be in the minority - I've never cared much for Revenge of the Cybermen.

The story never gelled properly and seemed to suffer from lots of padding.

Also the make up/special effects were pretty poor - another thing that put me off it.

But knowing 2Entertain and their bizarre schedule, it'll probably be a 'high demand'release.........

I just wanted it because it will finish of the time ring season.

So is anyone put out by the fact that as soon as the new Doc's episodes are screened they are released on DVD while older Doc's ep's have their release date pushed back?

Would it be better if they released all of one season, and then the next etc or do you not mind this piecemeal release of box sets?

Its the cycle of life. what you have just seen you can get now, but what you want to watch you probably never see and the crap is next month.

BATTLEFIELD

From the writer of Remembrance of the Daleks came this Season 26 opener of varying quality.

Every season starter needed a 'hook' for viewers and in this case it was the return of the Brigadier and UNIT. 

Mixed into a tale of Arthurian legend and dual identities, writer Ben Aaronovitch's tale suffers from excessive padding and uneven characterisation.

For example: the Brigadier Bambera role.  Introduced as a fiesty go-getter only dealing in rational thought, she seems only too happy to accept the Doctor at face value when they first meet but then seems to think he's an enemy agent towards the end of episode 1.

This level of inconsistency also extends to a plot never sure of what it wants to say.  At this stage of the show's life it was grappling between presenting adult stories children would enjoy vs the BBC creed of delivering a safe and inspid science fiction programme.

As Aaronovitch admits during one of the dvd extras - the story suffered from being turned into a 4 parter from its original 3 chapter format.  This elongation of story did events no favours and turned things into a bit of a mess.

The idea of making the Doctor more mysterious by actually revealing more of his background didn't really work - although admitedly the way he set up certain situations to his own advantage in the past was a nice touch.

Having said that, the story wasn't a total disaster like most of the ones from Season 24 and has some good things going for it.

The old Brigadier's return was handled quite well - although he seemed to spend an awful lot of time in the helicopter - almost 2 episodes worth.  Nicholas Courtney's interaction with McCoy was great to watch though and for once he played an important role in the story.  This updating of UNIT was a great idea and the casting of Angela Bruce as the new Brigadier effectively showed the new multi-cultural world order of that time.

The actors generally do their best with their roles and certain plot strands such as the Doctor and Morgaine continuing an ancient feud are certainly intriguing.  It's just a pity things don't come together as well as they should - a fact Aaronovitch himself admits was due to his then inexperience.

The dvd extras are pretty good with an insightful making of doco and a very interesting segment on how the script evolved. 

An extra about Sophie Aldred's near death experience in the watertank seems more ghoulish than fascinating - although it does prove that actors do sometimes indeed suffer for their art!!!

The 2nd disc features an extended cut of the story..atlhough this didn't particularly improve things from my point of view.

Overall it's a shame that Battlefield was given a 4 part slot where the later season story - the very complex Ghostlight - was only give 3 chapters.  This again seemed to show that little thought went into logically presenting a cohesive season with Battlefield's introductory story seemingly there to show off its lush location shooting.

Finally completing Season 26 on dvd, this now means that the rest of Season 25 and the entirety of the dreaded season 24 still await to be released.

Give the quality of the latter, it's hoped the former gets released first to spare us any pain!!!

Next - The E-Space Trilogy

THE E-SPACE TRILOGY - Part 1

FULL CIRCLE

Doctor Who's 18th Season saw a number of changes heralding JNT's new regime and also the passing of the Tom Baker era.

One of its main points was to return the series to a true scientific approach - one that would bear fruit with the E-Space trilogy.  Beginning with Andrew Smith's Full Circle, the notion of evolution and human's desire for order is explored as is their inate ability to make a cohesive decision.

What makes the tale work is by cutting through the science jargon you can really identify with the characters and see the futility of their dubious actions over the very populace they are meant to protect.

This is well conveyed by an excellent cast who all bring added nuance to a generally interesting script.

Looking at this story again, I appreciated the fact that it didn't 'talk down' to its viewers - there seemed to be a genuine consensus to treat them as adults with more thoughtful concepts amongst the expected action.

If there is critcism to be found it would be the appearance of the Marshmen - who yet again - give the very high impression of being 'men in rubber suits'. Also the addition of Adric doesn't really help the story much - something which the wooden performance of Matthew Waterhouse only seems to magnify.

Generally though this is a pretty good tale and much better than what I remembered.  A point of note - seeing how pedantic I am - I noticed that Parts 2 and 3 ran considerably shorter than the other chapters - running at almost 3 or 4 mins undertime. Funilly enough the story didn't seem too padded out despite this and flowed along quite well.

The dvd itself is pretty good with a great making of doco full of candor and unafraid in exploring elements that didn't work.

The appearance of Matthew Waterhouse on Swap Shop was interesting - if only for the fact to see the arrogance of youth that shone from Mr Waterhouse!!!

E-Space: Fact or Fiction? doco is ok - although it does feature an appearance from 'Mr DVD Rent-A-Quote' himself Mr Mat Irvine, who must surely be on the 2Entertain payroll for his endless appearances.

I was interested to see the poor quality of the continuity announcements - mainly because ones Ive seen from a few years before that one looked much better - maybe the BBC used lesser recording material in the early 80's??

Overall a pretty good story gets a decent dvd offering and certainly proves why Season 18 was by far and away the most even handed of the JNT era.

Next - State of Decay

THE E-SPACE TRILOGY - Part 2

STATE OF DECAY

After a few years away from the writer's chair, Terence Dicks returned to pen the mid-section of the E-Space Trilogy.

Harking back to the traditional Who stories that made the Hincliffe/Holmes era so memorable, Dicks used a classic horror motif to spin his interesting tale.

Based on vampire lore, State of Decay cleverly mixed these elements within the series' space setting and further extended the E-Space story arc quite well.

The regular cast do a fine job - although it's interesting to note that Adric is kept apart from the Doctor and Romana for most of the story.  This works to its benefit as the script separates itself into easily viewed segments and plays to its characters strengths.

Although the production design sometimes has been below par in the show, here it works beautifully to highlight the gothic surrounds of the villains and the great costumes they wear.

Generally this is a very well made story with hardly any faults and superbly paced to allow the appropriate levels of menace and suspence.

For the extras - the making of doco is quite good - especially with the revelations of friction between the writer and script editor -a new one on me!

An extra detailing vampire myths is fascinating and relevant to the story, although the inclusion of a doco examining blood is perhaps the most bizarre extra 2Entertian have ever presented.  Chatting with 'experts' such as the local butcher, it's hard to take this one seriously, making one wonder who actually comes up with ideas for extras!

As with Full Circle, the picture and sound quality are great, although again the shortened length of parts 2 & 3 compared to the other chapters is noticeable.

State of Decay was a welcome return to the more familiar Who story and another well written tale from the pen of a Who legend.

Next - Warrior's Gate

THE E-SPACE TRILOGY - Part 3

WARRIORS' GATE

After two previous stories effectively setting the E-Space arc, Warriors' Gate continues the upswing in quality by providing a haunting and atmospheric conclusion.

Set in between a timeless zone, I found it interesting that it recalled The Mind Robber in terms of being trapped within a white void.  The atypical story works well despite the supposed scattered clues, with a group of characters all wanting to achieve their own ends within the strange land.

As a farewell story for Romana and K9, it plays quite well to what made them appealing and certainly gives Lalla Ward a good deal to sink her talents into.  Her interaction with Tom Baker is a highlight as is - suprisingly - Matthew Waterhouse as Adric who is given a logical role within the tale.

The production design and special effects are very memorable and one can see the ambition that director Paul Joyce attempted to make in spite of the small budget.  In this he suceeds admirably with one of the best stories of the season.

The dvd itself is quite good, with yet another very insightful making of doco, plus another one with Waterhouse looking back at his time as Adric.

It's been pleasing that the last several dvds have had docos that have been more honest in what went right/wrong within the production thereby making viewing more than worthwhile.

A doco on Romana's dress sense is slightly odd but a welcome diversion and interesting in its own way.

Overall the E-Space trilogy worked very well and pushed the show into a more mature, adult direction which is what it needed after the silliness of Season 17.

Again it highlights that this was definately the best season JNT ever made with high quality stories and great casting - sad to think things would get worse as they went along.....

Next - The Rescue/The Romans