"Doctor Who"
The Trial of a Time Lord: Part 1 (1986)

Director:

Nicholas Mallett

Writer:

Robert Holmes (writer)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (1963)

Original Air Date:

6 September 1986 (Season 23, Episode 1)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Doctor is put on trail by the Time Lords again. An event from his past is shown as evidence of his interference in the affairs of other worlds.

Plot Keywords:

Man With No Name | Extraterrestrial Hero | Famous Opening Theme | Christ Allegory | Doctor Hero

Cast

Colin Baker	...	The Doctor
Nicola Bryant	...	Peri Brown
Michael Jayston	...	The Valeyard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lynda Bellingham	...	The Inquisitor
Adam Blackwood	...	Balazar
Roger Brierley	...	Drathro (voice)
Tom Chadbon	...	Merdeen
Glen Murphy	...	Dibber
David Rodigan	...	Broken Tooth
Tony Selby	...	Sabalom Glitz
Joan Sims	...	Katryca
Timothy Walker	...	Grell

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton, Hampshire, England, UK

Trivia:

The first appearance of Giltz.

Quotes:

Perpugilliam 'Peri' Brown: Is there any intelligent life on this planet?
The Doctor: Apart from me, you mean?

Has its moments.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

In the mid-eighties Doctor Who was suspended for a year, was viewed as having alienated casual viewers by being filled with continuity which would only make sense to hard-core fans. So when the series returned, what did its makers do? They created a 14-part story which was more casual-viewer-alienating than anything that had gone before, and also introduced the most irritating, obnoxious companion in the show's history. That has to be a suicide note longer than Labour's 1983 election manifesto. That said, this story has its moments and everything looks and sounds good. The overarching plot involves the Doctor being put on trial by his own people. Judgement will be made after the Time Lord high council have watched three of the Doctor's adventures, one from his past, one from his more recent past and one from the future. Acting as prosecution is the Valeyard, who it has to be said is a memorable villain. The first two segments are good and could easily work on their own as 4-part episodes. The first four episodes (AKA The Mysterious Planet) are interesting and entertaining, filled with witty dialogue. Glitz is a good character and Drathro is impressively-designed and intimidating. Episodes five to eight (AKA Mindwarp) have an interesting storyline, though it's a shame Sil has been reduced to comic-relief status. The high-point has to be the climax to part eight. Unlike the feeble, illogical 'Earthshock' ending, this death scene is both shocking and gripping. What a shame, then, that the series producers had to utterly ruin it with a pathetic, contrived cop-out 'everything's alright really' ending in part fourteen. Parts nine to twelve (AKA The Ultimate Foe or Terror of the Vervoids) provide us with a fairly watchable but so-so story which takes place in the Doctor's (possible) future. It has to be said Mel is never anything other than irritating. She was supposed to be a brainy computer expert, but does nothing except scream as loudly as possible and talk in a whining, know-it-all voice. Episodes thirteen and fourteen (AKA The Ultimate Foe or Time Inc) are quite bewildering. Episode thirteen is dramatic and gripping from beginning to end, is certainly a tribute to the writing skills of the late Robert Holmes (apparently he was seriously ill when he wrote this. I wish I could write as good as this whilst in the best of health!) Holmes sadly died before he could write part fourteen. The fact that replacement writers (Pip and Jane Baker) had to come up with Part Fourteen swiftly is surely no excuse for them turning out an episode which is a campy jumble of strange images and scientific gibberish. The Valeyard loses his dignity and becomes a cackling pantomime villain and the episode ends in confusion. It appears the Valeyard is not dead after all, and the Doctor (by leaving the trial with a companion from his own future) seems to create a time paradox. As I said, Trial of a Time Lord has its moments, but somehow fails to be greater than the sum of its parts.