Doctor Who/Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet

Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet
Season 23, Serial 1
Airdate	September 6, 1986
Production Number	7A
by	Robert Holmes
Directed by	Nicholas Mallett
← 22x06 Revelation of the Daleks	23x02 → Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp
Doctor Who — Season Twenty-Three

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Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet) is the first serial of the twenty-third season of Doctor Who, and the one hundred forty-fourth serial overall.

Part One: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor), Joan Sims (Katryca), Tony Selby (Glitz), Glen Murphy (Dibber), Tom Chadbon (Merdeen), Roger Brierley (Drathro), David Rodigan (Broken Tooth), Adam Blackwood (Balazar), Timothy Walker (Grell)

Part Two: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor), Joan Sims (Katryca), Tony Selby (Glitz), Roger Brierley (Drathro), Tom Chadbon (Merdeen), David Rodigan (Broken Tooth), Glen Murphy (Dibber), Adam Blackwood (Balazar), Billy McColl (Humker), Sion Tudor Owen (Tandrell), Timothy Walker (Grell)

Part Three: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor), Joan Sims (Katryca), Tony Selby (Glitz), Roger Brierley (Drathro), Tom Chadbon (Merdeen), David Rodigan (Broken Tooth), Glen Murphy (Dibber), Adam Blackwood (Balazar), Billy McColl (Humker), Sion Tudor Owen (Tandrell), Timothy Walker (Grell)

Part Four: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor), Joan Sims (Katryca), Tony Selby (Glitz), Roger Brierley (Drathro), Tom Chadbon (Merdeen), David Rodigan (Broken Tooth), Glen Murphy (Dibber), Adam Blackwood (Balazar), Billy McColl (Humker), Sion Tudor Owen (Tandrell), Timothy Walker (Grell)

Plot Overview

Placed on trial by his peers, the Doctor is forced to watch events from his past, beginning with an incident on Ravolox involving the curiously named Marb Arch. The Doctor has an appointment with the Immortal, while Peri finds herself caught up with Glitz and the Tribe of the Free and Merdeen begins to question all he believes. With the black light converter destroyed, the Doctor fears for the planet's safety and needs to find the Secrets of the Sleepers and discover why they are there in the first place. The Doctor is foxed by Drathro's logic so it takes Glitz's blunt lies to buy them some time until Ravolox can be saved. Meanwhile, the Tribe makes a foolhardy attack on Marb Arch.

Trivia

The Show

• Like other serial titles from this season, the title The Mysterious Planet is not used on screen, instead using the overarching Trial of a Time Lord title. Working titles including Wasteland and The Robots of Ravalox.

• The Doctor says he is 900 years old, although this would be put at odds with the age given by later incarnations.

• The Doctor requests that he represent himself at his trial. Before he was an actor, Baker used to be a lawyer.

Behind the Scenes

• The filmed insert that begins Part One of a special effects sequence involving the TARDIS and the space station would be the last shot-on-film footage made for the series until the TV movie. Ironically, Fox would recycle this footage for its promotional advertisements for the film, even though it isn't included in the movie itself.