As the trial continues, the Doctor presents an event from his future as evidence of his reform.As the trial continues, the Doctor presents an event from his future as evidence of his reform.As the trial continues, the Doctor presents an event from his future as evidence of his reform.
Richard Bonehill
- Hyperion III Officer
- (uncredited)
David Fieldsend
- Time Lord
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Pip Baker
- Jane Baker
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFirst appearance of Mel played by Bonnie Langford, she remains as of 2007, the only companion (excluding Susan, the First Doctor's granddaughter) without the typical "meeting" story.
- Quotes
The Doctor: [alerted by the sound of a mayday signal] Quickly, Mel! Press the red button! Get the message on the screen.
[Mel presses the button repeatedly but the message doesn't appear]
The Doctor: Press it! Press it!
Melanie 'Mel' Bush: I am!
[the Doctor sidles up and presses a different button from the one Mel pushed; the message appears]
Melanie 'Mel' Bush: You said "red."
The Doctor: Did I? Must be the carrot juice making me colour blind!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Wogan's Web: Episode #1.14 (1998)
Featured review
The Trial of a Time Lord: Part Nine
It is murder in space Agatha Christie style in The Terror of the Vervoids as the Doctor conducts his defence and goes to future events on board of a space liner Hyperion III.
The story marks the first appearance of new companion Mel (Bonnie Langford.) As the Doctor just plonks out a story from his future, we have no idea how she met the Doctor. Mel is getting the Doctor to exercise and drink carrot juice. At least Bonnie Langford plays to her strength as a dancer. She was good at the aerobics type of things. When it came to acting she was soon to her default setting of scream and scream until I am sick. (Yes I am old enough to remember her from Just William.) I think it was only when she did Eastenders about 30 years later did Bonnie showed any signs of subtlety in her screen acting.
Al least Colin Baker managed to get a partial change of costume, a new waistcoat and it looks rather better on him. Oops he still has the horrendous overcoat and pants though.
As for the rest of the episode. Pip and Jane Baker introduce a whole slew of characters on the spaceship. An investigator has arrived incognito but he soon rumbled by an old man. Someone has sent a Mayday signal to the Tardis and the Doctor must respond but he thinks he might be the tethered goat for a hungry lion. At least the Doctor is more cautious here, a change in the character Colin Baker always said that he wanted his Doctor to have.
The person who may have called the Doctor has disappeared, looks like they met a grisly death. The ship also has some strange cargo. Plants laying dormant, with a lack of light there is no photosynthesis. Some seeds that have been stolen and something in the isolation room.
The cast includes Honor Blackman and Arthur Hewlett, both of them were in The Avengers. A couple of actors such as Malcolm Tierney give it an air of villainy.
Nothing much happens in this episode, it sets the scene in an introductory episode. It an interior based story, some dark corridors indicating menace but the director managed to do a few shots of the ship in space.
The story marks the first appearance of new companion Mel (Bonnie Langford.) As the Doctor just plonks out a story from his future, we have no idea how she met the Doctor. Mel is getting the Doctor to exercise and drink carrot juice. At least Bonnie Langford plays to her strength as a dancer. She was good at the aerobics type of things. When it came to acting she was soon to her default setting of scream and scream until I am sick. (Yes I am old enough to remember her from Just William.) I think it was only when she did Eastenders about 30 years later did Bonnie showed any signs of subtlety in her screen acting.
Al least Colin Baker managed to get a partial change of costume, a new waistcoat and it looks rather better on him. Oops he still has the horrendous overcoat and pants though.
As for the rest of the episode. Pip and Jane Baker introduce a whole slew of characters on the spaceship. An investigator has arrived incognito but he soon rumbled by an old man. Someone has sent a Mayday signal to the Tardis and the Doctor must respond but he thinks he might be the tethered goat for a hungry lion. At least the Doctor is more cautious here, a change in the character Colin Baker always said that he wanted his Doctor to have.
The person who may have called the Doctor has disappeared, looks like they met a grisly death. The ship also has some strange cargo. Plants laying dormant, with a lack of light there is no photosynthesis. Some seeds that have been stolen and something in the isolation room.
The cast includes Honor Blackman and Arthur Hewlett, both of them were in The Avengers. A couple of actors such as Malcolm Tierney give it an air of villainy.
Nothing much happens in this episode, it sets the scene in an introductory episode. It an interior based story, some dark corridors indicating menace but the director managed to do a few shots of the ship in space.
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- Prismark10
- Aug 11, 2019
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