Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963): Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Title-6a.jpg|right|250px]]
{{real world}}
{{Infobox Series
|image            = Title-6a.jpg
|image2          =
|broadcast year  = 1986
|broadcast year2  =
|ep count        = 14
|story count      = 4
|first ep        = The Mysterious Planet (TV story)
|doctor          = Sixth Doctor
|companion        = Peri Brown
|companion2      = Mel Bush
|companion3      = Sabalom Glitz{{!}}Glitz
|producer        = John Nathan-Turner
|script ed        = Eric Saward
|start date      = [[6 September (releases)|6 September]] [[1986 (releases)|1986]]
|end date        = [[6 December (releases)|6 December]] 1986
|network          = BBC1
|runtime          = 25'
|DWM              =
|DWM2            =
|DWM3            =
|DWM4            =
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|DWM25            =
|DWMSE            = DWMSE 3
|DWMSE2          = DWMSE 18
|DWMSE3          =
|DWMSE4          =
|DWMSE5          =
|ref book        = The Discontinuity Guide
|ref book2        = The Sixth Doctor Handbook
|ref book3        = The Eighties
|ref book4        = JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times
|ref book5        = About Time 6
|ref book6        = TCH 42{{!}}The Complete History 42
|doc              = The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
|doc2            = The Lost Season
|doc3            =
|doc4            =
|doc5            =
|mythmakers      = MM VHS 6
|mythmakers2      = MM VHS 19
|mythmakers3      = MM VHS 22
|mythmakers4      = MM DVD 25
|mythmakers5      = MM DVD 26
|mythmakers6      =
|mythmakers7      =
|mythmakers8      =
|mythmakers9      =
|mythmakers10    =
|prev            = season 22 (Doctor Who 1963)|
|next            = season 24 (Doctor Who 1963)|
|trailer          = Season 23 Trailer The Collection Doctor Who
|trailer2        =
|clip            = The Doctor in court - Extended Version - Doctor Who - The Trial of a Time Lord - BBC
|clip2            = The Doctor watches Peri die - Doctor Who - The Trial of a Timelord - BBC
|clip3            = Master in the matrix - Dr Who - BBC sci-fi
|bts              =
|bts2            =
|bts3            =
}}{{you may|Doctor Who Season 23|n1=the series as it exists within the DWU|The Trial of a Time Lord (Not Guilty)|n2=the sentient entity from the parody "Not Guilty"}}
'''Season 23''' of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' ran from [[6 September (releases)|6 September]] [[1986 (releases)|1986]] to [[6 December (releases)|6 December]] 1986. It starred [[Colin Baker]] as the [[Sixth Doctor]], [[Nicola Bryant]] as [[Peri Brown]] and [[Bonnie Langford]] as [[Melanie Bush]]. Though produced as four separate serials from a practical standpoint, it aired as a single, connected serial entitled '''''The Trial of a Time Lord'''''. The season opened with ''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]'' and concluded with ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]''.


'''Season 23''' of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' ran between [[6th September]] [[1986]] and [[6th December]] [[1986]]. It aired as a single serial, ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' which had a story arc.
On [[14 September (releases)|14 September]] [[2019 (releases)|2019]] the season's second story ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]'' was shown at [[BFI Southbank]] with 5.1 surround sound mix and re-recorded music by original composer [[Richard Hartley]]. A Q&A with [[Colin Baker]] and [[Nicola Bryant]] was also held.<ref>https://twitter.com/ruther2/status/1153362125714284545?s=21</ref><ref>https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=doctorwhomindwarpqanda&BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Acontext_id</ref>


==Overview==
On [[23 September (releases)|23 September]] 2019, the season was released on [[Blu-ray]] Box Set with updated special effects, extended edits, 5.1 surround sound, BTS studio material, scripts and costume designs, photo gallery, an interview with [[Bonnie Langford]] and [[Matthew Sweet]] and a revisit to ''[[The Doctor Who Cookbook]]''. The story ''[[Terror of the Vervoids (TV story)|Terror of the Vervoids]]'' was also edited into a standalone story. The unique trial scene in the trailer was created by [[Pete McTighe]].<ref>https://cultbox.co.uk/news/doctor-who-season-23-blu-ray-announced</ref>
This season saw ''Doctor Who'' return to production after a near-cancellation and an 18 month-long production hiatus. For the first time, a season consisted of one single story, ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', however this was broken down into four shorter serials with interrelated storylines (The most commonly used titles are given below). The experiment of 45-minute episodes having been deemed a failure, the BBC reverted the series back to 25-minute episodes, but kept the episode count at 14, effectively halving the number of episodes available for a season. The last episode, however, ran to 30 minutes.


This format remained for the remainder of the classic series. This was the final season to feature [[Colin Baker]] as the [[Sixth Doctor]]; following its conclusion, Baker was removed from the role and did not return to play the Doctor for the [[regeneration]] that led off the next season. It was the last season to use the "neon tubing" series logo introduced in [[1980]].
Due to being edited to a standalone, ''Terror of the Vervoids'' was also granted a unique new [[title sequence]], created by fan [[Robert Ritchie|Rob Ritchie]].


==Main Cast==
== Overview ==
*[[Sixth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Colin Baker]]
''Doctor Who'' had returned to production after a near-cancellation and an eighteen-month production hiatus. For the first time, a season consisted of a single story, ''The Trial of a Time Lord'', although this was made up of four serials from a production perspective: each serial was written by a different person (save for ''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]'' and the first part of ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'', both of which were written by Robert Holmes) and featured a different story presented as evidence, excluding the final two episodes which concluded the ongoing story of the trial; the trial storyline itself acted as a {{w|framing device}} to bracket the first three serials. As a result, whether ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' should be considered one story or four has been intensely debated. This single-story format, sometimes referred to as a "miniseries", would later be utilised for [[Series 3 (Torchwood)|the third]] and [[Series 4 (Torchwood)|fourth series]] of ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. In an interview in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 448|448]], ''[[Timelash (TV story)|Timelash]]'' author [[Glen McCoy]] said that he came up with the idea of the Doctor being put on trial. Although on an extra found on ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' DVD box set, Eric Saward stated his wife came up with the idea as she suggested since the show was on trial, put the Doctor on trial.
*[[Peri Brown]] - [[Nicola Bryant]] (''[[The Mysterious Planet]]'' and ''[[Mindwarp]]'')
*[[Melanie Bush|Mel]] - [[Bonnie Langford]] (''[[Terror of the Vervoids]]'' and ''[[The Ultimate Foe]]'')
*[[The Valeyard]] - [[Michael Jayston]]
*[[The Inquisitor]] - [[Lynda Bellingham]]


==Adaptations and merchandising==
The experiment of forty-five-minute episodes having been deemed a failure, the BBC reverted the series to twenty-five-minute episodes, but kept the episode count at fourteen, effectively halving the number of episodes in a season. The last episode, however, ran for thirty minutes. This format lasted for the remainder of the classic series.
===Video===
====VHS====
*The Trial of a Time Lord
:''Packaged in a tin.''


====DVD====
This was the final season to feature [[Colin Baker]] as the [[Sixth Doctor]]; he was fired following its conclusion. He did not return to play the Doctor for the [[regeneration]] scene in ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'', the first story of the [[Season 24 (Doctor Who 1963)|following season]]. It was the last season to use the [[Doctor Who logo#Logo Six|"neon tubing" logo]] introduced in [[1980 (releases)|1980]]. A new arrangement of the [[Doctor Who theme|''Doctor Who'' theme]] by [[Dominic Glynn]] was introduced this season but was only used for these fourteen episodes, before being replaced by another new arrangement.
*The Trial of a Time Lord
:''This was released on DVD, Region 2 29th Septemeber 2008 and Region 1 7th October 2008.''


===Novelisations===
The final serial of Season 23 turned out to be veteran writer [[Robert Holmes]]'s last contribution to the series, falling gravely ill and passing away before he could finish the script. It was then passed to [[script editor]] [[Eric Saward]], who tried to finish the script but got into an argument with [[producer]] [[John Nathan-Turner]] over its ending. Eventually, Saward gave up and quit working on ''Doctor Who'' altogether, withdrawing his contributions to Holmes's script as he left. The script was then passed along to [[Pip and Jane Baker]], who completed it as they saw fit.
*[[The Mysterious Planet (novelisation)|The Mysterious Planet]]
*[[Mindwarp (novelisation)|Mindwarp]]
*[[Terror of the Vervoids (novelisation)|Terror of the Vervoids]]
*[[The Ultimate Foe (novelisation)|The Ultimate Foe]]


===Audiobooks===
With this season the BBC returned ''Doctor Who'' to an autumn season start for the first time since [[Season 18 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 18]]; this scheduling would remain for the rest of the original series' run.


==Contemporaries==
=== Television stories ===
Other selected TV series launched during the 1986-87 season which included Season 23:
{| {{prettytable}}
*''Casualty''
!Story || Title || Writer || Notes
*''The Oprah Winfrey Show''
|-
*''Pee-Wee's Playhouse''
|1 ||''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]''||[[Robert Holmes]]||First appearances of [[the Valeyard]], [[Darkel|the Inquisitor]], and [[Sabalom Glitz]].
*''LA Law''
|-
*''ALF''
|2 ||''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]''||[[Philip Martin]]||Final appearance of [[Peri Brown]].
*''Matlock''
|-
*''The Singing Detective''
|3 ||''[[Terror of the Vervoids (TV story)|Terror of the Vervoids]]''||[[Pip and Jane Baker]]||First appearance of [[Melanie Bush]].
*''Inspector Morse''
|-
*''Married...With Children''
|4 ||''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]''||Robert Holmes<br />[[Eric Saward]] (uncredited, part one only)<br />Pip and Jane Baker||Final regular appearance of the [[Sixth Doctor]]. Final appearances of the Valeyard and Inquisitor. Final ''Doctor Who'' script written by Robert Holmes. Eric Saward's final time working on the classic television series.
*''The Tracey Ullman Show'' (featuring The Simpsons)
|}
*''Max Headroom'' (US series)
 
=== Aborted Season 23 ===
Prior to ''Doctor Who'' being placed on hiatus after [[Season 22 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 22]], a slate of serials of standard length was planned, and scripts were written for several. The decision to recast Season 23 as a single interconnected arc resulted in production of these stories being cancelled.
 
Three of the stories were subsequently adapted as [[Target Books]] novelisations: ''[[The Nightmare Fair (novelisation)|The Nightmare Fair]]'' (which would have seen the return of the [[Celestial Toymaker]]), ''[[Mission to Magnus (novelisation)|Mission to Magnus]]'' (featuring [[Sil]] and the [[Ice Warrior]]s; Sil ultimately appeared in the ''Mindwarp'' segment of the ''Trial of a Time Lord''), and ''[[The Ultimate Evil (novel)|The Ultimate Evil]]''. An unofficial audio adaptation of ''The Nightmare Fair'' was also produced for charity in 2003.
 
Beginning in late 2009, [[Big Finish Productions]] launched a series of audio dramas covering scripts that had never made it to production, titled ''[[The Lost Stories]]''. The first season featured adaptations of ''[[The Nightmare Fair (audio story)|The Nightmare Fair]]'', ''[[Mission to Magnus (audio story)|Mission to Magnus]]'', and other story lines planned for the aborted Season 23.
 
The aborted Season 23 and their subsequent adaptations are sometimes referred to as Season 22B, similar to [[Season 6B]]. This is because the adaptations place the stories between the end of the televised ''[[Doctor Who]]'' stories ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' (which concludes [[Season 22 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 22]]) and the beginning of ''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]'' (the opener to [[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 23]]).
 
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' ||''Episodes''|| '''Notes'''
|-
|1 ||''[[The Nightmare Fair (unproduced TV story)|The Nightmare Fair]]''||[[Graham Williams]]||2||Intended return of the [[Celestial Toymaker]]. Intended to continue directly from part 2 of ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]''. Eventually adapted into a [[The Nightmare Fair (novelisation)|novel]] in 1989 and an [[The Nightmare Fair (audio story)|audio play]] in 2009.
|-
|2 ||''[[The Ultimate Evil (unproduced TV story)|The Ultimate Evil]]''||[[Wally K Daly]]||2||Eventually [[The Ultimate Evil (novel)|novelised]] in 1989. Adapted as an [[The Ultimate Evil (audio story)|audio play]] in 2019
|-
|3 ||''[[Mission to Magnus (unproduced TV story)|Mission to Magnus]]''||[[Philip Martin]]||2||Intended return of [[Sil]] and the [[Ice Warrior]]s. Despite this story's abortion, Sil would still appear in the finalised Season 23, in the story ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]''. Eventually adapted into a [[Mission to Magnus (novelisation)|novel]] in 1990 and an [[Mission to Magnus (audio story)|audio play]] in 2009.
|-
|4 ||''[[Yellow Fever and How to Cure It (unproduced TV story)|Yellow Fever and How to Cure It]]''||[[Robert Holmes]]||3||Intended reappearances of the [[Auton]]s, [[the Master]], and {{O'Mara}}. Like Sil, the Master would still manage to appear in the finalised Season 23, in ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]''.
|-
|5||''[[The Hollows of Time (unproduced TV story)|The Hollows of Time]]''||[[Christopher H. Bidmead]]||2 (original intention)<br />4 (altered edition)||Intended return of the [[Tractator]]s. Originally developed as 2 45-minute episodes, but altered into 4 planned 25-minute episodes upon hearing news of the 18-month hiatus. Eventually adapted into an [[The Hollows of Time (audio story)|audio play]] in 2010.
|-
|6||''[[The Children of January (unproduced TV story)|The Children of January]]''||[[Michael Feeney Callan]]||2 (original intention)<br />4 (altered edition)||Originally developed as 2 45-minute episodes, but altered into 4 planned 25-minute episodes upon hearing news of the 18-month hiatus. Planned to be adapted into a Big Finish audio play, but negotiations stalled so it was hurriedly replaced with ''[[The Macros (audio story)|The Macros]]''.
|}
 
== Cast ==
* [[Sixth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Colin Baker]]
* [[The Valeyard]] - [[Michael Jayston]]
* [[The Inquisitor]] - [[Lynda Bellingham]]
* [[Peri Brown]] - [[Nicola Bryant]]
 
=== Recurring ===
* [[Sil]] - [[Nabil Shaban]]
* [[Melanie Bush]] - [[Bonnie Langford]]
* [[Sabalom Glitz]] - [[Tony Selby]]
* {{Ainley|c}} - [[Anthony Ainley]]
* King [[Yrcanos]] - [[Brian Blessed]]
 
=== Guest ===
* [[Katryca]] - [[Joan Sims]]
* [[Dibber]] - [[Glen Murphy]]
* [[Merdeen]] - [[Tom Chadbon]]
* [[Drathro]] - [[Roger Brierley]]
* [[Broken Tooth]] - [[David Rodigan]]
* [[Balazar]] - [[Adam Blackwood]]
* [[Grell]] - [[Timothy Walker]]
* [[Humker]] - [[Billy McColl]]
* [[Tandrell]] - [[Sion Tudor Owen]]
* [[Kiv]] - [[Christopher Ryan]]
* [[Crozier]] - [[Patrick Ryecart]]
* Matrona [[Kani]] - [[Alibe Parsons]]
* [[Frax]] - [[Trevor Laird]]
* The [[Dorf|Lukoser]] - [[Thomas Branch]]
* [[Tuza]] - [[Gordon Warnecke]]
* [[Mentor (Mindwarp)|Mentor]] - [[Richard Henry]]
* [[Sarah Lasky|Professor Lasky]] - [[Honor Blackman]]
* [[Travers|Commodore]] - [[Michael Craig]]
* [[Rudge]] - [[Denys Hawthorne]]
* [[Janet (Terror of the Vervoids)|Janet]] - [[Yolande Palfrey]]
* [[Doland]] - [[Malcolm Tierney]]
* [[Bruchner]] - [[David Allister]]
* [[Hallett (Terror of the Vervoids)|Grenville / Hallett]] - [[Tony Scoggo]]
* [[Kimber]] - [[Arthur Hewlett]]
* [[Edwardes]] - [[Simon Slater]]
* [[Atza]] - [[Sam Howard]]
* [[Ortezo]] - [[Leon Davis]]
* [[Guard 1 (Terror of the Vervoids)|First Guard]] - [[Hugh Beverton]]
* [[Duty officer (Terror of the Vervoids)|Duty Officer]] - [[Mike Mungarvan]]
* [[Guard 2 (Terror of the Vervoids)|Second Guard]] - [[Martin Weedon]]
* Mutant / [[Ruth Baxter]] - [[Barbara Ward]]
* First Vervoid - [[Peppi Borza]]
* Second Vervoid - [[Bob Appleby]]
* [[Popplewick]] - [[Geoffrey Hughes]]
* [[Keeper of the Matrix]] - [[James Bree]]
 
== Stories set during this season ==
The following stories are the known stories set after ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' and before, during and after the trial scenes of ''The Trial of a Time Lord'':
 
=== Before ''Mindwarp'': ===
Stories set before ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]'' from Peri and the past Sixth Doctor's perspective:
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[Mission to Magnus (novelisation)|Mission to Magnus]]'' / [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Mission to Magnus (audio story)|Mission to Magnus]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Leviathan (audio story)|Leviathan]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Macros (audio story)|The Macros]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Power Play (audio story)|Power Play]]''
* [[PROSE]]: [[The Ultimate Evil (novel)|''The Ultimate Evil'']] / [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Ultimate Evil (audio story)|The Ultimate Evil]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Whispers of Terror (audio story)|Whispers of Terror]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Reaping (audio story)|The Reaping]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Recorded Time (audio story)|Recorded Time]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[1963: The Space Race (audio story)|1963: The Space Race]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Memories of a Tyrant (audio story)|Memories of a Tyrant]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Emissary of the Daleks (audio story)|Emissary of the Daleks]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Harry Houdini's War (audio story)|Harry Houdini's War]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Plight of the Pimpernel (audio story)|Plight of the Pimpernel]]''
''to be completed''
 
=== Before ''Terror of the Vervoids'' (pre-Mel): ===
Known pre-''Terror of the Vervoids'' stories featuring the future Sixth Doctor, including pre-Mel companions and solo adventures:
 
==== With Grant Markham ====
''to be added''
 
==== With Frobisher ====
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Maltese Penguin (audio story)|The Maltese Penguin]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Holy Terror (audio story)|The Holy Terror]]''
 
==== With Evelyn Smythe ====
{{main|Evelyn Smythe}}
 
==== With "Jamie" ====
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Night's Black Agents (audio story)|Night's Black Agents]]''
''to be completed''
 
==== With Charley Pollard ====
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Condemned (audio story)|The Condemned]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Doomwood Curse (audio story)|The Doomwood Curse]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Brotherhood of the Daleks (audio story)|Brotherhood of the Daleks]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Blue Forgotten Planet (audio story)|Blue Forgotten Planet]]''
 
''to be completed''
 
==== With Jago and Litefoot ====
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Chronoclasm (audio story)|Chronoclasm]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Voyage to Venus (audio story)|Voyage to Venus]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Voyage to the New World (audio story)|Voyage to the New World]]''
''to be completed''
 
==== With Flip Jackson ====
{{main|Flip Jackson}}
 
==== Reunion With Peri Brown ====
''to be added''
 
==== With Constance Clarke (including reunion with Flip Jackson) ====
{{main|Constance Clarke}}
 
==== With Mathew Sharpe ====
''to be added''
 
==== Travelling solo ====
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Ratings War (audio story)|The Ratings War]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: [[Excelis Rising (audio story)|''Excelis Rising'']]
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Wormery (audio story)|The Wormery]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Acheron Pulse (audio story)|The Acheron Pulse]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Peri and the Piscon Paradox (audio story)|Peri and the Piscon Paradox]]'' (Sixth Doctor's involvement in the story)
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Judoon in Chains (audio story)|Judoon in Chains]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Iron Bright (audio story)|Iron Bright]]'' (after [[Mathew Sharpe]]'s departure)
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Hour of the Cybermen (audio story)|Hour of the Cybermen]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Hunting Ground (audio story)|The Hunting Ground]]''
''to be completed''
 
=== Before ''Terror of the Vervoids'' (with Mel): ===
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Wrong Doctors (audio story)|The Wrong Doctors]]''
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[Business Unusual (novel)|Business Unusual]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Seeds of War (audio story)|The Seeds of War]]''
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The One Doctor (audio story)|The One Doctor]]''
 
=== During ''The Ultimate Foe'' (Mel paired with a 'present', pre-Mel version of the Sixth Doctor): ===
* Chapters 17-21 of [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Eight Doctors (novel)|The Eight Doctors]]''
 
=== After ''Terror of the Vervoids'': ===
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Quantum Archangel (novel)|The Quantum Archangel]]''
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[Instruments of Darkness (novel)|Instruments of Darkness]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Catch-1782 (audio story)|Catch-1782]]''
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Best Joke I Ever Told (short story)|The Best Joke I Ever Told]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Thicker Than Water (audio story)|Thicker Than Water]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Death of Peladon (audio story)|The Death of Peladon]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Mind of the Hodiac (audio story)|Mind of the Hodiac]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Mindless Ones (audio story)|The Mindless Ones]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Reverse Engineering (audio story)|Reverse Engineering]]''
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Chronomancer (audio story)|Chronomancer]]''
''to be completed''
 
== Adaptations and merchandising ==
=== Home media ===
==== VHS releases ====
* ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' (packaged in a tin) (1993)
 
==== DVD & Blu-ray releases ====
All serials of ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' were released in a complete box set on [[29 September (releases)|29 September]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] in Region 2, on [[7 October (releases)|7 October]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] in Region 1, and on [[5 January (releases)|5 January]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]] in Region 4.
 
The complete season was upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and released on Blu-ray as ''Doctor Who: [[The Collection]] - Season 23'' in the UK on [[7 October (releases)|7 October]] [[2019 (releases)|2019]].


==External Links==
It was later released in Australia on [[4 December (releases)|4 December]] [[2019 (releases)|2019]] and was released in the US under the title ''Doctor Who: Colin Baker - Complete Season Two'' on [[3 December (releases)|3 December]] [[2019 (releases)|2019]]. The Blu-ray box set included extended cuts of all 14 episodes as well as a standalone edition of ''Terror of the Vervoids'', re-edited to remove all courtroom scenes and add updated special effects.
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season23.shtml BBC website guide to Season 23]


{| class="browser"
It was re-released as a Standard Edition on [[4 October (releases)|4 October]] [[2021 (releases)|2021]].
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:30%;" | '''Serial name'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''Number and duration<br />of episodes'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''R2 release date'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''R4 release date'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''R1 release date'''
|-
|-
| class="prev"|'''Previous season''':<br />[[Season 22]]
| ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord (box set)|The Trial of a Time Lord]]:''
| class="next"|'''Next season''':<br />[[Season 24]]
 
''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]'' (4 episodes) <br /> ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]] ''(4 episodes)<br />''[[Terror of the Vervoids (TV story)|Terror of the Vervoids]]'' (4 episodes)<br />''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'' (2 episodes)
|| 13 × 25 min.<br />1 × 30 min. || 29 September 2008 || 5 February 2009 || 7 October 2008
|-
|''[[The Collection]]'' - ''[[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 23]]''
|13 x 25 min.<br />1 x 30 min.<br />4 x 20 min.<br /><small>(''Terror of the Vervoids'' Standalone Edition)</small>
|7 October 2019
|4 December 2019
|3 December 2019
|}
|}


{{season 23}}
=== Download/streaming availability ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | '''Serial name'''
!Google Play
|-
| ''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]'' (4 episodes)
|✓
|-
| ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]'' (4 episodes)
|✓
|-
| ''[[Terror of the Vervoids (TV story)|Terror of the Vervoids]]'' (4 episodes)
|✓
|-
| ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'' (2 episodes)
|✓
|}
=== Novels ===
* ''[[The Mysterious Planet (novelisation)|The Mysterious Planet]]''
* ''[[Mindwarp (novelisation)|Mindwarp]]''
* ''[[Terror of the Vervoids (novelisation)|Terror of the Vervoids]]''
* ''[[The Ultimate Foe (novelisation)|The Ultimate Foe]]''
 
== External links ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season23.shtml BBC website guide to Season 23]
* {{radiotimes|2012-06-29/the-trial-of-a-time-lord|The Trial of a Time Lord}}
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[[Category:Seasons]]
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
[[Category:The Trial of a Time Lord arc|*]]
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Latest revision as of 20:15, 3 November 2024

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You may be looking for the series as it exists within the DWU or the sentient entity from the parody "Not Guilty".

Season 23 of Doctor Who ran from 6 September 1986 to 6 December 1986. It starred Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown and Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush. Though produced as four separate serials from a practical standpoint, it aired as a single, connected serial entitled The Trial of a Time Lord. The season opened with The Mysterious Planet and concluded with The Ultimate Foe.

On 14 September 2019 the season's second story Mindwarp was shown at BFI Southbank with 5.1 surround sound mix and re-recorded music by original composer Richard Hartley. A Q&A with Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant was also held.[1][2]

On 23 September 2019, the season was released on Blu-ray Box Set with updated special effects, extended edits, 5.1 surround sound, BTS studio material, scripts and costume designs, photo gallery, an interview with Bonnie Langford and Matthew Sweet and a revisit to The Doctor Who Cookbook. The story Terror of the Vervoids was also edited into a standalone story. The unique trial scene in the trailer was created by Pete McTighe.[3]

Due to being edited to a standalone, Terror of the Vervoids was also granted a unique new title sequence, created by fan Rob Ritchie.

Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who had returned to production after a near-cancellation and an eighteen-month production hiatus. For the first time, a season consisted of a single story, The Trial of a Time Lord, although this was made up of four serials from a production perspective: each serial was written by a different person (save for The Mysterious Planet and the first part of The Ultimate Foe, both of which were written by Robert Holmes) and featured a different story presented as evidence, excluding the final two episodes which concluded the ongoing story of the trial; the trial storyline itself acted as a framing device to bracket the first three serials. As a result, whether The Trial of a Time Lord should be considered one story or four has been intensely debated. This single-story format, sometimes referred to as a "miniseries", would later be utilised for the third and fourth series of Torchwood. In an interview in Doctor Who Magazine 448, Timelash author Glen McCoy said that he came up with the idea of the Doctor being put on trial. Although on an extra found on The Trial of a Time Lord DVD box set, Eric Saward stated his wife came up with the idea as she suggested since the show was on trial, put the Doctor on trial.

The experiment of forty-five-minute episodes having been deemed a failure, the BBC reverted the series to twenty-five-minute episodes, but kept the episode count at fourteen, effectively halving the number of episodes in a season. The last episode, however, ran for thirty minutes. This format lasted for the remainder of the classic series.

This was the final season to feature Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor; he was fired following its conclusion. He did not return to play the Doctor for the regeneration scene in Time and the Rani, the first story of the following season. It was the last season to use the "neon tubing" logo introduced in 1980. A new arrangement of the Doctor Who theme by Dominic Glynn was introduced this season but was only used for these fourteen episodes, before being replaced by another new arrangement.

The final serial of Season 23 turned out to be veteran writer Robert Holmes's last contribution to the series, falling gravely ill and passing away before he could finish the script. It was then passed to script editor Eric Saward, who tried to finish the script but got into an argument with producer John Nathan-Turner over its ending. Eventually, Saward gave up and quit working on Doctor Who altogether, withdrawing his contributions to Holmes's script as he left. The script was then passed along to Pip and Jane Baker, who completed it as they saw fit.

With this season the BBC returned Doctor Who to an autumn season start for the first time since Season 18; this scheduling would remain for the rest of the original series' run.

Television stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story Title Writer Notes
1 The Mysterious Planet Robert Holmes First appearances of the Valeyard, the Inquisitor, and Sabalom Glitz.
2 Mindwarp Philip Martin Final appearance of Peri Brown.
3 Terror of the Vervoids Pip and Jane Baker First appearance of Melanie Bush.
4 The Ultimate Foe Robert Holmes
Eric Saward (uncredited, part one only)
Pip and Jane Baker		 Final regular appearance of the Sixth Doctor. Final appearances of the Valeyard and Inquisitor. Final Doctor Who script written by Robert Holmes. Eric Saward's final time working on the classic television series.

Aborted Season 23[[edit] | [edit source]]

Prior to Doctor Who being placed on hiatus after Season 22, a slate of serials of standard length was planned, and scripts were written for several. The decision to recast Season 23 as a single interconnected arc resulted in production of these stories being cancelled.

Three of the stories were subsequently adapted as Target Books novelisations: The Nightmare Fair (which would have seen the return of the Celestial Toymaker), Mission to Magnus (featuring Sil and the Ice Warriors; Sil ultimately appeared in the Mindwarp segment of the Trial of a Time Lord), and The Ultimate Evil. An unofficial audio adaptation of The Nightmare Fair was also produced for charity in 2003.

Beginning in late 2009, Big Finish Productions launched a series of audio dramas covering scripts that had never made it to production, titled The Lost Stories. The first season featured adaptations of The Nightmare Fair, Mission to Magnus, and other story lines planned for the aborted Season 23.

The aborted Season 23 and their subsequent adaptations are sometimes referred to as Season 22B, similar to Season 6B. This is because the adaptations place the stories between the end of the televised Doctor Who stories Revelation of the Daleks (which concludes Season 22) and the beginning of The Mysterious Planet (the opener to Season 23).

# Title Writer Episodes Notes
1 The Nightmare Fair Graham Williams 2 Intended return of the Celestial Toymaker. Intended to continue directly from part 2 of Revelation of the Daleks. Eventually adapted into a novel in 1989 and an audio play in 2009.
2 The Ultimate Evil Wally K Daly 2 Eventually novelised in 1989. Adapted as an audio play in 2019
3 Mission to Magnus Philip Martin 2 Intended return of Sil and the Ice Warriors. Despite this story's abortion, Sil would still appear in the finalised Season 23, in the story Mindwarp. Eventually adapted into a novel in 1990 and an audio play in 2009.
4 Yellow Fever and How to Cure It Robert Holmes 3 Intended reappearances of the Autons, the Master, and the the Rani. Like Sil, the Master would still manage to appear in the finalised Season 23, in The Ultimate Foe.
5 The Hollows of Time Christopher H. Bidmead 2 (original intention)
4 (altered edition)		 Intended return of the Tractators. Originally developed as 2 45-minute episodes, but altered into 4 planned 25-minute episodes upon hearing news of the 18-month hiatus. Eventually adapted into an audio play in 2010.
6 The Children of January Michael Feeney Callan 2 (original intention)
4 (altered edition)		 Originally developed as 2 45-minute episodes, but altered into 4 planned 25-minute episodes upon hearing news of the 18-month hiatus. Planned to be adapted into a Big Finish audio play, but negotiations stalled so it was hurriedly replaced with The Macros.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Recurring[[edit] | [edit source]]

Guest[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stories set during this season[[edit] | [edit source]]

The following stories are the known stories set after Revelation of the Daleks and before, during and after the trial scenes of The Trial of a Time Lord:

Before Mindwarp:[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stories set before Mindwarp from Peri and the past Sixth Doctor's perspective:

to be completed

Before Terror of the Vervoids (pre-Mel):[[edit] | [edit source]]

Known pre-Terror of the Vervoids stories featuring the future Sixth Doctor, including pre-Mel companions and solo adventures:

With Grant Markham[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

With Frobisher[[edit] | [edit source]]

With Evelyn Smythe[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Evelyn Smythe

With "Jamie"[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be completed

With Charley Pollard[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be completed

With Jago and Litefoot[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be completed

With Flip Jackson[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Flip Jackson

Reunion With Peri Brown[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

With Constance Clarke (including reunion with Flip Jackson)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Constance Clarke

With Mathew Sharpe[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Travelling solo[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be completed

Before Terror of the Vervoids (with Mel):[[edit] | [edit source]]

During The Ultimate Foe (Mel paired with a 'present', pre-Mel version of the Sixth Doctor):[[edit] | [edit source]]

After Terror of the Vervoids:[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be completed

Adaptations and merchandising[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home media[[edit] | [edit source]]

VHS releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Trial of a Time Lord (packaged in a tin) (1993)

DVD & Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

All serials of The Trial of a Time Lord were released in a complete box set on 29 September 2008 in Region 2, on 7 October 2008 in Region 1, and on 5 January 2009 in Region 4.

The complete season was upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and released on Blu-ray as Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 23 in the UK on 7 October 2019.

It was later released in Australia on 4 December 2019 and was released in the US under the title Doctor Who: Colin Baker - Complete Season Two on 3 December 2019. The Blu-ray box set included extended cuts of all 14 episodes as well as a standalone edition of Terror of the Vervoids, re-edited to remove all courtroom scenes and add updated special effects.

It was re-released as a Standard Edition on 4 October 2021.

Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
The Trial of a Time Lord:

The Mysterious Planet (4 episodes)
Mindwarp (4 episodes)
Terror of the Vervoids (4 episodes)
The Ultimate Foe (2 episodes)

13 × 25 min.
1 × 30 min.		 29 September 2008 5 February 2009 7 October 2008
The Collection - Season 23 13 x 25 min.
1 x 30 min.
4 x 20 min.
(Terror of the Vervoids Standalone Edition) 		7 October 2019 4 December 2019 3 December 2019

Download/streaming availability[[edit] | [edit source]]

Serial name Google Play
The Mysterious Planet (4 episodes) ✓
Mindwarp (4 episodes) ✓
Terror of the Vervoids (4 episodes) ✓
The Ultimate Foe (2 episodes) ✓

Novels[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

v • e
Doctor Who television stories
 
Seasons 1-4: William Hartnell
Season 1: 1963-1964
Season 2: 1964-1965
Season 3: 1965-1966
Season 4: 1966
 
Seasons 4-6: Patrick Troughton
Season 4: 1966-1967
Season 5: 1967-1968
Season 6: 1968-1969
 
Seasons 7-11: Jon Pertwee
Season 7: 1970
Season 8: 1971
Season 9: 1972
Season 10: 1972-1973
Season 11: 1973-1974
 
Seasons 12-18: Tom Baker
Season 12: 1974-1975
Season 13: 1975-1976
Season 14: 1976-1977
Season 15: 1977-1978
Season 16: 1978-1979
Season 17: 1979-1980
Season 18: 1980-1981
 
Seasons 19-21: Peter Davison
Season 19: 1982
Season 20: 1983
Children in Need 1983
Season 21: 1984
 
Seasons 21-23: Colin Baker
Season 21: 1984
Season 22: 1985
Season 23: 1986
 
Seasons 24-26: Sylvester McCoy
Season 24: 1987
Season 25: 1988-1989
Season 26: 1989
 
TV Movie & 2013 specials: Paul McGann
TV Movie: 1996
Specials: 2013
Minisodes
 
Series 1: Christopher Eccleston
Series 1: 2005
Regular episodes
 
Series 2-4: David Tennant
Series 2: 2005-2006
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Series 3: 2006-2007
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Animated special
Series 4: 2007-2010
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Minisodes
Animated special
Seasonal specials
 
Series 5-2013 specials: Matt Smith
Series 5: 2010
Regular episodes
Series 6: 2010-2011
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: Apr 2011)
Regular episodes
(Part 2: Aug 2011)
Minisode
Series 7: 2011-2013
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: 2012)
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
(Part 2: 2013)
Specials: 2013
 
Series 8-10: Peter Capaldi
Series 8: 2014
Regular episodes
Series 9: 2014-2015
Christmas Special
Minisode
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
Series 10: 2016-2017
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
 
Series 11-13: Jodie Whittaker
Series 11: 2018-2019
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 12: 2020-2021
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 13: 2021
Minisodes
Regular episodes
Seasonal specials
 
60th Anniversary Specials: David Tennant
Specials: 2023
Minisodes
60th Anniversary Specials
 
Season 1 (2023)-present: Ncuti Gatwa
Season 1: 2023-2024
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
v • e
Aliens and Enemies of Season 23
The Trial of a Time Lord (overall)
Part 1-4: The Mysterious Planet
Drathro (L3)  • Andromedans  • L1
Part 5-8: Mindwarp
Mentors (individual)  • Kiv  • Sil  • Thoros-Alphans  • Crozier  • Krontep  • Dorf  • The Matrona  • Posicarian  • The Raak
Part 9-12: Terror of the Vervoids
Vervoids  • Mogarians  • Atza  • Ortezo  • Doland  • Rudge  • Bruchner
Part 13-14: The Ultimate Foe
  1. ↑ https://twitter.com/ruther2/status/1153362125714284545?s=21
  2. ↑ https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=doctorwhomindwarpqanda&BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Acontext_id
  3. ↑ https://cultbox.co.uk/news/doctor-who-season-23-blu-ray-announced
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