The Trial of a Time Lord (Not Guilty)
- You may be looking for the TV story from the real world.
The Trial of a Time Lord, sometimes shortened to ToatL and also known as Season 23 or Trial of a Time Lord, was a sentient story, who possessed a physical form resembling and old television set. It
Appearance
During its trial, The Trial of a Time Lord appeared as a light-brown television set on whose screen a title screen reading "The Trial of a Time Lord" over a starry background appeared in grainy definition. This physical form was about as large as a man's chest. (NOTVALID: Not Guilty)
Biography
The Trial of a Time Lord was written by several "craftsmen". One of them, Robert Holmes, only stepped in late, penning an ending different from the one originally planned; however, in hindsight, the story thought of these Holmesian episodes as the best parts of itself, the highlight of the season.
Thirty-three years after it aired, the story had garnered a bad reputation among Doctor Who fans, who spent these three decades picking over its alleged flaws. Finally, Doctor Who Magazine ordered a forma investigation to see if these rumours were justified. Headed by the Inquisitor and with the Valeyard himself as prosecutor, the trial had a jury made up of Doctor Who fans and was held in a large 1980's house, into which The Trial of a Time Lord was dragged by a light beam controlled by the two Time Lords. Also present was a DWM Writer. The Writer was originally meant to provide the defence in place of The Trial of a Time Lord, but the story decided to defend itself instead.
During a long oral joust with the Valeyard, The Trial of a Time Lord met all of its opponent's points successfully, and even talked the Writer into leaving the courtroom to go buy some Trial of a Time Lord-themed promotional Wotsits in a shop. The Inquisitor then motioned for the jury to retire and reach a verdict. (NOTVALID: The Trial of a Time Lord)
Behind the scenes
- Not Guilty was actually parody of the real-life The Trial of a Time Lord, the name of the story arc running throughout Season 23 of Doctor Who, with an inexplicably-sentient version of the story itself taking the place of the Sixth Doctor as the accused defending an unfairly-warped reputation. This served as a fun way for Doctor Who Magazine to explore the reputation and common criticisms of the Trial storyline in another form than a simple article.
