The Trial of a Time Lord (Not Guilty)
- You may be looking for the TV story arc 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 an old television set.
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 formal 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: Not Guilty)
Behind the scenes
- Not Guilty was actually a 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.
