Mindwarp

143b[1] – The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp
Doctor Who serial
Lord Kiv awakes in Peri's body.
Cast
Doctor Colin Baker (Sixth Doctor)
Companion Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown)
Others Lynda Bellingham — The Inquisitor Michael Jayston — The Valeyard Brian Blessed — King Yrcanos Nabil Shaban — Sil Christopher Ryan — Kiv Patrick Ryecart — Crozier Thomas Branch — The Lukoser/Dorff Gordon Warnecke — Tuza Alibe Parsons — Matrona Kani Trevor Laird — Frax Richard Henry — Mentor
Production
Writer	Philip Martin
Director	Ron Jones
Script editor	Eric Saward
Producer	John Nathan-Turner
Executive producer(s)	None
Incidental music composer	Richard Hartley
Production code	7B
Series	Season 23
Length	4 episodes, 25 minutes each
Originally broadcast	4 October–25 October 1986
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet The Trial of a Time Lord: Terror of the Vervoids

Mindwarp is the second serial of the 23rd season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 4 October to 25 October 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord, encompassing the whole of the 23rd season. The title Mindwarp is not used on screen and appears only on the serial's scripts with the four episodes that comprise the story being transmitted as The Trial of a Time Lord Parts Five to Eight. This story marks the final appearance of Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.

Plot

As with the other serials from Season 23, Mindwarp's present is the trial of the Doctor by the Valeyard, accusing him of meddling in other species' affairs, in a way unbecoming of a Time Lord. The Valeyard provides evidence to the Inquisitor and presiding through a screen linked to the Matrix, showing the details of the Doctor's actions on the planet Thoros Beta. The bulk of the episode centres on recorded narrative.

As shown by the video, the Doctor and Peri arrive on Thoros Beta, the Doctor's curiosity piqued on the availability of advanced weaponry by the Warlords of Thordon. As they explore a cave system, the Doctor discovers Sil, an arms dealer for the Mentors that are supplying the weapons. Exploring further, they find that the scientist Crozier in Sil's employ is attempting to perfect the ability to transplant the brilliant mind of Kiv, Sil's superior, into another body to overcome Kiv's pending death. When discovered, the two make their escape with the warlord King Yrcanos, one of Crozier's test subjects.

The Doctor, Peri, Yrcanos and his men plan an attack on Sil, but the Doctor betrays them at the last minute and warns the Mentors, causing Peri and Yrcanos to flee in different directions. Peri happens across one of the Mentors' servant woman, and with her help, disguises himself to get close to the Doctor. The Doctor reveals Peri to the Mentors and requests he be allowed to interrogate her alone, a request Sil allows. Away from the others, the Doctor tells Peri his betrayal was all a ploy to learn more of Sil's plan, and has discovered that they will transplant Kiv's mind into his body if he does not cooperate.

Crozier interrupts the interrogation, believing he can extract more information from Peri, but then Yrcanos arrives, ready to kill the Doctor. Peri stops Yrcanos, and together they escape, regrouping with Yrcanos' men. As Kiv's body is dying, Crozier is forced to transplant his brain with the Doctor's help into the body of one of the Mentors' servants, keeping the mind alive but affected by the simple thoughts of the former consciousness. Yrcanos, Peri, and his men launch another attack, this time on a weapons stash, but are stunned and captured. Sil and Crozier decide to use Peri as a more suitable body for Kiv's brain, despite the Doctor's objections. As the operation is being prepared, the Doctor sneaks away and frees Yrcanos, urging him on for Peri's safety.

Peri is strapped down and gagged as the operation is prepared and Crozier gives the order for her head to be shaven. The Doctor attempts to return to save her but is suddenly drawn hypnotically into the TARDIS, which appears in the hallway; it is later revealed that he travelled directly to this trial from that point. Despite the Doctor claiming that the Time Lords' interference has put Peri's life in danger, the Valeyard rebuffs this, stating that the Doctor shouldn't have become involved in the first place, and Peri's life is the cost of his involvement. Events on Thoros Beta after the Doctor's removal continue, as it is shown that Ycranos was placed in a time bubble by the Time Lords to hold his arrival back at the lab until after Kiv's mind was successfully transplanted into Peri; when Ycranos is freed of the bubble, he is distraught at the results of the operation, and fires wildly, killing Peri. The Valeyard insists that the interference of the Time Lords was to prevent a greater disaster befalling the universe due to the mistakes in the Doctor's actions. The Doctor insists that the present trial appears to be serving a greater cause, and resolves to determine what it is as the trial continues.

Continuity

Sil appeared in the previous season in the serial Vengeance on Varos. Before the Trial season was conceived, Sil was set to return in story called Mission to Magnus. Over 20 years later, Nabil Shaban returned to help resurrect this story for Big Finish Productions' Mission to Magnus audio adaptation.

The Doctor meets Peri again in two spin off stories. She features in the Virgin New Adventures novel Bad Therapy by Matt Jones. A post-Mindwarp hallucination of Peri appears in the Big Finish Productions play Her Final Flight. The relationship of spin off media to the television series is open to interpretation by the individual.

Production

Music

Initially it was intended that the BBC Radiophonic Workshop would provide music scores for both this and the following segment of The Trial of a Time Lord; both were assigned to Malcolm Clarke to begin with, although Terror of the Vervoids was re-assigned to Elizabeth Parker shortly afterwards. However, fellow Radiophonic Workshop composer Jonathan Gibbs left early in 1986 and was not replaced until the following year, leaving the other composers backlogged and with no one free to do the incidental music for Mindwarp. It was suggested that Dick Mills could provide both the music and sound effects, but John Nathan-Turner rejected this idea and instead hired film composer Richard Hartley to create the incidental music for this segment. It would be the only time that Hartley worked on the series. The original recordings of Hartley's score no longer exist in the BBC archives with the result that there was no isolated score included on the recent DVD release of this story.

Cast notes

Deep Roy, who had previously played Mr. Sin in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, has an uncredited role as the Posicarian delegate. Trevor Laird returned to Doctor Who in the Tenth Doctor era as Clive Jones, father of the Doctor's companion Martha Jones. Christopher Ryan returned in 2008 as Sontaran leader General Staal in "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", and in 2010 as another Sontaran, Commander Strak, in "The Pandorica Opens".

Commercial releases

In print

Doctor Who book
Mindwarp
Series	Target novelisations
Release number	139
Writer	Philip Martin
Publisher	Target Books
Cover artist	Alister Pearson
ISBN	0-426-20335-6
Release date	15 June 1989

A novelisation of this serial, written by Philip Martin, was published by Target Books in June 1989 and was the final segment of the Trial arc to be adapted. Martin's novelisation adds a joke ending that gives away the revelation regarding Peri's fate in The Ultimate Foe, suggesting an entirely different outcome for the character and for Yrcanos than is suggested in the serial.

Home media

In October 1993, this story was released on VHS as part of the three-tape The Trial of a Time Lord set. The Region 2 DVD was released on 29 September 2008, similarly boxed with the other three stories of this season. This serial is scheduled to be released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files in Issue 130 on 25 December 2013.

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sixth Doctor

• Mindwarp at BBC Online
• Mindwarp at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
• Mindwarp at the The Doctor Who Ratings Guide

Reviews

• Mindwarp reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
• Mindwarp reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide

Target novelisation

• On Target — Mindwarp