The Ultimate Foe
Encyclopedia
The Ultimate Foe is the generally accepted title for a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who
, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 29 November to 6 December 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord
, encompassing the whole of the 23rd season. This segment is also cited in some reference works under its working title of Time Incorporated (or Time Inc.). This was the last regular story to feature Colin Baker
as the Sixth Doctor
.
's evidence has been falsified, and that the Matrix
has been tampered with. The Keeper of the Matrix, summoned by the court, insists this impossible.
Sabalom Glitz
and Mel arrive unexpectedly in the courtroom. The Master
appears on the Matrix screen to claim responsibility and to demonstrate that the Doctor's allegation that the Matrix has been breached is, in fact, plausible.
At the Master's insistence, Glitz is allowed to give evidence. He reveals that the data he was trying to obtain on Ravolox
included technological secrets from the Matrix, which had been stolen by the Sleepers. The Time Lords, having discovered the theft, traced the Sleepers to their base on Earth and seized the planet, dragging it across space to the location in which the Doctor found it - and nearly annihilating all life in the process.
The Doctor, shocked, denounces the Time Lords as decadent and corrupt. The Master further alleges that the High Council took advantage of the Doctor's blundering into the situation on Ravolox by making an arrangement with a future version of the Doctor - the Valeyard - to falsify evidence against the Doctor in return for his remaining regenerations. The Master claims that the Valeyard is the distillation of the Doctor's darker side, from between the Doctor's twelfth and final regenerations.
The Doctor's demand that the trial be halted, since the same person cannot be both prosecutor and defendant, is turned down by the Inquisitor - but at that moment the Valeyard flees the courtroom. The Doctor and Glitz pursue him into the Matrix, a virtual reality where normal logic
does not apply. They emerge in what appears to be a deserted Victorian
city
. The only sign of life is a building labelled "The Fantasy Factory (proprietor: J. J. Chambers)". The Doctor and Glitz bluster and sneak their way past a number of identical clerks, named Mr Popplewick, who try to obstruct their progress; eventually one ushers them through a door to Chambers's 'waiting room'. Through the door is a deserted wasteland. To the Doctor's horror, hands emerge from the ground and grab him by the ankles, dragging him underground.
Glitz is unable to rescue him, but the Doctor suddenly rises from the ground unharmed, insisting correctly that nothing that happens in the Matrix is real. The Valeyard appears and taunts the Doctor before unleashing nerve gas, forcing the Doctor and Glitz to take refuge in a run-down cottage. As they stumble inside, it dematerialises - it is the Master's TARDIS
.
In the trial room, the Inquisitor and Mel look on helplessly. Mel tries to grab the key from the Keeper so that she might enter the Matrix herself, but she trips over him in the attempt.
The Master reveals that he wishes the Doctor to prevail over the Valeyard, since he fears the Valeyard's ability finally to defeat him. He puts the Doctor into a catatonic state and sends him out of his TARDIS to lure the Valeyard out of hiding in the Fantasy Factory. Glitz, opportunistically, now helps the Master, since he believes the Doctor is defeated. The Valeyard emerges onto a balcony but is not fooled and returns fire. The Master flees.
Mel emerges from a tunnel and the Doctor, recognising her voice, emerges from his trance. She leads him out of the Matrix and into the trial room. They agree that she should tell the truth, and she confirms to the court that the scenes of the Vervoids' destruction
, the basis of the Valeyard's charge of genocide
, are as she witnessed them. The Inquisitor finds the Doctor guilty and declares that his life is forfeit. He accepts the verdict as the fulfilment of justice and is led off to execution.
However, in the real courtroom, this last scene - including the real Doctor - is revealed to be another illusion shown on the Matrix screen. Mel is frantic that the Doctor needs help, this time successfully grabbing the Keeper's key and entering the Matrix. She finds the Doctor and warns him - but he had already realised that the courtroom was a fake and merely wished to reach a final confrontation with the Valeyard.
Bribed by the Master to lead the Doctor to the Valeyard, Glitz returns to the Fantasy Factory. There, he finds the master tape of the data he thought had been destroyed on Ravolox. Mr Popplewick catches him red-handed, and Glitz persuades him to lead him and the Doctor to Chambers. Glitz makes an escape with the data to the Master's TARDIS.
Popplewick proves unable or unwilling to produce Chambers. The Doctor and Mel lay hold of him, and the Doctor peels away his face to reveal that it is the Valeyard in disguise. They realise that a concealed machine in the room is particle disseminator, with which the Valeyard plans to murder all the members of the court via the Matrix screen.
In the real trial room, the Inquisitor learns that the High Council has been deposed. The Master appears on the Matrix screen to offer to impose order in return for power. He loads Glitz's master tape into his TARDIS systems, but a booby-trap is triggered, paralysing him and Glitz.
Mel emerges from the Matrix to warn the Time Lords. They cannot turn off the Matrix screen, but the Doctor sabotages the Valeyard's weapon and the Fantasy Factory explodes.
The Doctor flees the Matrix in time and returns to the court room. There, a grateful Inquisitor drops the charges against him and reveals that Peri Brown
survived the events on Thoros Beta
and became Yrcanos's queen. She urges the Doctor to stand for Lord President of the new Council, but he suggests she should stand. He urges the Time Lords to be lenient towards Glitz, who is 'not beyond redemption', and departs in the TARDIS - protesting at Mel's insistence that he continue to follow her regime of strict exercise and carrot juice
.
As the Inquisitor leaves the trial room, she gives instructions to the Keeper of the Matrix. But as he looks up at the camera, he laughs, and is revealed to be the Valeyard.
, was published by Target Books
in April 1988 as The Ultimate Foe. The Ultimate Foe was the working title for the 9th to 12th parts of the season, now generally called Terror of the Vervoids
.
Target novelisation
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 29 November to 6 December 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
, encompassing the whole of the 23rd season. This segment is also cited in some reference works under its working title of Time Incorporated (or Time Inc.). This was the last regular story to feature Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
as the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
.
Plot
The Doctor acknowledges that he has no further evidence for his defence. He insists that the ValeyardValeyard
The Valeyard is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. He is described as an aspect of the Doctor from between his twelfth and final incarnations as depicted in the TV show or regenerations in the novelization of the story...
's evidence has been falsified, and that the Matrix
Matrix (Doctor Who)
The Matrix, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a massive computer system on the planet Gallifrey that acts as the repository of the combined knowledge of the Time Lords....
has been tampered with. The Keeper of the Matrix, summoned by the court, insists this impossible.
Sabalom Glitz
Sabalom Glitz
Sabalom Glitz is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Glitz is a rogue from the planet Salostophus in the Andromeda Constellation. Glitz's first love is money, and he is often engaged in mercenary acts and profiteering...
and Mel arrive unexpectedly in the courtroom. The Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
appears on the Matrix screen to claim responsibility and to demonstrate that the Doctor's allegation that the Matrix has been breached is, in fact, plausible.
At the Master's insistence, Glitz is allowed to give evidence. He reveals that the data he was trying to obtain on Ravolox
The Mysterious Planet
-Preproduction:In February 1985, the BBC announced that the planned twenty-third season of Doctor Who had been cancelled. After vocal protests by the press and Doctor Who fans , the BBC announced that the programme was merely on "hiatus", and would return in September 1986...
included technological secrets from the Matrix, which had been stolen by the Sleepers. The Time Lords, having discovered the theft, traced the Sleepers to their base on Earth and seized the planet, dragging it across space to the location in which the Doctor found it - and nearly annihilating all life in the process.
The Doctor, shocked, denounces the Time Lords as decadent and corrupt. The Master further alleges that the High Council took advantage of the Doctor's blundering into the situation on Ravolox by making an arrangement with a future version of the Doctor - the Valeyard - to falsify evidence against the Doctor in return for his remaining regenerations. The Master claims that the Valeyard is the distillation of the Doctor's darker side, from between the Doctor's twelfth and final regenerations.
The Doctor's demand that the trial be halted, since the same person cannot be both prosecutor and defendant, is turned down by the Inquisitor - but at that moment the Valeyard flees the courtroom. The Doctor and Glitz pursue him into the Matrix, a virtual reality where normal logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
does not apply. They emerge in what appears to be a deserted Victorian
Victorian
Victorian may mean:*Of or relating to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom*Victorian era , a term derived from the lengthy 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria and particularity various styles, ideas, and trends associated with that era:...
city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
. The only sign of life is a building labelled "The Fantasy Factory (proprietor: J. J. Chambers)". The Doctor and Glitz bluster and sneak their way past a number of identical clerks, named Mr Popplewick, who try to obstruct their progress; eventually one ushers them through a door to Chambers's 'waiting room'. Through the door is a deserted wasteland. To the Doctor's horror, hands emerge from the ground and grab him by the ankles, dragging him underground.
Glitz is unable to rescue him, but the Doctor suddenly rises from the ground unharmed, insisting correctly that nothing that happens in the Matrix is real. The Valeyard appears and taunts the Doctor before unleashing nerve gas, forcing the Doctor and Glitz to take refuge in a run-down cottage. As they stumble inside, it dematerialises - it is the Master's TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
.
In the trial room, the Inquisitor and Mel look on helplessly. Mel tries to grab the key from the Keeper so that she might enter the Matrix herself, but she trips over him in the attempt.
The Master reveals that he wishes the Doctor to prevail over the Valeyard, since he fears the Valeyard's ability finally to defeat him. He puts the Doctor into a catatonic state and sends him out of his TARDIS to lure the Valeyard out of hiding in the Fantasy Factory. Glitz, opportunistically, now helps the Master, since he believes the Doctor is defeated. The Valeyard emerges onto a balcony but is not fooled and returns fire. The Master flees.
Mel emerges from a tunnel and the Doctor, recognising her voice, emerges from his trance. She leads him out of the Matrix and into the trial room. They agree that she should tell the truth, and she confirms to the court that the scenes of the Vervoids' destruction
Terror of the Vervoids
Terror of the Vervoids is the title commonly used for a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 November to 22 November 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord, emcompassing the...
, the basis of the Valeyard's charge of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, are as she witnessed them. The Inquisitor finds the Doctor guilty and declares that his life is forfeit. He accepts the verdict as the fulfilment of justice and is led off to execution.
However, in the real courtroom, this last scene - including the real Doctor - is revealed to be another illusion shown on the Matrix screen. Mel is frantic that the Doctor needs help, this time successfully grabbing the Keeper's key and entering the Matrix. She finds the Doctor and warns him - but he had already realised that the courtroom was a fake and merely wished to reach a final confrontation with the Valeyard.
Bribed by the Master to lead the Doctor to the Valeyard, Glitz returns to the Fantasy Factory. There, he finds the master tape of the data he thought had been destroyed on Ravolox. Mr Popplewick catches him red-handed, and Glitz persuades him to lead him and the Doctor to Chambers. Glitz makes an escape with the data to the Master's TARDIS.
Popplewick proves unable or unwilling to produce Chambers. The Doctor and Mel lay hold of him, and the Doctor peels away his face to reveal that it is the Valeyard in disguise. They realise that a concealed machine in the room is particle disseminator, with which the Valeyard plans to murder all the members of the court via the Matrix screen.
In the real trial room, the Inquisitor learns that the High Council has been deposed. The Master appears on the Matrix screen to offer to impose order in return for power. He loads Glitz's master tape into his TARDIS systems, but a booby-trap is triggered, paralysing him and Glitz.
Mel emerges from the Matrix to warn the Time Lords. They cannot turn off the Matrix screen, but the Doctor sabotages the Valeyard's weapon and the Fantasy Factory explodes.
The Doctor flees the Matrix in time and returns to the court room. There, a grateful Inquisitor drops the charges against him and reveals that Peri Brown
Peri Brown
Peri Brown, full name Perpugilliam Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
survived the events on Thoros Beta
Mindwarp
Mindwarp is a serial 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...
and became Yrcanos's queen. She urges the Doctor to stand for Lord President of the new Council, but he suggests she should stand. He urges the Time Lords to be lenient towards Glitz, who is 'not beyond redemption', and departs in the TARDIS - protesting at Mel's insistence that he continue to follow her regime of strict exercise and carrot juice
Carrot juice
Carrot juice is juice produced from carrots, often consumed as a health drink. Carrot juice has a particularly high content of β-carotene, a source of vitamin A, but it is also high in B complex vitamins like folate, and many minerals including calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and...
.
As the Inquisitor leaves the trial room, she gives instructions to the Keeper of the Matrix. But as he looks up at the camera, he laughs, and is revealed to be the Valeyard.
Continuity
- Thanks to the paradoxes of time travel, since Mel is from the Doctor's future, she has already met him, but from the Doctor's perspective he is meeting her for the first time. Most spin-offDoctor Who spin-offsDoctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
media, including the novelisation by the Bakers, have assumed that the Doctor, at the end of the trial, takes Mel back to her proper place in time and eventually travels to her relative past to meet Mel for the first time from her perspective. That meeting, never seen on screen, is related in the Past Doctor AdventuresPast Doctor AdventuresThe Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
novel Business UnusualBusiness UnusualBusiness Unusual is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Sixth Doctor, Melanie Bush, and the Brigadier....
by Gary RussellGary RussellGary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
and also in the alternature universe audio story He Jests at Scars, which provides a semi-sequel to this TV story. - This was the last story to feature Colin Baker as the current Doctor. Baker was fired by the BBC and John Nathan Turner was ordered, reportedly by Michael GradeMichael GradeMichael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
, to recast the lead part for the following season. Baker was offered the chance to appear as the Doctor in all four episodes of the first story of Season 24, but he declined this and the invitation to return for the traditional regenerationRegeneration (Doctor Who)Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
sequence in Time and the RaniTime and the RaniTime and the Rani is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 7 September to 28 September 1987. This story was the first to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. It also features the last appearance of the Sixth...
. Baker would reprise the role on stage, in 1989's Doctor Who - The Ultimate AdventureDoctor Who - The Ultimate AdventureDoctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure was a 1989 stage play, written by Terrance Dicks based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
, and on screen in the 1993 charity special Dimensions in TimeDimensions in TimeDimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders that ran in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993. It was filmed on the EastEnders Albert Square set, and features several of the stars of that programme...
, as well as various audio adventures for Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
. - The Time LordTime LordThe Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s, apart from a brief flashback in "The Sound of DrumsThe Sound of Drums"The Sound of Drums" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 23 June 2007, and is the twelfth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
", would not be shown again until the 2009 Doctor Who special The End of TimeThe End of TimeThe End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
. James BreeJames BreeJames Bree was a British actor who played many supporting roles in both film and television.Bree was educated at Radley College and during World War II served in the RAF. He later trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama...
(The Keeper of the Matrix) had appeared in The War GamesThe War GamesThe War Games is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969. It was the last regular appearance of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, and of Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines as companions Zoe...
(in a different role) which was the first serial to feature the Time Lords. - The Valeyard has since appeared in the Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
Doctor Who Unbound audio He Jests at Scars...He Jests at Scars...He Jests at Scars... is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Unbound dramas pose a series of "What if...?" questions.-Plot:What if.....
with Michael Jayston reprising the role. The character has been featured (usually in dream sequences or metaphors) in the New AdventuresNew AdventuresNew Adventures is a British dance company, specialising in contemporary dance. Founded by the choreographer Matthew Bourne in 2002, the company developed from an earlier company Adventures in Motion Pictures, which was later dissolved....
and Missing Adventures book ranges from Virgin Publishing and the Past Doctor AdventuresPast Doctor AdventuresThe Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
from the BBC- his appearance in the novel MatrixMatrix (Doctor Who)The Matrix, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a massive computer system on the planet Gallifrey that acts as the repository of the combined knowledge of the Time Lords....
featuring him using his new control of the Matrix to try and destroy the Doctors while assuming the role of Jack the RipperJack the Ripper"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
, his plans only being thwarted at the last minute by the Seventh DoctorSeventh DoctorThe Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
. The Valeyard's origins are explored in the unlicensed charity release novel Time's Champion. - The Inquisitor reappears in most of the episodes of the Big Finish spin-off audio series Gallifrey.
- Whereas previously Anthony AinleyAnthony AinleyAnthony Ainley was an English actor best known for his work on British television and particularly for his role as the third Master in Doctor Who. He was the fourth actor to play the role of the Master, and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring role after the death of Roger Delgado...
's the MasterMaster (Doctor Who)The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
had appeared in at least one story per year since Season 18, it would be another three years before he returned for the last time in SurvivalSurvival (Doctor Who)-Writing:Writer Rona Munro approached script editor Andrew Cartmel at a BBC scriptwriting workshop and said that she'd "kill to write for Doctor Who." The story Munro developed incorporated themes including the morals of hunting...
, the final story of the show's original run. Information about his escape is provided in the novel State of ChangeState of ChangeState of Change is an original novel written by Christopher Bulis and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. - The Sixth Doctor sequence in the novel The Eight DoctorsThe Eight DoctorsThe Eight Doctors is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Eighth Doctor and introduces his new companion, Sam Jones.The novel...
- where the Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
visits and assists his past selves - takes place at the beginning of this episode, the Eighth Doctor interacting with a version of the Sixth Doctor created by the Valeyard's attempt to 'force' a timeline where the Sixth Doctor will be executed, the two Doctors subsequently working together to set up an inquiry into the High Council's attempt to put the Sixth Doctor on trial to cover up their failures.
Production
- Robert HolmesRobert Holmes (scriptwriter)This entry is about the television scriptwriter. For other people with the same name, see Robert Holmes .Robert Colin Holmes was an English television scriptwriter, who for over twenty-five years contributed to some of the most popular programmes screened in the UK...
was originally commissioned to write the two episodes. However, he died from a chronic liver ailment after completing a draft of the first and left nothing beyond a plot outline of the second. The series script editorScript editorA script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production...
Eric SawardEric SawardEric Saward was born on 9 December 1944 and became a scriptwriter and script editor for the BBC, resigning from the latter post on the TV programme Doctor Who in 1986....
resigned around this time due to disagreements with the producer, John Nathan-Turner, but agreed to write the final episode based on Holmes' outline, and also rewrite Holmes' draft to tie the two together, for which he was credited as Script Editor. The original ending to this segment (and, indeed, the whole Trial story and possibly the series) would have seen the Doctor and the Valeyard in an inconclusive cliffhangerCliffhangerA cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
, both (seemingly) plunging into a void to their deaths as an extra "hook". However, Nathan-Turner felt this was too downbeat and believed that it was important that the season did not end on an inconclusive note since it was important after the hiatus to prove the series was back in business. Saward refused to change the ending and withdrew permission to use his script very late in the day, by which point the production team had been assembled and the segment was entering rehearsals. - John Nathan-Turner commissioned Pip and Jane Baker to write a replacement final episode. For copyright reasons they could not be told anything of the content of Saward's script (and there were lawyers observing all commissioning meetings). The only similarity between the two is the announcement that the High Council of the Time Lords have resigned, which was a natural development of the earlier scripts. The new script ended on an optimistic note, with the Doctor departing for new adventures.
- In keeping with this more optimistic stance, Nathan-Turner decided to amend the script at the last minute to show how PeriPeri BrownPeri Brown, full name Perpugilliam Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
had not died as shown in MindwarpMindwarpMindwarp is a serial 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...
but had in fact surivived and became Yrcanos's queen. Her apparent death was a part of the Valeyard's tampering with the MatrixMatrix (Doctor Who)The Matrix, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a massive computer system on the planet Gallifrey that acts as the repository of the combined knowledge of the Time Lords....
. A shot from the earlier story was used to show this. Nicola BryantNicola Bryant-External links:** at shillpages.com/dw *...
was disappointed to learn how the fate of her character had been changed. - The works of Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
are evident in the story: the fictional landscape in the Matrix resembles Victorian eraVictorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Britain, and the character (and name) of Mr. Popplewick are strongly Dickensian. The Doctor also quotes the final two lines of A Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
, prompting Mel to chide him: "Never mind the Sydney CartonSydney CartonSydney Carton is the central character in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. He is a shrewd young Englishman and sometime junior to his fellow barrister C.J. Stryver. In the novel, he is seen to be a drunkard, self-indulgent and self-pitying because of his wasted life...
heroics!" - The working title of this story was Time Incorporated. This title did not appear in the final scripts or on-screen.
- Although the other episodes of this season were the usual 24 minutes in length, it proved impossible to edit episode 14 down to that length. Nathan-Turner applied for and received special permission for the episode to run 5 minutes over its scheduled time slot.
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Pip and Jane BakerPip and Jane Baker
"Pip" and Jane Baker are British television writers best known for their contributions to the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. A husband-and-wife writing team, they wrote four serials for the programme: The Mark of the Rani, Parts 9–12 and 14 of The Trial of a Time Lord and Time...
, was published by Target Books
Target Books
Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well known for their highly successful range of...
in April 1988 as The Ultimate Foe. The Ultimate Foe was the working title for the 9th to 12th parts of the season, now generally called Terror of the Vervoids
Terror of the Vervoids
Terror of the Vervoids is the title commonly used for a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 November to 22 November 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord, emcompassing the...
.
VHS and DVD releases
- In October 1993, this story was released on VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
as part of the three-tape The Trial of a Time Lord set. - On 29 September 2008, it was released on Region 2 DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, similarly boxed with the other three stories of this season.
Further reading
- Howe, D. J.David J. HoweDavid J. Howe is a British writer, journalist, publisher, and media historian.-Biography:David Howe was born in 1961 and established himself as an authoritative media historian through writing articles for fanzines and other publications...
; Stammers M.; and Walker S. J., Doctor Who—The Handbook: Sixth Doctor. (1993) Dr Who Books (Virgin Publishing LtdVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
)
External links
ReviewsTarget novelisation