Terror of the Vervoids
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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 November 1 to November 22, 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord, comprising the whole of the 23rd season.
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Synopsis
It is now the Doctor's chance to provide evidence for his defence. He produces the events on the Hyperion III to the trial, but has the Valeyard managed to corrupt the Matrix to show events in a different light?
An undercover agent working aboard the space liner Hyperion III contacts the Doctor and asks for assistance to help crack the case of a group of scientists carrying out experiments with mixing human DNA with plant based life. The Doctor and his companion Mel respond, only to find that the Captain of the liner is an old friend and that their contact has been killed. While Mel searches for clues as to the perpetrator of the crime, the Doctor takes the opportunity to lose a little weight in the Hyperion III gym ...
Plot
Vervoid.jpg
Notes
- Designed as a typical Agatha Christie murder mystery, except set on a space liner, the actual structures of the story (and its leanings towards humour) are more reminiscent of the series during its Season 17 run in 1979.
- The new companion 'Mel' is introduced without the then typical "meeting" story, as this evidence is supposed to take place in the Doctor's future, after he has already met Mel. We are therefore introduced to her through only vague hints to her backstory, and when the Doctor and Mel do eventually meet on screen it's under rather a mix-up.
- This is also the only "real" story in which we get to see Colin Baker's Doctor alongside Mel in a typical adventure, as in the following two episodes she's a visitor from his future and in all the following ones she's paired opposite Baker's replacement, Sylvester McCoy.
- Despite references to them having met before, the Doctor has never been shown to meet Commodore Travers on screen before this. The Commodore's nickname - "Tonker" - was suggested by Colin Baker on the actual set as a simple way of showing the Doctor's suggested prior familiarity with the character - The script called for the Doctor to refer to him simply as "Commodore".
- As no individual title was used onscreen or on the final scripts for this story, there has been some confusion over how to refer to the story. It was initially commissioned with the title of The Ultimate Foe. However this title was later given to the novelisation of the 13th and 14th parts of the season. Writers Pip and Jane Baker repeatedly referred to the story as The Vervoids in subsequent interviews, as have other production team members, but this title does not appear to exist on any contemporary documentation. When Target Books published Pip and Jane Baker's novelisation, it was under the title of Terror of the Vervoids, which is now generally used to refer to the story (see The Ultimate Foe and Doctor Who story title controversy).
External links
- Cast and Crew list, on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/episodeguide/trialtimelord3/castcrew.shtml)