I was 9 when this first aired. I stood staring at the screen in shock for what felt like half an hour after that ending. Much as people slag off TOATL, that was a great moment.
The memory of my meeting with Nicola at a book signing in Upminster a few years ago will be with me I hope for a very long time. She was very easy to talk to, good listener, had loads of time for people and even happy to have her photo taken with me and have a cuddle too. Really lovely lady, if you ever get to meet her, you will be warmly welcomed by a wonderful person.
This is ultimately the reason why Trial Of A Time Lord *is* best scene as one fourteen part 'story' rather than four separate ones. You've just had the midway-point *WHAM* moment, and things from here can never be the same again.
It is a disturbing scene for sure. Arguably crossing the line when considering how children had invested emotions in the character. And yet oddly the episode is also quite the romp with the mighty Brian on the warpath, and there's even time for some nice touching moments along the way. What a strange episode. In fact, what a strange story. Onwards to Vervoids, yay!
No on screen death but even the line "mentally she no longer exists" is one of the most disturbing moments of the old series even with the retcon. It's always interesting to contrast this with 'New Earth' and the mind\body swapping between Cassandra, The Doctor and Rose which was solely played for laughs whereas I was just thinking poor Peri!
@@AUCTUV I think it hits home even more when we hear the voice. And she looks like a boiled egg. The final image of Peri that would have lingered in the minds of the young audience. Sleep well kids!
I agree, it does cross a line. It's a bit strange to me how this episode overall feels like typical old school Doctor Who. It's almost light hearted and comical for much of it. May of Sil's lines are quite funny. At so many points you get the feeling the Doctor will pull out of it and get there in the nick of time like he always does. And then Peri dies in a most horrific way and you are thinking, WTF? Maybe all the stuff leading up to this really could have been so much darkergiven where it ends up.
I was about 6 or 7 when I witnessed this on UK Gold in the 1990s, and my goodness I cried. People too readily deride Trial of a Timelord, but it has some wonderfully dark and effective moments. Watching it along with you, I cried again. But so glad that it wasn't *final* shall we say.
When I watched this episode during its original broadcast in 1986, at the age of 19, I didn't cry when Peri died. But seeing your reaction to it almost brought me to tears. I guess it proves that the classic show can bring out someone's emotions just as much as new who does. Great reaction 👏👍.
I was also rather shocked by how The Time Lords pretty much just gave up on saving Peri or even letting The Doctor save Peri just in case it was better that they did NOT. It kind of makes me wonder if that's why certain writers for Dr. Who did NOT really enjoy writing about them!
Since the experiments/side effects (in the case of the Doctor) on the Raak, Yrcarnos, the Doctor & the body Kiv temporarily had (all done with the same machine), all failed/reverted to varying degrees- makes you wonder if the transfer of Kiv's mind via the machine would've stayed permanent/whether peri consciousness was truly gone or could have displaced Kiv & got control of her body back, had the timelords not intervened and let the Doctor get there in time But no, the timelords simply had to act and stick us with this outcome with Yrcarnos killing Peri/Kiv
Richard had only just turned 10 years old when he watched 'Planet of Fire' air for the first time, and in those first few minutes of seeing Miss Perpugillium Brown (Nicola Bryant) he felt like he had fallen in true love, Oboy! Massive beginning of teenage crush with lots of teenage dreams, swimming to save Peri in her pink bikini to then have some pina colada cocktails on that Lanzarote beach, Yes! Two years later 1986, Richard watched this episode of our trial for the first time and he certainly had not expected to suffer suddenly having our hearts broken Big Time! To say he was in tears is an understatement. We had to explain to him, worry not dear boy, we would never let that happen, not to Peri, not to Adric, infact we have even got Zoe and Jamie back together as a married couple through time, but that's another story Yes! Time is not linier, just like our memories, but it is a great fun to watch you watching our days of futures past, so big thank you kindly from 'the Doctor no.42 Yes?', and Richard who is also enjoying your gift of memories from Babylon 5.
You got me all tested-up! I love your attachment and investment in this journey. Your deep enthusiasm is completely heartening. Fear not, there is an official edit out there that shows you what REALLY happened. And yes, Brian Blessed is a blessing.
The Big Finish stories, Peri and the Piscon Paradox and The Widow's Assassin are must listens if you want to know what happened to Peri after Mindwarp.
As a kid Adrics death hit harder given it was the first companion death id seen and it really had zero foreshadowing, but Peris was still a shock none the same. Funny thing is this was more or less the last DW story I ever saw at the time given in my country it took a break for a couple of months for some reason and when it came back on I didnt realize and never got to see the end of trial or any of the 7th Doctor (outside of the 25th anniversary story Silver Nemesis), wasnt until about 3-4 years latter that they started showing DW again here with the 7ths stories but it was aired at a time i couldnt watch it... and no Internet or YT back then obviously, so wasnt for a good 12 or so years before i finally got to see them in piece meal (I did get to see fragments at time of airing, but nothing more than a 5 or 6 minutes every others story lol). So yeah, the last story for me in Classic Who as a kid for a very long time was this one...
True... All I can say about the scene is at least Adric went out with a BOOM (so to speak... ) Peri got forced into becoming a MEAT PUPPET then got shot!
Peri's death is a true shocker! It comes out of no where and upsets the Doctor, which is why I like the 6th Doctor, you see that he cares allot about Peri.
Hope you don't mind me posting a secondary comment - but your anger is not only justified but shared, and I think my upset as a kid watching this came from anger I didn't know how to process. This was the first time for me, as a lifelong fan and a kid who always felt like I could rely on the Doctor saving the day, that I saw the Doctor become powerless. The frustration and anger, I think, comes from a shared powerlessness and frustration at the Doctor's lack of agency.
I think it's probably the one and only time in the show where I was not pleased to see the TARDIS appear! Something which was always a place of sanctuary, especially with the first season trope of the First Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian always having something blocking them from immediately getting back into it, suddenly appears and the reaction is "no, not now!" Even though we knew it was Nicola Bryant's last episode It was still such a powerful moment when first watching in 1986, the realisation that the Doctor on this occasion wont be around to tidy things up and save the day.
One of the most powerful episodes and one of the most powerful reactions! I think this season is actually pretty strong, great performances from Colin, Nicola and BRIAN
Wow! This was the most emotionally moving reaction video I've ever seen. I watched Doctor Who religiously right up to the hiatus in ~86 and then lost touch. I always liked Peri as a companion but didn't know what happened to her until about a year ago when I started rewatching old episodes and reading up on plot threads. OMG! If I had seen this in 86 when I was 11 years old I would have been absolutely crushed! All four episodes of Mindwarp are still difficult for me to watch today. I also feel like they took this one too much back to the infamous Twin Dilemma with the Doctor becoming an anti-hero. Again, maybe not his fault but perhaps not what Colin Baker's Doctor needed at the time due to the turmoil happening at the BBC behind the scenes. Apparently JNT, the Doctor Who producer at the time, asked Nicola Bryant how she wanted to go out. She wanted something dramatic to go out with a bang and was happy with Mindwarp. It sounds like lots of the audience weren't too happy with Peri's fate and called into the BBC at the time to complain. I would agree that this one crosses a line. Not only is the ending here so heartbreaking but if you go back to the first 3 parts of this one it's easy to get upset not only at the timelords but at the doctor as well. All the risks he took and the apparent betrayals leading up to this add insult to injury. To think that Peri died thinking the Doctor had abandoned her seems a step too far to take in a program that often light hearted and humorous. It's not surprising they retconned her fate at the end of TOATL though marrying Yrcarnos is a weak conclusion after this. One feels they can't just leave it where they did here even though that was the original intent. The Big Finish dramas, Peri and the Piscon Paradox and The Widow's Assasin, give a much more satisfying conclusion and continuation of this story.
In normal times, the death of a companion in this fashion would have brought down the house and ensured some kind of wider conversation about the series. And today it would. In 1986, it barely dented the public's consciousness. That being said, Peri's exit (she's not actually in the final scene - she's been replaced!) to coincide with the Doctor's trial demonstrates a level of monstrous self-regard by the Time Lords that make recent events much more understandable for the newbie. Wouldn't you punch through a diamond wall to save a companion after this?
The death of Peri is a powerful moment. A bold storytelling choice, well performed by Nicola Bryant. A pity really, that it's casually undone a few episodes later (as you already know). If you get a chance, check out the blu-ray trailer for Season twenty-two on UA-cam. It features Nicola and makes a nice epilogue to this story.
True... First, fate conspired against her. Then, The Time Lords deemed her very existence too dangerous and manipulated events to lead to her destruction. THEN they used King Yarcos (I THINK that is how his name is spelled anyway...) as a weapon for that destruction. and finally, they made certain The Doctor could do NOTHING about ANY of it!
I'll admit, I liked Peri more than I should have (I was of a certain age and well, Peri's a lot more appealing to a boy at that time then other companions had been), but to this day I have still never warmed up to the next companion.
I love how Nicola Bryant's voice sounds NOTHING like Peri when she has the alien's mind, partly due to her acting and clearly a bit of electronic tweaking. Very disturbing.
Quite. If watching the Trial series straight the way through, I sometimes skip this story as I just find it really uncomfortable. Not because I am necessarily bothered by uncomfortable things (that is the effect they are supposed to have, after all) but because it feels wrong. And once I knew the ending, I realised that the whole story builds up to Peri's demise.
It has a lot going for it, performances, music, sets are all great but it's a complete mess plot wise and this is because no one really knew what was going on in the grand scheme of things.
Bringing her back to life again Moffat style (as you must know by now) makes it even worse. So no one was happy with how Peri was handled in this season.
In a 2015 survey of 12k Doctor Who fans, Trial of a Time Lord (the entire season) averaged a score of 5.66 out of 10. That ranks it #117 out of 156 classic Who stories, making Trial an ‘above average’ Sixth Doctor story. In the same survey, Sixth Doctor stories received the 8th highest average score (5.46) of all 8 classic Doctors. Combing all four season 23 stories into one makes zero sense to me. Be that as it may, I disagree with the score Trial was given... much too low. As for Mindwarp, Brian Blessed is just amazing in this, Sil is once again creepily awesome, Colin's struggle to align what he sees on the screen to his memories is perfectly presented, and Nicola Bryant seemingly transformed into a great actress overnight. Mindwarp is, simply put, a masterpiece.
The Time Lords did ONE good thing, they effectively wiped out "The Great Vampires"! (Although, they accidently let their leader escape, he was eventually defeated by The Doctor!) So they COULD do heroic things when they really wanted to... Unless you were a "Great Vampire" of course!
@@leaderstragg I love how in the audios that was just spin. That they would on feed on non sapient food animals and then to not to the point of death but Rassilon persecuted them to uncover their ability to regenerate.
I was 9 when this first aired. I stood staring at the screen in shock for what felt like half an hour after that ending.
Much as people slag off TOATL, that was a great moment.
Brilliant performance from Nicola Bryant.
The memory of my meeting with Nicola at a book signing in Upminster a few years ago will be with me I hope for a very long time. She was very easy to talk to, good listener, had loads of time for people and even happy to have her photo taken with me and have a cuddle too. Really lovely lady, if you ever get to meet her, you will be warmly welcomed by a wonderful person.
@@nigelmathewsnrm Isn’t she a therapist now? Hypnotherapist? No wonder she’s a good listener, lol. I’d love to meet her!
This was such a kick in the teeth when it was first broadcast.
Those two moments when The Doctor's voice falters for a second...
This is ultimately the reason why Trial Of A Time Lord *is* best scene as one fourteen part 'story' rather than four separate ones. You've just had the midway-point *WHAM* moment, and things from here can never be the same again.
This is one the most heartwrenching things I've ever seen.
when peri dies colin makes you feel the doctors pain so much that part just stays with you
your reaction says it all. This is easily the most traumatic companion exit ever! and probably the most traumatising Doctor Who has ever been.
And to think, this story started off with a lovely pink sea.
It is a disturbing scene for sure. Arguably crossing the line when considering how children had invested emotions in the character. And yet oddly the episode is also quite the romp with the mighty Brian on the warpath, and there's even time for some nice touching moments along the way. What a strange episode. In fact, what a strange story. Onwards to Vervoids, yay!
No on screen death but even the line "mentally she no longer exists" is one of the most disturbing moments of the old series even with the retcon. It's always interesting to contrast this with 'New Earth' and the mind\body swapping between Cassandra, The Doctor and Rose which was solely played for laughs whereas I was just thinking poor Peri!
@@AUCTUV I think it hits home even more when we hear the voice. And she looks like a boiled egg. The final image of Peri that would have lingered in the minds of the young audience. Sleep well kids!
I agree, it does cross a line. It's a bit strange to me how this episode overall feels like typical old school Doctor Who. It's almost light hearted and comical for much of it. May of Sil's lines are quite funny. At so many points you get the feeling the Doctor will pull out of it and get there in the nick of time like he always does. And then Peri dies in a most horrific way and you are thinking, WTF? Maybe all the stuff leading up to this really could have been so much darkergiven where it ends up.
I was about 6 or 7 when I witnessed this on UK Gold in the 1990s, and my goodness I cried. People too readily deride Trial of a Timelord, but it has some wonderfully dark and effective moments. Watching it along with you, I cried again. But so glad that it wasn't *final* shall we say.
When I watched this episode during its original broadcast in 1986, at the age of 19, I didn't cry when Peri died. But seeing your reaction to it almost brought me to tears. I guess it proves that the classic show can bring out someone's emotions just as much as new who does. Great reaction 👏👍.
Such a shocking moment in Dr Who history isn't it.
I remember watching this as a child and it sent shivers down my spine. The Time Lords really are utterly ruthless. Such a moving reaction.
I was also rather shocked by how The Time Lords pretty much just gave up on saving Peri or even letting The Doctor save Peri just in case it was better that they did NOT. It kind of makes me wonder if that's why certain writers for Dr. Who did NOT really enjoy writing about them!
They were always immoral. How they acted in "The War Games" also packs a multitude of punches
Alright kids, this is where it gets complicated!
Astonishing reaction. I was crying with you, Medusa, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one.
You really weren’t!
You weren't 😔
Once again, a companion is dead because of the Time Lords and the Doctor swears revenge...
Since the experiments/side effects (in the case of the Doctor) on the Raak, Yrcarnos, the Doctor & the body Kiv temporarily had (all done with the same machine), all failed/reverted to varying degrees- makes you wonder if the transfer of Kiv's mind via the machine would've stayed permanent/whether peri consciousness was truly gone or could have displaced Kiv & got control of her body back, had the timelords not intervened and let the Doctor get there in time
But no, the timelords simply had to act and stick us with this outcome with Yrcarnos killing Peri/Kiv
Consistently the best Doctor Who reactor on youtube.
Always entertaining, always genuine.
This was the most moving reaction video I've ever seen.
I read the novelisation of this as a child, it has a curious ending.
I remember this was a HUGE shocker back in the day.
I remember watching this in January 1990 age 11 thinking what the hell just happened. I like Peri just spoke her mine and stood by the doctor.
Richard had only just turned 10 years old when he watched 'Planet of Fire' air for the first time, and in those first few minutes of seeing Miss Perpugillium Brown (Nicola Bryant) he felt like he had fallen in true love, Oboy! Massive beginning of teenage crush with lots of teenage dreams, swimming to save Peri in her pink bikini to then have some pina colada cocktails on that Lanzarote beach, Yes! Two years later 1986, Richard watched this episode of our trial for the first time and he certainly had not expected to suffer suddenly having our hearts broken Big Time! To say he was in tears is an understatement. We had to explain to him, worry not dear boy, we would never let that happen, not to Peri, not to Adric, infact we have even got Zoe and Jamie back together as a married couple through time, but that's another story Yes! Time is not linier, just like our memories, but it is a great fun to watch you watching our days of futures past, so big thank you kindly from 'the Doctor no.42 Yes?', and Richard who is also enjoying your gift of memories from Babylon 5.
You got me all tested-up! I love your attachment and investment in this journey. Your deep enthusiasm is completely heartening. Fear not, there is an official edit out there that shows you what REALLY happened. And yes, Brian Blessed is a blessing.
What? But where IS this "official edit"? I didn't even know it existed!
@@leaderstragg part 14 of Trial.
The Big Finish stories, Peri and the Piscon Paradox and The Widow's Assassin are must listens if you want to know what happened to Peri after Mindwarp.
I had the same reaction you did when I watched this on it’s original airing - couldn’t believe what they’d done 😱
Neither could I!
So dark a moment at the end. It really underlines that feeling that the Timelords are often the bad guys.
This ending angered me so much you should watch the blu ray trailer for this season after you finish the arc it is a brilliant follow up
Oh yes good idea !
I missed this episode when it aired, it wasn't until years later I saw the full ep and had a WTF moment!
As a kid Adrics death hit harder given it was the first companion death id seen and it really had zero foreshadowing, but Peris was still a shock none the same.
Funny thing is this was more or less the last DW story I ever saw at the time given in my country it took a break for a couple of months for some reason and when it came back on I didnt realize and never got to see the end of trial or any of the 7th Doctor (outside of the 25th anniversary story Silver Nemesis), wasnt until about 3-4 years latter that they started showing DW again here with the 7ths stories but it was aired at a time i couldnt watch it... and no Internet or YT back then obviously, so wasnt for a good 12 or so years before i finally got to see them in piece meal (I did get to see fragments at time of airing, but nothing more than a 5 or 6 minutes every others story lol).
So yeah, the last story for me in Classic Who as a kid for a very long time was this one...
This is up there with Adric for me. Total shock and hurt.
True... All I can say about the scene is at least Adric went out with a BOOM (so to speak... ) Peri got forced into becoming a MEAT PUPPET then got shot!
Peri's death is a true shocker! It comes out of no where and upsets the Doctor, which is why I like the 6th Doctor, you see that he cares allot about Peri.
Hope you don't mind me posting a secondary comment - but your anger is not only justified but shared, and I think my upset as a kid watching this came from anger I didn't know how to process. This was the first time for me, as a lifelong fan and a kid who always felt like I could rely on the Doctor saving the day, that I saw the Doctor become powerless. The frustration and anger, I think, comes from a shared powerlessness and frustration at the Doctor's lack of agency.
I think it's probably the one and only time in the show where I was not pleased to see the TARDIS appear! Something which was always a place of sanctuary, especially with the first season trope of the First Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian always having something blocking them from immediately getting back into it, suddenly appears and the reaction is "no, not now!" Even though we knew it was Nicola Bryant's last episode It was still such a powerful moment when first watching in 1986, the realisation that the Doctor on this occasion wont be around to tidy things up and save the day.
Yes, frustration and anger even toward the Doctor for the way he behaved for most of the scenes just before the end of this episode.
"I'm not without pity
Bloody Ell ye could have fooled me"
-That's why I want Medusa to play the Doctor right there.
One of the most powerful episodes and one of the most powerful reactions! I think this season is actually pretty strong, great performances from Colin, Nicola and BRIAN
Wow! This was the most emotionally moving reaction video I've ever seen.
I watched Doctor Who religiously right up to the hiatus in ~86 and then lost touch. I always liked Peri as a companion but didn't know what happened to her until about a year ago when I started rewatching old episodes and reading up on plot threads. OMG! If I had seen this in 86 when I was 11 years old I would have been absolutely crushed! All four episodes of Mindwarp are still difficult for me to watch today. I also feel like they took this one too much back to the infamous Twin Dilemma with the Doctor becoming an anti-hero. Again, maybe not his fault but perhaps not what Colin Baker's Doctor needed at the time due to the turmoil happening at the BBC behind the scenes.
Apparently JNT, the Doctor Who producer at the time, asked Nicola Bryant how she wanted to go out. She wanted something dramatic to go out with a bang and was happy with Mindwarp. It sounds like lots of the audience weren't too happy with Peri's fate and called into the BBC at the time to complain. I would agree that this one crosses a line. Not only is the ending here so heartbreaking but if you go back to the first 3 parts of this one it's easy to get upset not only at the timelords but at the doctor as well. All the risks he took and the apparent betrayals leading up to this add insult to injury. To think that Peri died thinking the Doctor had abandoned her seems a step too far to take in a program that often light hearted and humorous. It's not surprising they retconned her fate at the end of TOATL though marrying Yrcarnos is a weak conclusion after this.
One feels they can't just leave it where they did here even though that was the original intent. The Big Finish dramas, Peri and the Piscon Paradox and The Widow's Assasin, give a much more satisfying conclusion and continuation of this story.
it got to everyone when it first went out and on top that I lost my gran around this time which would 1986
In normal times, the death of a companion in this fashion would have brought down the house and ensured some kind of wider conversation about the series. And today it would. In 1986, it barely dented the public's consciousness. That being said, Peri's exit (she's not actually in the final scene - she's been replaced!) to coincide with the Doctor's trial demonstrates a level of monstrous self-regard by the Time Lords that make recent events much more understandable for the newbie. Wouldn't you punch through a diamond wall to save a companion after this?
The death of Peri is a powerful moment. A bold storytelling choice, well performed by Nicola Bryant. A pity really, that it's casually undone a few episodes later (as you already know). If you get a chance, check out the blu-ray trailer for Season twenty-two on UA-cam. It features Nicola and makes a nice epilogue to this story.
A *bald* choice, you might say.
like her or hate her Peri did not deserve that
True... First, fate conspired against her. Then, The Time Lords deemed her very existence too dangerous and manipulated events to lead to her destruction. THEN they used King Yarcos (I THINK that is how his name is spelled anyway...) as a weapon for that destruction. and finally, they made certain The Doctor could do NOTHING about ANY of it!
I cried a lot back in 86 when this happened. I still find it tough to watch now,
I'll admit, I liked Peri more than I should have (I was of a certain age and well, Peri's a lot more appealing to a boy at that time then other companions had been), but to this day I have still never warmed up to the next companion.
brilliant reaction to the ending
proper....reaction honest and perfect....thankyou
I love how Nicola Bryant's voice sounds NOTHING like Peri when she has the alien's mind, partly due to her acting and clearly a bit of electronic tweaking. Very disturbing.
“ Me, after my next death, I join the other kings on Verduna, the home of the gods. “
Quite.
If watching the Trial series straight the way through, I sometimes skip this story as I just find it really uncomfortable. Not because I am necessarily bothered by uncomfortable things (that is the effect they are supposed to have, after all) but because it feels wrong. And once I knew the ending, I realised that the whole story builds up to Peri's demise.
If there’s is such a thing,we need to see Tom and Brian together in some show.
Seeing your reaction to this was moving.
I kind of wish that they hadn't undermined this tragic moment later.
I'm crying with you 😭
I won't spoil much but that timelord judge appeared in some expanded media and she was worse there than here.
First Class Heart Felt Reactions to a very good but sad Episode.
It has a lot going for it, performances, music, sets are all great but it's a complete mess plot wise and this is because no one really knew what was going on in the grand scheme of things.
Bringing her back to life again Moffat style (as you must know by now) makes it even worse. So no one was happy with how Peri was handled in this season.
In a 2015 survey of 12k Doctor Who fans, Trial of a Time Lord (the entire season) averaged a score of 5.66 out of 10. That ranks it #117 out of 156 classic Who stories, making Trial an ‘above average’ Sixth Doctor story. In the same survey, Sixth Doctor stories received the 8th highest average score (5.46) of all 8 classic Doctors.
Combing all four season 23 stories into one makes zero sense to me. Be that as it may, I disagree with the score Trial was given... much too low. As for Mindwarp, Brian Blessed is just amazing in this, Sil is once again creepily awesome, Colin's struggle to align what he sees on the screen to his memories is perfectly presented, and Nicola Bryant seemingly transformed into a great actress overnight. Mindwarp is, simply put, a masterpiece.
Time Lords were never the good guys.
The Time Lords did ONE good thing, they effectively wiped out "The Great Vampires"! (Although, they accidently let their leader escape, he was eventually defeated by The Doctor!) So they COULD do heroic things when they really wanted to... Unless you were a "Great Vampire" of course!
@@leaderstragg I love how in the audios that was just spin. That they would on feed on non sapient food animals and then to not to the point of death but Rassilon persecuted them to uncover their ability to regenerate.
I know :(
Already done with Adric, of course... JNT and Saward running out of ideas?