So glad you have warmed to Colin’s Doctor and his portrayal. Please consider reacting to the 30th Anniversary Special “More than Thirty Years in the TARDIS,” it is really something special from the wilderness years.
I remember the book Business Unusual where he first met Mel. There was the shadowy organisation C19 in that that also featured in The Scales of injustice, a third Doctor story. They 'cleared up' after Unit's battles, gathering 'war booty'. I think Millennial Rites was the best in-print 6 and Mel book.
Whenever I see Bonnie Langford, I always recall watching her in the late 1970's children's TV drama 'Just William'. She played Violet Elizabeth Bott, who always threatened to 'Scream and scream and scream'. Perhaps that's just one of the reasons why she got the part of Mel.
@@conscienceaginBlackadder Famously read on the radio for many years by Varos Governeur/Butler from Invasion of the Dinosaurs/Princo Hilio from the Web Planet, Martin Jarvis. Who's brilliant at it.
I remember thinking the first time I saw this that if the Doctor was using his future adventures as evidence, then the trial was pointless since he had to have a life after the trial in order to use the evidence in the first place.
Yeah I thought that, but you could use the 4th Doctor's alternative futures argument from Pyramids of Mars to argue that the Doctor is showing us a possible future if he lives showing him doing good things.
Terror of the Vervoids/Robots of Death/Mummy on the Orient Express....they're all versions of Murder on the orient express....great story no wonder they've done it 3 times...great reaction BTW
Yeah it’s hard to remember why fans hated Mel so much. Bonnie was actually fine (most of the time). Actually the whole Trial season is far better than people thought at the time
Unfortunately, the television series never reveals how the Doctor and Mel meet. In other media, however there are at least two alternative versions of that story. The Big Finish audio, The Wrong Doctors and the book Business Unusual. The Wrong Doctors is arguably the better story (IMO), though the book also features the Brigadier post Mawdryn Undead.
Mel's observation about the Time Lords' vocabulary feels like a colossal self-own for the late Pip & Jane Baker (no relations), who were known for giving characters unnecessarily convoluted dialogue when the simplest measures would have done just as well. C Baker, on the other hand, remains a fan, however. Immortal Time Lords, in his view, probably would have a vastly expanded dictionary of terms to call upon. And even if you don't care for it at all, this story is far from the worst offender...
At 2:30 (if you watch closely), there’s a huge plume of spit that comes out of Bonnie Langford’s mouth on the ‘P’ of “responsible”. Just thought I’d mention it.
Mel's origin has been revealed in the books and Big Finish audios but not on tv. I must have missed part of this story when it was broadcast or maybe I misremembered it but for years I thought he'd met Mel on the ship, which would have made sense.
I love how the UA-cam subtitles claim that far from being a thremmatologist, Prof Lasky is instead a dermatologist and a crematologist (whatever that is!!)... Perhaps AI is not all it's cracked up to be?
So glad you have warmed to Colin’s Doctor and his portrayal. Please consider reacting to the 30th Anniversary Special “More than Thirty Years in the TARDIS,” it is really something special from the wilderness years.
That cliff-hanger gave me bad nightmares as a kid, more so than any other Doctor Who episode, even more than the 4th-5th Doctor's regeneration scene
Since the story revolves around plants, Peri was a botanist and I feel she'd have worked very well in this story.
Yes it’s ironic that they did a plant story immediately after she left!
I remember the book Business Unusual where he first met Mel. There was the shadowy organisation C19 in that that also featured in The Scales of injustice, a third Doctor story. They 'cleared up' after Unit's battles, gathering 'war booty'. I think Millennial Rites was the best in-print 6 and Mel book.
Nice assessment of Mel at the end there.
The absolute classic subtitle: "Bulgarians can't breath oxygen"!
Whenever I see Bonnie Langford, I always recall watching her in the late 1970's children's TV drama 'Just William'. She played Violet Elizabeth Bott, who always threatened to 'Scream and scream and scream'. Perhaps that's just one of the reasons why she got the part of Mel.
made from a short stories series that went back to the 1920s
@@conscienceaginBlackadder Famously read on the radio for many years by Varos Governeur/Butler from Invasion of the Dinosaurs/Princo Hilio from the Web Planet, Martin Jarvis. Who's brilliant at it.
“ I can the answer’s simple enough you have a killer on board “
I think Colins doctor interacts really well with Mel,
Listen to the Big Finish audio 'The Wrong Doctors' to see how Mel meets the Doctor.
Or read the earlier account of their meeting in the BBC book "Business Unusual".
I remember thinking the first time I saw this that if the Doctor was using his future adventures as evidence, then the trial was pointless since he had to have a life after the trial in order to use the evidence in the first place.
Yeah I thought that, but you could use the 4th Doctor's alternative futures argument from Pyramids of Mars to argue that the Doctor is showing us a possible future if he lives showing him doing good things.
IIRC the proposed punishment was to forfeit his remaining regenerations. So he would live out his 6th life anyway.
Exactly.
Terror of the Vervoids/Robots of Death/Mummy on the Orient Express....they're all versions of Murder on the orient express....great story no wonder they've done it 3 times...great reaction BTW
Yeah it’s hard to remember why fans hated Mel so much. Bonnie was actually fine (most of the time). Actually the whole Trial season is far better than people thought at the time
Unfortunately, the television series never reveals how the Doctor and Mel meet. In other media, however there are at least two alternative versions of that story. The Big Finish audio, The Wrong Doctors and the book Business Unusual. The Wrong Doctors is arguably the better story (IMO), though the book also features the Brigadier post Mawdryn Undead.
Mel's observation about the Time Lords' vocabulary feels like a colossal self-own for the late Pip & Jane Baker (no relations), who were known for giving characters unnecessarily convoluted dialogue when the simplest measures would have done just as well. C Baker, on the other hand, remains a fan, however. Immortal Time Lords, in his view, probably would have a vastly expanded dictionary of terms to call upon. And even if you don't care for it at all, this story is far from the worst offender...
At 2:30 (if you watch closely), there’s a huge plume of spit that comes out of Bonnie Langford’s mouth on the ‘P’ of “responsible”. Just thought I’d mention it.
By far my favorite story from the trail
Mel's origin has been revealed in the books and Big Finish audios but not on tv. I must have missed part of this story when it was broadcast or maybe I misremembered it but for years I thought he'd met Mel on the ship, which would have made sense.
Bonnie's really good in the _Big Finish_ audios, too. But _just wait_ till you find out who the Valeyard _actually is_ -- _MAY_ be ...
I love how the UA-cam subtitles claim that far from being a thremmatologist, Prof Lasky is instead a dermatologist and a crematologist (whatever that is!!)... Perhaps AI is not all it's cracked up to be?
It's just making stuff up now... prematology? Therematologist?
I will be so glad when you get to season 25 where you are is worst era of classic who
I have to disagree with you here. I loved this season.
Thought you were putting down season 25 for a minute. Misread what you said the 1st time. My bad. Season 25 is awesome.
I was there at the time. Anecdotal or individual tastes aside, Season 23 was not the worst.