Terror of the Vervoids

The crime we are committing in the name of science will make us infamous!

Bruchner

I feel that it would be remiss of me not to start this blog by paying tribute to Michael Jayston, who passed away this week at the age of 88. Rest in Peace.

Synopsis

The Doctor and Mel are taking a rest aboard the Hyperion III when a series of murders lead them to suspect there is more to Professor Lasky’s party than initially appears…

Review

I have been pretty negative about The Trial of a Time Lord thus far, but I’m really delighted to say that I really enjoyed Terror of the Vervoids! Some distinctly inappropriate costumes aside, it’s a really nice murder mystery which kept my attention over all four parts.

Whilst still contained within the courtroom drama that forms the overarching narrative of the series, Terror of the Vervoids is a murder mystery as the Doctor finally gets the chance to put his defence forward to the Time Lord court. Pip and Jane Baker have the Doctor tell us that it will be that kind of story when he present it to the court, and the story takes us on an enjoyable journey as the mystery gradually unfurls around him. The story centres on a plot about human exploitation of Mogar by Professor Laskey, Doland and Bruchner, and the extremes that one of them will go to make sure that no-one ever truly finds out what happened as a part of that expedition. This story does rely on the tried and tested tropes of a base under siege story, but that is rather effective and nice in a season that has tried to do something a bit different, and Pip and Jane Baker have clearly been reading some Agatha Christie in writing this story. By the time we get to the final part of this adventure, the story could potentially fall apart as we get everything from mutinies to genocide, but continue to be effective and certainly kept me gripped.

The success of the story does not, however, make the trial sequences feel any less jarring and it can take you out of the story a little bit for an interjection from the Doctor or the Valeyard. By this stage, it feels as though very little new ground being covered by these scenes. The audience who have been watching this since The Mysterious Planet know that the Matrix is being tampered with and it does not feel as though the Doctor challenging what it is showing the court is really doing anything other than treading water. The Time Lords’ belief in the infallibility in the Matrix is not simply going to be assuaged by the Doctor’s repeated assertions to the contrary. Equally, nothing changes in the Valeyard’s ultimate position: he wants to prove the Doctor guilty by hook or by crook, and by the culmination of this story, the Doctor seems to have strengthened his opponent’s case. Ultimately, the trial scenes feel as though they are a waste of the talents of Colin Baker, Michael Jayston and Lynda Bellingham in these scenes.

The guest cast are all on top form here and all have a lot to do. The actors rise to the occasion, especially when it comes to the final part and everything gets a bit more frantic and crazy, but the cast assist it by playing it straight. The story certainly subverted my expectations – as someone who has watched enough murder mysteries, I was fully expecting Honor Blackman’s Professor Lasky to be the one behind the killing, being arguably the biggest name on the call sheet, but this was a pleasant surprise. There is not a weak link here, from Commodore Travers, to the downtrodden head of security Rudge, who leads a brief and ill-fated mutiny, to the kindly and well-meaning Kimber. The cast playing the story entirely straight does help to make the Vervoids feel more threatening, despite their designs, and they do make short work of the crew and guests on the ship. Their compost heap of dead humans is truly horrifying and feels very in keeping with Eric Saward’s sensibilities.

Chris Clough’s direction is also really solid here, and his work on the set is both diverse and exciting, and adds to the feeling of claustrophobia that being trapped on a spaceship with a murderer would involve. Of particular note are Mel nearly being thrown into a pulveriser, which is a really lovely set piece that made me feel genuinely tense, along with the sequence with the leaf towards the end of the story, which is also really effective.

This is a situation that requires tact and finesse. Fortunately, I am blessed with both.

The Sixth Doctor

Pip and Jane Baker’s script puts the Doctor front and centre, and Colin Baker does not miss his chance to grasp this opportunity with both hands. The Sixth Doctor is rarely given the opportunity to shine so brightly and it is nice to see Colin Baker seem as though he is really enjoying himself. From attempting exercise under the watchful eye of his new companion, to attempting to charm Janet, the stewardess with flowers, to mourning Peri at the start of this story and managing to absolutely convince that he is in control of that scene with Doland towards the conclusion of the story. The Sixth Doctor, I feel, is channelling his Second incarnation here, as he is certainly taken for a fool by characters like Professor Lasky and his garish costume certainly helps with that.

This story is the debut of new companion Mel, played by Bonnie Langford. I have written in my previous reviews of Season 24 that I find Mel difficult to watch on television, and there are moments that reminded me of this – notably her screaming at the end of both of the first two parts. There are moments of promise, like her ability to investigate, and I will say that Bonnie Langford and Colin Baker manage to make this fledgling relationship in terms of the show as broadcast feel as though they have been travelling together for a while. I feel as though the character is a bit of a mess, but there is definitely promise between them and there are nice moments between Mel and the Doctor where they have conversations that serve as an introduction for the audience but feel natural for two individuals who have been travelling together for a while.

Verdict: Terror of the Vervoids is great fun and a beacon of hope in this season. Colin Baker gets a chance to really shine and the story really flies by. 8/10

Cast: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor), Honor Blackman (Professor Lasky), Michael Craig (Commodore), Denys Hawthorne (Rudge), Yolande Palfrey (Janet), Malcolm Tierney (Doland), David Allister (Bruchner), Tony Scoggo (Grenville/Hallett), Arthur Hewlett (Kimber), Simon Slater (Edwardes), Sam Howard (Atza), Leon Davis (Ortezo), Hugh Beverton (Guard/First Guard), Mike Mungarvan (Duty Officer), Martin Weedon (Second Guard), Barbara Ward (Mutant/Ruth Baxter), Peppi Borza (First Vervoid) & Bob Appleby (Second Vervoid).

Writer: Pip & Jane Baker

Director: Chris Clough

Producer: John Nathan-Turner

Composer: Malcolm Clarke

Parts: 4

Original Broadcast Dates: 1st November – 22nd November 1986

Behind the Scenes

• This story marks the final appearance of Colin Baker in the TARDIS console room.
• Pip and Jane Baker were working closely with Eric Saward during writing, however, communication became difficult as he was unhappy with the scripts.
• There was reportedly a pessimistic atmosphere on set, not helped by an interview given by Eric Saward to Starlog Magazine, detailing his exit and his relationship with John Nathan-Turner.

Cast Notes

• Honor Blackman would go on to play Queen Anahita in The Children of Seth.
• Malcolm Tierney would go on to play Gantha in 1,001 Nights and Miaxa in My Brother’s Keeper.
• David Allister had previously played Stimson in The Leisure Hive.
• Arthur Hewlett was in the Fourth Doctor serial State of Decay playing Kalmar.
• Simon Slater has also appeared in The Devil in the Mist, The Murder of Oliver Akkron (The Sixth Doctor Adventures) and The Lords of Terror (The Eighth Doctor: Time War).
• Bob Appleby played a Nimon in The Horns of Nimon.

Best Moment

The cliffhanger at the end of Part 2, with the reveal of the partially mutated Ruth Baxter, injects some new energy and

Best Quote

It’s a matter of perspective, Mel. In your house in Pease Pottage, you had a large garden. What did you do with the plants and weeds you uprooted?

Put them on a compost heap.

They’re obeying instinct, like migrating birds or salmon swimming relentlessly upstream to spawn even though they may die. A compulsive following of the life cycle. 

The Sixth Doctor and Melanie Bush

Previous Sixth Doctor review: Mindwarp.

For more Sixth Doctor reviews, click here.