Terror of the Vervoids
Joe Siegler
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TOATL: Terror of the Vervoids
This Story: Season 23, Story 1. Production Code 7C
Overall: Story 144, Episode 654-657
Airdates: 1 Nov 1986 – 22 Nov 1986
Written by Pip & Jane Baker
Directed by Chris Clough
Notes
- The first story for Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush.
- Officially the whole of Season 23 is a single story with 14 episodes. As transmitted, “Terror of the Vervoids” appears nowhere, it is officially all “The Trial of a Time Lord” episodes 1-14. However, for brevity’s sake, I’m having separate pages for the four parts of the story, as they have individual directors, writers, and production codes (for the most part). All four parts (and 28 or so tweets) on a single page would be too much, I think.
- Both Terror of the Vervoids & the following/final part of Trial (The Ultimate Foe) have the same production code (7C), as they were both directed by the same guy (Chris Clough), despite having different actors and sets (minus the Trial room), and whatnot.
- The Season 23 Blu-Ray contained new special effects for this segment of Trial of a Time-Lord, and it included a new title sequence that included “Terror of the Vervoids”, but it was only for the special edition version – the standard version remains “Trial of a Time-Lord”.
Links
[ Wikipedia | Tardis Data Core | SPS Historium | Amazon US DVD | Amazon US Blu-Ray | Amazon UK DVD | Amazon UK Blu-Ray ]#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 654 - The Trial of a Time Lord 9/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 1 Nov 1986 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 14, 2023
This 3rd segment ("Terror of the Vervoids") is the only segment in the Trial for the defense. It does something new in #DoctorWho by introducing a companion from the future that the pic.twitter.com/j8wz3uGWMc
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 654 - The Trial of a Time Lord 9/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 1 Nov 1986 #DoctorWho 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 14, 2023
current Doctor hasn't met yet - Melanie Bush. Bonnie Langford was always a guilty pleasure for me. This is a murder mystery story that I liked. Much lighter tone here. pic.twitter.com/etxN2ZRYgk
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 655 - The Trial of a Time Lord 10/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 8 Nov 1986 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 15, 2023
Mel is up there with Victoria as the best/loudest screamers of all time. It's also obvious that the three scientists are up to something. But we don't know what. One of them is the pic.twitter.com/phm9yXtpfM
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 655 - The Trial of a Time Lord 10/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 8 Nov 1986 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 15, 2023
actress Honor Blackman, who was 007's Pussy Galore. Most of this ep is setup for the murder mystery, so a lot is "Uh, what?" but in a good way. Several deaths, no explanations. pic.twitter.com/zjq3kMLvtg
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 656 - The Trial of a Time Lord 11/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 15 Nov 1986 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 16, 2023
This ep ramps up the horror when you wonder exactly what Lasky is doing. Some sort of weird experiment with plants it feels like. Plus experimentation on a person. Also Mel is pic.twitter.com/kndtxkh4nF
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 656 - The Trial of a Time Lord 11/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 15 Nov 1986 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 16, 2023
attacked at one point. Pip & Jane Baker take shit for their stories, but I always enjoyed this one, even though the Vervoids themselves look like well.. female genatalia. pic.twitter.com/sZFsFwzTQ9
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 657 - The Trial of a Time Lord 12/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 22 Nov 1986 #DoctorWho 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 17, 2023
Vervoids ends with the Doctor managing to wipe them once realizing what can attack plant life. At the end of the story, the Valeyard turns the Doctor's defense against pic.twitter.com/cq9GKElS1c
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 657 - The Trial of a Time Lord 12/14 (Serial 7C Story 144) - 22 Nov 1986 #DoctorWho 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) April 17, 2023
him, saying that by wiping out all the Vervoids, he's now guilty of genocide, setting up a WTF for the final two eps. Thought it all wrapped up well w/a great twist. pic.twitter.com/RHMHSctu66
This shot is from said sequence.
