Classic

One of the odder stories from the 26 seasons makes it's way to DVD. Despite being very atypical for the series it contains some nice writing and some good costumes. As always the clean up and extras are impeccable. However it's not one for newbies.

An underrated story that illustrates the resourcefulness of the Doctor Who series.

The Mind Robber was initially derided by Who critics as mere fantasy when, in fact, the story has a solid science fiction foundation: the brain of an unseen alien intelligence must be fed by the musings of a pulp-fiction writer imprisoned in its service. Turn on the commentary text and many of the production problems that contributed to the unique nature of this story are revealed.

First, the original four-episode story was stretched to five because the previous story, The Dominators, didn't offer enough material to pad out its planned six episodes and was cut back to five. So the added first installment of The Mind Robber had to be improvised on a shoestring budget from existing props and sets. The "great white void" which so distinguishes this story was created specifically because "nothing" was cheap to depict.

Next, actor Frazer Hines contracted chicken pox before shooting on the second episode could begin and had to be temporarily written out of the story. A substitute actor was cast to play Jamie that week with a clever subplot written in to explain his changed appearance.

The story, which may seem an incomprehensible jumble at first, actually follows a very logical set of rules exploring the nature of fiction vs. reality. The storyteller, for example, dictates the action, so the Doctor can change the story by writing it himself, but if he refers to himself in the narrative he will become a fictional character and therefore cease to exist.

The use of literary figures such as Lemuel Gulliver and Cyrano de Bergerac harks back to one of the series' original objectives, to serve as an educational children's program. Gulliver, for instance, speaks in dialogue lifted mostly from Jonathan Swift's novel. So kiddies who think they're watching a low-budget sci-fi serial are actually getting an introductory course in English lit.

This story is a sterling example of the resourcefulness and solid acting that made Doctor Who, particularly the early episodes, such a charming TV series.

VODKA & TONIC

One of the first things you'll notice when your start in on THE MIND ROBBER is just how CLEAN and CLEAR the image is. More than a touch up, the print here seems to be a complete reworking and rebuilding from the ground up. It's better than first broadcast, better than DVD - it's almost as good as being right there on the set... perhaps even better. Flaws, gaps, cracks, peeling paint, zippers, wigs and all seem more obvious than ever before. It can actually take you out of the moment - but you never lose focus.

I just wish the same could be said of the story. THE MIND ROBBER is a famous bit of DOCTOR WHO for it's first episode. It's a slice of the surreal featuring just the principal cast, the TARDIS and a white set with white robots all of which ends with a bang - the destruction of the TARDIS itself. While clever, it's not the first time the series has done this. THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION, the third story in Hartnell's years, was another TARDIS bound story featuring some surprising tension, violence and horror.

The rest of the story is highlighted with touches and moments that help to keep the story moving till the end (when the story does just that - ends, almost suddenly, without warning) - as well as another first for the series, the replacement of Frazer Hines (Jamie) with Hamish Wilson (Jamie), as Hines became ill during production and instead of just writing Jamie out, hired on Wilson at the last moment and wrote him into the story with a clever and witty twist.

This disc comes feature packed like the rest, but unlike the rest, a lot of the information here is repeated again and again. Commentary is included, and while not as fast, furious and funny as other Hines commentary (his comments on THE TWO DOCTORS with Baker and Bryant are very funny), they do manage to come up with some good memories and personal asides that help to sell it. There's also included a very suspect and odd BASIL BRUSH segment which features a YETI from DOCTOR WHO played for laughs - it's a very compelling, yet strange piece of DOCTOR WHO history that feels exactly like the padding that it is. There are no YETI in THE MIND ROBBER, so it seems odd to include it with this story. It simply there to mark time.

THE MIND ROBBER may not make anyone's top ten list of DOCTOR WHO stories, but it does feature several original twists and turns brought on by limited time, illness and budget problems that help to make a keeper.