Doctor Who-The Mind Robber (1968)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Director And Cast Featurette-Making Of-The Fact Of Fiction Featurette-Basil Brush Segment Featurette-Highlander-The Jamie McCrimmon Story Informational Subtitles-Production Subtitles Gallery-Photo
Rating
Year Of Production	1968
Running Time	99:52 (Case: 172)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (62:27)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	David Maloney
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Patrick Troughton Wendy Padbury Frazer Hines
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$34.95	Music	None Given

    As lava surrounds a malfunctioning TARDIS and Jamie and Zoe become more and more concerned, the Doctor is left with no choice but to activate an emergency measure that takes the TARDIS outside the space-time continuum: out of reality itself! Things immediately start to go wrong, as the TARDIS crew are attacked psychically by a being known only as the Master (not to be confused with the Doctor's later super-nemesis of the same name) and by dangerous white robots. The TARDIS itself is torn apart and the Doctor and his companions find themselves in a strange forest of three dimensional letters peopled by the likes of Lemuel Gulliver, Rapunzel, and the Minotaur, all under the power of the Master. Sinister plans are designed to capture the Doctor in a fictional world and assign him to eternal slavery. But all is not as it seems: is there another entity controlling the Master . . . . ?

    Produced in 1968 and airing between 14 September and 12 October, The Mind Robber was something of an experiment with fantasy and a move away from Doctor Who's science fiction origins. BBC heads were hardly excited by the fantasy theme and although watched by millions and successful in terms of viewer numbers, research suggested that the Doctor's audience didn't appreciate or enjoy the direction The Mind Robber took. Such a response is a shame, as the idea behind this serial is highly imaginative and original for a children's show, although perhaps a little ambitious given BBC's budget limitations (but then most Dr Who plots were well beyond the production capabilities of the BBC). Writer Peter Ling intended to write another serial about a planet where time goes backwards but, perhaps due to BBC's disappointment with The Mind Robber, didn't see the project to fruition (or manage to pre-empt Memento by several decades). BBC's loss and ours.

    The Mind Robber comes close to the end of the second Doctor's reign and appears to have been the production that convinced Patrick Troughton that he would soon depart the TARDIS. Patrick Troughton is not at all my favourite Doctor: he overacts to the extreme and bumbles just a little too much. Still, I found myself enjoying this serial, not least for its hokey effects and obvious nostalgia value. And Zoe's embarrassing cat suit and the rubber-muscled Karuk make for extra icing on the cake. The Mind Robber is definitely worth checking out if only to imagine what it could have been with a bigger budget and less interference from the upper echelons of the BBC.

Video

    Given The Mind Robber's 1960s television source, not a lot can be expected but we do get a very good transfer to DVD. The Mind Robber is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, full frame.

    Due to the limited resolution of the film source, the transfer is quite soft with limited shadow detail. Low level noise is constant but usually controlled. Grey scale range is fairly limited (what should be a solid black when the TARDIS falls apart (20:03) is an inconsistent grey, interrupted by vertical lines and some macro-blocking). Lighter surfaces tend to reflect and flare studio lighting.

    Interlacing is very visible at times (especially when Medusa's stop motion snakes appear at 60:40 and during the sword fight at 93:30). I noticed edge enhancement throughout. Mild aliasing is also visible at 16:04 and 46:33 and Gibb effect appears several times (10:00, 15:20). Some pixelization is visible now and then. An occasional black or white speck can be seen and vertical lines appear on both sides of the frame at 58:40 and remain for several seconds.

    Subtitles are white and in a small, but readable, font. They are generally very accurate.

    This is a dual layered disc with the layer change at 62:27.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio track has a few problems of its own. The disc includes an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track (not surround encoded) and a Dolby Digital 2.0 commentary track.

     Dialogue is clear, although there is very audible hiss and crackle during the entire serial. Audio sync appears to be fine.

    Music is uncredited. It consists of the standard synthesized sci-fi meanderings present in the early Dr Who serials and supports the plot well without being in any way memorable.

    There is no surround or subwoofer activity.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Introduction

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Audio Commentary

Featurette-Making Of - The Fact of Fiction

    Interviews with cast and crew recalling the (many) difficulties faced making The Mind Robber

Featurette - Highlander: The Jamie McCrimmon Story

    Apparently, Jamie was a very popular character and actor Frazer Hines explains how he got the role and the change in TARDIS dynamics his arrival prompted.

Featurette

Informational Subtitles

Gallery-Photo

Easter Egg

    Both the Region 2 UK and Region 1 releases appear identical to ours, cover art aside.

    An interesting attempt at something new for Doctor Who, with an equally interesting production history.

    Video is decent, although the source material is not great.

    Audio has some issues but is serviceable.

    Plenty of informative and entertaining extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall