It's no secret that Doctor Who's twenty third season was riddled with production issues. After Season 22, a more traditional Doctor Who season had been planned, where the Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) would travel to Blackpool, fight the Celestial Toymaker and visit holiday planets where good people are turned into killers. However this was all aborted when the BBC decided to cancel the show, unsatisfied with its current state of being. Thankfully this premature cancellation was reversed due to a very high profile press campaign (complete with possibly the most embarrassing charity single of all time), but the BBC cut the season in half, resulting in the season we now more traditionally call 'The Trial Of A Time Lord'.

It's a clever idea, to have a over-arching story across the season like this which directly reflects what was occurring in real life. Just as the Doctor finds himself on trial by the Time Lords, the show itself was also finding itself under scrutiny - by the BBC. What we're given here is a really intelligent meta-commentary on the state of the programme at the time, under direct threat of cancellation, a general sense that the Doctor's life could be ended at any moment. It's like the production team are protesting their case to the viewers, explaining exactly why the BBC should allow them to continue. Judging by these opening four episodes, I'd say they pleaded their case well.

This is the episode where we are introduced to the character of the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) for the first time, later revealed as an incarnation of the Doctor who is said to fall somewhere between his twelfth and final regeneration. Colin Baker and Michael Jayston's bickering is on fine display here, with the Doctor calling the Valeyard everything from a 'boatyard' to a 'graveyard'. These two actors bounce off one another so well, and are easily the highlights of the trial sections. They really bring the Doctor's trial to life, imbuing it with so much life and personality.

The actual four part adventure, entitled 'The Mysterious Planet', is  pretty much standard Doctor Who fare. It's nothing particularly remarkable, but it's serviceable and it does its job. Some elements such as the planet being Earth all along, and humans being made to live beneath the surface because they believe it to be uninhabitable feel a little unoriginal, the latter in particular feeling like a direct copy of a major plot point from 'The Enemy Of The World'.  It keeps you captivated throughout its runtime and never particularly drags, but at the same time it's a largely forgettable runaround for the Doctor and Peri.

Speaking of this Doctor-companion duo, their relationship is a lot better here than during Season Twenty Two. The Doctor and Peri have a much friendlier rapport, which feels like a direct response to the more spiky relationship seen in the previous season. Gone are the Doctor's snarky remarks and Peri's seeming disgust around Colin Baker's Doctor, and in its place is something warmer, more akin to the kind of friendship we have become accustomed to between the Doctor and their companion. It's the little things like the Sixth Doctor placing his arm around Peri in comfort that ultimately make all the difference in warming us more to this pairing.

Another endearing partnership in this serial is that between mercenaries Glitz (Tony Selby) and Dibber (Glen Murphy). These two are a lot of fun, bringing to mind other iconic guest star duos such as Garron and Unstoffe from 'The Ribos Operation', or the fan favourite Victorian double act Jago and Litefoot. Glitz's 'hate for competition' combined with Dibber's hapless nature offer many comedic moments throughout the serial, and it's a real shame Colin Baker's era didn't last longer so they could have become reoccurring characters. Perhaps it's time for Big Finish to bring these two over to the audio front?

Thankfully Lynda Bellingham - who here plays the Inquisitor - did get a chance to reprise her role for Big Finish before her untimely death in 2014. The Inquisitor is without a doubt one of the greatest Time Lord characters outside of the Master or the Rani to be introduced to the series. Her stern, no nonsense demeanour is perfectly portrayed by the superb acting talents of Lynda Bellingham, who embodies the role with a great deal of authority and presence. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, perfect casting for a role like this, and it's hard to imagine any other actor being quite as successful in the role.

Overall, 'The Mysterious Planet' is a passable start for Doctor Who's twenty third season. Whilst the over-arching story regarding the Doctor's trial begins strong, the narrative presented within this arching storyline reflects a screenplay which feels somewhat less confident in its conviction. It's a serviceable Doctor Who story, but it never progresses towards becoming something great, or more than the sum of its parts. What it does show however are some clear improvements regarding the Doctor and Peri's previously more spiky relationship; it's much more fun watching them interact as friends here.