Stories Television Doctor Who Season 8 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 The Mind of Evil Original Story TV Soundtrack Original Story TV Soundtrack 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 13 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 4 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, January 30, 1971 Production Code FFF Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe Runtime 150 minutes Time Travel Present Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Lost the TARDIS, Master of Disguise, Milkman, Mind Control, Stranded on Earth Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!) Exile on Earth, Working for UNIT Inventory (Potential Spoilers!) Bessie Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, England, London, Stangmoor Prison Synopsis Professor Emil Keller has created a machine that can pacify even the most dangerous of criminals. But when the Doctor and Jo arrive at Stangmoor Prison for a demonstration, things start to go horribly wrong - especially when they discover that the Doctor's old enemy the Master is responsible for the machine. What could he possibly want from the criminals? And what connects him with an impending World Peace Conference? Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save 6 Episodes Episode One First aired Saturday, January 30, 1971 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe UK Viewers 6.1 million Synopsis The Doctor and Jo head to Stangmoor Prison to investigate the Keller Machine, which drains the evil impulses from prisoners' minds, while UNIT are handling security at the first world peace conference. Episode Two First aired Saturday, February 6, 1971 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe UK Viewers 8.8 million Synopsis The Doctor is recalled by UNIT to help investigate Cheng-Tiek's murder but is unaware that Chin-Lee is under the control of the Master. Episode Three First aired Saturday, February 13, 1971 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe UK Viewers 7.5 million Synopsis Realising Chin-Lee has been using the power of the Keller Machine to carry out assassinations, the Doctor heads back to Stangmoor, only to find the Master has teamed up with Mailer to stage another riot. Episode Four First aired Saturday, February 20, 1971 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe UK Viewers 7.4 million Synopsis With the Doctor and Jo being held prisoner, the Master convinces Mailer to help him steal the Thunderbolt. Episode Five First aired Saturday, February 27, 1971 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe UK Viewers 7.6 million Synopsis The Doctor is forced to help the Master control the mind parasite while Yates finds out where the Thunderbolt has been taken only to be captured by the Master's men. Episode Six First aired Saturday, March 6, 1971 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Don Houghton Directed by Timothy Combe UK Viewers 7.3 million Synopsis The Brigadier has recaptured Stangmoor but the Master still has control of the Thunderbolt and the Doctor must find a way to stop him and destroy the Keller Machine. Show All Episodes Characters Third Doctor Jo Grant The Master [UNIT Era] The Brigadier John Benton Mike Yates Show All Characters (6) How to watch The Mind of Evil: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray The Collection – Season 8 DVD The Mind of Evil VHS The Mind of Evil (VHS) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 13 reviews 18 May 2025 · 65 words Review by kawaii2234 Spoilers This review contains spoilers! the master's entire plan this serial is to steal a missile to start a global war. however what this has to go with the lobotomy machine he creates, I'm still unsure about. the missile in this serial is an actual RAF missile that the crew got on loan. overall a brilliant unit story with lots of action and the brigadier being really in his element. kawaii2234 View profile Like Liked 0 24 April 2025 · 6 words Review by Nitronine This serial is my Threegado manifesto Nitronine View profile Like Liked 0 10 April 2025 · 41 words Review by Scottybguud Would of been stronger if it had less episodes. Still, it's another good one for the third Doctor, Jo and the UNIT regulars. The Master is present as he's still stranded on Earth. But it's really the machine that's the villain. Scottybguud View profile Like Liked 0 9 April 2025 · 293 words Review by presidentdisastra Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! There are some fantastic moments in this serial. The checkers scene where both the Doctor and Jo shush the Master, the moment when the Master panics because he thinks he killed the Doctor for real, Jo getting to be brave and clever in her own right, the overacted fight scenes are fun, and both Benton and Yates are great. However. The plot has FAR too many aspects so that they all sort of get lost: the dangerous effects of the machine, the hostage situation in the prison, the peace conference being hijacked by a hypnotized Chin Lee (who also doesn't get enough on-screen time post hypnosis), the stolen missile used to threaten a third world war, and Barnham wandering around all innocent because he no longer has his evil impulses. It's just too much, making it almost easy to miss that some of it doesn't make sense: the machine takes out "evil impulses" but then the mind grown from that causes people to see their worst fear and then, somehow, literally die from that fear (not the fear itself but whatever is the cause of the fear, ie actually drowning). At first it seems the evil impulses have just imbued the machine with sentience, but then it turns out that somehow a nearly-impossible-to-kill living creature has grown from them. The Master's entire plan is "start a war that decimates the Earth," which on its own would be amusing and I wouldn't mark down, but with everything together it's one more thing that isn't fleshed out. The story doesn't even have TIME to get into the problematic and eugenicist issues with choosing to (or even having the ability to) remove evil/criminal impulses from a person, beyond a couple throwaway lines at the beginning. presidentdisastra View profile Like Liked 1 2 April 2025 · 259 words Review by Newt5996 1 I’m one of this serial’s biggest defenders. It’s the last gasp of the Season 7 style of storytelling, is the final contribution for both Don Houghton and Timothy Combe, the latter barred from Doctor Who for going over budget, and actually sees UNIT be an international organization. Despite being set in the UK, this is one of those classic Who serials that feels incredibly global, the parallel plots of Stangmoor Prison, the peace conference, and transporting the missile really creating that. It’s also fascinating for how it engages with the international community, care is taken with the script to not paint the Chinese characters as exotic caricatures and keeps the language as close to correct as possible. Chin Lee as a character is genuinely compelling despite being a victim of the Master. Roger Delgado as the Master gets to really make this fascinating second impression, while it has similar setup to Terror of the Autons with the character making an alliance, as the serial goes on Delgado relishes the chance to seeing what the Master deeply fears. The same can be said with Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, his fears reflecting his experiences in Inferno and the evils he has fought and can no longer face due to his exile. Katy Manning is always a delight with Jo getting to be in the middle of the prison plot while Nicholas Courtney once again excels in the action sequence near the end of the serial. Dudley Simpson being promoted to essentially the main composer also adds leitmotif. Truly an underrated gem. Newt5996 View profile Like Liked 1 Show All Reviews (13) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating544 members 3.70 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating767 votes 3.80 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 980 Favourited 88 Reviewed 13 Saved 6 Skipped 1 Related Stories Virgin Missing Adventures Who Killed Kennedy Rating: 4.06 Story Skipped Book More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Virgin Missing Adventures Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil Rating: 3.65 Story Skipped Book More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other variations of this story We define a variation as another way of experiencing the exact same story - like an autiobook, a reconstruction or an omnibus edition. BBC Audio Soundtracks The Mind of Evil (BBC Audio Soundtrack) Rating: ??? Story Skipped Soundtrack Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: BBC Audio Soundtracks Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite DOCTOR: People who talk about infallibility are usually on very shaky ground. — The Mind of Evil Show All Quotes (4) Open in new window Transcript Needs checking Episode One [Prison] (The Doctor and Jo drive up to the Constable's Gateway entrance to Dover Castle, currently masquerading as HM Prison Stangmoor, and parks on the drawbridge.) JO: It looks like Dracula's castle.DOCTOR: Well, you're right about the castle bit. It used to be a fortress in the Middle Ages.JO: Doctor? You'll need this. (Jo gives him an ID pass.) Show Full Transcript Open in new window
