You know, I'm not rating this serial that high, but it wasn't that bad either.  That opening with the models and CGI was genuinely impressive, exciting, and amazing.  That energy continues well into the early courtroom scenes.  Even though I know what's happening, there's a good sense of intrigue going on here.  What's happening?  Why is the Doctor on trial?  It's good stuff.

The actual execution outside of the framing device is a lot weaker, though.  It feels like the actual mysterious planet of The Mysterious Planet is a little boring.  Some Doctor Who sets and alien worlds look great - this is not one of those situations.  It really feels like everything is just barely holding together at the seams.  And the characters living there felt flat and boring.  It all felt so artificial - like these were costumes and sets rather than people and places.  Still, I found Six and Peri pretty entertaining.  They have good banter here, for once, and it already feels like a huge improvement from last season.  Again, it's just not that bad.  Not that great, but not that bad, either.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Plight of the Pimpernel

What a start to Season 23, like the nothing the show has seen before. It's probably been said many times, but that model shot is gorgeous and for a second I genuinely felt like I could have been watching something big-budget like Star Trek. The courtroom framing device is excellent, often more interesting than the story itself. The Valeyard is a great villain so far, performed wonderfully by Michael Jayston. He's the perfect foil to Colin Baker's eccentric and obnoxious Doctor (not hate on his Doctor I absolutely love him).

The actual plot to the story is nothing remarkable but it is surprisingly competent for this era of Doctor Who. I like all the various narratives going on, Sabalom Glitz and Dibber are a fun little duo. The reveal that the planet they were on is Earth could have been done a bit more impactfully in my opinion. Ironically, I think it's where Chris Chibnall lifted the "barren planet is Earth" reveal for Orphan 55.

The big robot is not the most compelling villain, but he does the job for the story. I'm not the biggest fan of the way this adventure ends, it feels quite rushed and like they suddenly remembered that there had to be a bit of action beyond getting captured and re-captured over and over. A promising start to the season though.

Next Story: Mindwarp

The "story" part - ie not the trial - of the Mysterious Planet is Doctor Who at its most average. There's chase scenes down corridors, big robots, and side characters in silly outfits. Whilst I wouldn't go as far as to say they've figure out how to write Peri, someone has realised that audiences prefer it when their two main characters seem to like each other, which is a very nice change from s22.

The trial section is more fun, with the Valeyard, Inquisitor, and Doctor all playing off each other. It's not, like, groundbreaking television, but it is such a welcome change to have a Sixth Doctor serial (or part of one) that could reasonably be called "enjoyable"

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.

Part 1 of The Trial of a Time Lord is a brilliant kick off for season 23. Easily the nicest model / CGI shot the show has ever seen. The courtroom drama framing device is exciting and gives the show the kick up the bum that it needed last season. All together it’s feeling fresh and new. As are The Doctor and Peri who are not just playing nice but seem to be getting on famously as we watch their pre-recorded adventures in the courtroom matrix.

Part 1 sees Holmes’ writing on form with his signature double acts, believable characters and intricate plotting. It leaves you with high hopes that season 23 will be leagues ahead of 22.

Parts 2 to 4 of The Trial of a Time Lord don’t quite hit home as effortlessly, but the courtroom scenes continue to entertain. It gets bogged down with unexciting giant robots - something the show has wanted to do several time but has never quite pulled off. The human characters who make up the future tribe (another Doctor Who trope) are more interesting but do eventually come across a little one note.

Rather than a satisfactory beginning, middle and end you end up with a dramatic soup. Characters running around from one place to another, getting captured, then escaping. It’s pretty standard Doctor Who.

Thankfully the framing device and mysteries surrounding the censorship of what we are viewing is exciting. The Valleyard is a promising adversary who bounces off Colin Baker's Doctor nicely. He still may be my least favourite Doctor - but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.