 "Terror of the Vervoids" is the title that has been given to the parts nine to twelve of The Trial of a Time Lord, the season-long storyline that constituted Season Twenty Three.
The majority of fans consider this as the most successful part of The Trial of a Time Lord season and features the disjointed first appearance of new companion - the much-maligned Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush.
The title "Terror of the Vervoids" is not used on screen as the four episodes, that comprise this story, were transmitted as Parts Nine to Twelve of The Trial of a Time Lord.
As no individual title was used onscreen, or on the final scripts for this story, there has been some confusion over how to refer to this story. It was initially commissioned with the title "The Ultimate Foe". However, this title was later given to the Target novelisation of the final two episodes of the fourteen-part The Trial of a Time Lord season. Writers Pip and Jane Baker have repeatedly referred to this story as "The Vervoids" in subsequent interviews, as have other production team members, but this title does not appear to exist on any contemporary documentation. The title "Terror of the Vervoids" was first used when Target Books published the novelisation of this story in February 1988. This unofficial moniker, which was created after the production, is now generally used to refer to this story.
The original plan was for the final six episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord to have three two-part adventures. The first two of these would be closely linked, using largely the same sets. This is a strategy that was used back in Season Twelve with "The Ark in Space" and "Revenge of the Cybermen". Both of the interlinked stories would be made under the same production code, as ‘Serial 7C’, while the final story, forming the trial’s conclusion, would have the production code ‘Serial 7D’ - this though was later changed so that all six episodes came under same ‘7C’ banner.
It was initially planed that as well as writing "The Mysterious Planet" - the first segment of The Trial of a Time Lord - that veteran writer Robert Holmes would also write the final six episodes of the season. Robert Holmes, though was not happy about having to write a six part storyline and so requested that his involvement be limited to just the final two episodes of the season. Therefore Jack Trevor Story and David Halliwell were approached about writing the two future-set two-part stories. Unfortunately, problems with Jack Trevor Story’s contribution quickly became evident, as Eric Saward became aware that the author had little idea of how to write for Doctor Who and so his storyline has to be abandoned.
David Halliwell, meanwhile, had created a storyline entitled "Attack From the Mind" which was set on the planet Penelope, where the beautiful but weak natives were suffering attacks from the rat-like Freds (later renamed Trikes). It transpires that the Penelopeans are intentionally driving the Freds insane using mental hallucinations and feeding off their madness; in the end, the two races destroy each other, providing new fodder for The Valeyard to use against The Doctor. Despite further work on this story Eric Saward felt it was not suitable and it to was rejected.
With time beginning to grow short, John Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward decided that the idea of two interlocking stories should be abandoned in favour of a more straightforward four-part story. They also concurred that only writers familiar with the show should be pursued, in order to save time. To this end, Eric Saward contacted former script editor Christopher H. Bidmead, who had last written the 1984 Fifth Doctor story "Frontios" and whose "In the Hollows of Time" had been a strong contender for the original Season Twenty Three. Christopher H. Bidmead was therefore commissioned to produce an outline and draft script for "The Last Adventure". This storyline, which had been given a new title of "Pinacotheca", was also abandon as Eric Saward felt it lacked sufficient substance.
It was then suggested to Eric Saward, by Ian Levine - who had acted as the programme’s unofficial fan adviser throughout the Eighties - that he should consider allowing PJ Hammond, who had created the science-fiction series Sapphire and Steel a decade earlier, to write a story. This Eric Saward did and so PJ Hammond was commissioned to write a draft script entitled "End of Term", which was shortly thereafter renamed "Paradise Five". This adventure concerned The Doctor and Melanie Bush investigating a holiday planet which actually served as a front for unscrupulous businessmen, their work being hampered by the appearance of ghost-like creatures called Angels. This time it was John Nathan-Turner who was unhappy with the idea, and "Paradise Five" was also rejected. PJ Hammond later wrote two stories of the spin-off series Torchwood.
Finally, at John Nathan-Turner’s instigation, Eric Saward turned to husband-and-wife team Pip and Jane Baker, who had written last season’s "The Mark of The Rani". Eric Saward was not particularly keen on working with Pip and Jane Baker again, but knew that they could produce scripts quickly and so the writing duo were asked to produce a studio-bound story, even suggesting a mystery-in-space scenario. A late as March 1986, Pip and Jane Baker were commissioned to write "The Ultimate Foe" which later was re-titled to "The Vervoids" before becoming "Terror of the Vervoids". They did this despite the fact that they had been given very little information about the trial itself from which to work.
The Doctor’s new companion, Melanie ‘Mel’ Bush, was created by John Nathan-Turner. Eric Saward though was not happy with Mel, and this was one of a series of disagreements between Producer and Script Editor which was beginning to take its toll on their working relationship.
Bonnie Langford, who John Nathan-Turner originally had in mind to play the part of Melanie Bush, was a well-known star since childhood. Bonnie Langford is best known for the role of the shrill Violet Elizabeth Bott in adaptations of the Just William series of children’s novels, and for appearances in numerous stage musicals. As disappointed as he had been in the character of Melanie Bush, It has been reported that Eric Saward was even more aghast at John Nathan-Turner’s choice of actress to play this part.
Honor Blackman (who played the part of Professor Lasky) is best known for playing Cathy Gale in The Avengers and as Pussy Galore in the James Bond film "Goldfinger". Honor Blackman later played the part of Anahita in the Fifth Doctor audio story "The Children of Seth" - in Big Finish Productions The Lost Stories range.
Eric Saward is not credited as being the Script Editor for this story as he had indicated that he was not interested in script-editing Pip and Jane Baker’s story. Therefore John Nathan-Turner assumed Eric Saward’s responsibilities in this regard and so the completed episodes did not include a Script Editor credit. Shortly afterwards Eric Saward resigned from this position.
The director assigned to the final six episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord was Chris Clough, whose previous television work included episodes of the soap operas Brookside and EastEnders. Because all six episodes were treated as a single production, the location material for "The Ultimate Foe" was taped first. Then the two stories shared a two-day studio block before separate studio blocks were used. "The Ultimate Foe" was completed first before two three-day studio sessions were devoted entirely to "Terror of the Vervoids".
Using an idea taken from the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, each story that makes up The Trial of a Time Lord season included evidence taken from The Doctor’s past, present and future. Being the third story of the season Pip and Jane Baker were asked to write this segment, set in the ‘future’. Like the other evidence it is extracted from the Matrix. Being events from The Doctor’s future confirms that the Matrix also contains future knowledge, although The Doctor’s failure to use his continued future existence as a defence indicates that the future can be changed, which is why the Matrix is called predictive in "The Deadly Assassin". The Valeyard continues to edit the material, leading to such bizarre comments as The Doctor saying ‘The weird atmosphere down there could lead to phantasmagoria’.
This story was designed as a typical Agatha Christie murder mystery but set on a space liner. The actual structure of this story (and its bubbly tone) is reminiscent of the show during Douglas Adams’ tenure as Script Editor, during Season Seventeen. At the beginning of this story Professor Lasky is briefly seen reading a copy of Agatha Christie’s "Murder on the Orient Express".
Unlike the previous two stories, the events of this story have no underlying connection to The Doctor’s trial, though the trial is used as a framing device.
New companion Melanie Bush is introduced without the typical ‘meeting’ story and no explanation of how she came to be travelling with The Doctor, as the trial evidence takes place in The Doctor’s future - after he had already met her. This is the only time, except for original companion Susan, where the introduction of a companion is done off-screen.
Melanie Bush meets The Doctor for the ‘first time’ in the BBC Books’ The Past Doctors Stories novel "Business Unusual" that was written by Gary Russell.
Mel’s full name ‘Melanie Bush’ is never actually revealed on screen.
It is revealed that Melanie Bush comes from Pease Pottage, and has almost total recall. During this story there are generalised references to other adventures with Melanie Bush.
It is revealed that the character of Commodore Travers is familiar with The Doctor and it seems that The Doctor met Commodore (then Captain) 'Tonker' Travers, and the Captain nearly lost his spaceship, caught up in ‘a web of mayhem and intrigue’ with fatalities. The Doctor has never been shown to meet Commodore Travers on screen before this or in any subsequently published material. Although the BBC Books’ The Past Doctors Stories novel "Instruments of Darkness", written by Gary Russell, states that the original meeting occurred while The Doctor was travelling with Evelyn Smythe.
Hallett has also met The Doctor on a previous occasion and The Doctor admired him. He has also been to the planet Mogar.
Mogar is a planet in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. It is rich in rare metals (including vionesium, similar to magnesium, which emits light and carbon dioxide when exposed to air and thus ignited), which are being exploitatively mined by humans, and home to the Mogarians. Between Mogar and Earth lies the Black Hole of Tartarus. Mogarians are gold skinned humanoids with grill like mouths who cannot breathe oxygen. They are a peace loving race, for whom water on the face is fatal, but who nevertheless drink tea.
Vervoids can produce a gas that smells like methane, but is non-explosive, in big enough quantities to kill humans. They appear to learn very quickly. A tiny piece of Vervoid pollen in a cut can transform a human into a semi-Vervoid. The Vervoids were created on Mogar by Professor Lasky to be a workforce to replace robots and a consortium has been established to exploit them. High frequency light causes them to emerge from their pods, and strong light can accelerate their life cycle and ultimately kill them.
It has been reported that John Nathan-Turner was displeased with the appearance of the Vervoids, likening them to Labia.
In contrast to the events presented on Ravalox and Thoros Beta in the previous two stories, the events presented here form part of The Doctor’s defence case, rather than The Valeyard’s prosecution and are selected by him from the future of his personal timeline to defend the case for his continued existence. Why he chooses this particular incident to support that view is unclear, particularly as it features his self-confessed genocide.
It is similarly unclear why The Doctor allows the Hyperion III to remain on course for Earth and destroy the Vervoids, rather than evacuating the survivors in the TARDIS and re-routing the space liner to a planet with no humanoid life.
Article Seven of Gallifreyan law deals with genocide. The Doctor faced a similar choice on whether it was justified to wipe out a whole species in the 1975 Fourth Doctor story "Genesis of the Daleks".
This story contains the last time that Colin Baker, as the Sixth Doctor, would be seen in the TARDIS Console Room - as Sylvester McCoy would play the Sixth Doctor, in the brief scene when the Sixth Doctor regenerates into the Seventh Doctor at the beginning of Season Twenty Four.
The Doctor’s coat contains conjuror’s flowers and he carries an electronic lock pick.
This story contains a number of errors. Namely: Professor Lasky has been into ‘Room 6’, not finding her luggage there, because her key is actually for ‘Room 9’. So how did she get in? The Vervoids wear tracksuits and trainers (as seen when they are wilting and climbing through the tunnel in Part Twelve); If the Vervoids are genetically engineered, why create them with lethal stings? The Mogarians don’t seem to notice a major change in character in one of their number; Why does the Commodore state that the space liner is hi-jack proof, even though it has been hi-jacked by Brookner?
This story marked the last time the BBC Radiophonic Workshop provided a music score for the show. Elizabeth Parker was initially assigned the story, but some schedule shifts meant it ended up being done by Malcolm Clarke instead. Coincidentally, Malcolm Clarke had done the Radiophonic Workshop’s first Doctor Who score, for the 1972 Third Doctor story "The Sea Devils".
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The Firsts:
Bonnie Langford's first story as Melanie Bush.
The first and only time, except for original companion Susan, where the introduction of a companion is done off-screen.
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Chris Clough.
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(Position = 106 out of 159)
(Position = 142 out of 200)
(Position = 168 out of 241)
