DVD EXTRAS

• Commenatry: Colin Baker, Nicoal Bryant, Philip Martin
• THE MAKING OF MINWARP
• DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
• NOW AND THEN - ON THE TRAIL OF A TIME LORD
• A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH
• TRAILERS AND CONTINUITY
• CHILDREN IN NEED 1985
• LENNY HENRY SKETCH
• PRODUCTION SUBTITLES and PHOTO GALLERY

COMMENT

Saward (in the THE MAKING OF documentary) declares that this story is the best of the TRIAL season and I cannot disagree.

I re-watched the story once again (TRIAL was first released on VHS video in the UK and US in 1993) with the commentary and Information track switched on. Baker C., Bryant and Philip Martin are present and appear to enjoy themselves while the Info track (a subtitle function) offers some interesting data about what did not make it to the screen and why, as well as technical information (e.g. the debut of the Harry imaging software from the US, which reinforced the options offered by Paintbox). Once again, Colin offers up the view that no one could reassure him as to whether his betrayal of Peri was actual or virtual (he opted for the view that it was fake) but it's a story worth recounting because it highlights the gap between the perfunctory, off-hand and fundamentally alienated nature of the shows production back in the 80s, in contrast with the intense enthusiasm of RTDs team today. And his comment "When I went home, I didn't know I wouldn't be coming back" is moving.

The story does not add up to the sum of its parts but there are several rather splendid elements on display. Blessed is in joyous shouty form as Ycarnos; Patrick Ryecart (Crozier) plays it straight, presenting us with a surprisingly suave mad doctor; Nabil Shaban (Sil, of course) purloins every scene he's in as usual; Thomas Branch gives us a pathetic and scary creature in the Lukoser; and Chris Ryan (Kiv) is fine but should have had more screen time. Trevor Laird (Frax), offering a nice, icy performance here, went on to portray Martha Jones' dad (in the NEW SERIES). But they are all primarily "Light Entertainment" performances. Furthermore, if the courtroom scenes had been excised altogether (which, as Baker observes at one point, tend to bring the pace of Martins' story to a complete halt) I think this story would have been a worthy sequel to VENGEANCE ON VAROS.

What saves this story from being crippled by its 'coding' is the finale: Peri's death is genuinely nasty and it's to Bryant's credit that she expresses discontent at the idea that Peri actually survived (Baker and Martin compare her bald look to the late Persis Khambatta, from the first STAR TREK movie).

The extras consist of the usual Who DVD standards and there's nothing wrong with that. Stand outs are the THE MAKING OF and NOW AND THEN documentaries; both are too short at 20 minutes each.

The THE MAKING OF is a little gem: nearly all the key players offer contributions (Ryecart's affectionate jab at Blessed must have made the big fella laugh: "He needs to be licensed!").

NOW AND THE highlights the technical innovation represented by the seasons' use of outside broadcast cameras instead of 16mm film cameras.

Another extra worth a look is A FATE WORST THAN DEATH which enables Baker and Bryant to discuss (in commentary) Peri's  'resurrection' as the clip from the courtroom scene in the season finale depicting her apparent survival plays.

MINDWARP is not bad: too many talented people contributed to its production for that to be the case. But it does not have the clarity and tone to be a classic.