| Production Code: 7A
The TARDIS is caught in a tractor beam of a vast spaceship, hanging
in space. It materialises in a corridor, and out steps the Sixth Doctor,
bewildered and alone. He steps through a pair of doors and is greeted
by a black-clad figure in a darkened room. Meanwhile the Doctor and Peri find an apparently abandoned building, and begin to explore it. Peri discovers a large roundel with the legend "Marble Arch" — it is a London Underground sign. Even the Doctor cannot explain the find. In the trial room, the Doctor demands to know why he is being forced
to watch Peri getting upset about being on a burnt out Earth, and
then asks why Peri is not with him on the station. The Valeyard cryptically
answers that she is where he left her. When the Doctor cannot remember
where that was, the Valeyard explains that it could be because of
amnesia due to be being pulled out of time. The Inquisitor encourages
them to continue. The Doctor finds an underground complex, but is caught by yellow clothed figures when he picks up a flask of water. He is interrogated by a young man who calls him "Old One" and a "water thief". The Doctor is tied up and is about to be stoned at the command of the "Immortal". The young man identifies himself as Balazar, reader of the books "Moby Dick", "The Water Babies" and "UK Habitats of the Canadian Goose by H.M. Stationery Office" — holy books belonging to "Marb". Balazar tells the Doctor that they are in "Marb Station" in the world they know as "UK Habitat". The yellow clothed figures then proceed to stone the Doctor, who despite defending himself with his umbrella, is knocked unconscious. In the court room, the Valeyard pauses the playback, and declares that what started as an inquiry into the Doctor's activities should become a full blown trial, with the penalty of the termination of his life… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Inquisitor reassures the Doctor that what the Valeyard wants
and what the Court decides are totally separate. Peri is brought before the Queen Katryca of the tribe of the free. Katryca informs Peri that few women join the Tribe of the Free, so she will need to take many husbands. She is then put with the other prisoners — Glitz and Dibber. They tell her that the totem is a Black Light Converter which supplies energy to the L3 robot — they are aiming to destroy it. When Peri mentions that the Doctor is a Time Lord, Glitz thinks that he must be acting on their behalf. Peri assures them that the Doctor acts for no one. They reveal a plan to get the tribe to drive a shaft down into the underground complex, after which Glitz and Dibber will pump gas down. Peri is horrified at their plans for mass murder, but Glitz is not concerned by the prospect — he will do anything for money. Taken before Katryca, she tells him that the Gods demand the sacrifice of Glitz to placate them for the attempt to destroy the great totem. Balazar and Merdeen tell the Doctor that the Immortal never leaves his Castle, and that he has been there since the fire, 500 years ago. No one enters or leaves the Castle except the two cleverest youths — who are rumoured to be eaten by the Immortal. The Doctor enters the Castle, and is welcomed by the Immortal, who introduces itself as Drathro, an L-3 robot. Drathro says that it has been waiting centuries for an arrival from Andromeda. When Drathro discovers the Doctor is in fact from Gallifrey, he commands the Doctor to work with the two assistants Tandrell and Humker. The Doctor and the assistants get to work on the Black Light systems, which are rapidly deteriorating. The Doctor identifies that the problem must lay with an external collection aerial, but Drathro will not allow him to leave the Castle. The assistant tells the Doctor that as well as powering the L-3 robot, the Black Light system provides energy to the three Sleepers. Drathro tells him that they have now died, as the relief ships never arrived. The Doctor says that is the system is not repaired, everyone will die in an enormous explosion, but Drathro still will not allow him to leave. The Doctor questions why water is so valued, when it is raining heavily on the surface, to which Drathro replies it was his instructions to maintain an underground system — he will not allow the workers to leave. The Doctor tricks Drathro and the assistants into holding metallic objects, and then electrifies them before making his escape. Drathro sends the service robot to track and bring back the Doctor. Meanwhile, Peri, Glitz and Dibber manage to elude Glitz's imminent execution by burning. Dibber remains behind to plant a bomb on the Black Light converter, whilst they go to the underground complex. In Marb Station, Merdeen tells Balazar the truth — there has been no fire for hundreds of years, and that he should leave the complex. Merdeen will allow him to escape, and Balazar will find others freed by Merdeen. Unbeknownst to either of them, their conversation was overheard. Glitz succeeds in blowing up the totem, which causes Drathro to convulse. Merdeen and Balazar encounter the Doctor fleeing through the corridors of Marb Station, and Merdeen implores him to take Balazar along. The Valeyard points out to the Court this is another example of the Doctor not extricating himself from the situation, but the Inquisitor urges them both to wait for the end of the sequence. Pursued by tribesmen, Peri, Glitz and Dibber find the Doctor, and together they retreat inside Marb Station, but find themselves trapped between the tribesmen and the service robot… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The tribesmen shoot at the service robot and disable it. Balazar recognises one of the tribesmen as Broken Tooth — who reveals he too was freed from UK Habitat by Merdeen. The Doctor is angry when he discovers that Glitz and Dibber have blown up the Black Light Converter, it will further destabilise the already unstable system. However, when he tries to re-enter the underground complex, the tribesmen insist they all return to the village. On viewing these scenes, the Inquisitor politely requests the Valeyard
to "reduce these brutal and repetitious scenes to a minimum".
After reactivating the service robot, Drathro tells Tandrell and Humker that in fact not all of the planet was burnt by the fireball, and that primitive life survived. The service robot enters the village and breaks into the village building containing the Doctor, stuns him and takes him away. Drathro observes the village and realises someone in UK habitat has been allowing workers to escape onto the surface. In the Court room, the Doctor makes another interruption asking how
it is possible the Matrix has knowledge of events which took place
outside his own experience — but the Valeyard replies that evidence
from third persons can be obtained if they are within range of a TARDIS.
Grell confronts Merdeen, it was he who overheard Merdeen and Balazar's conversation. Stalking him, he reveals he knows that Merdeen has not culled workers as per the Immortal's instructions but has released them onto the surface. The Doctor and Peri re-enter Marb Station with the intention to disable the Black Light System. Glitz and Dibber follow them into the complex believing him to be after the Secrets. As Glitz and Dibber are speaking parts are bleeped out. The Valeyard
explains to the Inquisitor that the material has been excised by order
of the High Council — as it would be against the Public Interest.
He shoots but he was actually aiming at Grel, hiding behind them. Katryca and tribesmen arrive at the Immortal's Castle. The doors open and they enter, and are confronted by Drathro. Drathro seizes Katryca by the throat and electrocutes her, and he dismisses the rest of the tribe to await culling. As Glitz and Dibber proceeds towards the Castle, they discuss the Secrets. Glitz says that the Sleepers found their way into something described as "the biggest net of information in the Universe" - but again the exact words are censored. The Doctor asks what information known to two rogues is withheld from the Court, and the Inquisitor demands to hear more. Glitz rolls off a list of the Secrets: anti-gravity power, dimensional transference - all worth a fortune. The Doctor enters Drathro's domain, promising to help repair the Black Light system. The Doctor tells Drathro he must shut down the Black Light System to prevent a massive explosion, but Drathro refuses to allow that as it would mean its own destruction. The Doctor tells him he is only a robot, and the creatures Drathro calls organics are living creatures, but it refuses to believe it is of less value than them. Balazar and Peri pleads with Merdeen to not cull all the tribesmen. He eventually agrees and leads them to safety. Glitz and Dibber arrive and seeing Peri, Balazar and Merdeen trying to enter the Castle through a food chute, follow them. Drathro detects them and activates defence mechanisms in the chute, but Dibber shoots through the walls with his multi-blaster. Glitz tries to deceive Drathro by telling him they have Black Light on their ship, and they will return the robot to the Andromeda Galaxy - provided it takes the Secrets along. Drathro agrees to the deal, and once Drathro has left the Castle, the Doctor is free to try to shut down the system. When this proves impossible, the Doctor tries to contain the explosion. With the destruction of the system, Drathro collapses and rapidly corrodes - but unfortunately for Glitz the Secrets are also destroyed. Not all is lost for them though, as the fragments of the Black Light converter are made of a valuable material. The Doctor and Peri leave Merdeen and Balazar to take all the remaining inhabitants of UK Habitat to a new life on the surface. In the Court Room, the Doctor smugly announces that he has saved the Universe, and prepares to depart, but the Valeyard commands him to sit down. The Doctor then starts to present his case for the defence, but the Inquisitor tells him to wait for his turn in due course. The Valeyard warns the Doctor that his most damning evidence is yet to come, and when it is finished the Court will demand the Doctor's life…
There are two ways of looking at the idea of the “Trial” as a linking theme throughout this series. You can either love it or hate it. Personally, I would go with the first. The idea of putting The Doctor on trial for his life is hardly original. It happened all the way back in 1968 in The War Games, resulting in his second regeneration, and in 1982 when Peter Davison’s Doctor was condemned to death in Arc of Infinity. But this time, it actually looked as if his life might REALLY be in danger. Just WHO was the Valeyard and why did he want The Doctor dead? This was a mystery for later in the series. But for now we turn to the example of The Doctor’s interference in the affairs of other races, and the mysterious planet of Ravelox, which turned out to be Earth, shifted somehow or other to another constellation and partially destroyed by a fireball. The discovery of the Marble Arch underground station in the midst of the forest was a well crafted scene. Peri’s distress and The Doctor’s attempt to explain it away with ‘maybe they collected train stations’ was well judged. It was a scene akin to the discovery of the destroyed Statue of Liberty in Planet of the Apes, with nearly as much of a chill to it. It was interesting to note how, yet again, a society had lost touch with the past and retained misunderstood memories. Like the Seveteem of Leela’s world and the vampire names in state of decay a remnant remains. Marb Station is the name of the place where the survivors live and work. They have three sacred books:- Moby Dick by Herman Melville, The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, and UK Habitats of the Canadian Goose by 'H.M. Stationery Office'. One of the best guest characters of the whole sixth Doctor reign has to be Sabalom Glitz, ably played by Tony Selby, an actor known for playing loveable rogue types. Rogue, Glitz certainly is. Loveable takes an effort. But it becomes obvious that there is courage and a sense of what is right and wrong somewhere underneath the charlatan that is Glitz. Another character that is played very well is the leader of the Tribe of the Free, played by Joan Simms. As an actress usually known for comedy, in particular the Carry On comedy, a lot of viewers seemed to have trouble taking her seriously, but that is unfair on her as an actress. In fact she played the part of the leader with menace mixed with cunning and a distrust of strangers that was well-placed in the case of Glitz and his companion but less so with The Doctor. The robot, with its humanoid body and non-humanoid head rather like a steel bulls horn was another strong point in the story. Again, the robot, like the humans, had misunderstood its function. It took its role as protector of the organic lives to the extreme of culling them when they were too numerous to be supported by the food stocks in the underground system. It could not accept that it was safe to be above ground, or that there was any alternative to its own programming. A timely reminder of the dangers of letting computers decide things for humans. All in all, a reasonable story that posed some questions, including why and how somebody seemed to have interfered with the Matrix, distorting facts.
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