"Mind Robber" DVD

The ironic thing about there having been an extra episode tagged onto the front of the season six "Doctor Who" serial "The Mind Robber" when it was made, back in the late Sixties, is that, collectively, the five episodes underrun to such an extent that the story has the equivalent running time of a four-parter! I wonder how it would work re-edited as such?

"The Mind Robber" is a good choice of story for release on DVD at the present time, however, because of the similarity of ideas between it and episode twelve of the current season. This penultimate episode sees Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor subjected to a "Big Brother" scenario, while Rose endeavours to make sure she isn’t "The Weakest Link" and Captain Jack receives a makeover from robot versions of Trinny and Susannah! This makes "Bad Wolf" sound not only like a modern reworking of "The Mind Robber" but also "The Celestial Toymaker".

These two black and white stories set the mould for later adventures such as "Death to the Daleks", "Pyramids of Mars" and "The Five Doctors" all of which feature puzzles that have to be solved to either avoid certain death or advance further into an enemy's domain or both. While outwardly oddball, it has become a traditional type of story that the Doctor and his companions are forced, against their will, to play games for their very survival!!!