The Mind Robber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 045 – The Mind Robber |
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| Doctor Who serial | |||
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Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | David Maloney | ||
| Written by | Derrick Sherwin (episode 1, uncredited) Peter Ling |
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| Script editor | Derrick Sherwin | ||
| Produced by | Peter Bryant | ||
| Executive producer(s) | None | ||
| Incidental music composer | Stock music by Anton Bruckner | ||
| Production code | UU | ||
| Series | Season 6 | ||
| Running time | 5 episodes, approximately 20 minutes each | ||
| First broadcast | 14 September 1968 | ||
| Last broadcast | 12 October 1968 | ||
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The Mind Robber is an exciting adventure from the classic British science fiction TV show Doctor Who. It was the second story in the sixth season. This story was shown in five parts, once a week, from September 14 to October 12, 1968.
This adventure takes place in a strange world outside of normal time and space. In this world, characters from books and myths, like Medusa (who has snakes for hair!) and the Minotaur (a creature with a bull's head), are real. The story follows the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), a time traveler. He meets an old English writer called "the Master" (Emrys Jones). This Master wants the Doctor to take over his job. He needs a replacement because he is getting too old to create new stories for this world.
Contents
Plot Summary
Escaping Danger
The Doctor, his friends Jamie and Zoe, were in a tricky spot. They had just defeated the Dominators and caused a volcano to erupt. Now, their time-traveling spaceship, the TARDIS, was in the path of hot lava! To escape, the Doctor tried to make the TARDIS disappear. But something went wrong with a part called the "fluid link."
A Strange New World
Jamie and Zoe really wanted to get away from the lava. So, the Doctor used a special emergency unit. This unit took the TARDIS to a completely different place. It was a strange, empty white space, outside of normal reality. As soon as they arrived, an invisible force started to attack them. The TARDIS broke apart, and the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe were separated.
Meeting Fictional Characters
The Doctor had many weird experiences in this new place. He soon found Jamie and Zoe again. He quickly figured out that they were in a world where fictional characters and mythical creatures were real. Imagine meeting Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels or Rapunzel from the fairy tale!
The Master's Plan
Eventually, they met a person known as "The Master." He seemed to be in charge of this strange land. It turned out he was a man from Earth who had been kidnapped. He was brought here to provide creative energy for some unseen aliens. These aliens were the ones truly in control. Everything the Doctor had gone through was a test. The aliens wanted him to replace the old Master. Their big plan was to control everyone on Earth and bring them to this "land of fiction." This would leave Earth empty for the aliens to take over easily.
Saving the Day
The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe worked together to stop the aliens' evil plans. They also managed to rescue the old Master, freeing him from the aliens' mind control. When the central computer of this world was destroyed, the Doctor guessed what would happen next. He thought everyone would go back to where they came from. In the end, the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe, and the Master all faded away from the world of fiction. The TARDIS then seemed to put itself back together again.
Making the Episode
Writing and Filming
This story had a few different working titles before it was called The Mind Robber. Some ideas were Man Power and Another World. The story was first planned to have four episodes. But the story before it, The Dominators, was cut from six episodes to five. This meant The Mind Robber needed an extra episode.
So, the first episode of The Mind Robber had to be written quickly. It also had to use the money that was left over from the cut episode. This made the first four episodes a bit short, lasting only 19 to 22 minutes. Episode 5 was even shorter, just over 18 minutes, making it the shortest Doctor Who episode ever!
Jamie's Changing Face
During filming, the actor who played Jamie, Frazer Hines, got chickenpox. This meant another actor, Hamish Wilson, had to quickly step in for episode 2. The writers had to add a scene very fast to explain why Jamie suddenly looked different!
Before Jamie's appearance changed, he shouted "creag an tuire." Frazer Hines later joked that this means "vodka and tonic" in Scottish Gaelic. It's actually very close to the MacLaren family's motto, which means "the rock of the boar."
Filming Locations
Filming for The Mind Robber happened in June 1968. Some outdoor scenes were shot at Harrison's Rocks in Sussex and at Kenley Aerodrome in Croydon. Other parts were filmed in the same month at Ealing Studios. The studio recordings for the first two episodes also took place in June. The last three episodes were recorded in July 1968.
The white robots that chase Jamie and Zoe in the empty void were not new. They had been used before in another British science fiction TV show called Out of the Unknown.
Books and DVDs
The Book Version
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| Author | Peter Ling |
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| Cover artist | David McAllister |
| Series | Doctor Who book: Target novelisations |
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Release number
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115 |
| Publisher | Target Books |
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Publication date
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November 1986 (Hardback) 16 April 1987 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-426-20286-4 |
A book version of The Mind Robber was written by Peter Ling, who also helped write the TV story. It was published by Target Books in November 1986.
Watching at Home
You could watch The Mind Robber at home when it was released on VHS (an old type of video tape) in May 1990. Later, it came out on Region 2 DVD on March 7, 2005. It was released in North America on September 6, 2005.
See also
