Doctor Who - The Mind Robber details
| Format: | PG DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury |
| Director: | David Maloney |
| Genre: | Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Fantasy - General |
| Studio: | 2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Doctor Who - The Mind Robber |
PG Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 39 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 07 Mar 2005 |
| Main languages: | English |
| Hearing impaired subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
Fiction factory
By Paul D from Uxbridge, England , 19 Mar 2005[Highly rated reviewer]
This story from 1968 finds the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury) in a dimension that exists outside time and space. A writer referred to as 'The Master' (but not to be confused with the Doctor's arch enemy of that name from later stories) has been kidnapped from Earth and is forced to manipulate characters from well known works of fiction. Our heroes encounter some of these including Gulliver (Bernard Horsfall) and Rapunzel (Christine Pirie), along with some robotic clockwork soldiers.
The Master plans to win his freedom by manipulating the Doctor into taking his place.
It's a surreal story that is perhaps a little overlong, but intelligently realised. The story's nature is fortunate because during its filming, Frazer Hines was taken ill and his character is played by Hamish Wilson for a time. Given the age of the production, the special effects, for the most part, still look good. The clockwork soldiers, with the menacing sound that signals their approach are excellent. This is one of the best stories of the Troughton era.
The DVD also includes an entertaining commentary from stars Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines, Hamish Wilson and director David Maloney. There are also a couple of good featurettes included. The first about the making of the the story and the second is an in depth look at Frazer Hines' time in the Tardis.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(12)Mind how you go
By blackpolekev (197 reviews) from blackpole , 14 Apr 2013Although this story is pure hokum, and the old black & white videotape nows looks very grainy, it nevertheless holds the interest throughout; however this is in quite a large measure on account of Zoe (Wendy Padbury) in a tight fitting sparkly catsuit (Emma Peel eat your heart out!). Those were the days.
The DVD also has a special feature on the making of the serial, which gives some very interesting insights, for example why Frazer Hines was missing for one episode.
Format: DVD- Was this review helpful to you?
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classic Dr, Classic who
By nurseboy (54 reviews) from oxford , 11 Feb 2013these classic vintage stories really show just what pedigree Dr who has left and sadly hhow far that has been left behind, dont flame me yet i like the new ones but...the level of imagination is so much higher and i feel that the lower production values led to a high level of writting generaly and less condescenion to 'the kids', the mind robber was one i remembereed from my childhood (allbeit in repeat form in the 80's) if i watch mamy more of these PT Drs he may well become my new old favourite.- Was this review helpful to you?
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wow
By a customer from Cleethorpes , 16 Jan 2009Nothing can compare the old story lines with the new doctor adventures. The old ones are much more in-depth and exciting and imaginative. This adventure shows what is possible if the writer applies some imagination and the cliff-hanging endings to the episodes makes all the difference. Deserves 5 stars just for the nostalgia! Loved it!- Was this review helpful to you?
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More fantasy than sci-fi, but still brilliant
By a customer from Cheshire , 13 Jan 2009For those who like the more surreal Avengers episodes and the crazy antics of The Prisoner, this is a brilliant Doctor Who story.
Very much in that 60s vein of stylistic story telling. The low budget is used to great effect in creating an enjoyable adventure story.
You can imagine a young Grant Morrison lapping this kind of thing up. Excellent and totally reccomended for anyone who wants to get into the shamefully underated Patrick Troughton run. If you like this, try the next story The Invasion. Just as enjoyable (even with two animated epsiodes).- Was this review helpful to you?
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In need of a re-think
By a customer from Yorkshire , 09 Nov 2007This is the notoriously difficult season, prior to Patrick Troughton relinquishing the role, and of which Terrance Dicks usually laments, when everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Scripts failed to materialise, stories ended up one episode short and 'The Invasion,' arguably the best story of the season, was concocted at the last minute and extended to eight episodes. Even the finale, 'The War Games,' was longer than originally intended. And so, in this context, we review 'The Mind Robber,' arguably one of the more bizarre stories from the Doctor Who cannon. To be fair, if you don't analyze it too closely, it's an enjoyable enough romp through fairy-tale legends. The main cast are on form, apart from a rather lazy plot contrivance forced on the production team by Frazer Hines' illness during studio filming. But, if we're being honest, this story is a bit of a mess and it's a shame that the BBC cull of the 1970s left us with this as one of the few remaining intact stories from the second Doctor's era. The three stars are purely for Patrick Troughton, surely one of the best thesps to play the role!- Was this review helpful to you?
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