The Trial of a Time Lord on Trial

The Samuel Pepys, Green Park

8th April 2004

Some Doctor Who fans are in a pub. Beer has been consumed. It is time to lay the debate to rest. To settle the argument once and for all. "Trial": One story or four?

"Four," says Steve, resolutely. "No, actually three. One for each production code."

"It's not one story because it's spread across more than one Target novelisation," points out Jon, seemingly unaware that this makes "The Daleks' Masterplan" two stories as well.

"You could go by writer," suggests Dave.

"That would make the last two episodes individual stories then," remarks someone else. "One by Eric Saward, one by Pip 'n' Jane."

Oh gosh, "Masterplan" really is two stories then. The evidence is irrefutable!

"There are no cliff-hanger reprises." points out a Simon.

"There aren't any at the end of the second episode of Revenge of the Cybermen either," butts in another Simon. "Does that make this separate adventures? If so, Ronald Leigh-Hunt has been in THREE Doctor Who stories."

Clearly the cliff-hanger option is a non-starter.

This is clearly too much like hard work. It could be four, because that's how many episodes begin without a cliff-hanger reprise. It could be three, because that's how many production codes there are. It could even be one, if someone wise had told them not to invent individual titles.

But then, we'd have nothing to debate over...