The Mind Robber

“Gulliver’s Loitering”, “Doctor Who and the Master”, “The Land of Make Believe”

“The One With The Episode That is Weird” (USA), “Doktor Wer Und Das Land der Erfindung” (Belgium)

Doctor Who and his pals get sucked into a fictional world and meet people who don’t exist.

*** - It could only have been made in the 1960s because after that children stopped reading books.

“I am the Karkus – the rest of my superhero gang – Stayke, Korpse and Kadaver – will be along shortly” (the budget wouldn’t stretch to four actors so this sub plot was dropped.)

"We obey our pants, that is all that can be expected of any character, unless the pants bid us otherwise"

There is a theory that this story is all a dream. There is another theory that the first theory came to the author in a dream. There is a third theory that we only dreamt that the first theory exists. A fourth theory is that we want to believe that the second theory is only a dream. All five theories rest on the mistaken belief that The Mind Robber is anything other than an excuse to use old props from the BBC Warehouse.

This was the first story where cast members were allowed to smoke in studio. Patrick brought his pipe, Fraser his cigars and Wendy her bong.

Christopher Robbie is the brother of William Robbie who later changed his name to Robbie William and later Robbie Williamz.

Hamish Wilson won a Radio Times competition to be Dr Who’s companion for a week. His winning entry to the question “I want to be Dr Who’s companion for a week because…” was “I want to be Dr Who’s companion for a week because I enjoy wearing sparkly cat-suits and screaming.”

This story was later remade as an episode of Terry and June but with a scene where Terry Scott spits out his tea added at Ms Whitfield’s request.

Episode four was ad libbed when the production team forgot to get a script written. Two temporary members of staff were excommunicated when the head of drama demanded punishments.

Si Hunt

Albanian Video

"I recall an occasion upon which I was extra witty. It was at a fan organised gathering and Mr Hickman of "Doctor Who" Magazine was doing a question and answer panel with me. I, at my own request, was sat amongst the proles while Gary Russell held the formal "host" brief but the nature of the panel as a joint Brent/Hickman affair was clear to all concerned. My first question concerned the number of typographical errors in each issue of "Doctor Who" Magazine. Mr Hickman laughed this off as being "typical" and I chuckled along with him. I told him I knew exactly how he felt - some typographical errors are inevitable in this slack day and age. I gave the example of my recent passport application. In the section for occupation I naturally wrote "Expert" but when my passport came back it had been mistyped as "Moose-f**king, s**t-stained, g*y-faced old c**t" (but without my sensible censorship). The audience went silent as they no doubt considered sending letters to the passport authorities on by behalf. I decided to lighten the mood and ask Mr Hickman how he considered "Doctor Who" Magazine performed when it came to the delivery of fascinating technical information. He said he thought it was a jolly good read. "Don't be pathetically stupid" I said with my customary wit, "your magazine contains so many factual errors that I for one have dubbed it 'The Land of Fiction'". Mr Hickman, out of sensible loyalty to his employers, did not chuckle at my splendid remark but Ian Devine and I laughed and laughed until he had buckled all three of his chairs and I had chipped a tooth. Happy days."

The Mind

Robber