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THE MIND ROBBER (1968) Director: David Maloney. Hacktors: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury. Rating: Cutting Remarks: It's sad to note that there are relatively few Patrick Troughton stories left in existence - some of them were junked by the BBC, either in full or in part. Still, at least this surrealistic gem remains and finally hits DVD here, complete with the kind of extras it deserves. The story's interesting conceit is that the Doctor and his companions Jamie (Hines) and Zoe (Padbury) end up in a world populated by fictional characters. Early on, there's one of the series' all-time most memorable sequences - the TARDIS is blown apart, leaving the travellers clinging to the craft's console, slowly revolving in space. Superb stuff - especially given the restrictions of budget.       What follows is one imaginative idea after another: clockwork soldiers, the White Robots, Rapunzel and Swift's Gulliver are among the creations which come to life. Interestingly, the villain here is referred to as The Master, but isn't the classic villain who we came to know in the next Doctor's era. In one bizarrely inspired moment, Jamie's face changes entirely. As the accompanying featurette Fact Of Fiction points out, Hines was replaced by actor Hamish Wilson for one episode only, as he was ill with chicken pox! Thankfully, this story was so out-there that it could accomodate such weirdness at the last moment. A vintage tale all 'round. DVD Extras: The 35-minute featurette The Fact Of Fiction, which interviews Padbury, Hines, Hamish Wilson, director Maloney, script editor Derek Sherwin and writer Peter Ling. Then there's a commentary with Padbury, Hines, Wilson and Maloney, plus a 22-minute featurette solely about Hines' career in Who and beyond. Hilariously, there's also a Basil Brush sketch from 1975, which features an appearance from Who monster the Yeti. Add to this a photo gallery, production subtitles and easter egg, and you've got the kind of well-rounded package we've come to expect from Who discs. Release Date: Out now in the UK. [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present