The Mind of Evil: Episode Three (13 Feb. 1971)

Realising Chin-Lee has been using the power of the Keller Machine to carry out assassinations, the Doctor heads back to Stangmoor, only to find the Master has teamed up with Mailer to stage another riot.

Director:

Timothy Combe

Writer:

Don Houghton

Stars:

Jon Pertwee, Roger Delgado, Nicholas Courtney

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Pertwee	...	Dr. Who
Roger Delgado	...	The Master
Nicholas Courtney	...	Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Katy Manning	...	Jo Grant
Richard Franklin	...	Captain Mike Yates
John Levene	...	Sergeant Benton
William Marlowe	...	Harry Mailer
Hayden Jones	...	Lenny Vosper
Raymond Westwell	...	Prison Governer Victor Camford
Michael Sheard	...	Dr. Summers
Pik Sen Lim	...	Captain Chin Lee (as Pik-Sen Lim)
Kristopher Kum	...	Fu Peng
Neil McCarthy	...	Barnham
Roy Purcell	...	Chief Prison Officer Powers
Eric Mason	...	Senior Prison Officer Green

Storyline

Realising Chin-Lee has been using the power of the Keller Machine to carry out assassinations, the Doctor heads back to Stangmoor, only to find the Master has teamed up with Mailer to stage another riot.

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Plot Keywords:

master | military officer | dandy

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1971 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Cornwall Gardens, South Kensington, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Benton's role in this serial was expanded when a cast member was taken ill.

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Soundtracks

"The Devil's Triangle"
Composed by Robert Fripp and Ian McDonald
Performed by King Crimson

User Reviews

Watchable Doctor Who story.

Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil: Episode Three (not 'Part 3') starts as the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) & the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) manage to save the American delegate Senator Alcott (Tommy Duggan) from being killed by Capatin Chin Lee (Pik Sen Lim) & her hallucinated dragon who is being controlled by the Master (Roger Delgado). The Doctor makes the link between the Keller machine & the events at the World Peace Conference & also hears about the riot at Stangmoor Prison in which Jo (Katy Manning) was being held hostage before the guards regained control as does the Master who decides to go there & help cause some real trouble, he arms Mailer (William Marlowe) & some inmates with guns who kill the prison guards & again take Jo hostage at gunpoint. The Doctor arrives & confronts the Master who confirms he is behind the Keller machine & intends to steal a banned Thunderbolt missile full of nerve gas which is being transported across the country to be dumped at the bottom of the Ocean which he intends to start World War III with...

Episode 7 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during February 1971, directed by Timothy Combe this is an unusual Doctor Who story & doesn't show any signs of reverting back to type. The script by Don Houghton is continuing in it's espionage thriller vein as there are still delicate issues to be solved over the Peace Conference, there's betrayal & a sequence where a group of prisoners take control of a prison for a second time although this time they are armed & they shoot & kill several prison guards which seems out of place in a children's show like Doctor Who even if it doesn't bother me in the slightest & I'm all for a bit of violence, however some may not like images of the Doctor having a shotgun pointed at his face & being threatened. The Mind of Evil has a pretty convoluted plot & seems overly complicated presumably to accommodate it's mammoth six parts & is very adult orientated, I could easily see younger children becoming lost or losing interest in this & the lack of monsters, time travel or any blatant sci-fi elements might not impress some. I'm half way through The Mind of Evil now & I definitely like it but more as a spy thriller with one or two sci-fi overtones rather than a traditional straight Doctor Who sci-fi adventure, it's certainly worth a watch but don't expect a typical Doctor Who story.

The special effects count in The Mind of Evil have been virtually zero although this episode sees our first glimpse of horrible CSO (colour separation overlay) during this story & the dragon still looks terrible but it's only on screen few a few seconds. The cigar chomping Master is a great villain & he's becoming more prominent although one can't help but feel his plan relies on a lot of co-incidences & why did he kill the Chinese delegate when all it would do is raise suspicions? The sets are well furnished & have good detail complete with a full set of medieval armour in the Prison Governor's office! The Doctor also gets to speak Chinese during this one & Pertwee does a decent job, Pik Sen Lim who played Captain Chin Lee was actually married to writer Don Houghton when this was made while William Marlowe who played Mailer was married to Fernanda Marlowe who played Corporal Bell & he later married Roger Delgado's widow Kismet! Amazing eh?

The Mind of Evil: Episode Three is a decent way to spend 25 minutes, the stories becoming a little drawn out & it doesn't feel like traditional Doctor Who but I still liked it & thought it was more than watchable.