Inquisitor (Doctor Who)

Doctorwhocharacter

The Inquisitor
name=The Inquisitor
series=
affiliation=Time Lords
race=Time Lord
planet=Gallifrey
era=Rassilon Era
start= The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet
finish= The Trial of a Time Lord: The Ultimate Foe
portrayed=Lynda BellinghamThe Inquisitor is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series, "Doctor Who". She played a central role in "The Trial of a Time Lord", the story which spanned the whole fourteen episodes comprising Season 23 of the series. Lynda Bellingham portrayed the Inquisitor.

Character history

The Inquisitor was a stern Time Lady charged by the High Council of Time Lords with weighing evidence against the Sixth Doctor for his alleged crimes. She constantly had to stop the prosecutor, the Valeyard, and the Doctor from arguing. After all the evidence had been presented, the Master revealed himself to be lurking within the Matrix. He revealed that the Valeyard was in fact an evil version of the Doctor himself. Despite this revelation, the Inquisitor insisted that the inquiry continue to pursue the stated aim of discovering the truth of the Doctor's actions. However, the Doctor and the Valeyard entered the Matrix for their final battle, and the members of the Court, including the Inquisitor, were nearly killed by a secret weapon hidden by the Valeyard in the Matrix.

At the end of the story, a revolution having occurred on Gallifrey and the Doctor cleared of all charges, the Doctor suggested that the Inquistor would make an excellent Lady President before continuing on his travels.

Other appearances

The Inquisitor was not given a name in the television series, and it was assumed that this was her only known name (much like the Doctor, the Master or the Rani). The character of the Inquisitor also appeared in the "Gallifrey" series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, voiced by Bellingham and given the name of Darkel. The first play in this series, "", was released in 2004.

In the "Gallifrey" audio series, Inquisitor Darkel is portrayed as a scheming and power-hungry manipulator. She opposes Romana's political reforms, attempts to overthrow her in a coup, and eventually allies herself with the Pandora entity (an evil creature from the Matrix which escapes in the form of Romana's first incarnation). After Romana defeats Pandora, Darkel attempts to become Lord President, but is eventually killed, consumed by another aspect of Pandora which had been hidden inside her mind. The canonicity of these productions is unclear.