'Time and the Rani' (4 Parts) Story Code '7D' by Pip and Jane Baker

When the renegade Time Lord, the Rani pulls the TARDIS violently off course, the ship crash-lands on the desolate planet of Lakertya, causing the Doctor to suffer a mortal injury and regenerate. He is captured by the Rani, who is furious that he is suffering from amnesia, the result of the traumatic regenerative process. Meanwhile, Mel meets Ikona, a Lakertyan rebel, and learns that the Rani is holding the Lakeryan leader, Beyus, hostage, forcing the population to collaborate with both her and her Tetrap slaves - hideous giant four-eyed blood-drinking bats. By using the threat of unleashing a swarm of deadly bee-like insects on the populace, she has used them as slaves to build her cliff side base. The Rani disguises herself as Mel in an attempt to enlist the Doctor's help. But he discovers that the Rani has travelled through time and space, kidnapping the greatest geniuses in the universe, such as Einstein and Pasteur, in order to distil their intellects and create both a giant brain and the Loyhargil, a synthetic version of the extra dense substance known as Strange Matter. She plans to launch a rocket containing Loyhargil from her base, which will explode an asteroid of real Strange Matter, so that the resulting explosion will transform the brain and the planet into an enormous time manipulator, which will enable her to recreate the universe to her design. The Doctor, now recovered from his regeneration, convinces the Lakertyans to revolt, and tricks the Rani into blowing up the brain, which results in the rocket missing the asteroid. Beyus sacrifices himself in order to save his people, and the Rani escapes in her TARDIS. But she is captured by the mutinous Tetrap slaves, who take her back to their homeworld so that they can drain her blood.

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Bonnie Langford (Melanie), Kate O'Mara (The Rani), Mark Greenstreet (Ikona), Donald Pickering (Beyus), Karen Clegg (Sarn), Richard Gauntlett (Urak), Wanda Ventham (Faroon), John Segal (Lanisha); Peter Tuddenham, Jacki Webb (Special Voices)

Produced by John Nathan-Turner
Directed by Andrew Morgan

TX:
Part 1 - 7th September, 1987 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm
Part 2 - 14th September, 1987 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm
Part 3 - 21st September, 1987 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm
Part 4 - 28th September, 1987 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm

Notes:
*Featuring the Seventh Doctor and Mel

*This story features a pre-title sequence

*A new title sequence is introduced, featuring Sylvester McCoy's face, the TARDIS, and the creation of a galaxy; it was created using computer generated graphics, and is accompanied by a new arrangement of the theme music; a new version of the logo is also used, featuring a handwriting-style 'Doctor' and a blocky 'Who' (and it's horrible!)

*Working title: 'Strange Matter'