Peri remains with the Doctor after he regenerates after
suffering from Spectrox poisoning. It's not quite clear just when she
left the Doctor as he was taken prisoner by the Time Lords and put on
trial. Peri is not with him at this stage and at various times during
the trial, it is implied that she was rather gruesomely killed in an
attempted brain transfer operation, or taken in marriage by the king
of the Krontep. Which exit is correct one can not definitely say,
though on the basis of taste, the second is probably preferable :-).
Thanks to the opening shot of Peri rising from the waters of the
Atlantic in 'The Planet of Fire', she had the fastest impact on the
viewing audience of all the Doctor's companions. Despite an initially
promising start, she was also the companion most likely to be found
running and screaming from the enemy du jour. Thanks to the
BBC bosses making the first serious attempt to kill off Doctor Who,
the series was 'rested' during Colin Baker's time as the Doctor and
Nicola Bryant's time as his companion. This made her the longest
serving Companion.
Mel is first seen traveling with the Doctor during scenes
culled from his future adventures. The Doctor had no knowledge
of her at this stage. She was forcefully brought to the location of
the trial by the Master. Mel has a really piercing scream.
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