THE DOCTOR WHO RATINGS GUIDE: BY FANS, FOR FANS

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The Crystal Bucephalus The Five Doctors Collectors' Edition

BBC The Five Doctors

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Episodes	1 (Later divided into four)
Story No#	130
Production Code	6K
Season	90 minute special
Dates	11/23/83 (US) 11/25/83 (UK)

With Peter Davison, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Richard Hurndall, Tom Baker, and William Hartnell, Carole Ann Ford, Nicolas Courtney, Elizabeth Sladen, Lalla Ward, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson. Written by Terrance Dicks. Script-edited by Eric Saward. Directed by Peter Moffatt. Produced by John Nathan-Turner.

Synopsis: The first five Doctors are taken out of time and thrust onto the Death Zone on Gallifrey to play the Game of Rassilon against enemies from the past and present.

Note: Availble in four versions: The movie-length American, the movie-length and episodic UK versions, and the 1995 remix released on video.

• C'mon Tom, It'll Be Great, There's Cybermen And Everything! by Mauro Geevesy
• A Review by William McRae
• Quite a reunion by Thomas Cookson
• I'm definitely not the man I was. Thank goodness! by Oliver Price

C'mon Tom, It'll Be Great, There's Cybermen And Everything! by Mauro Geevesy 22/3/06

Thoroughly enjoyed reading all the reviews on this site as I warm up for the new series of the new series. I have resisted the urge to write a review myself however, until I got to the bit about The Five Doctors.

The reason for this being that I haven't had anything in particular to say that hasn't already been mentioned. Even for this adventure, I agree with all those who have exclaimed their disappointment at this anniversary special. In fact, contrary to my title, The Five Doctors was anything but great.

The only real pleasure I got from the story, first time round, was to see the development of Turlough, the definitive 'anti-companion'; the Raston Warrior Robot which frightened the living daylights out of me; the fantastic Patrick Troughton Doctor - repeats were a bit thin on the ground throughout the eighties; and, of course, the superb performance of Richard Hurndall.

Even at that tender age, however, I remember being disappointed after looking forward to the episode for so long. The Five Doctors even highlighted exactly how lame the Cybermen had become. Watching it again today, I can only bring myself to consider it alongside those barely-entertaining Comic Relief/Children In Need specials.

I don't want people to shoot me down over this as this is not a forum, but my real gripe is this:

You guessed it!

The absence of Tom Baker.

It makes me laugh whenever I hear 'Big Tommy B' speaking on documentaries in recent years. He always seems to have an anecdote about how, even to this day, he is stopped in the street by someone praising him as some sort of messiah for the amount of joy and happiness he brought, throughout the 'eighties.

Although this may be true, it is exactly for this reason that I still harbour a strong feeling of disappointment whenever I am confronted with The Five Doctors. If Tom Baker knew exactly how popular he had become, then it is for this very reason that his behaviour be deemed inexcusable.

Unfortunately, I was too young to appreciate Tom as the Fourth Doctor and only got into Who amid all the media coverage celebrating 'his' transition into the Peter Davison Doctor. Therefore I was neglected the chance to share some of my childhood with Tom Baker and, as a result, I often feel a sense of having been 'cheated' whenever I hear one of the aforementioned anecdotes.

Like I said, repeats of Doctor Who were a bit thin on the ground during the 'eighties, so I didn't get to see any of these adventures until UK Gold came along.

In conclusion, rather inversely, for all those people that were brought joy by the Tom Baker Doctor, this particular child had it taken away.

A Review by William McRae 6/12/07

The year was 1983 and the BBC were gearing up to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Doctor Who. And why not!. For a low-budget, sci-fi series that was aimed (at least originally) at children, the series had become a major player on the BBC, lasting well beyond anyone's expectations and drawing in millions of viewers per week.

John Nathan-Turner (who was producer of the series at that time) decided to mark event by hiring veteran writer Robert Holmes (responsible for several classic Doctor Who stories) to pen the script. Due to "creative differences" however, Holmes left the project and it was up to former story editor Terrance Dicks to pick up the reins. The end result is an enjoyable romp, which manages to bring together all the Doctors up to that point, a whole slew of companions and some classic series villains thrown into the mix. Set against the back-drop of Gallifrey, The Five Doctors is a fun-filled feature-length adventure.

Basically, someone is kidnapping the Doctor from each of his respective time zones. Feeling the "loss" of his past selves, the current Doctor (Peter Davison) is determine to get to the bottom of what's going on. In short order we find, that the Doctor(s), along with various different companions (including Susan, The Brigadier, and Sarah Jane Smith) have all been abducted and transported to "The Death Zone", a sealed-off section on the home planet of the Time Lords, Gallifrey. Why they have been brought there has not been made clear. At least not at the beginning. Soon, everyone manages to piece together the puzzle and the answer is surprising - to say the least.

Given the fact that Terrance Dicks was not the original choice for this job and was called in to write the story at the eleventh hour, it's frankly a testament to his skills to think fast and write quickly. His extensive experience of the series works to his advantage and he manages to craft a story that gets you (as the viewer) wondering what the hell is going on. Solid direction from Peter Moffatt keeps the proceedings moving along quite nicely. Extensive use of location filming also helps give the story a more "open" feel. Now onto the performances:

Richard Hurdnall (The First Doctor): With the death of William Hartnell in 1975, the producers had to find a replacement actor to play the role of the First Doctor for this story. Much has been said and written over the years about Hurdnall's casting with opinion being sharply divided. I personally enjoyed Hurdnall's performance in The Five Doctors. For me, he captures the intellect, strong demeanour and Edwardian persona of the First Doctor. The look of this man is impressive as is the manner in which he deals with everyone around him. He may be old, but is certainly no fool and leave it to Terrance Dicks to give the First Doctor the pleasure of solving final piece of the puzzle!

Patrick Troughton (The Second Doctor): After a ten-year absence from the series - the last time we saw Troughton was to commemorate Doctor Who's tenth anniversary in the The Three Doctors back in 1973 - the Second Doctor was in top form in this adventure. Despite the intervening decade, Troughton still manages to successfully infuse his Doctor with the same cheeky charm, sharp wit and "cosmic hobo/Charlie Chaplin" flavour that fans fondly remember. In fact, Troughton delivers many of the story's most memorable (and hilarious) lines with aplomb...

Jon Pertwee (The Third Doctor): Nine years had passed since we last laid eyes on the Third Doctor, but Pertwee is still able to muster up the sense of derring do and adventurous spirit that many people remember of his time as the Doctor. With the flowing cape, smoking jacket, frilly shirt and Bessie with him at the ready, Pertwee is back in his element and looks like he's having a ball!

Tom Baker (The Fourth Doctor): Ah Tom... When this project was originally announced, Baker agreed to participate. However, just weeks before shooting was to commence, he had a sudden change of heart and declined to participate in the project. Having only left the series less than three years previously, Baker felt that as an actor he had not put enough distance between himself and the show. In later years, Baker admitted his last-minute decision not to do The Five Doctors was something he regretted. Still, the Fourth Doctor is able to shine, courtesy of footage from the uncompleted Shada which was made four years before, in 1979. In fact, the footage from that story is interwoven seamlessly (you'd never guess it's an entirely separate production). With the Fourth Doctor out of commission, this actually allowed Terrance Dicks the opportunity to expand the involvement of the remaining Doctors, who all pick up the slack quite nicely.

Peter Davison (The Fifth Doctor): Being the current actor in the role of the Doctor at the time this story went into production, Davison was able to allow his other counterparts to share centre stage. Consequently, the Fifth Doctor takes a bit of a back seat in this adventure, yet he is still able to hold his own and also has his moments to shine during the episode.

With the companions in this story (and there are a total of TEN that are featured), each of the respective actors are able to have their moment in the spotlight and stay true to the nature of the characters that they created. The choice of pairing which companion to which Doctor was also inspired. The First Doctor and Susan make a lovely pair. The Second Doctor and The Brigadier are a hilarious duo, akin to a quarrelling aging couple!. The Third Doctor and Sarah Jane are charming (although it would have been nicer to see Sarah Jane paired with the Fourth Doctor and the Third Doctor paired with Jo Grant which was what the script had apparently envisioned originally) and the Fifth Doctor with his current companions Tegan and Turlough.

Whilst it not pitch perfect (but then, what is?), The Five Doctors is an entertaining and heart-felt tribute to the series. With six Doctors (William Hartnell is also featured and is given the honour of opening this tale right at the beginning in a special pre-title sequence - footage being taken from the 1964 story "The Dalek Invasion Of earth") for your viewing pleasure - a feat that seems unlikely to be reproduced again - kudos to all involved!

Quite a reunion by Thomas Cookson 10/3/08

1983 was not only the year of Doctor Who's twentieth anniversary, but also a post-modern, heavily nostalgic era of Doctor Who. The Five Doctors is possibly the most definitive 1980's Doctor Who story in its blend of post-modern style, nostalgia and more than a little overkill.

As a mandatory rule, every Doctor Who fan owns at least one version of it. In fact, it was the very first Doctor Who video I bought, 13 years ago, when I was 11. At the time, I was well enamoured with it, but having excessively out-played it over the years and having seen a wide range of better stories, I struggle to be so enthusiastic about it these days. It's not a bad story, but in a lot of ways it could have been so much better.

In many ways, the episode is dealing with a fundamentally flawed concept of biting off more than it can chew by gathering together so many bits of the show's legacy and jamming them together, that resultantly it is a pretty scattered and sporatically unfocused piece of television. Actually, when I put it like that, I feel I'm exaggerating. The results could have come off worse, truth be told, but then again they could have been done better, even with the excess material; they could have done it in a tight, snappy and refreshingly paced way. As it is, there are lengthy scenes that run one after another that not only lack urgency (an offhand reference to the power drain on the Eye of Harmony endangering the planet is never really followed up and simply stands alone and unsupported - and would make little sense to anyone who had not seen The Deadly Assassin anyway), but are doublely intrusive to the other storyline which was building up some strong tension (the encounter with the Raston Warrior Robot was potentially one of Doctor Who's most edge-of-the-seat moments) before the overlong interruption ruins it.

Even taken simply as a fan's wet dream, this episode shoots itself in the foot in numerous ways. The Fourth Doctor and a lone Dalek both get disappointingly small screentime of less than five minutes each and not a jellybaby in sight (okay, Tom Baker's small screen time couldn't have been helped). The First Doctor's scenes heavily emphasise the familiar crankiness of William Hartnell but then cut away before getting a chance to build on the humility aspect of the character, and as such Hurndall isn't very endearing. The Second Doctor is pretty underused. Although his first meeting with the Brigadier is a scene that still makes me laugh after all these years, the Second Doctor spends most of the episode playing the buffoon and warding off blame from the Brigadier whilst they walk to the central ancient tower of the zone without any kind of incident; actually, they have the briefest of encounters (less than a minute) with a Cyberman and a Yeti and that's pretty much it. This is a shame, since Patrick Troughton's strengths as a Doctor have often been in his confrontations with villains: his ability to engage in verbal sparrings and to manipulate the enemy. Actually, he gets one good confrontational scene where he pits his strong will against one of the various mental traps within the ancient tower, in a very powerful moment, but even that bit has an overall feel of being too little, too late.

Jon Pertwee gets the most meaty slice of the action, as he gets caught in the crossfire of the Raston Warrior Robot and a troop of Cybermen, gets nearly scorched in a heavy lightning storm and has to go handgliding to the ancient tower. Even so, Jon Pertwee's performance, much like Richard Hurndall's, leans a bit too far on the cranky and lacks his old humour. Indeed, his obligatory bickering with Patrick Troughton's Doctor feels just that - obligatory and simply there - and is nowhere near as fun and crackling as it was in The Three Doctors (the 1973 anniversary story).

I read the novelisation of this story before I sought the video of it, back when I was 11, and I distinctly remember the fact that in my reading of the book, the Death Zone was a much more frightening place. I imagined it to be a hellish and dark place of ruin and perpetual night and treacherous rocky turnings and forts and smothering fog. So I was already well set up to be majorly disappointed, when instead what we got was the Welsh open countryside in broad daylight, with a bit of early morning fog that quickly subsides, as does any threatening, uncertain atmosphere. I guess that, by 1983, Doctor Who just wasn't making those kind of darkly lit and gothic atmosphere stories that it used to back in the mid 70's. I think it's a shame they didn't bring back David Maloney to direct this episode. Instead we got lumped with Peter Moffat, the man who directed such unsightly turkeys as The Twin Dilemma. He has gained a well-deserved reputation as Doctor Who's dullest director.

This, of course, also stepped up to some big disappointments when I saw the screen version of the prose. In the book, the scene where Sarah's feet lost stable ground in the fog was not the almighty anticlimax it was in the TV version, where she simply rolls down a hill a few times and stops mid-roll, only to complain a lot. Furthermore, the scene where the First Doctor and Susan sneak up on and attack the Dalek from behind comes off pathetically on screen; they simply push the metal meanie a bit and it starts panicking. I thought it was pathetic when I was 11 - to say nothing of how I view it now - but, having said, that I always found the lead-in chase scene with the Dalek to be the highlight of the episode. Although the actual final demise of the Dalek involves the kind of sci-fi idea that only idiots believe, I've always relished the gore of the moment where the Dalek's top blows off, revealing the hideous tentacled creature inside, wriggling in its death throes - and a perfect salivating close-up as the icing on the cake!

So that was when I was 11, and now that I'm 24 and have often rewatched this story over those thirteen years, even the most impressive moments have been worn out for me. The aforementioned Dalek chase excites me a little less these days, and the brutal battle between the Cybermen and the Raston Warrior Robot doesn't shock me quite like it did back when I was a wee lad (having said that, it still is a highlight 'straight for the jugular' moment, one of the few moments where the snappy directing gives it real immediacy and grit; it definitely shows that Peter Moffat didn't direct that sequence). It's not only the fact that I've seen it so many times, but also that, over the years, in my time as a fan, I've seen its concept done better elsewhere: the idea of the Doctor and his companions being abducted and placed into a volatile environment and stuck with some violent fellow captives has been done brilliantly in The War Games and Carnival of Monsters, which managed to make the environment feel treacherous, subversive, threatening and humid, with formidable monsters, armies, and plenty of deadly turns and traps. The Five Doctors neglects most of these qualities; I blame the script for this, as much as the direction: the Death Zone should have been populated by more monsters, at least more than one Dalek, some Ice Warriors and if you could get a few more battles going on between the various monsters it would be perfect - especially as an establishing scene in the Death Zone before the Doctors arrive there (some fans have criticised this story for being indulgent fan-wank; I personally feel it's not indulgent enough). If that meant extending the 90 minute standalone story into a six parter, then I would say all the better for adding more frills, allowing the characters to breathe and to compell the writing to take on a more disciplined and tighter episodic form.

Well, I've thrown a fair share of negatives at the story, but it's not really a bad story and there are plenty of gems within to recommend it. Despite the mediocre directing, the very ambient music conveys most of the atmosphere well, particularly the mood music in the tranquil scenes on The Eye of Orion. I really like the use of neo-classical design on the interiors of the High Council Chambers and the dark tomb, including a nice touch of pillars, fountains and old paintings, which I much prefer to the usual sterile futuristic sets that often featured in the series. The costumes are pretty well designed - particularly the Gallifreyan robes that lend a feel of aristocracy and nobility to the Time Lord society. I'm willing to overlook the cliche of the villains dressed in black, and even the rather embarrasing pantomime dress that Zoe (the Second Doctor's screaming companion) is wearing for some reason. Mind you, I'm always nostalgic for her days in the 1960's when she wore those licking tight pants and catsuits (don't worry Captain Jack, you've got a nice bottom too). Furthermore, as a piece of Doctor Who's self-emulation in the spirit of celebration, there are some wonderful lines that fit right at home here; unfortunately, their impact is often lost on the rather flat direction and low-key sound reception that fails to put weight to the words of its cast, just like it rarely does justice to the great facial acting of the Doctors. But, still, you've got to love lines like these:

Third Doctor: "What I've always done, Sarah Jane... improvise."

Castellan: "What!? No, not the mind probe!"

Master "Killing you once, was never enough for me Doctor! How, how gratifying to do it, three times over!"

This era is concerned with portraying an overall nasty universe full of Daleks, Cybermen and general savagery in all corners, of which this Death Zone of diverse and vicious specimens is merely a microcosm. Add to that the portrayal of the dark side of the supposedly noble Time Lords, with their chequered history and corrupt traitors in the wing finally coming to light. It is appropriate then that, in this corrupt environment, the Master should justify who he is and what he does by pointing out the hypocrisy of those who judge him (just like he did in The Sea Devils). He is the first to nod to how the Death Zone represents the corrupt past of the Time Lords who scorn him. In one of his best lines, he kills a group of Death Zone specimens in a death trap and then dismisses Tegan's moral outrage by pointing out "In one of the wars on your miserable little planet, they used to drive sheep across minefields; the principle's the same!"

This cynical portrayal of a dark universe was not initially the common approach for the series in the 60's and 70's, which had often preferred the optimistic stories which, in pulp fashion, saw good triumphing over evil and traditional values being upheld. It was largely only in episodes featuring the Daleks or Silurians that the series really commented on the sorry state of human nature and warfare, and the why's and wherefores of any kind of 'final solutions'. By this point in the show, this cynical vision was becoming the rule rather than the exception and this all began to come together into a theme about the problematics of the Fifth Doctor's especially passive nature in such a cruel environment. That is true here, as the Fifth Doctor proves to be best at playing the detective, but he is frequently overwhelmed by actual confrontations with the bad guys he is hunting or fighting. There's a lovely scene where the Fifth Doctor protests when a Time Lord guard shoots one of the alleged traitor's agents dead on the spot, only for the guard to point out the traitor was armed, making the Doctor look naive and out of touch while he awkwardly laments the dead man. Indeed, in the final moments, the Fifth Doctor is only able to prevail because of the combined wills of his previous selves, and because his previous selves (particularly the first Doctor) are capable of making the kind of ruthless decisions that he cannot.

That final unveiling and confrontation with the traitor in the wings, by the way, is a superb moment worth waiting for. From the wit of the clue-finding on the Fifth Doctor's part to the graceful performance of the villain, who manages to convey not only a telepathic ability to manipulate and push people's buttons, but also a certain subtle pathos, a degree of regret for the things he's done and the deaths that have occurred because of his goals for power. However, he still remains rigid and relentless in his pursuits and adversity towards the Doctors - as though everything about their life is worthless if they don't succeed - and that makes for a compelling battle of wills indeed. The ultimate showdown is a wonderful mixture of an alerting turn of the screw, some eerie and macabre events, the strongest of which involve malevolent attacks on the mind (which is aided well by some brilliant acting) and a message at the end of the manipulation, which somehow fits well with its portrayal of the dark ages of Gallifrey in a conclusion which draws heavily on the most ancient and ruthless form of justice. Pity the villain's reasons for bringing Cybermen and Daleks into the mixture are never explained and ultimately seem wildly at odds with his actual goal, but if there be Daleks and Cybermen aplenty, who can really complain as to why?

Although I feel that part of the problem with the gimmick of the story is that it brings the past Doctors into the picture but keeps them largely separated from each other, the final moments - having finally got together and then having to bid goodbye to one another - do indeed hit the right spot in keeping with the theme of a spirit of school reunion and the nostalgic look at the Doctor's character. There are some great exchanges -"Our dress sense hasn't improved much" "Neither have our manners" - great parting words - "You did quite well, quite well; it's reassuring to know that my future is in safe hands" - and then the closing line as the Fifth Doctor, with the memory of his departed past selves still in mind, refuses to let any of the Time Lords re-instate him on the High Council and chooses the freedom of travel instead and makes the quickest exit from Gallifrey, declaring "Why not? After all, that's how it all started!"

I've thrown some pretty big criticisms at this story, but, funnily enough, no matter how many rocks I bung at it (in the words of the Second Doctor) there's something about The Five Doctors that just refuses to sink. Under the pen of Terrance Dicks it really does have an old-school charm that the show had by and large lost by this point. There's something very solid and buoyant about the story that makes it all work. It has a sense of fun that is kept in line, without being po-faced like much of the John Nathan-Turner era (there is, however, one moment where a potentially interesting speech on the nature of fear from the First Doctor turns unwisely to farce), carries a strong sense of its own confidence, and mixes enough wit, inventive writing and nostalgia to make it worth the prize. As visitations to the planet Gallifrey go, this is the best post-Deadly Assassin excursion to the Doctor's home.

I'm definitely not the man I was. Thank goodness! by Oliver Price 27/10/08

Ah, yes, The Five Doctors. I must admit that I do really enjoy this story. It's fun, it has some great set pieces and is a good story. The performances are mostly excellent, the location work and effects are good. There are many other great things about it. I really like it.

But I have to say I don't like it as much as the other two multi-Doctor stories from the Classic Series (that's The Three Doctors and The Two Doctors). Sorry to step on old ground those other reviewers have covered, but it's those small aspects (lack of plot, no Hartnell or T. Baker, absence of Doctor Interaction etc) that make The Five Doctors the weakest of the three.

I also feel that it is unfair that the other two multi-Doctor stories get criticised for the exact same things fans let The Five Doctors off for. Amongst the major ones are:

1. "The plot doesn't make sense!"

   A criticism tossed at The Three Doctors and The Two Doctors? repeatedly. I would disagree with the many fans who make that claim, but that's another story.

   As we all know, The Five Doctors has possibly the worst plot ever written. I mean, christ! There are so many holes in the plot; you could sieve rice through it! Not only that, but the basic plot is a rehash of The Three Doctors! Oh, and for those people who say "Don't examine the plot too closely, or you'll find giant plot holes!", come off it! I can think of at least ten plot holes just by watching the damn thing!

2. "The Doctors do not interact enough!"

   Something I've heard The Two Doctors be criticised for. Now, I will admit that the Doctors could have met up a bit earlier in The Two Doctors. However, when they did meet up, they got a good, solid episode of Doctor interaction.

   In The Five Doctors, the Doctors do not interact AT ALL! They just chat! There is a HUGE difference between interacting and chatting. Did Terrance forget that the whole point of a multi-Doctor special is so the Doctors can interact?!?! Or does he just think that Troughton calling Pertwee "Fancy Pants!" is enough?!?? GRR!!! Seriously though, a multi Doctor story without the Doctor interaction is the equivalent of a "Tom and Jerry" cartoon without the slapstick.

3. "It deliberately makes characters stupid!"

   This is a complaint most people make about The Three Doctors, with Nick Courtney's buffoonish behaviour. Why is it that none of the other Pertwee stories that treat him like an idiot get that criticism?!? (Trust me; there are a lot of them. Remember Doctor Who and The Silurians?) And another thing, whilst I will admit that The Three Doctors did treat him like an idiot, that story had a perfectly good reason. The Brig was acting that way because he was thrown into the most impossible situation he ever had to deal with.

   The Five Doctors deserves some criticism for deliberately making characters stupid. Exhibit A: Sarah's fall down that slope. I mean, come on! Not even Jo Grant would fall down that! Surely that's deliberately making her stupid! Exhibit B: Susan spraining her ankle after literally tripping over a mole hill. Not only is this deliberately making her stupid, but it is also deliberately doing the exact same thing that made her unpopular in the first place! Big mistake, Terrance!

4. "It just uses the Doctor as a guest star!"

   Another criticism I've heard The Two Doctors receive. Why?!? The Two Doctors used Patrick Troughton brilliantly. The whole story was filled with him interacting with Colin B, Jamie and the bad guys with hilarious results, helped by the witty script.

   As I have already pointed out, The Five Doctors uses ALL of its companions and (worse still) Doctors as guest stars to take part in a bunch of set pieces. And, as I said before, they completely waste the opportunity for a four way battle of the insults between the Doctors. Ah, well...

   And the last complaint...

5. "Nothing is original!"

   The Two Doctors seems to get a lot of this for sticking the Sontarans in it. I would actually say that the Sontarans where used quite well in that story.

   I would like to point out at this stage that everything in the story is recycled. Not just the use of old companions and villains, but the premise and plot are also recycled. So what is the difference? Even the "original" ideas The Five Doctors are recycled. The "Death Zone" is stolen from The War Games, and the "Scope" is stolen from Carnival of Monsters.

Don't get me wrong, I like The Five Doctors, it's just I enjoy the other two more. Why? Simply because they are both better stories.

7/10