The Five Doctors

You know, it wasn't perfect, but it had a lot of heart and energy to it.  I don't dislike the laid-back fun of the story.  Borusa and the conflict feels second fiddle to all the opportunities for good nostalgia and seeing some characters interact together that hadn't before.  A must-watch for any Classic Who fan.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Kamelion Empire

Maybe I'm just biased because of all the fanservice but I really like this story. It's just great to see all these returning faces in a fun little self-contained adventure. It all makes the world of Classic Doctor Who feel a lot grander and more interconnected. All the actors have aged surprisingly well, especially the two returning Doctors (No, I'm not counting Richard Hurndall). We also get the very first appearance of Rassilon, and as a fan of Doctor Who that started with the new series it's shocking how different he is as a character.

Something that is basically unavoidable to bring up if reviewing this story is the recast of the First Doctor as William Hartnell. Now played by Richard Hurndall, who is alright. He captures the mannerisms quite well, but the writing is not perfect. Unlike David Bradley I just can't picture him as the same First Doctor that we know and love. It was also funny to see that he was still written as sexist in the 80s and I have a suspicion now that this story may have inspired Moffat's characterisation of One in Twice Upon A Time.

Overall, as an anniversary special, this is probably the best in terms of fanservice and returning characters. The story might not be fantastic but it's elevated by all the returning cast and characters. Daleks, Cybermen, Rassilon, this story has it all and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next Story: The Five Companions

just a really fun romp! not incredibly plot heavy but that is not massively the point, the point is to have fun. i would have liked a few more unusual character parings, as mostly characters stuck to their doctor, one and tegan being the exception. cool timelord stuff, more of their incredibly wacky and ineffective power structures. the part where borusa became a stature-plaque with only moving eyes has to be my favourite part, it was just so creepy and a really cool end. but really as a multidoc story i think 2 and 3 doctors work better because you get more interaction between different character that you like.

The Five Doctors is marvellous. Not just a true season finale in every sense of the word, but a wonderful celebration of the first 20 years in the TARDIS. The clear attraction of this story is the huge number of returning faces, particularly Sarah Jane, the Second and Third Doctors and of course, The Brigadier.

The blistering hot first 15 minutes is particularly good, before it becomes clear that the money for this 90 minute special was spent on those lovely faces, and not the sets. But despite clear areas of the production that could do with some improvement, your mind still boggles with the wonderful combination of guest stars fizzing with energy. The Second Doctor in a big coat fighting the Yeti! The Third Doctor whizzing around in Bessy. The Doctor’s bloody granddaughter!! It’s a small shame that the only original cast member onset is underused, some kickass moments for Susan would have been awesome, but just seeing her on set is pretty spectacular. I also would have given anything to see more from Liz, Zoe and Jamie.

The Raston Warrior Robot is an incredible original monster amongst the deluge of returning foes, despite being a very economical creation. I’m surprised it has never made a return as it looks great on screen, a cheap but highly effective villain. Seeing it destroy an underwhelming gang of Cybermen is hilarious. Especially the brutal beheading!

The only part I seriously disliked was with Tegan and the First Doctor crossing the chequered bird with The Master. Firstly, because these puzzles are always incredibly boring to watch in Doctor Who and rely on gibberish solutions which should have stayed in the early 1960s where we first encountered them. But secondly, because none of the actors are paying any heed to where on the board they are stepping. They don’t try and sell it so it comes across as nonsense.

Terrance Dicks was always an amazing script editor and is a decent writer, he does a fair job here but it is clear the main selling feature of the story is seeing the returning faces. This is a valiant way for him to bow out of the televised show. The ending is bittersweet as you realise that it’s the final moment for so many characters that you care about. 13 minutes of a charity special not included, we will never get to see The Third Doctor in action again. But my God I appreciated seeing him in action here.

Bring on the next 20 years…!