First things first, Twin Dilemma is peak fiction nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. The doctor is now insane, Colin Baker and is trying to deal with Gastropod Mestor who kidnapped two twins, what a dilemma.

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

Previous Story: The Caves of Androzani

I think it's a very bizarre choice to have this as the season finale to Season 21. I can't imagine having to wait however long it took for the next season to come out after this as your only taste of the Sixth Doctor. I'll start off by saying that regardless of the quality of the script, one thing that's certain is Colin Baker acts the hell out of it. He's given some of the worst dialogue in all of Who and manages to genuinely make it enjoyable and that alone is enough to confirm to me that he IS the Doctor.

And honestly, I'm willing to let all this go so long as he doesn't behave like this throughout the rest of his tenure, it's a post regeneration story after all (even if I disagree that fundamental traits of the Doctor shouldn't change in regeneration like being willing to let people die when he could easily save them or trying to strangle his companion).

Regarding the story itself, it's one of the better parts of this episode. Sure, it's cheesy Classic Who nonsense but it's nothing that hasn't been done before and it even has some nice moments if you can excuse the acting talents of the twins. Overall I think this story is deserving of it's reputation, it really botches the introduction of Colin Baker and is such a huge step down after Caves. At the very least though it isn't boring and I don't feel like I've wasted my time watching it.

“Whatever else happens, I am the Doctor, whether you like it or not.”

Next Story: Attack of the Cybermen 

Is that what all the fuss was about?

It has to be said that years of hearing this serial roundly pronounced "one of the worst Doctor Who stories of all time" along with Time and the Rani (which I have also seen and which also isn't quite as bad as people say) gave me some elevated expectations.

Instead I found a story which is, while messy and full of misjudged moments, still very entertaining, if not always for the reasons it intended. Is it so bad it's good or is it just OK? I don't tend to differentiate, but suffice it to say that I had a bit of fun.

Our new leading man immediately makes a strong impression, his boisterousness and grandiloquent speech both miles away from his predecessor. I really love Colin's voice; it does make me sit up and pay attention, even when the lines he's delivering are not very good. There are still a few here that I did appreciate, like when he cheerfully informs the chamberlain, "I don't like you," or when he says, "I no longer know if I'm coming, or going, or even if I've been!" His chinwag with Mestor is also pretty good, for what it's worth.

These aside, I must admit that the dialogue is hilariously elevated in this script, and we also get 'oof' lines like "... and may my bones ROT for obeying it!" or "Our genius has been abused!" or "a manic-depressive paranoid personality!"

This script definitely needed a third or fourth or fifth pass, but such are the usual end-of-season woes, where there's just no time. This makes the decision to slot this here instead of at the start of the next season very questionable indeed.

Story-wise, it is kind of interesting to see the Doctor struggle so much with the regeneration process, but in practice it is handled pretty messily. By far the worst part of this is the infamous scene where the Doctor tries to choke Peri, which is just as uncomfortable as I expected.

Still, aside from that one, the other moments mostly fall into the territory of lovable schlock. Looking back 40 years later it's easy to laugh when it's no longer "the story that killed Doctor Who".

The Twin Dilemma has it all and I do not mean that in a positive way. A plot I really didn't care for. Side characters who I entirely forgot about. A dynamic between Peri and the Doctor that was genuinely uncomfortable to watch (not helped by knowing about JNT's creation of Peri, nor about Nicola Bryant's time on set). A really, really weird ending line which felt like the writers turning to the viewers and flipping them off.

All in all! Pretty bad!

The Twin Dilemma has an unfair reputation for being a bad Doctor debut story. People tend to forget that it followed the excellent The Caves of Androzani, so disappointment was inevitable. They could have pulled out a Spearhead From Space and people would still have claimed it wasn't very good. That being said, The Twin Dilemma definitely has flaws and it's not a story that will ever be considered a highlight of the classic series.

The Twin Dilemma finds the Doctor (Colin Baker) struggling to cope with post-regeneration trauma. He decides to become a hermit and lands the TARDIS on Titan III. Meanwhile, Romulus (Gavin Conrad) and Remus (Andrew Conrad) - two of the most intelligent twins in the universe - are kidnapped from their father Archie Sylvest (Dennis Chinnery) by the Doctor's old mentor from Gallifrey Azmael (Maurice Denham). He needs their help to save the people of Jaconda from famine and is working with Gastropod (alien slugs) leader Mestor (Edwin Richfield) in order to achieve that goal. Officer Hugo Lang (Kevin McNally) is sent out to search for the twins by the Earth defence force the Interplanetary Pursuit but is shot down and crashes on Titan III. He decides to team up with the Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) to find the twins' captive and stop Mestor's real plan from coming to fruition.

It's applaudable how The Twin Dilemma takes a basic story and makes it the plot of the Doctor's debut. The story should never be overly complicated for a Doctor's introduction; it feels right for the focus to be on exploring who the new Doctor is (or rather what he has become). It's definitely one of the easiest Doctor Who stories to follow; the plot is pretty low-key and is more about the kidnap of the twins than the supposed destruction their mathematical knowledge could cause.

It's that mathematical knowledge, however, that's one of the hindrances of The Twin Dilemma's stories. I spoke in my Logopolis review on how the idea of Mathematicians having control over the universe is boring and the same thought for me applies here. The twins are dull and watching them write mathematical equations is not very exciting. A fair bit of time is devoted to it too; they try to make it appear exciting with the production design (the swivel-y chairs bizarrely make it look like some sort of game show) but it doesn't quite work. Doctor Who's current producer of the time John Nathan Turner seems obsessed by the idea of mathematics changing the universe given this is his second story to feature it and I don't quite know why. The twins have this annoying way of speaking also that makes them sound posh and too polite to be true. Their dialogue is literally all a 'father wouldn't approve' way of speaking that I'm sure made many viewers at the time feel like chucking their remote control at the screen.

Many complain about the Doctor cowering away from aliens in this story but to me this works within the context of the story. We know the Doctor is suffering from post-regeneration trauma so what better way to emphasise this than to show him being something that goes against the kind of person he is? The audience are aware he's not quite himself because he's hiding from the very things he defends the universe from, so by the time he confronts Mestor it seems like the Doctor we know and love is back. It's a good decision by writer Anthony Steven and something that to his credit I doubt any other Doctor Who writer would dare to attempt.

Talking of the Doctor, if anything helps carry The Twin Dilemma it is Colin Baker's performance. Colin Baker is fantastic as the Doctor in his first story; his theatrical delivery is very engaging to watch and despite the displays of cowardice he has flashes of a certain demeanour that bode well for his future serials for the show. If nothing else, this story is worth watching for Colin Baker - even if it is rather mediocre and not the best example of classic series Doctor Who. It's nice that he got an opportunity to play the Doctor as he wanted through Big Finish as his acting helps overcome some of the lame dialogue he is given.

It's a shame that the scenes in the TARDIS tend to drag in episode one. They take up majority of the first episode and it feels like we spend too much time in the TARDIS and not enough of the serial's running time devoted to the twin kidnap plot. The moment where the Doctor strangles his companion Peri also feels uncomfortable to watch, even if it makes sense because of the post-regeneration trauma. It's well acted by both Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant but it doesn't quite work in the story. It unwisely makes the new Doctor to appear violent and unlikeable, which I am sure was the intention but doesn't make for the most likeable protagonist.

The serial is full of interesting supporting characters, especially Maurice Denham as Azmael and Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang. Azmael is a brilliant character and I wish the more jokey relationship hinted at in dialogue between the Doctor and Azmael had been shown on-screen. He is well-played by Maurice Denham, who offers a certain gravitas that's perfect for a Time Lord from Gallifrey. Azmael would have made a great recurring character and it is a shame he wasn't brought back in future sixth Doctor stories. I hope one day Big Finish decide to bring the character back despite his death; I'm sure they could find a way around that. If the Master can return from the dead, then why not Azmael? As for Kevin McNally as Hugo, there's something endearing about his performance that leaves you wanting more. It's not hard to see why he has become a major stable of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He's an actor who was too good for The Twin Dilemma and I wish there was a chance Big Finish could afford him for a Hugo Lang spinoff series.

Overall, The Twin Dilemma isn't as bad as many make out but it does display a few flaws. The twins are boring for one and the TARDIS scenes take up too much of the first episode. However the story wisely focuses on a simplistic narrative for a Doctor debut story and Colin Baker's performance as well as those of the supporting cast are amazing. It was definitely a misfire though to show the sixth Doctor strangling his companion; it makes him appear violent and unlikeable, with Colin Baker's acting being the only saving grace for the character. The Twin Dilemma can only really be recommended for Colin Baker's performance, even if its undeserving of a terrible reputation.