Doctor Who Club of Australia

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 212 Location: Canberra

What do people make of this (Season 20) 1983 story written by Terrance Dicks?

This is the analysis from the official BBC website (WARNING! SPOILERS): http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/fivedoctors/analysis.shtml

Dazza · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 101

I've given it an excellent, not due to the story but becuase of the nostalgia. I remember when the Five Doctors was first screened- the hype was amazing.

I've watched Five Doctors more times than any other Who story.

Shame Tom Baker wasn't in it proper.

rundoctoritsthegatherer · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 1:32 am Post subject:

Overrated rubbish, but gave it fair ONLY for the nostalgia element.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3709

Well the Shada footage was used for Tom's appearance and as we know Shada was written by Douglas Adams and this comes just as we are nearing the Doctor's 42nd (get it) birthday on November 23 which is why I just bought the Eighth Doctor/Fitz/Triz novel The Tomorrow Windows which is author Jonathan Morris' tribute to the work of Adams whom he dedicates the book too.

The Five Doctors is then followed by Warriors of the Deep and I also bought the novelisation of it as I was told it is way better than what was shown on screen.

Tom N. · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 144 Location: Sydney, NSW

It gets a 'Good' rating from me. It's fun to see all the Doctors and companions together, but that's about it. The various Cybermassacres are cool, too.

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 885 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Great gathering of past stars and monsters of the show.

Utterly crappy story.

Why oh why did Bob Holmes pull out of this one!! Sad

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3709

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 604 Location: Brisbane

Yes, I too was greatly disappointed that there was no Tom Baker. But I understand his reasons for not doing it. I still remember the photo that had the wax dummy. lol

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 650 Location: Perth

I have the Five Doctors on DVD and I have noticed a few differences between this one and the video I recorded from UKTV a few years ago. Right at the end of the one from UKTV the fourth Doctor and Romana are getting back into the Tardis from somewhere. And also when the other 3 doctors go back into their Tardis's and leave one by one, you see 3 tardis's take off rather than just 3 blurry blobs like on the DVD. This probably makes no sense to anyone, So if anyone else has noticed this and can explain it better, please feel free to do so Smile

Tom N. · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 144 Location: Sydney, NSW

I think the version on DVD is the Special Edition, which has some shots shuffled around and updated effects. That's probably why the televised version is a bit different.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3709

The Fifth Doctor feels heartaches each time his previous selves got taken but theorectically the Second, Third and Fourth Doctor should have gotten the same pain. I mean why didn't the Second Doctor felt anything when the First Doctor got taken and so on. Therefore the Second, Third and Fourth Doctors should theorectically had an advance warning that something was happening just like the Fifth Doctor.

One theory on why the First Doctor looked like Richard Hurndall that I noticed at the Gallifrey forum was that he was Kamelion in disguise. Richard Hurnadall got the part after JNT saw him in the Blake's 7 episode Assassin.
Edmund Warwick was a double for Bill Hartnell back in the 1960s and unlike other doubles actually got credited as the Doctor Who albeit as "Robot Doctor Who" when he played the robot version of the Doctor in The Chase. Craig Hinton said at the Gallifrey forum back in 2003 that Warwick in an interview actually moaned about not being included as the First Doctor in The Five Doctors.
Another possible First Doctor candidate for this story was Creature from the Pit guest star Geoffrey Bayldon which I found out about in a letter to DWM. When Bayldon actually got to play the Doctor for the first Unbound audio he told DWM he was actually the first to be asked to play the Doctor on the TV series before turning it down.

Even though he didn't appear in person it was still nice to see Tom again from that Shada footage. It's funny that this anniversary story most especially the footage from Shada written by Douglas Adams is shown in the month of Doctor Who's 42nd anniversary.

Philip Latham looks much more creepier as Borusa then Leonard Sachs in Arc of Infinity.

Took me sometime to realise the Dalek scene was omitted. Does not look well for Resurrection.

Even though it was not originally intended that way but Sarah falling down at the end of Part 1. Brilliant cliffhanger (yeah right).

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3709

In Part 2 the First Doctor says that there are five of him now and Tegan was in the TARDIS when he said that. In Uncle Terrance's own novel The Eight Doctors, Tegan mistakenly thought the Eighth Doctor to have been the one trapped in the time vortex. This would mean that Uncle Terrance was either unaware or forgotten that Tegan had met the Fourth Doctor first in Logopolis. Therefore she would have figured out by later meeting the Second and Third Doctors and by doing the math that it was the Fourth Doctor who was trapped in the vortex.

Wonder how Bill fans reacted to Richard saying that he was "the original you might say"?

As with the previous episode, Tom along with Lalla is seen again albeit from an image from Shada rather than from a footage.

Jon never met the Cybermen during his official tenure but upon seeing them here he doesn't mention them by name.

Upon first seeing this on the Doctor's birthday on November 23 in 1997 found it a bit odd that Susan when talking to Tegan, referred to the Fifth Doctor as "the Doctor" instead of "Grandfather". So only the First Doctor is her grandfather is that how it works???

Hiruma · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 164 Location: Australia

My favorite scene from the entire story of the Five Doctors was the Raston Warrior Robot scene. Just when you think the Cybermen are gonna catch up to the Doctor the dancing begins. Whover they got to play the Robot did so well.

Matt

Tom N. · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 144 Location: Sydney, NSW

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 885 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Greg · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 11:20 am Post subject:

Beatly · Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Posts: 375 Location: London

MikeYates · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 98

Do we know for a fact that the Dalek was in the original aired version? Which would be the base for this one.

Could it be that the Dalek in just in the VHS/DVD version, which i understand has an extra 10 minutes of footage included.
That would explain everything sufficiently.

Greg · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 5:45 pm Post subject:

It's been a long time since I saw the original version of this, but I'm sure the Dalek was included - JNT was keen to have all kinds of familiar elements in teh 20th anniverary special, and I'm sure a Dalek (at least in cameo) was high on the list.

Kerr Avon · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 478

I taped the original when it first aired and watched it over and over again over the following year or two, a the Dalek scene was definitely there.

I'm passing on The Five Doctors as aired by the ABC - I have the R1 DVD which I watched today with my kids instead.