Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors (Story 65)

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
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There should have been much to celebrate when Doctor Who reached it's tenth anniversary in 1973 and recognizing this, the BBC pulled out all the stops for a special story (often suggested by viewers) bringing together all the three actors who had played the part of the Doctor up until that point. Its just such a shame that what was produced turned out to be the very lackluster Three Doctors!

Actually made around the time of the ninth anniversary in November 1972 and first aired almost eleven months before the tenth, The Three Doctors is a hugely disappointing story in an otherwise strong season. It was pretty routine during the Pertwee era of the show to have some stories weaker than others, but it is such a shame that it was this very special adventure that drew the short straw. Inherently, the plotline itself is not bad at all, but the script and execution are woeful. The dialogue is not only cheesy but exceptionally cheesily delivered. The normally reliable Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) and John Levene (Benton) in particular are both made to look like bumbling pantomime characters as are the supporting cast of Dr. Tyler and Mr. Ollis. Of course, the production was plagued with problems right from the beginning as Producer Barry Letts and Script Editor Terrance Dicks explain in the very engaging commentary. Although he was very enthusiastic, ill health meant that the first Doctor, William Hartnell, was simply not up to playing a very active role in the show at all. His part was drastically scaled back and limited to filmed inserts. Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, makes a very welcome and energetic return to the show and certainly goes a long way to stealing the thunder of the incumbent Jon Pertwee. Rewrites to accommodate the changing availability of the cast and plot could be one reason the show just doesn't work, but there's no real excuse for the cheapness of the production. The sets are limited to four with some bland location work in the standard gravel pit added. The set for Omega's domain is truly dreadful, as are his Gellgaurd minions. Quite how anyone thought the design would work is mind-boggling. The time lord control center is littered with left over props from Carnival of Monsters (not yet broadcast, but recorded earlier), as are the time lord costumes. Everything else takes place in the standard Tardis or the UNIT lab sets. It's all so gaudy and hammed up by the actors that there's no way it can be appreciated as the classic adventure it should be. Even the normally very reliable Katy Manning (Jo Grant) is weak, but in fairness, like the two lead Doctors, she's merely trying to cope as best she can with dreadful lines.

Rather surprisingly, the better of the two releases is the earlier Troughton epic The Seeds of Death, one of the first stories to make it onto VHS in the early eighties. Made at the end of 1968/early 1969 this six-part adventure in black and white hardly holds classic status in the series canon. But surprisingly, and thanks in part to a very, very intensive clean up and restoration, the story does stand up very strongly. Well, at least in comparison to the Three Doctors anyway. Marking the second appearance of the much-loved Ice Warriors, there is enough in this story to keep viewers enthralled throughout its six episodes. True, it could have been much better had it only stretched to four, but the padding is not as obvious as other longer adventures. The most striking feature for me is the design and direction. Marking it clearly as a late sixties show, the set has some terrific touches that help the production stand out. There's a very well put together supporting cast, even if the three regulars are a bit below par. This was intended to be Frazer Hines' (Jamie) last appearance in the show, but as it was announced during it's broadcast that Troughton would be leaving the role of the Doctor at the end of the season, Hines was persuaded to stay on until then and leave at the same time, as ultimately did Wendy Padbury (Zoe). Hines and Padbury join Director Michael Ferguson and Script Editor Terrance Dicks to provide a hugely enjoyable commentary soundtrack, which is very insightful into the production of the story. As both teams say on both releases, it's such a shame that neither of the two Doctors featured are around to provide their own thoughts.

Both discs provide many, many extras, in the case of the Seeds of Death on an entirely separate disc. There's some genuinely interesting features dragged from the archives, including a completely bizarre interview with Patrick Troughton recorded in 1973. There's also a newly made mini-documentary featuring the actors who played the Ice Warriors.

It's all very enjoyable stuff, and any fan of the show will of course be delighted to add to the growing DVD collection of stories. I'm not sure how casual viewers would react to these two stories, but I hope it won't put them off future releases.

Here's a show that respects it's own history. Or at least as much as possible when you're talking aboout having over 700 episodes/150 adventures and keeping everything straight! They brought back a very ill William Hartnell for this show, the tenth anniversary, which was a delight as well as Patrick Troughton, who's had the honor of being the only Doctor present for all the multi-Doctor epics over the years (The Three, Five and Two Doctors, respectively). Seeing the Pertwee and Troughton personalities argue and then both being humbled by the Hartnell version--just the kind of stuff you like to see in an adventure of this sort, a mixing of the various incarnations of the Doctor. It's a pretty simple plot, admittedly to give way to setting up the title but it's a great show and a great addition to the DVD Who collection.

When I want an opinion from you I will give you one! That basically sums up the situation in this Doctor Who adventure.

As most of your readers will know by now, the BBC, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the show decided to reunite all of the actors who had played the lead role since the show's inception. Alas, the first Doctor William Hartnell, was stricken by a long and debilitating illness and was unable to play much of a part in the proceedings but to his eternal credit he did participate and made a memorable contribution showing just why he was chosen as the Doctor in the first instance.

Although the story introduced a number of elements of Timelord / Gallifrey mythology which added to the plot the main concern was the interplay between the three Doctor Whos. The villain, a larger than life nothing as it turned out pre-empts another Galliferyian renegade in the Brain of Morbius. Here his main job was to provide an opponent who was much stronger than the Doctor.

The combination of the three Doctors together is a masterstroke. Despite being debilitated by his illness, William Hartnell produced a marvellous performance although limited to brief sequences. The use of modern television techniques as well as colour helped to illuminate his Doctor as never before, brining in to question the whole idea of what Doctor Who would have been like had it been introduced in the 1970s.

Despite that level of performance, for me the characters of the second and third Doctors interacting together was the highlight of the adventure. Patrick Troughton endeared himself to many with his pouting and sulking in reaction to Jon Pertwee being arrogant and condescending. Not only did they bring out the worst but also the best in each other.

Mention should also be made of the supporting cast who were often relegated to minor positions. The long suffering Brigadier, clearly at a loss with the Doctor to begin with was all at sea with two.

This was truly a fitting testament to everyone involved in Doctor Who and must be considered to be one of the classics of the show.

A strange organism lands on Earth making objects and people disappear with its touch. On Gallifrey, all energy is being drained from the Black Hole that helped give the Time Lords their power, and the only one who can help is the Doctor, all three of them! A very enjoyable anniversary. Pertwee and Troughton's interplay is incredibly hilarious. Troughton is just wonderful with the interaction with the Brig and Benton(where's Yates?). Some great new Gallifreyan continuity. Omega is a great villian, projecting every line into a forceful statement. You almost feel sorry for him. Sadly, Hartnell could not be in all the story due to ill health. Also, the budget is almost non-existent! The gel-creatures are unintentionally funny just at the sight of them. It's a shame that the Master or the Daleks are not in this one, as they certainly have a right to be. Not the classic that it could have been, but still, a very enjoyable adventure for the undiscriminating Who fan!

For any real doctor who fan this is one of the great stories. The 3 doctors was typical of its time but made a great anniversary story for the series. Where the DVD really shines are the extras, 1 45 minute clip of John Pertwee and Katy Manning (looking much better than she did when the eppisode was made in my opinion) from a 93 Who convention is very entertaining and makes the eppisode worth buying for that alone. When combined with the commentary option the back and forth joking between Katy and Nicholas Courtney (the brig) is just terrific. I highly recommend this one

If one get past the antimatter blunder in the plot and the limit the budget had on Omaga's gell creatures, then one should highly enjoy this 10th anniversary tale. The regulars look like they're having loads of fun. Troughton and Pertwee's dialogue and performances are amusing to watch again and again. Their selfish arguments are the highlight of the serial. And it's great to see them finally make up at the end. The oringal masters, video & audio, have been wonderful remastered. The studio video shots have never looked crisper. Even the location footage looks great, even though the Doctor Who Restoration Team didn't have the original elements. The Blue Peter extra is really hilarious. I love it when Pertwee drives the new Whomoblie into the studio.

Despite Baker & Martin not totally understanding antimatter, there is some great dialogue throughout the adventure. One is from episode 3 when Omega realises he cannot leave his domain: "You exists because your will insists that you exist. That your will is all that is left of you..." And also a great Brigadier line near the end: "As far as I'm concerned, Doctor, one of you is enough. MORE than enough..."

"i wonder how we can feed it some useless information.........anyone have a television?"

WOW!!... I thought this episode was one of the greatest I'd ever seen, 5 stars without hesitation. Just to get this out of the way, I thought Tom Baker was the best Doctor ever, especially during the Lalla Ward episodes. I am also quite a fan of the Pertwee era and had a curiosity about Troughton as the role of the Doctor. Having seen the "Five Doctors", I thought this would be nice to watch and it does follow a similar pattern, as it was a Pertwee episode and then Troughton shows up and then Hartnell gives his appearance. Hartnell was in this episode only in bit parts and even then, only on the TARDIS's monitor. Well, long story short, the entire universe is in peril due to Omega's plan to destroy it and the Time Lords must stop him. Omega is the the outcast Time Lord who first harnessed the power of a black hole for the purpose of time travel, not too shaby, huh? So, the Time Lords "break the first law of time" and allow the Doctor to meet himself in an attempt to stop Omega. The interplay between Troughton and Pertwee was hilarious, and even a few lines from Hartnell got a chuckle from me (for all their humorous bickering, he just dismissed it and talked down to them). Omega was a classic villian with maniacal plans (why would he want to destroy the entire universe?...you'll find out why). UNIT (including the Brigadier and Sgt Benton) and Jo are all integral parts of this story. All in all, I have to say this turned out to be what has since gotten me looking for more Troughton episodes, renewed my passion for finding Pertwee episodes and also one of my all time favorites. A must see for any Troughton or Pertwee fans as well as anyone not yet familiar with either of them.

i'm adding this after almost a year of owning it.......i have since found Troughton to be an incredible Doctor and have gotten the few videos and ALL the reconstructions of his.......i honestly had only seen him in the "Five Doctors" and didn't know him.....this was the video that has made me a fan all over again..........my original title was "i didn't know what i was missing" and now it has a new meaning.........as a die-hard Tom Baker fan, Troughton has that same quirky, "just having fun being the Doctor" attitude

Troughton's one-liners in this one and his bickering with the ever dignified Pertwee is priceless.........an interaction of two actors not matched in any other episode or ever (if that's not too forward to say)

I like THE THREE DOCTORS, flawed though it is. It's overall just rompy escapism, rather than the hard-edged drama we saw during Pertwee's first year, but at this season, that's mostly what we expect. The serial gets a big boost from its cast. Not just the other two Doctors, but Stephen Thorne who puts serious gravitas into his villainous Omega. THE THREE DOCTORS isn't quite sure what it wants to be. Omega's story feels almost gothic in substance, while the comic relief portions almost override everything else. Mix that together with all the padding, and you're left with a bit of a mess, albeit a well-meaning, entertaining one.

It's fitting that a story ending with the Doctor regaining his freedom is primarily concerned with a tragic figure attempting to grasp his own. It's a shame Omega doesn't get a good chunk of screen-time until episode three; he's the best thing here. The Time Lords' great power coming at the cost of one man's imprisonment and torment. One man making a sacrifice, to set his people up above the very Gods. That and his Catch-22 dilemma make for enthralling viewing. Thorne plays it perfectly, giving Omega a dark, sad anger -- full of power and menace. It's a pity that all this great storytelling comes in the middle of "...that's Cromer out there..." and the constantly belching Gel Guards.

Troughton easily steals every scene he appears in. ("This is a show Jon Pertwee stole from Pat Troughton. He's stealin' it back.") Between accidentally breaking the Brigadier's radio and subtly probing the limits of Omega's self-control, he shows himself to be the ultimate Doctor -- always entertaining and always in command. Points off for not showing us him briefing the UN Security Council... That would have been a hoot! William Hartnell is charming. Fan of Hartnell's Doctor that I am, it's great to see him back for one final adventure. Sadly, because of his health, it's more nostalgia that I feel rather than genuine enthusiasm, but he's still a lot of fun in his brief appearances.

The script, which seems excited at the epic story of Omega's fall, feels oddly tired at other points. Tedious and awkward are the scenes of the Time Lords watching the proceedings from their distant world. The argument for allowing the Doctor meet his other selves boils down to "I must!" and counter arguments are dissuaded with "On the contrary, blah blah blah, I must!" Not exactly Socrates' Apology. There's also some plot sloppiness. For example, at the end of episode three, the Time Lords suddenly know a lot more then they did before, without explanation as to how.

The science in this serial is, well, at least they tried to make it sound scientific. But I think even the most scientific-illiterate would realize grass doesn't grow underneath buildings and black holes don't go around sucking in and farting out Mr. Holises...

The rest of the script seems to consist of nothing but padding: corridor running (which Tyler even comments on being a waste of time), people being captured, and the never-ending farewell scene, which is undercut when they're reunited moments later (although Nick Courtney's performance in those minutes instantly forgives the mockery his character underwent in the rest of the serial).

"This is a place. Just like any other place," states Pertwee, looking around at a rock quarry, which indeed looks like every other place he visited. For being the tenth anniversary special, outside of the guest stars the serial doesn't look very special. The battle sequences in episode one aren't effectively directed. This is a long way from AMBASSADORS OF DEATH's fight scenes. The UNIT troops don't even bother taking cover; they just stand right out in the open. Barry Letts rightly criticizes the sets on Omega's world for being too pantomime. The cheaply made sets look exactly like cheaply made sets. If only they could have shot Omega's throne room on location in some run-down castle...

As for the DVD extras, I've not been a huge fan of some of the fluff that gets put on these discs, but I must admit to being tickled this time. The Pebble Mill piece is hilarious. The production notes are great, with a lot of focus on earlier script drafts/ideas ("Deathworld" seems more interesting than what we got). Even the commentary (often the weakest link on these DVDs) sparkles. The best formula seems to be a mix of production crew and actors, and that heuristic is true again. Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney's anecdotes and clowning are amusing, and Barry Letts' dry comments are always informative. But one thing: couldn't we have had Terrence Dicks on the commentary track too?

Review Extras. Things may which amuse only me, but I'm including anyway:

1. Omega has great powers. In his domain, everything is possible, because he can make things jump in and out of the frame like he's a student film director.

2. Omega claims that the Doctors must eventually wear masks such as his. A pity they never did that. Can you imagine Troughton clowning with that big headdress on? Comedy gold!

3. Despite the fact that the anti-matter thing ate all of Mr. Hollis, only his screaming face appears on the photographic slide; presumably, this was the closest part of him to the cosmic-ray detector device. Lucky for him it wasn't his butt that was closest. They'd still be trying to identify it.

4. The thought-transference stuff meant switching the camera quickly between shots of Pertwee and Troughton. It goes so fast that it almost looks like subliminal advertising. And I can tell you that after watching these scenes, I was strangely hungry for a giant nose.

5. In all of Troughton's three post-WAR GAMES appearances, he's involved in a plot that has him running around yelping about Time Lords. Given that they weren't even formally introduced until his final episode, this has always struck me as being slightly wrong somehow...

"The Three Doctors" is something of an ambivalent classic. On the one hand, to be honest, it is riddled with faults, and it kind of feels like the whole crew is coasting a bit in celebration of the show's ten year run (which is certainly worth celebrating, of course). The weeble-wobbly monsters look kind of like congealed jelly or rotten pinecones and amble about bumping into things at a snail's pace--more comical than threatening. The scientific background is ambitious but incredibly shaky, and the idea of a gust of steam being a singularity is unintentionally humorous (not to mention bizarre); the faulty conflation of black holes and antimatter also comes across as goofy (or constantly annoying, in my wife's case), though perhaps this was all so esoteric as to be effective technobabble in the early 1970's. The supporting cast at times seem to be walking through the script without really getting into it, while way too much pointless walking through corridors slows down the plot. And so on and so on, gripe gripe gripe.

On the other hand, to be honest, it's replete with the stuff of greatness, and it rather feels like the crew went all out on this one. The idea of teaming up the current Doctor with his prior incarnations is an incredibly inventive inspiration (inspired from fan letters, we learn in the extras, but anyway), and works perfectly. It could've turned out so cheesy too, but the rivalry and bickering between the three of them gives it just the right chemistry (and is awfully amusing in the bargain). Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee both give this performance their all, and the way their Doctors' personalities clash and yet complement each other more than makes up for any gripey nitpicks. It's really too bad William Hartnell couldn't participate more due to his health, but the old boy is doing his level best and hats off to him--since from the start he believed in the show's long-lasting potential when everyone else gave it a season or two at best, there's a certain poetic justice in his being there for the 10th anniversary. To the naysayers, Ha!

Three Doctors against one villain? Ordinarily this would be overkill, but Omega is as formidable and threatening as his jello minions are not. Here's one of those great villains whose anger and resentment seem justified or at least understandable even if their resulting actions must be prevented. A Time Lord from Gallifrey like the Doctor, Omega developed the technology of time travel and in the process was trapped (abandoned, from his point of view) in an antimatter limbo. Now he has the power of a god and the emotional instability of a madman; there is something grand and awesome/aweful about his character, like Satan out of Milton's "Paradise Lost" or Darth Vader from the original "Star Wars" (whose mask and outfit his resembles, retroactively speaking)--and yet the scene when he breaks down in a heartrending wail at the knowledge that he's wasted away to nothing but raw willpower, trapped in a world of his own making for eternity, is, well, heartrending. The actor who plays Omega nails this performance, too--his dialogue is full of the kinds of lines that, depending on the delivery, are either unbelievably hokey or unbelievably dramatic, and he keeps it firmly in the latter register 100% of the way. The ability to convincingly portray such a character and to fully get his range of emotions across while encumbered with a bulky mask and a caped outfit probably deserves some kind of serious award, too.

So, while giving the nitpicks their just due, in the final accounting, 3 Doctors + 1 Unbalanced Demiurge = A Timelord Classic.

The Time Lords are facing a crisis, their power being sucked into a mysterious black hole. So it's up to the first three doctors (Bill Hartnell only appearing briefly due to ill health) to sort out the mess.

This is without doubt one of the best 'campy' Dr Who stories ever made. There are plenty of humourous touches, but they're never allowed to stand in the way of the story's more sinister aspects. Omega is a good villain, suitably loud, and UNIT are on top form.