27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Double celebration for Troughton fans, March 10, 2004
By A Customer
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.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always a joy!, June 9, 2004
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Everything comes in threes., October 9, 2002
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.
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