'Doctor Who – The Five Doctors' (1983)



Good morning and welcome once again to another post where I look at Doctor Who like it used to be in the days when colour TV was only just a thing; well... in my house anyway...
So, 'The Five Doctors' was all about celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the TV show but as an eight year old, I had no idea about any of that. No, for me it was the culmination of several weeks of watching old Doctor Who stories (the BBC really pulled out all the stops) and really looking forward to seeing Tom Baker's Doctor again, only to see him shoved into a time vortex before the story had even got started.(because Tom Baker agreed to appear in the story then changed his mind, meaning the writers had to be extra creative...) It was still good though, here's some blurb from the Terrance Dicks novelisation that I used to have...

A twentieth anniversary special featuring the Doctor in all five of his regenerations.
Why are all five Doctors being removed from their separate time-streams? Who is the enemy they will have to unite against? What will become of the Doctors when the battle is over?
We have travelled a long way with Doctor Who. The Five Doctors gives us the chance to turn the clock back and meet some old friends — and some old enemies.

'The Five Doctors' is just one big nostalgia treat for fans with as close an original line up of Doctors as could be reasonably expected along with a whole load of fan favourite monsters. If you have a favourite monster (from 'old' Doctor Who) then it's a safe bet that you will see it here. There's also Anthony Ainsley's Master, my favourite Master (although I've never seen Roger Delgado's Master so that could all change) And the Raston Warrior Robot... The Raston Warrior Robot is brilliant and I would love to see it in 'New' Doctor Who, I reckon they could do a really good job with it.
It is a nostalgia fest then but 'The Five Doctors' was marking the anniversary of Doctor Who so how could it be anything but...? I loved watching the different Doctors bounce off each other as well. Patrick Troughton's second Doctor always seemed to be the centre of any trouble and I really need to dig out more of his adventures...

It's not just about the nostalgia though as there is a story and plot as well! The story doesn't quite gel with the constant parading of fan favourites but it is an interesting plot nonetheless with a couple of decent twists right at the very end. I really liked the fifth Doctor's little nod to how it all began, presumably using that one line to launch a whole load more adventures.

I've heard the 'The Five Doctors' described as 'pantomime' and that's a really apt description for a story that's more about style than substance. Who doesn't like a pantomime though? I love it and the same goes for this fun, albeit frothy, tale.


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