Doctor Who – The Five Doctors (BBC Video/25th Anniversary Edition)
Picture: B- Sound:
B- Extras: A+ Movie: A+
This two-disc set features the 1983 and 1995 versions of the
20th Anniversary Doctor Who special,
The Five Doctors, a ninety minute
show that originally aired in 1983. There
are only minor differences between the two versions, and the most important
elements, the story and the performances, shine brightly in both. This incredible story brings together the five
versions of Doctor Who, played by Richard Hurndall (replacing the late William
Hartnell, the original first Doctor), Patrick Troughton (the second), Jon
Pertwee (the third), Tom Baker (the fourth), and Peter Davison (the fifth, and
at that time current Doctor). Although
Tom Baker's fourth Doctor plays only a small part in the action, creating a
story befitting the presence of five incarnations of the Doctor must have been
a formidable task, but writer Terrance Dicks was up to it. Plucked from various points in the
time-stream, the five Doctors find themselves and some of their deadliest foes
transported to a mysterious citadel on their home planet of Gallifrey.
Through the various twists and turns of this rip-roaring adventure we get to
see some of the best of what made each version of the Doctor great in his own
way. Hartnell's grumpiness and wisdom,
Troughton's frenetic pacing, Pertwee's dandy charisma, Baker's loopy demeanor,
and Davison's cool blend of the first three Doctors all mesh to form a
cohesive, yet somehow still wonderfully chaotic, picture of the first twenty
years of the Doctor. The Doctors are
joined by many of their companions past and present, including some quick
cameos toward the end from even more companions who hadn't been seen to that
point in the story.
The picture and sound on both versions is superior too much of what we've seen
so far from BBC's release of the classic episodes. The 1995 version of the feature on disc two
offers some re-worked special effects for the capture scenes and a new, inhuman
voice for the spirit of Rassilon, the ancient Time Lord whose tomb the five
Doctors must penetrate to learn its secrets. Ample bonus material exists on both discs,
including some wonderful cuts of Davison and his fellow "Doctors"
appearing on various British television shows to promote what was then the 20th
anniversary of the show. In addition to
other material disc two also features The
Ties That Bind Us, a neat little informational peace examining some of the
continuity hooks that link The Five Doctors
to the rest of the episodes in the Doctor Who's previous twenty years.
The Five Doctors opens with perhaps
one of the most memorable quotes in the history of the show, William
Hartnell's wonderful valediction to his granddaughter. His promise to return
one day was made prophecy by the incredible script behind The Five Doctors, and the combined performances in this set make it
a fitting celebration of a television phenomenon that continues to this day.
- Scott R. Pyle
