C065 The Three Doctors

No real “Arthur Fuxake” moments in this serial, although I would dearly have loved to have seen more of an effort made to present an “antimatter” reality as something other than the usual quarry, filmed at a 45° angle. The monsters, however, were bizarre enough as they appeared to be made out of puss-filled, scab tissue and had crab-claw guns for hands.

It was refreshing to see the return of a random, wife-beating country yokel even though – surprisingly enough – he didn’t end up getting killed to death.

There were some genuinely creepy moments and enough suspence and intrigue to keep you watching. Great fun seeing multiple Doctors together for the first time and not too fan-wanky. The interaction between Troughton and Pertwee was highly entertaining (and not entirely based on fiction!)

I liked the fight sequence with the dark side of Omega’s mind and thought this was a nice touch. The sequence had a dreamlike quality and there was something strangely disturbing about the appearance of Pertwee’s adversary. In any case, I had decided to adopt the same method of battling any people I come across that fancy their chances against the dark side of my own consciousness. I am unbeaten so far and have even managed to hospitalise the bloke that scratched my car whilst reversing out of a Lidl car park and driving off.

All in all, a fitting anniversary special and season opener. I would like to give this serial a 3.8

When Space Donald Trump shoots off strange space lightening from his antimatter Mar-A- La-Go on the other side of “The” Black Hole, the “Fake News” Time Lords attempt to stave off the effects of the cosmic brain drain by sending The Third Doctor some fact-checking help in the form of his two previous incarnations to stop it.

Thus the first multi-Doctor story was born, and right in time for the 10 th anniversary of the show. Due to failing health, William Hartnells involvement is sadly kept to a minimum, as prerecorded scenes intercut with the remaining action of the story. Would that time could have been kinder to old Bill. Still, a delight to seem him one last time.

Through what must have been a “sheer force of will” to conjure a peanut butter and jam sandwich just before getting zapped into “The” Black Hole, Omega literally surrounds himself with both living and decorative generic “Blob Monsters of the Week” with lazer claws, as he bellows and gesticulates wildly in his very best fancy party mask.

One Game Warden with possible ‘Nam flashbacks, a scientist who very likely experiments with his own LSD, The Disbelieving Brigadier and Sgt “Juicy Fruit” Benton tag along with Jo Grant and the Two Doctors on their wild ride through a space quarry. In the end its a lunch box with a recorder in it that saves the day.

Despite the rather simple story and some silly effects, this serial is very enjoyable if for no other reason than that Pertwee and Troughton soak up all the energy on screen, whether together or apart. A solid 3.2/5 for nostalgia.

“The Three Doctors” is the first in the line of multi-Doctor stories and highly regarded by most fans as the best multi-Doctor story ever. I’m inclined to agree.

The Three Doctors themselves give a wonderful performance. Pertwee is great as always, Pat Troughton slipped back into the role like a glove, and though limited in his involvement, William Hartnell was wonderful in his final appearance on Doctor Who before his passing in 1975.

What I really like about this story is that the Doctor’s exile comes to an end. After three years stranded on Earth for the most part, we can now get a fully blown travelling season, complete with Daleks and Drashings and… well, I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? Perhaps I should talk about Omega first. Stephen Thorne’s maniacal ranting does become wearing, although the suspense was killing I’m sure as to what disfigured horror might lurk beneath his Grecian mask. And when nothing was there, I’m sure everyone was surprised.

This story does have one tiny problem: it suffers from padding. This story has some bits where it can get a little boring at times and really can take a bit to get through. I mean, that bit in episode two where they are just waiting in the corridors is a fine example of it. However, the positive greatly outweigh the negatives here.

As I said, this is probably the best multi-Doctor story out there. Though not the best story ever told, it’s definitely the finest television example of a multi-Doctor adventure. 3.8/5, hands down.

DOCTOR WHO is unique in television for having multiple actors portraying the same title character. Producer Barry Letts brought back both of the show’s previous stars to celebrate its tenth anniversary. In Bob Baker and Dave Martin’s story, Time Lord hero, Omega, felt betrayed and abandoned in an antimatter universe inside a black hole. His vengeance on the Time Lords involved an energy draining attack that threatened the entire universe and sought the Doctor in particular. It compelled the godlike Time Lords, for whom action was anathema, to respond. They not only acted, but did what, for them, was unthinkable.

The story began when Ollis, a game warden, found a balloon Doctor Tyler was using to research cosmic rays. After reporting strange readings to UNIT and opening his equipment in the Doctor’s lab, Tyler, like Ollis, disappeared. After the Doctor and Jo investigated the game preserve, a blob of antimatter processed to exist in our universe attacked them and caused the Doctor’s car, Bessie, to vanish. They reported to the Brigadier and Benton, as UNIT Headquarters was besieged by more antimatter blobs. The Time Lords knew the Doctor was besieged, but were in trouble themselves and couldn’t spare anyone to help. So, they sent the Doctor’s second incarnation, played by Patrick Troughton. He described the time Lords’ situation, explained his own arrival, played his recorder, and argued with Jon Pertwee’s Doctor about TARDIS decor and what to do next. Since the two Doctors didn’t seem to be getting along, the Time Lords sent the first Doctor to advise his future selves from a time eddy in which he got caught. Actor William Hartnell’s poor health was the real reason for the first Doctor’s limited, advisory role.

Regardless, he told the Doctor the antimatter blob would send him somewhere and to go. When he did, Jo rushed after him and they both vanished into Omega’s antimatter universe, which they explored in Bessie. They found Doctor Tyler as Ollis watched and followed them. In our universe, the second Doctor tried to explain to the Brigadier, as well as his superiors in Geneva, what was happening. Despite the Brigadier ordering his headquarters evacuated, UNIT troops outside were surrounded, but ordered not to engage the antimatter blobs. Inside, the Doctor, who had lost his recorder, built a machine to keep the blob in the lab calm and left Sergeant Benton to watch it. The Doctor’s machine, though, stimulated the antimatter instead of calming it and sent the Doctor, the Brigadier, and Benton retreating into the TARDIS, which was eventually taken to the antimatter universe with UNIT Headquarters. Benton’s initial reaction to the TARDIS interior was classic while the Brigadier’s was unfortunately typical. He routinely coped with extraordinary events, but spent this serial trying to make rational sense of the the multiple Doctors’ efforts to deal with Omega’s attack. His efforts were funny, but undermined his characteristic professionalism. Ollis helped the Brigadier’s character by giving the officer someone to command in the antimatter universe. Fortunately, their frontal attack on Omega’s palace turned into a strategic withdrawal as the Doctors and the others escaped.

Earlier, Omega had sent antimatter blobs to bring everyone to his palace while the Brigadier and Ollis followed. In the palace, Pertwee learned the world in which they found themselves was the product of Omega’s will. The world’s ruler therefore could not both give up control and escape to our universe He proposed, however, the Doctor take over the power of the singularity he controlled, which amounted to the antimatter world, thereby enabling Omega to escape. Pertwee’s Doctor was negotiating the humans’ release when the second Doctor arrived and began testing Omega’s self control. When Omega realized the two doctors in his palace were the same Time Lord, he became angry and challenged the third Doctor to fight the dark side of his mind. The second Doctor convinced Omega not to kill his other self and the Time Lords persuaded the first Doctor to enter the antimatter universe. Everyone retreated to the TARDIS, where all the Doctor’s consulted each other telepathically. The second Doctor realized his recorder had fallen into the TARDIS force field and wasn’t processed to exist in the antimatter universe. The Third Doctor discovered Omega’s will was all that remained of him and offered to free him from his world if he let the humans go. After Omega agreed and the humans returned to Earth, the Doctors gave the recorder in a force field to Omega, who knocked it from its bearer’s hands. The resulting matter antimatter explosion blew up Omega’s world, from which the Doctors returned to Earth in the TARDIS. The third Doctor received a new dematerialization circuit from the Time Lords,who also released him from his exile on 20th century Earth.

“The Three Doctors” told a pivotal story that sent ripples through DOCTOR WHO mythology. More immediately, it was an entertaining treat for fans, who saw each actor from the title role interacting with his counterparts for the first time in a solid story dealing with the nature of existence. The serial also revealed Time Lord lore and history as they and the Doctors overcame a threat that justified lifting the Doctor’s three year old exile. This decision corrected a problem with the show’s format which severely limited its storytelling potential, while leaving UNIT in place as a framework in which to tell tales set on modern Earth. Brilliant!