OK after more tennis marathons on the blog, time for a quick change back to the old Doctor Who analysis as I will look at another story from the classic series, during the Jon Pertwee era, The Three Doctors. This story celebrated the show's 10th anniversary and reuinted the three doctors (hence the title) as we saw the first doctor, William Hartnell and the second doctor, Patrick Troughton return to the small screen.
So here's a bit more about the plot, as the story starts with a scientist, Dr Tyler (Rex Robinson) who seeks help from UNIT with strange results of a scientific survey, which also results in the disappearnce of a local poacher, Mr Ollis (Laurie Webb). The Doctor and Jo (Katy Manning) investigate the area where Ollis went missing, and on returning to UNIT HQ, they see a strange energy blob, which consumes the Doctor's car, Bessie, which vanishes. The energy blob infiltrates the HQ and it also consumes part of the Doctor's laboratory, where the Doctor and Jo are forced to enter the TARDIS along with Sgt Benton (John Levine). The Doctor activates the TARDIS forcefield to prevent the blob from attacking it, and sends a message to the Time Lords for help. However the Time Lords themselves are suffering from the attack, which apparently appears to be anti-matter energy from a black hole, which is slowly draining away the energy from the Time Lords planet. The Time Lords then in order to help the Doctor, send them his previous incarnation, the second doctor (Patrick Troughton) to help the third doctor in their plight. However the two doctors argue with one another and refuse to co-operate, so the Time Lords try to send the first doctor (Hartnell) along, but he is trapped in a time eddy is unable to fully appear. The first doctor advises the other two doctors that the energy blob outside the TARDIS is a time bridge and insists they cross it. The third doctor goes out the TARDIS, but Jo follows him and they are both transported into the anti-matter universe. The third doctor soon finds that a legendary Time Lord, Omega (Stephen Thorne) is behind the attack on the Time Lords. Omega was once one of the pioneers in creating time travel, but as a result he was caught up in a supernova and blown out of existance in a world of anti-matter, where he has remained since, and he feels he was abandoned by his race, so he now seeks revenge.
Meanwhile the second doctor is still in the TARDIS with Sgt Benton and the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) both whom are in the spaceship for the first time. The first doctor then calls on the second doctor and insists him to turn off the forcefield, so the TARDIS can be transported to the anti-matter world so they can help the third doctor. The second doctor does so, and the TARDIS and UNIT HQ are both transported to the anti-matter world. Pretty soon the two doctors reunite and pit their wits against the deranged Omega, who insists that the two Time Lords remain there, so he can escape. But it is soon revealed that Omega is unable to esacpe as the corriosion has destroyed his body and that he only exists now because of the power of his will. The drives Omega mad who howls with dispair, which lets the Doctors escape back to the TARDIS, where they must come up with a way to thwart Omega's plan to destroy the Time Lords.
The Three Doctors is one of the most entertaining stories of the Pertwee era, and its an inspired way to celebrate the series 10th anniversary. Although the two actors didn't get along with each other initially during the filming of the show, Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton share a wonderful chemistry together on screen, as the two of them bicker and argue with each other. Patrick Troughton is simply wonderful in his reappearance as the second doctor, and he has pretty much all the best lines in the story, especially in his scenes with the Brigaider, when they arrive on the anti-matter world, the Bridgadier thinks they are on a beach in Norfolk! And when the Brigadier steps outside to see where they are and sees a sandy quarry, he storms back in and shouts "Now, see here, Doctor, this time you have gone too far!", to which the doctor replies "I rather think we all have!". His bickering with the third doctor also reveals some funny lines, where he explains to Jo about who he is, and he says "I think I will explain and I hope you don't mind", "Yes I do!" says the third doctor, and the second says "I didn't think you would.". William Hartnell, due to ill health, had to have his role cut down, as at this time his arteriosclerosis had advanced greatly, but his part is also entertaining. Hartnell also provided one of the story's most memorable lines, as he looks at his two counterparts from the TARDIS video screen, "Ah so you are my replacements. A dandy and a clown!".
The regulars are also all on good form, with Nicholas Courtney providing some amusing moments, especially the aforementioned scene where the TARDIS is transported to Omega's world, with the Brig saying "I'll see if I can get someone on the radio. I'm fairly sure that's Kroma". Katy Manning as Jo Grant by then had grown very well into her role, and she started to show more self assuredness in her character. Jo also provides another amusing line when the third doctor tries to explain about the second doctor and who he is, "Look Jo, its perfectly simple, I am he, and he is me!" and Jo replies "And we are all together, goo goo gijub???". And one of the story's best performances comes from Stephen Thorne as the crazed Time Lord Omega. Thorne himself, disguised underneath his costume and mask delivers his lines with great relish (and dips maybe ;-) and his booming voice is very impressive. At times maybe he might sound a bit cheesy uttering some of his lines, especially as he boasts about his world "And I created it! I ALONE!!! OMEGA!!!".
Credit for the story also deserves to go to Bob Baker and Dave Martin, the writers, who wrote a fine script for the 10th anniversary show. The plot is also really well layed out, and its also quite an important story from the point of view that it expands on the Time Lords history and the genesis of their power of time travel. The story also neatly brought the Doctor's exile on Earth to a close, after the Omega crisis is thwarted, the Time Lords restore the Doctor's freedom and give him a new dematerialisation circuit for the TARDIS, so he can resume his travels in time and space. At this point I'd imagine the script editor Terrance Dicks and producer Barry Letts had let the Doctor's exile go on long enough, even though they had a few stories in between where they let the Doctor and Jo travel in the TARDIS to different planets, courtesy of the Time Lords sending them on missions.
The story however of course does have one or two negative points, the main one being the monsters this time round, the Gel guards who are pretty silly, as its clearly just men in a blobby looking outfits, shifting along blindly! By this time in the Barry Letts era there had been plenty of silly monsters played by actors in rubber suits, but these ones certainly took the biscuit tray. The effects of the anti-matter energy blob are also pretty naff and primitive looking, and is typical of the limitations of the show's budget at the time, which I guess can't be helped.
Regardless of that though the Three Doctors is a very entertaining celebration of the show and it was great to see the reuniting of the thee principal actors who played the part. It would also see a repeat of the format in future stories, where we would once again see previous incarnations of the doctor reappear in The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors (where Troughton would appear yet again) during the 1980s.
Soooooooooo I will leave it there on that one.
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