To celebrate the monumental fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who, the world’s longest-running science-fiction series, we’re delving into some of the most memorable stories from both the classic and modern eras. This week, we journey back to 1983 and the twentieth anniversary special, Doctor Who: The Five Doctors. This ambitious episode sought to unite multiple incarnations of the Doctor, but did it deliver a sublime celebration or become a fiendishly odd continuity nightmare?
“There was one chap we tried to get hold of. What was his name? Used to be your scientific advisor.”
“Oh, the Doctor.”
“Yes that’s right.”
“Wonderful chap. All of them.”
– Crichton and the Brigadier get into the spirit of things
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors was conceived as a grand anniversary spectacle, aiming to bring together all five (well, technically four, and a stand-in) actors who had portrayed the iconic Time Lord. Written by the seasoned Doctor Who scribe Terrance Dicks, this 100-minute special is undeniably a celebration, packed with fan-favorite elements. However, it arguably prioritizes nostalgic thrills over narrative depth and character development. It’s a “greatest hits” compilation for the franchise, making the generally nostalgic tone of the surrounding twentieth season seem almost superficial in comparison.
Producers John Nathan Turner and script editor Eric Saward were known for their intense focus on Doctor Who’s rich history and intricate continuity. Often, their stories risked becoming bogged down in obscure references and in-jokes that alienated casual viewers. In contrast, Dicks manages to strike a more balanced chord with The Five Doctors. He crafts a slice of nostalgia that remains largely accessible and enjoyable, ensuring each returning character gets a moment to shine – except, perhaps, for the Cybermen.
Terrance Dicks does not care for the Cybermen…
Terrance Dicks, the writer of Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, is famously not a fan of the Cybermen, as hinted at by their somewhat underwhelming role in this anniversary special.
From its inception, Doctor Who: The Five Doctors feels more like a checklist for a 20th-anniversary party than a tightly woven narrative. One can almost imagine Dicks ticking off the requested elements from Nathan Turner and Saward: All previous Doctors? Check. Sarah Jane Smith? Check. The Brigadier? Check. A Dalek? Sure, why not? The Master? Getting a bit crowded, isn’t it? Gallifrey? Really pushing it now. A Yeti? Okay, fine. Cybermen? Do we really have to?
The entire production exudes the air of a well-orchestrated PR event, built around the notion that certain iconic elements simply must be included in a Doctor Who anniversary, regardless of narrative coherence or thematic appropriateness. Why is a lone Dalek inexplicably wandering around Gallifrey? Because it’s an anniversary – you need Daleks. Is it wise to include the First Doctor after William Hartnell’s passing, necessitating a recasting? You can’t have a multi-doctor story without all the Doctors, can you?
Don
The dangers of hitchhiking on Gallifrey: The Second Doctor and the Brigadier encounter a Yeti in the Death Zone in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors.
Steven Moffat, when approaching the 50th anniversary with The Day of the Doctor, consciously avoided this checklist approach, prioritizing story and the show’s integrity over pure fan service and publicity stunts. Moffat, a writer driven by narrative, crafted a celebration rooted in a compelling story. John Nathan Turner, more concerned with Doctor Who’s public image, opted for a celebration centered on iconic imagery and recognizable characters.
That The Five Doctors manages to be even remotely coherent is a minor miracle, and this is largely thanks to Dicks’ understanding of audience expectations for such an episode. This wasn’t intended to be a game-changing story that redefined Doctor Who. It wasn’t about exploring profound themes or delving deeply into the Doctor’s complex backstory.
Breaking Daleks is all part of the fun when you’re celebrating a Doctor Who anniversary, as demonstrated in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors.
Instead, Doctor Who: The Five Doctors delivers precisely what many fans wanted: a delightful parade of familiar faces running around, interacting, and generally having a good time. To analyze The Five Doctors through the lens of typical Doctor Who storytelling is to fundamentally miss the point. This isn’t aiming to be a classic episode like Carnival of Monsters, City of Death, or The Caves of Androzani. It’s a “fun” story, reveling in Doctor Who iconography without getting bogged down in narrative mechanics.
Consequently, the continuity is gleefully messy. There’s a palpable sense that Dicks is subtly poking fun at Nathan Turner, Saward, and the intensely continuity-focused fans eager to fit every piece of Doctor Who lore into a neat, consistent whole. (This era saw “superfan” Ian Levine working on the show, unofficially as a “continuity advisor.”) Coming after a season largely built on sequels to past stories, The Five Doctors‘s casual disregard for established continuity feels almost deliberate.
Gotta catch
The Doctor ‘catching them all’ – a gathering of Doctors and companions in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, a true ensemble piece.
Similarly pointed is the introduction of Rassilon, a character who has since become a cornerstone of Time Lord mythology. Rassilon, later seen in The End of Time (played by Timothy Dalton) and extensively explored in Big Finish audio dramas, is strangely similar to Omega, a character who would have provided a more direct link back to The Three Doctors.
The thematic parallels between Rassilon and Omega, while not explicitly addressed in The Five Doctors, have fueled extensive fan speculation about Gallifreyan history. It’s not as if Omega was forgotten; he featured prominently in Arc of Infinity, the opening story of the twentieth season, and the Second Doctor even makes a passing reference to him in conversation with the Brigadier. The choice to introduce a new, eerily familiar figure feels like a deliberate nod to, or perhaps a playful subversion of, established lore.
Shocking…
A shocking revelation for Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors – the return of the Third Doctor!
Dicks further highlights the narrative inconsistencies by having the Second Doctor directly address the absurdity of his own presence. Confronted by a ghostly Jamie, the Second Doctor immediately recognizes the impossibility: “You’re not real. When you were returned to your own people, the Time Lords erased your memory of the period you spent with me. So how do you know who we are? Answer!”
Of course, immediately following Jamie’s memory wipe at the end of The War Games (also co-written by Dicks), the Second Doctor regenerated into the Third. Therefore, a Second Doctor existing after Jamie’s memory erasure is a continuity paradox. Given Dicks’s involvement in The War Games, this is unlikely a simple oversight. Instead, it reads as a wink to the audience, acknowledging the inherent silliness of trying to maintain perfect continuity in a show like Doctor Who.
Kneel before Borusa…
Borusa, a key Time Lord figure in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, played by Philip Latham, adds to the Gallifreyan intrigue.
Unsurprisingly, continuity-obsessed fans, missing the joke, latched onto these inconsistencies, leading to the convoluted “Season 6B” theory. This theory posits a “secret” Troughton season between The War Games and Spearhead from Space. Dicks himself seemed to playfully engage with this idea in his novel The World Game. It’s almost as if Dicks’s lighthearted spoofing of continuity obsession inadvertently fueled even greater levels of it.
Part of the continuity juggling act was undoubtedly due to Tom Baker’s unavailability. While disappointing for fans at the time – and resulting in the somewhat bizarre use of Baker’s waxwork dummy for publicity – Baker’s absence arguably benefited the final product. Baker, known for his commanding screen presence, might have overshadowed the other Doctors. Dicks himself admitted that initial drafts centered heavily on the Fourth Doctor, while the finished version achieves a more balanced ensemble.
On fine Four(m)…
The waxwork Fourth Doctor makes a cameo in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, a creative solution to Tom Baker’s absence.
Baker’s absence, however, led to some slightly awkward pairings. The Second Doctor’s reunion with the Brigadier at a UNIT event feels slightly forced, considering their limited prior interactions. The Third Doctor, who worked extensively with UNIT and the Brigadier, would have been a more natural fit.
Instead, Sarah Jane Smith encounters the Third Doctor, despite her stronger association with the Fourth. In a deliberately on-the-nose exchange, Sarah Jane remarks, “You changed remember? You became all, er…” The Third Doctor finishes, “Teeth and curls?” Sarah Jane confirms, and the Third Doctor simply replies, “Yes, well, maybe I did, but I haven’t yet.” It’s a moment of playful self-awareness, almost breaking the fourth wall with a wink to the audience.
A girl and her dog…
Sarah Jane Smith and K9 reunite with the Third Doctor in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, a nostalgic pairing for long-time fans.
And that, ultimately, is the essence of Doctor Who: The Five Doctors. It’s not about satisfying hardcore continuity enthusiasts. It’s a proud celebration of two decades of Doctor Who, trading on the franchise’s iconography. While this approach isn’t sustainable for Doctor Who in the long run, it’s far more enjoyable than the suffocating devotion to continuity that plagued much of the Saward era. The Five Doctors is fun, if somewhat hollow; a far cry better than the dreary and convoluted Attack of the Cybermen.
Unlike much of mid-eighties Doctor Who, Dicks clearly intended The Five Doctors to be accessible to casual viewers. The Doctors and companions aren’t bogged down in lengthy explanations of who they are or their personal histories. Despite the opening clip being from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Susan and the First Doctor interact as if they’ve seen each other recently, with no real acknowledgement of the passage of time or Susan’s life on Earth after leaving the TARDIS. Exploring Susan’s life post-TARDIS departure could have been interesting, but the special glosses over it. Susan is present – that’s all that matters for this celebration.
Master of all he surveys…
The Master, played by Anthony Ainley in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, is as scheming and theatrical as ever, adding another layer of classic villainy to the special.
Similarly, characters are introduced with efficient exposition, catering to viewers unfamiliar with Doctor Who staples. Borusa greets the Master in a way that serves to introduce him to a potentially new audience. “You are one of the most evil and corrupt beings this Time Lord race has ever produced. Your crimes are without number and your villainy without end.” This quickly establishes the Master’s character for anyone tuning in for the first time.
Even when introducing unfamiliar concepts like “the Death Zone,” Dicks’ dialogue is concise and informative. When Borusa mentions it, the Master promptly explains, “Ah, the black secret at the heart of your Time Lord paradise.” While somewhat stilted, it efficiently conveys the necessary information to the audience.
A one-man team-up…
The First and Fifth Doctors, played by Richard Hurndall and Peter Davison, engage in some classic Doctor-on-Doctor interaction in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors.
It’s important to note that the characters in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors aren’t necessarily portrayed as their original incarnations. Their personalities are often exaggerated and filtered through the lens of nostalgia and time. Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor is more overtly impish and comedic than he often was during his original tenure. Interestingly, Troughton himself seemed to age down for these reunion appearances, appearing younger than he did in The Three Doctors or The Five Doctors.
Similarly, the First Doctor, portrayed here by Richard Hurndall after William Hartnell’s death, is presented as primarily cantankerous and grumpy. While this was a facet of the First Doctor’s personality, it overshadows his playful side and his defining curiosity. This portrayal solidified a more one-dimensional, cranky image of the First Doctor that has persisted in some fan perceptions.
There is an art to this…
The Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith working together in the Death Zone, showcasing the enduring appeal of classic Doctor Who pairings in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors.
To be fair, Dicks is clearly writing to nostalgia. He’s crafting the characters as the audience remembers them, rather than strictly adhering to their original nuances. This is a fitting approach for a 20th-anniversary celebration, even if it sacrifices some depth and accuracy in characterization. Dicks deserves considerable credit for understanding what audiences wanted from Doctor Who, and The Five Doctors is very much about delivering precisely that.
It’s easy to underestimate Dicks’s writing because it’s so efficient and accessible. However, this simplicity is a strength. When tasked with a multi-Doctor story, Dicks delivers The Five Doctors. In contrast, when Robert Holmes, a writer often considered more sophisticated, tackles a multi-Doctor story, we get The Two Doctors. While The Two Doctors has its merits and is arguably underrated, The Five Doctors is undeniably a more appropriate and successful anniversary special.
Closing in to seal their tomb…
The Cybermen, a classic Doctor Who foe, feature in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, though perhaps not in their most menacing role.
Dicks demonstrates remarkable self-awareness throughout The Five Doctors. He knows exactly what kind of story he’s telling. The First and Fifth Doctors even share a tea party in the TARDIS, a moment of pure celebratory whimsy. The characters frequently comment on the absurdity of “the Death Zone” itself. Established as an ancient Time Lord arena filled with deadly traps for the amusement of unseen spectators, the Death Zone in The Five Doctors is precisely that – a stage for an anniversary spectacle.
When the Doctor and the Master critique Time Lord society for the barbarity of “the Games,” they come dangerously close to acknowledging their own roles in an anniversary special designed for audience entertainment. When the Cybermen question their presence in the Death Zone, the Master explains they are there, “To destroy each other for the amusement of the Time Lords.” Replace “Time Lords” with “the viewing audience,” and you have a meta-commentary on the very nature of anniversary specials.
The pieces are in place…
The Time Lords orchestrate the events of Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, bringing together past incarnations of the Doctor in a grand scheme.
Similarly, when the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane discuss their predicament, it sounds as if Sarah Jane is questioning the script itself. “But why don’t they just tell us why we’re here?” she asks. The Third Doctor explains, “Because they delight in deviousness, that’s why. It amuses them, chucking us in the deep end, watching us sink or swim.” This serves as a tongue-in-cheek explanation for Dicks’s own writing choices, injecting a sense of meta-suspense into the narrative.
A congratulatory tone permeates the entire adventure, with the universe seemingly revolving around the Doctor’s awesomeness. Even the Master, the Doctor’s nemesis, concedes that “the cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bares thinking about.” Befitting the celebratory atmosphere, the Doctor even expresses a degree of appreciation for the Master. The Third Doctor calls him his “best enemy,” and the Fifth Doctor admits to having done the character “an injustice.”
Even the Master gets to defeat the Cybermen…
An unlikely alliance: The Master and the Doctors face common enemies in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, showcasing a different dynamic for the villain.
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors provides the ideal context for the pantomime-villain version of the Anthony Ainley Master. This Master, often cartoonishly evil and motivated by little more than scenery-chewing villainy, finds a fitting stage in this grand spectacle. In a battle royale against the Cybermen and the Doctors, this Master actually appears somewhat effective. His brutal dispatch of a Cyberman platoon is arguably his most competent moment on screen. Forced to cooperate with the Doctor rather than directly oppose him, the Master even gets to be on the winning side for once.
Rassilon rises!
The ancient Time Lord Rassilon plays a pivotal role in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, introducing a key figure into Doctor Who lore.
It’s noteworthy that Russell T. Davies’s portrayal of the Master in the revived series draws significantly from this serial. Utopia and The End of Time reveal the Time Lords manipulated and exploited the Master during the Time War, mirroring the dynamic presented in The Five Doctors. When asked why he recruited the Master, Borusa explains, “Because we need someone determined, experienced, ruthless, cunning.” The Master adds, with a hint of cynicism, “And disposable?”
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors arguably presents the Master in his most sympathetic light to date. While his charred form in The Deadly Assassin evoked pity, he remained thoroughly evil. In The Five Doctors, he’s coerced into a life-or-death situation, forced to assist the Doctor, only to face the Doctor’s (understandable) distrust. He spends much of the special at the mercy of the Cybermen, adding a layer of vulnerability to his usual villainous persona.
Carrying the torch…
The Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison, takes center stage in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, bridging the gap between the classic and modern Doctors.
This doesn’t excuse the Master’s villainy, and his black cape leaves no doubt about his allegiance. However, it foreshadows the more nuanced, victimized portrayals of the Master in Survival and the Davies era, where he is often depicted as a twisted and abused figure. Indeed, The Five Doctors‘s influence extends to the new series in numerous ways. The Cybermen’s repeated humiliations here echo their brutal slaughter in Doomsday. Even Rassilon himself was revived by Russell T. Davies in The End of Time.
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors is far from a perfect Doctor Who episode. One could argue it embodies the self-congratulatory nostalgia that ultimately contributed to the classic series’ decline. However, this overlooks the fact that The Five Doctors was intended to be a nostalgic wallow, and it succeeds admirably in being an entertaining one. While the toxic continuity obsession of stories like Arc of Infinity, Warriors of the Deep, and Attack of the Cybermen damaged the show, their inaccessibility and unwatchability compounded the problem.
A break-out hit…
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, a 20th-anniversary special that broke viewing records and remains a fan favorite for its celebratory spirit.
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors is, above all else, perfectly accessible and consistently watchable. It may not represent Doctor Who at its most profound or innovative, but as a celebratory spectacle, it hits the mark.
