Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (Anniversary Edition) [DVD] [1983]

This story divides fandom like no other in many ways. Some dismiss it as too silly, implausible and certainly not a classic story, and a very camp pantomime. Other regard it a joyful celebration of all that was great about the series for its 20th Anniversary in 1983, and a glorious reunion of Doctors, companions and Monsters. I belong to the later camp.

Hats off to Terrance Dicks for coping with the near impossible task of constantly changing cast list (the great Bob Holmes had already attempted a "Six Doctors" story but pulled out saying the demands were too great).
Another challenge was what to do with the first and fourth Doctors. William Hartnell sadly had passed away in 1975, and Tom Baker, having originally agreed to take part in the production, then pulled out of the project. The first Doctor was recast as Richard Hurndall, who does, in my opinion bear more than just a passing resemblance to William Hartnell; whilst Tom Baker is represented in the story by the inclusion of a few short clips from the then unseen, unfinished Shada story of 1979.

In this 2 disc release, you get both the original transmission version of 1983, and the longer "Special Edition" cut of 1995, with new special effects, a Dolby 5.1 surround soundtrack and various scene changes. Both versions have been extensively restored by the Doctor Who restoration team, unlike the previous release of 2001, and there is a distinct absence of grain on the picture and particularly vivid colours throughout.

The celebratory feel of the story is really felt in the comprehensive and nostalgic set of extras on this DVD:

- Celebration - a documentary - presented by Colin Baker - recalling the making of, and publicity surrounding, the Five Doctors. It is nice to see the director, Peter Moffat, one last time before his death in 2007, and the anecdotes from Elisabeth Sladen, Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and the writer Terrance Dicks are highly entertaining and often amusing.

- The Ties that Bind Us is a much shorter documentary - narrated by the smooth tones of Paul McGann - looking at the Five Doctors' links to other Doctor Who story, with an excellent montage of clips to illustrate what it is that makes this show so special.

- A wonderful "Easter Egg" commentary by the current Doctor (David Tennant) and producer (Phil Collinson) and writer Helen Raynor. This has to be one of the most hilarious and entertaining commentaries to date, no doubt livened by the presence of champagne during recording, courtesy of 2entertain. Phil Collinson had me in stitches throughout, my only criticism is oddly enough of David Tennant who seems rather displeased with the choice of Richard Hurndall as the first Doctor.

- Clips from the publicity surrounding the series in 1983, from Breakfast Time, Blue Peter and Saturday Superstore.

- A comprehensive photo gallery and trailers/ continuities.

- Two further commentaries:
-Companions Commentary (a rather lacklustre affair compared to the Easter Egg one) with Liz Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, and Mark Strickson and Carol Ann Ford.
- Special Edition Commentary (a hilarious combination of writer Terrance Dicks and the Doctor, Peter Davison).

Probably the most comprehensive set of extras for a Doctor Who DVD release yet. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 20th anniversary in style with 3½ Doctors, a tipsy new series crew and more extras than you can wave a punt at!

One by one, the earlier four incarnations of the Doctor are being plucked out of the space-time continuum, and placed into the dreaded Death Zone. Originally used by the Time Lords for organizing gladiatorial matches between various races, Rassilon closed the Death Zone, and forbade the use of the Time Scoop. So, who is doing this, and more importantly, why? It's up to the Doctor (all of them) to figure it out.

This movie is a "Who-ite's" dream. Four of the five Doctors are present, with Richard Hurndall performing very well as the formidable first Doctor. Many companions appear, including Turlough, Tegan, Susan (the Doctor's Granddaughter), Sarah Jane, the Brigadier, Mike Yates, Liz Shaw, Jamie, Zoe, and K-9. Plus, of course, the Master (played by Anthony Ainley). It is a shame that Tom Baker refused to be involved in this production, but he is reasonably represented by scenes taken from the never-completed episode Shada.

I recommend this movie absolutely to any fan of Doctor Who.

When the long-running science fiction series 'Doctor Who' reached its Twentieth Anniversary in 1983, there must have been only one idea at the forfront of the minds of then producer John Nathan-Turner and cohorts Eric Saward (script editor) and Terrance Dicks (writer). A story which would bring together all of the previous Doctors with the latest, and the more popular companions and monsters in a epic story. Seems like a perfectly reasonable idea. Little did they know what they had themselves in for. Which in a way makes 'The Five Doctors' quite idiosyncratic viewing - the main interest being the ingenuity of Dicks as he overcomes the obstacles which would be in the way of bringing a coherent story to the screen. For a start not all of the Doctors would be available. The first, William Hartnell, passed away some years before, and Tom Baker decided not to appear (a fit of hubris he would regret in later years). In the show then, Hartnell is replaced by Richard Hurndall, an apparent lookalike so wildly unlike Bill as to be a distraction. Baker's absense is explained through unseen footage from the unfinished adventure 'Shada' and a malfunction in the main baddies computer. There seem to be few monsters other than Cybermen, a Yeti and a Dalek. That's because all of the rights to these monsters have fallen to their creators and clearance to use must have been a nightmare. And then there are the companions. Believe it or not most don't appear because of other work commitments. So you're left with the then current companions, The Brigadier, fan favourite Sarah-Jane Smith, and Susan, The Doctor's erzats granddaughter. When some other companions did become available at the last minute they were swiftly written in as 'illusions'. And the thing would appear as the centrepiece of the very first Children in Need appeal and so had to intelligable to a wider audience than usual. So it should a complete mess. And it is. But what a glorious mess. There is some nostalgia in seeing 'your Doctor' at work again even in a brief few scenes. And The Master is in top form. And without the need for a cliffhanger every twenty-five minutes the story has an extra pace - perfect for the post-Matrix generation...maybe...pickup the DVD if you can, for Peter Howell's haunting music - which strangely may be the highlight...