CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO | The Five Doctors - Part 4 | REACTION 

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The Brig finally getting to punch the Master after all these years and it being in one punch is one of my favorite things.

Tom Baker said his biggest regret was deciding not to be in this story. They had to use a wax statue of him so he could pose with the other doctors in the promo picture. It's a shame. It would have been nice to see the 4th with the other doctors.

the classic era doctors did multis FAR better than modern ever did!!! Three doctors was my all time favourite. But this comes in a close 2nd. Back in the day we knew about this months ahead, we were so excited for it. We loved the idea they worked 4ths inability to attend into the story. Him being trapped in the vortex and had to be rescued was part of the story! It was a 10 well and truely. I loved seeing the brig, and I loved Jamie. This is Jon Pertwees final time in dr who but maybe not the others!

You know what? For forty-odd years Tom has been "my" Doctor, and still is. But recently - and partly because of you - I've rewatched a lot of Third Doctor stories, and he really is bl**dy good!

I like to imagine, when Sarah met Tegan, that she told her that she had travelled with the Third Doctor, but that he regenerated, and then explained what he looked like to Tegan only to have her ask 'did he wear a long scarf'...

The Five Doctors is my favourite multi-Doctor story, it’s just such a celebratory nostalgia fest. I agree with you that the plot is almost incidental, but I think Terrance Dicks does a good job to weave a coherent story around the plethora of Doctors and companions, and it’s a delicious twist that it turns out to be the Doctor’s old friend Borusa (now on to his fourth onscreen incarnation) who is the villain of the piece, rather than the Master. It is also rather tragic in a way to see such a great mind corrupted by evil, and you can feel that sadness in the fifth Doctor’s reaction to Borusa’s betrayal. I was only four years old when this was first shown, and only just becoming aware of Who, so the excitement passed me by at the time, and I have no distinct memories of the story from back then. However, even watching it now it does induce a thrill with its celebration of the show’s history, and it is fascinating to see companions of different eras interacting. The one thing you didn’t talk about was your view of Richard Hurndall’s replacement first Doctor, so I would be interested to know what you thought of his performance. Incidentally, splitting this reaction into four parts echoes the fact that the story is the same length as a typical four parter, and was indeed shown in that format when repeated on BBC1 in the summer of 1984. Anyway, thanks for that great reaction, and on to Season 21…

This is such a classic. I love "The Five Doctors"! It's a 10/10 for me on nostalgia alone! Terrance did an excellent job with the script, considering all the last minute changes he had to make: including which companions were going to be in or out (based on availability) and the fact that Tom Baker wasn't going to be in the main action anymore. (Tom basically turned the special down after considering it, as he had just recently left the series and was trying to break away from it.) In the original script it was going to be Tom's Doctor that went to the Panopticon and met with Borusa and the Timelords, not Peter. Five was originally going to go to the Dark Tower🗼 with the other Doctors.

My foster father is an actor called Melvyn Hayes and he worked alongside Jon Pertwee as an ugly sister in a theatre production of Cinderella in the 1980s. I want to be able to follow him into television one day, he’s been my foster father from the age of 3 and I’m nearly 27. The 5 Doctors was originally broadcast on BBC 1 on Friday 25th of November 1983. I reside on the Isle of Wight famous for a Doctor Who story called the Sea Devils starring Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado playing the original incarnation of the Master. I’ve been a Doctor Who fan since 2005 revival and it’s in my blood I love it. Best Wishes Josh

The behind the scenes footage of the meeting in the tomb at the very end show that Jon was in a foul mood on the day of filming - he was tired, irritable, and probably over-emotional at coming back after so long, and having to leave again so soon. But it's a real testament to his abilities (as if they were ever in question) that it's absolutely impossible to tell once the cameras start rolling. To be able to be so truly and apparently effortlessly charming and likeable on film when he was feeling anything BUT on set is quite phenomenal.

Katy Manning (Jo Grant) was living in Australia at the time (she lived there for decades,not returning to live in UK until mid-00s and still has an aussie accent today) so it was unlikely she would have returned.Victoria was originally going to return,but for some reason it didn't happen-she did appear in at least 1 early publicity picture.The Hartnell clip was a carefully chosen extract from his farewell to Susan from "The Dalek Invasion of Earth ")🎩

Tom Baker refused to return due to him being worried about playing 1/5 of the main role. Its something he regrets today

A frieaking hell of a rollercoaster ride. Cybermen, Daleks, the Brigadier, the Master, Susan, Tegan, Mike, Jamie(sort of) the ginger dude, Sarah Jane, The 5th Doctor, the 2Nd Doctor, the 4th Doctor and Romana II ( sort of) and of course the 3rd Doctor and K-9.. whewww.. that was a wild one..

I love The Five Doctors. Best Anniversary Special for me. Tom Baker refused to be in it because he felt it was too soon after he left and he didn’t want to be part of a multi Doctor story at the time.

As a celebratory story, The Five Doctors works well. Yes, it's a shame Hartnell was no longer with us at the time, but Richard Hurndall did a grand job. Sadly, he died six months or so later; before he'd got paid, in fact! Oddly, Carole Ann Ford very nearly didn't return to play Susan, as the producer at the time (John Nathan-Turner) wanted her to call the First Doctor "Doctor". Ford pointed out that she was his granddaughter, and called him grandfather. JNT didn't like the idea of the Doctor having been intimate with someone ("no hanky-panky in the TARDIS!"), but Ford put her foot down, and JNT relented. John Levene was asked to return as Sgt Benton, but he refused on the grounds that Benton would remember the Second Doctor. He was supposed to be the sergeant who first sees the Second Doctor at the Brigadier's reunion. Katy Manning had moved to Australia by that point, and Deborah Watling was unavailable. It was actually supposed to be Victoria with Jamie, with the twist being Victoria shouldn't have called the Brigadier "Brigadier"; he was a Colonel when they met. As you rightly said, Tom Baker wasn't interested in returning to the role so soon after leaving it. The footage of him was taken from... well, I let you find that out in time. One last thing: it was originally going to be called The Six Doctors, with the Hurndall First Doctor revealed to be a robot; thankfully, that never came to pass.

William Hartnell once said something to the effect of "When You Become Involved With Doctor Who The Magic Never Goes Away", feel deeply, don't be afraid of your tears of Happiness - you have been touched by that Magic mister Hartnell was talking about, it may be the most valuable thing in life and it cannot be bought.

The Five Doctors was written by Terrance Dicks who was script editor for the 3rd Doctor. No wonder you liked it so much!😁 I would rate this a 10 myself too. It's such a blast to see everyone come back. A fantastic reaction once again Marie-Clare. Thank you.👍

The 4th Doctor and Romana footage is from the unfinished Season 17 story Shada.

You need to track down a copy of the Big Finish story "The Light At The End". This is Big Finish's 50th Anniversary story featuring Doctors 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 plus some companions. It can be a bit confusing at times but it's still a great romp, plus the interplay between 4 and 8 is special. Another one to listen to is "An Earthly Child", which features 8 going back to meet Susan.

The responsibility of being a time lord president: *Exists* The Doctor: ''Now you see me...'' *Vworp! Vwoorp!!* ''Now you don't:)''

I got a new computer and it had something called a DVD drive in it. I didn't know anything about DVDs so I researched them, however they were very expensive. Jump forward a few months and the BBC were releasing "The Five Doctors" on DVD so I asked for it for a christmas present. I got it and I was not dissapointed.

This was a big TV event at the time - celebrating the show's history and also forming part of The Children in Need telethon. It does what it does quite well, bringing back the various Doctors, companions and enemies - a kind of "Greatest Hits of Doctor Who". I actually think the scenes of the various Doctors and companions capture with them being placed as figurines is very effective as it's so creepy. It maybe tries to pack too much in - but it's a good anniversary special - and probably the best multi Doctor story. A pity there was no 4th Doctor. Thinking about it now, when the the 25th anniversary came around in 1988, it was kind of a shame that there was no "The 7 Doctors" special made(although I think that might of trouble having Colin Baker participate in it).

Was really looking forward to your reaction to this one. Given you are currently watching Worzel Gummidge, I assume you saw the irony in Jon Pertwee calling someone else a scarecrow.

9/10 for me. Had Tom been involved it would have been a 10.

Tom Baker decided not to do it for a number of reasons but he does now regret that, it is very lucky they had a load of unused footage.... The Five Doctors is the perfect anniversary special in my opinion it has everything an anniversary special needs And you're right the 50th has nothing on this! I want something like this for the 60th but bring back the classics! They'd always love too!

Peter was my Doctor. I have a vague memory oif the Hand of Fear for some reason but Peter became the Doctor when I was 12. I remember the Five Doctors but at that age didn't emotionally connect with the earlier Doctors. Video was rare in those days so you only saw previous ones on repeat.

No the actress who played Victoria with the second doctor didn’t die young she passed away in 2017 Deborah watling . The actress who played vicky with the first doctor maureen o’ brien is still alive.

I do recall there was publicity before the 20th anniversary episode was broadcast on BBC One. The actor who played the 1st Doctor appeared on Blue Peter together with The 5th Doctor. Both of them being in character and disagreeing about who was going to save the day. The Five Doctors was shown as part of Children in Need, so had the TARDIS arrive on the live show for the 5th Doctor to introduce the episode with the help of a new companion, Terry Wogan.

I am glad you love the 3rd Doctor, he was my very first Doctor way back in the 70s!

Fun fact the actual villain of this story Borusa we saw in 2 different regenerations in The Deadly Assassin and The Invasion of Time (The Old Time Lord in Red) prior to this one in multiple stories.

I think the saddest of the 'Ghosts' in the Tower was definitely Jamie and Zoe, I mean the Doctor can go visit Mike Yates and Liz Shaw whenever he likes, ok he can with Jamie and Zoe but they'd only remember meeting him that first time. I'm normally a story based fan, unless it's an anniversary like this in which as long as the story works.

What a fantastic reaction! Excellent to see watch your emotional responses to the show we all love and grew up with. I’ve watched other reactors watch this episode out of context, when they haven’t watched any other episodes of the classic series. They don’t get it ! So, it’s nice to see you being so young loving this. If I remember rightly they did advertise this episode. I remember being disappointed that Tom didn’t want to appear but he did only just stopped being the Doctor. Also he wasn’t really missed by the BBC because he had turned into a bit of a monster. If you look on RU-vid there are a few clips and outtakes of the episode. Pat troughton eating the sweets and trying to feed them to Jon Petwee. They got on so well when the cameras were off.

I might be wrong about this, but I've got a memory of Richard Hurndall & Peter Davison appearing _in character_ as both the 1st & 5th Doctor on Blue Peter at the time, to promote this story.

I remember when I saw this as a child in the nineties when I only knew who 2 of the doctors were… my poor mum had to explain it. It’s symbolic of all the contradictions and double standards in life, that’s why I like it. Despite all of the confusion there is meaning and alongside all the pain there is some progress … we live in complicated times lol

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) nearly walked out of the anniversary as John Nathan Turner the producer/showrunner at the time insisted on having Susan call The Doctor "Doctor" instead of "Grandfather" to which thankfully didn't happen as he didn't want to imply that The Doctor had been in a sexual relationship as at that time he was against The Doctor being allowed to hug or kiss his companions.

My opinions are as follows... This was my first ever Doctor Who story (my Dad had taped it in '83 and showed me in '98) so it will always be in my heart. I think the location work in the slate quarries of Wales is super effective and a really underused way of depicting an alien planet in sci fi TV / movies. I have visited Snowdonia and hiked around similar spots and it does indeed feel like another world. In terms of fan service, it's probably the strongest Doctor Who story of all time. You can definitely feel the absence of Hartnell and Baker but in all honesty there was little that could be done about this. I think Richard Hurndall is a passable First Doctor but he's no William Hartnell. I suppose recasting Tom when he had just been the Doctor for seven years would have been completely impractical so I am glad they chose to simply splice in some unused archive footage to make him feel present. They did a fantastic job of bringing back old characters and there so SO many fun sequences - it is truly delightful. My main problem is the Cybermen. Eric Saward was the script editor and wanted to make them integral to the plot. It was nice to see them but they were overused in my opinion - a cameo (as with the Yeti and Dalek) would have been enough. I'm still confused as to why Borusa put them in the Death Zone anyway since he WANTS the Doctors to overcome the traps and reach the tower. I know there were plans to give the Autons a cameo and I just would have appreciated more of that - the way the Death Zone is shot makes it look quite empty and baron where in theory it should be crawling with Zygons, Yeti, Daleks etc. Fan service wise - 9/10, story wise - 7.5/10.

I think an under-discussed part of this is how good Richard Hurndall's performance is as the first Doctor. Really, really convincing in what could easily have become a bad-taste pantomime. Imitating dead actors is always a dubious proposition. In general the story is fairly popular but isn't often ranked in the top tier. The biggest plot problem is probably that the Doctors, having reached the inner sanctum, don't actually do very much. Rassilon just takes matters into his own hands and the Doctors are left spectating. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, and a villain being hoist by his own petard is satisfying plotting in its own right, but it's an odd choice to make for an anniversary special.

I believe Katy Manning was living/working in Australia when this was being filmed

Holy cow, I just watched the other reactions and came to this right after. Ten minutes till premiere! This episode has some plot holes but is still wonderful. I wonder how it would have unfolded if Tom Baker had said “yes” to returning.

The 5 Doctors is one of my favorite classic Doctor Who stories.

Great reaction. In 1983. I would have given it the same rating as you. I was most looking forward to seeing Sarah actually. I was disappointed that Tom Baker wasn’t there…but I think we knew that going in. Yes we knew it was coming. Our TV station (PBS) which is viewer- supported made a big deal about it and had a pledge drive around it.

The 5 Doctors was very well advertised by the press and Dr.Who magazine from about March '83 so anticipation was high. 2 weeks before it was televised the paperback book was released so fans got the chance to know the whole story before the big event. It didn't disappoint and was well worth the wait. 10/10. Terrance Dicks compiled a tick list and made sure we got the lot. Pertwee was my Doctor too so it was great to see him back.

The original idea was that Jamie would be with 2; The Brig would be with 3 and Sarah Jane would be with 4. This all went out of the window when Tom Baker declined to take part. They used some footage from the unfinished story "Shada" for his introduction and then made the best of what they had, including the "ghost cameos". A shame, but that's the way these anniversaries go - Hartnell only being well enough to cameo in 10th (The Three Doctors), Baker refusing to do this and Eccleston refusing to do the 50th. It will be interesting to see who turns up for the 60th.

Come to think of it, they could have easily incorporated Leela, K9 mark 1 ans Andred into the story from just living on Gallifrey

Marie Clare - This is the first time I have commented, I love all your reactions and I am working my way through your videos, but this one is immense. I knew you were going to have a complete shock with this one. This is one of my fav stories. I LOVED your reaction haha....... look forward to your videos and thank you so much for sharing. This is sending me down memory lane to when I was just a kid watching them opened mouthed and so excited xx

A lovely reaction. Well worth the wait. As an old fogey who was around at the time, I can confirm that we knew it was coming. There was a cool painted cover of the Radio Times featuring all of the Doctors. This was also a special, broadcast on the actual anniversary date of November 23rd, months after The King's Demons and was therefore well advertised in advance. The plot is very simple, out of necessity, due to the large number of characters, but for sheer nostalgia I'd rate it 10/10. I was excited to see all of them, but the clip of Hartnell at the very beginning was unexpected and arguably gave me the biggest charge when I first watched this.

I'll go 10/10 for this. It's a victory of style over substance but does the job of being thoroughly entertaining. :)

Marie-Claire, since you enjoyed this nostalgic anniversary episode with so many of the great companions and 4 out of 5 Doctors (if anyone hasn't mentioned it yet, Tom was asked to be in this story but felt it was too soon since he left so the bits with him and Lalla were from the then never seen footage from the not completed Shada from the end of Season 17), I thought that I would mention that you can enjoy further adventures of past Doctors and companions in audio form by listening to some of the many excellent audio plays produced by Big Finish over the years. For example, there is a series of adventures with Frazier Hines playing both the 2nd Doctor and Jaime. Tim Trevelor does a great take on the 3rd Doctor with Katy Manning as Joe Grant. And finally, Tom Baker has done a ton of audios with Mary Tamm (1st Romana, before she passed away), Lalla Ward and continues to make ones with Louise Jameson (Leela).

Sarah Jane Smith has been 3 of the 4 thumbnails. Interesting! ;)

Third Doctor love eh? I trust you’ve listened to ‘The Paradise of Death’ and ‘The Ghosts of N-Space’?

The Third Doctor, John Pertwee's son Sean Pertwee played Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth in the tv show Gotham. I'd like to see Sean as one of the Doctor's future regenerations.

Rassilon would go on to be resurrected by the Time Lords during the height of the Time War where he would go on to lead them until the end of the war. We would see Rassilon as President of Galifrey in both The End of Time and Hell Bent

Deborah Watling aka Victoria didn't die very young! She was 69 when she passed in 2017

It so brilliant to see you enjoy the Classics with such investment! Can't wait for the stories to come :)

1. I rate it 10 out of 10. It wasn't the deepest story, but was so much fun to watch. 2. Yes. I knew the Five Doctors was coming. I bought a 20th Anniversary magazine that announced it (without going into plot details thankfully) and also talked about season 21, including the fact there was a new Doctor, Colin Baker, coming. And a few months later, I got the novelization, so there was little surprise when I actually saw the episode, not that I minded. 3. Who was I most excited to see? The Third Doctor. He was the Doctor when I first watched it with my dada, so he is my Doctor. As much as I like the Fourth Doctor, I can understand why he didn't want to appear. What I wished they had done was have Leela appear. It would have been a natural as she lived on Gallifrey. I could picture her greeting the Fifth Doctor when he arrived at the Capitol. But I'm happy with what we did get.

The menu of the merch shop says there's no 3rd Dr merch, but I went to the link that was generously provided to me in the chat and bought my Pertwee mug! Whee! I can't wait until it gets here!

That was one of the best Doctor Who reactions I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing! The Five Doctors is not only one of my all time favorite Doctor Who stories, it's one of my favorite pieces of television period. It's a perfect 10 out of 10 easily. This was well advertised in its time, although we didn't know all the details, we knew that Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee would be back. I was looking forward to the interaction of the multiple Doctors, which they saved for the end. It was a complete joy to watch this in 1983, and still a complete joy to watch it today. There is no other show that can do this kind of crossover and bring this kind of nostalgia other than Doctor Who. I really loved seeing the 1st Doctor with Tegan, the 2nd Doctor with the Brigadier, Sarah Jane together again with the Third Doctor, the Fourth Doctor and Romana in Cambridge (from the unreleased footage of a lost Doctor Who episode, "Shada"), and the 5th Doctor interacting with the Master and getting to the bottom of things on Gallifrey. When the 5th Doctor meets Susan again, the look of astonishment on Peter Davison's face is priceless. Davison is such a great actor, his expressions tell you so much about what he's thinking.

"I didn't pay much attention to the story, I was just amazed that they crammed 20 years of Doctor Who in" I think that's the proper way to approach this episode lol. Not much in terms of substance but it's got so many things in it you can't help but have fun!

Tom, briefly, agreed to be in it and then pulled out - just as Terence finished the script and he had to re-write it. Tom was getting quite possessive of the role when he left and still felt that way a little. He didn’t feel as if he wanted to be ‘one of five’, which I can respect. It was also nice to see Jon meet the Cybermen, at long last. The original plan was to team Four with Sarah And Three with Jo. Katy Manning, however, wasn’t available, so when Tom pulled out it made sense to put Sarah with Three. Tom was meant to be the one who gets taken control of by Borusa. JNT forbad the Daleks and K9, but Terence was having none of it and gave them a cameo. When this came out we all knew it would be 5 Doctors because they ran a big feature in the Radio Times. Also they accidentally released the Target novelisation before it aired - spoilers or what! On first broadcast it as aired as part of Children In Need, with Terry Wogan introducing it. I remember watching it in the dark with my mum whilst my dad was working a night-shift. We all thought the Master would be the villain kidnapping the Doctors. It blew our minds that it wasn’t! The story was full of holes and was maybe silly, with so many characters getting crammed in with only a few lines each, but I think that was the right approach. It was a celebratory romp and it floats my boat. 10 out of 10 Victoria was played by Deborah Watling. She sadly died in 2017.

As Tim baker was rhr most popular and Patrick Troughton was a successful actor out of Doctor who when the 20th anniversary was around he was the shows elder statesman doing the interviews, Thr 3 doctors and zkrotonx had been repeated as a reminder to younger peoold other actors had played the doctor as atom had been there so king, so as a child who started with atom, knowing that a follow up too The three doctors in The 5 Doctors was coming was a buzz, tom having said he didn’t want to do it was a shock when rhr Shada footage was used, I didn’t know till years later it was from a Un broadcast story, I recall as a kid years later seeing. The photo of the other doctors posing with a wax work of him not knowing it was a wax work, so Troughton coming back with the brig was a buzz, and knowing Jamie from the Krotons repeat , I only knew if Sarah from k9 and company and my mum told me Pertwee had met the master so if all fitted together , I didn’t know who Liz shaw was so her talking about the 2nd doctor was confusing

I've had to wait a week to catch up with this, but it has not disappointed. In a way, you had the benefit my generation didn't: being able to experience each era in advance. But that never dented my enthusiasm. The only trouble then was following it up...

10:10 Very well spotted! (Heard?). Because the opening theme to this story continues and blends into the incidental music of the opening scene, the usual mix of the opening titles couldn't be used. Instead it appears to be either a new mix from the master tape, or an edit of the stereo single release version, with a few added whooshes for the "Doctor Who" logo etc. The most noticeable differences are the EQ, which is less boxy in this version, and the grace note layer of the bassline (the "va-ROOM" sound) which is significantly higher here than in the usual opening titles edit.

I really love this reaction because at the time it was *everywhere* that it was a multi-Doctor story. It never occurred to me that someone could watch this and be surprised seeing the old cast reappear and in a way I'm a bit sad I didn't experience that utter shock when I watched in back in 1983. Don't get me wrong, it was immensely exciting to watch at the time and young me loved every second of it. Of the returning Doctors, Pertwee definitely cast himself as the elder-statesman of Who and was a popular raconteur on the chat show and convention circuit. There was a big nostalgia for the UNIT years of The Doctor, Jo and the Brig and it's remembered as a much cosier era than it actually was bearing in mind that the Doc and Brig do nothing but bicker for about the first two years. But in everyone's memory (this is even before VHS releases of past stories) he was like everyone's favourite uncle. The lack of access to old stories beyond memory and Target novelisations meant that all the wobbly continuity got a free pass too. Controversial opinion time: the more time passes the more I think it's a good thing that Tom Baker didn't come back for this. I know in hindsight he regretted it but I don't think at the time he would have shared the limelight comfortably and his departure still felt very recent despite two full seasons of Davison, so there's a chance he would have overshadowed 'the new guy'. That said, if you told me there was a secret director's cut with Baker I'd still probably bite your arm off to see it. Keep up the good work with the reactions, it's so great seeing someone so positive enjoying these classic stories.

7/10 for me. Yes. There was a bit of a buzz when this story about to be screened back in 1983.

I remember when this originally aired as it was heavily plugged before hand as it was a 20th anniversary special and was introduced by Terry Wogan during that years children of need programming. I was looking forward to seeing the 3rd doctor again though was disappointed that Tom wasn’t in it. I fondly remember seeing Jon Pertwee with the Cybermen (though he never spoke to them) as he never had them in his series run which I found a bit odd. Def 10/10 and one of my classic favourites.

Your reaction is so sweet and heartfelt. Love it.

My favourite story alongside Remembrance of the daleks.

Easily my favourite special/anniversary episode!

Baker didn’t want to come back as he didn’t want to be hogging the limelight after having been such a popular Doctor with the audience and been in it for so long after having only left 2-and-a-half years earlier (so being so strongly associated with the show, which still permeates 45-odd years on from his time!)

My favorite returnee in this story is the Second Doctor! It would have been the First if Hartnell had still been around or if somebody who captured his more playful energy had played him (I’ve heard Geoffrey Bayldon was considered and I wish they’d gone with him)

Many thanks Marie Clare, that was a top reaction. Great fun☺

Watching this as a kid, it was all kinds of warm and fuzzy, for sure. But the thing that made the biggest impression on me was the killing machine. It's a terrifying concept. While it never reappeared in Who ever again, something akin to it was in a Matt Smith episode, unless my old memory is playing tricks on me...

21:10 he in fact did not pull it off 💀 I’ve only just seen the 5 doctors and I love it too, it’s probably my favourite 5th doctor story so far. And don’t get me wrong I loved the 60th specials, but they have nothin on this! This special also made me want to see Susan return in Ncuti’s era, after all that teasing Russel did in the latest season WE BETTER SEE HER AGAIN!

Terrance Dicks wrote the story, who served as script editor during the Pertwee era and was a doctor who alumni. That's why it feels like a solid and sufficient celebration of the whole 20 years. And Deborah Watling, Victoria, didn't actually pass away until the summer of 2017.

The story was heavily plugged at the time leading up to transmission, there was also a Five Doctors Radio Times cover (Radio Times advertised BBC programmes only and TV Times advertised commercial channels only at the time). There was publicity of the Five Doctors together, using a wax model of Tom Baker due to his refusal to take part, having so recently vacated the role.

Tom Baker didn’t do the special because he felt it was too soon as he had only left the show 2 years prior and also he had some beef with John Nathan Turner who was the producer at the time, so that’s why they had to resort to Shada footage just so he could be in it 😁

The teleport chamber, one of the best plot discrepancies, probably didn't work until the Doctors reactivated it. After constructing the place it'd be locked out, or boobytrapped so people couldn't get to to the tomb directly and bypass all the traps. They probably built the teleporter to transport materials faster. Loved this story as it added and build much into the Time Lords and in a satisfying way.

Just as Christopher Eccleston got it in the neck for not returning in 'Day of the Doctor', so there was some consternation over Tom Baker not turning up for this 20th anniversary knees-up. (It was his Doctor, incidentally, that was originally scheduled to confront Borusa). In retrospect it was the right decision. He would have overshadowed the others and perhaps prevented the show from moving on. And at least you now have a taste of Shada...

If you're interested, I have a friend called Scott Goodman, who dose an excellent 3rd Doctor cosplay. He's in some of my videos like Audience with the Daleks and Who's At Wansford.

It was announced well ahead that it would be the 5 doctors. Naturally I wanted to see my 1st doctor (Pertwee) and my 1st crush (sarah Jane). So pleased you started watching Worzel Gummidge!

In answer to some of your questions... The 20th anniversary special was well promoted at the time so people were certainly anticipating it. It would have been good to have seen Jo but it was already crammed full. 10/10.

I first saw The Five Doctors in November 1983 on PBS in Denver, which was a miracle at the time because due to pre-internet technology and licensing red tape, it would usually take at least a year for new Doctor Who episodes to reach the US (in fact, we didn't get Season 21 in Denver until 1985). It was promoted but not with a trailer, it was just mentioned during the pledge drive at the time. Therefore, I thought that it was going to be something like a documentary. However, I was just getting familiar with the concept of regeneration (Tom Baker and Peter Davison were the only 2 I had seen at the time), and I was excited at the idea of at least getting to see some footage of the first 3 Doctors. On the day it aired, I was visiting my dad, and my grandparents were visiting from Connecticut for Thanksgiving, so I was able to watch it until it was about halfway through (I came in at the Raston Warrior Robot scene). At first I thought they were showing random clips, but then I noticed the film quality was too good for what was supposed to be the 60s (and they were in color). Then when I saw Anthony Ainley's Master with the first Doctor (and was that Tegan?), I thought "What's going on?" Then I finally came to realize "Oh, this is a *story!* Gotta go to work now, so I'll write my reaction later.

Was so nice to see you react to that story, seeing you getting emotional had me emotional lol lovely to watch you enjoy all the stories I loved when I watched them first time round. X

I remember this when it first came out, after the Peter Davison era I watched Collin Baker alittle but then lost interest. See this again with such a young girl getting emotional was special. Thanks alot , glad to see people still love classic Who!

Ironic Three calling Two the scarecrow lol

If you want to watch and to listen to something very interesting, David Tennant does a commentary for this story on the DVD as an easter egg

Firstly your reactions were golden. Two reasons why sadly Tom Baker didn't take part 1 it was just only 18 months since he played the part and I think he was in the middle of a divorce with Lalla ward don't worry they have worked back together in the big finish range at the time the story they took those since are from another story that was unfinished. I would liked to seen more Tom Baker in it I would of given a 10 out of 10. Yes it was well pubisizied It went out On Friday 23rd November 1983 the same day that Children In Need went out but it was nice to see them all in it.

I hope you enjoyed this 20th Anniversary story Marie Claire Let roll on Season 21

I love the murmurs of protest from the Doctors when Borusa says "These are my servants."

It wasn't a surprise and it was on the cover of Radio Times (back then Radio Times only covered the BBC, you had to buy TV Times for ITV and Channel 4). When it came out originally it was broadcast the day after my birthday and was the best present ever. I have to confess as I started watching during Tom's final year, I was actually a HUGE Pertwee fan. His episodes repeated plus he was Worzel Gummidge and he voiced Spotty from one of my favourite cartoons 'SuperTed' so seeing him back and seeing the Cybermen for the 1st time (he never actually had an episode with them) was amazing. Using the term 'my doctor' Peter Davison was that. he really got me into the show properly.

It's definitely celebration over story, so it's a hard one to judge but I do like it. 19:18 *has flashback to Medusa's reaction* oh no... 23:50 Deborah Watling who played Victoria only past away in 2017 at 69.

There was plenty of pre-publicity, a photo Press call with all the Doctors and a waxwork of Baker who declined to take part as he had only just left (a decision he later regretted), many of the sets were displayed at a massive public convention in Longleat in Wiltshire months before and the BBC issued a special lavish celebration magazine as they had for the 10th anniversary.

As an eight year old watching on Children In Need night in 1983 I literally had the same reaction - bouncing off the walls! Yes the story is pure nostalgia but why not as it was celebrating 20 years. I particularly loved the fact that the Third Doctor finally met the Cybermen on screen plus the Raston Warrior Robot was awesome creation. I really wanted to see more of the Fourth Doctor but it might have been a bit too cluttered story wise. Oh you should get the Character Options 3 figure set of The Five Doctors Marie-Clare! I was lucky enough to meet Jon Pertwee twice as a kid (once as Worzel and once as the Doctor when he starred on stage in The Ultimate Adventure) - he was so great with kids.

The Five Doctors was shown in November 1983 as part of Children in Need.

Tom Baker had only been away from the role for a couple of years at this point and he thought it was too soon to come back. So, they used footage from the incomplete story "Shada" to at least let him make an appearance. They were was a special edition/extended edition of this story put out on DVD a few years back, which cleaned up the special effects and extended the dialouge. It was like 30 minutes longer than this version.

I can remember being so excited watching this for the first time because Jon pertwee was and is still my favourite doctor. 10 out of 10 for this

Can't wait for your marks out of ten!

I give it 10/10 one of my Favourite Peter Davison stories I wish Tom did decide to come back and make a bigger appearance. When this air in New Zealand it air around 25th anniversary special. They hold a whole weekend of doctor who it was good. I was 9 years old then and enjoyed it

The fourth doctor clips are from Shada, an incomplete episode (due to a strike) Written by Douglas Adams and much of which was plagiarised for two of his own novels, that has been recreated using animation... Which you should really watch at some point.

All the actors who played the companions were still alive when this story was made - Ian Marter was the first to go, dying of a heart attack on his 42nd birthday in 1986. This story was first broadcast as part of Children in Need in 1983 - there's been a brief think the previous year where all the available Doctors and companions had arrived in the TARDIS to stand by Terry Wogan for some reason but it wasn't particularly exciting.