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Doctor Who - The Five Doctors (25th Anniversary Edition) [1983]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £6.53 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk review

Celebrating 25 years since The Five Doctors was originally broadcast, this brand new double disc special edition is a real treat for new and old fans of the show. For not only is the adventure itself good fun, but the special features package is exceptionally strong too.

The story - broadcast to celebrate the-then 20th anniversary of Doctor Who - brings five incarnations of the Doctor together. Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Peter Davison return to their roles, while Richard Hurndall steps in for William Hartnell, and archive footage of Tom Baker is used to cover his decision not to take part in the story. The various generations of the Doctor are then, one by one, brought to the Time Lord’s home planet Gallifrey, where they encounter many of their old assistants, and many of their deadliest foes.

The story of The Five Doctors proves to be as much a battle about giving everyone something to do, but Terrance Dicks’ script does just that, and while it’s not one of the Time Lord’s very best adventures, it is an entertaining one.

The extra features package peaks with the assorted commentary tracks: there’s one that brings together a series of Doctor Who assistants, another that unites writer Terrance Dicks with Peter Davison, and a hidden Easter Egg commentary where David Tennant, Phil Collinson and Helen Raynor take the microphone. Each is a fascinating listen, for differing reasons.

The Five Doctors DVD is then rounded off with a wide selection of archive material, and a 50-minute documentary looking at Doctor Who’s birthday celebrations. And given the wealth of features there is to dig through, it’s a release that’ll be enjoyed for a long time after both the original and extended cut of the main feature have been viewed. A terrific release. --Simon Brew


3 Doctors + 1 Replacement + Archive Footage= 1 Guilty Pleasure
Review date: 2008-08-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

Really "The Five Doctors" should be dreadful; Who, at the time it was filmed, was in a slump and, frankly,the series' scriptwriters were struggling to come up with a script that would do one Doctor justice. Watch "Timeflight" or "Arc of Infinity" to see how poor the series could be. But this show really hits the spot: a silly but action filled plot penned by Terrance Dicks makes sure nostaglia is evoked by its clumsy but addictive plot hooks.Despite Tom Baker's refusal to take part and the fact Hartnell had died this feels a worthy celebration even though it is really only 3 and bit Doctors.

Okay, it includes Elizabeth Sladen clinging onto a side of a hillock acting her pants off to convince us she is in mortal danger; granted it contains a very, ahem!, idiosynchratic performance from Paul Jerricho as Castellan and its implications for continuity within the series cannot be overstated. This Who's equivalent of Christmas dinner: fun, full-flavoured and an occasional treat, not the basis for a healthy diet.

The extras are great and the barely concealed Easter egg is silly but fun. Helen Raynor bizarrely focuses on the wardrobe, Phil Colinson reveals his crush on Turlough and David Tennant reveals a little too much about the effect of Peri's entrance into the show in "The Planet of Fire" in a bikini had on his feverish adolescent sexual development.

While it's hardly a classic,like say "Pyramids of Mars", it is fun. Enjoy!

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Reviews


Good & bad
Review date: 2008-06-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Five Doctors was one of the first DVD releases. If you already have the original, do not buy this! There's not enough new content to justify it; (that's the bad). If you haven't already got it, then this story is a nice little treat.

A great celebratory romp with brilliant extras.
Review date: 2008-04-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

Okay, so it's really only 3 Doctors as the original William Hartnell was dead, played here by someone who only bears a passing resemlance to him and Tom Baker declined to take part so they had to represent him with archive footage, but the story is still hugely enjoyable, fitting in umpteen old companions and monsters and a story that is still intriguing and more or less coherant. Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee are a delight to watch, each trying to upstage the other and Peter Davison more than proves himself against these old timers. In many respects, you could call this the 'ultimate' Dr Who story and is probably a good one to watch if you're new to the classic series. The extras are superb with the best 'easter egg' to have been hidden on a Dr Who DVD. An essential purchase for any Dr Who fan.

A true winner of a story - brilliant on every level
Review date: 2008-04-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

Barcode: 5014503245023

Ultimately, when you have five doctors together, the results are bound to be something special. Epic in its revelling in past companions and monsters, there is surely something here to please everybody. Yes, some things like the Dalek feel shoehorned in for completeness but on the whole everything goes slickly. As mentioned in the accompanying booklet, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee slip effortlessly back into their roles and a pure joy to watch while Richard Hurndall makes for a more than admirable stand-in for the First Doctor.

Peter Davison forms the centre of events as the then current Doctor, helped out by the quiet, brooding Turlough and my personal fave, the ever charming Tegan. Other past companions surface in the form of the Brigadier, Susan and Sarah Jane.

Of course, there are minor flaws - the extremely budget looking special effects one of the more amusing ones while Tom Baker's absence is all too conveniently explained away by having him trapped in the time vortex for the whole episode. These are only minor annoyances though and on the whole 'The Five Doctors' stands as a perfect example for everything that is so great about Doctor Who.

Highlights appear in the form of Anthony Ainley's creepy incarnation of the Master, leading a troup of Cybermen into a deadly laser trap while even more Cybermen death ensues in the form of the brilliant Raston robot decapitating them. The TARDIS has a glossy new makeover and who could forget the classic Sarah Jane fall down the gentle slope mentioned by some of the other reviewers?

The pace and tension of the episode is set perfectly, the scenes in the Gallifrey Capitol lending themselves to a classic whodunnit scenario, the denouement classic Doctor Who wit. A lengthy and informative documentary narrated by 6th doctor Colin Baker makes a great addition to this already fantastic DVD, presented in a special 25th anniversary card slipcase.

more than five doctors
Review date: 2008-03-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

a new dvd release for a doctor who story made in 1983 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show. The story runs for ninety minutes, and involves all the doctors and various companions being brought together to reach a mysterious tower on the doctor's home planet of gallifrey. various old monsters and foes stand in the way.

It's one long story running for 90 minutes, and it does all that you'd hope an anniversary story would do, bringing in lots of old faces and celebrating the programme. It's not classic stuff but it's hugely entertaining.

Tom Baker declined to appear so his doctor makes a couple of brief appearances in scenes taken from a story that was never broadcast, and the role of the first doctor is taken by an actor called richard hurndall. he doesn't try and replicate the performance of the late william hartnell, rather producing his own take on the part, which is very good.

There was an earlier dvd edition of this which contained the 1990's special release version and no extras. This release is rather more comprehensive.

On the first disc you get the original tv version of the story. with the following extras:

a commentary from carole anne ford, nicholas courtney, mark strickson, and elisabeth sladen. four of the actors to appear in the story as companions of the doctor.

There's a fifty minute long documentary about the story presented by sixth doctor colin baker. this is excellent and very comprehensive.

You get the usual subtitles, info text, isolated music score, photo gallery. And for an extra commentary watch this on a pc, go to the audio options screen, move the pointer over the screen till it lights up a doctor who logo, and click on it. you will then get an extra commentary on the story from two of the producers on the new doctor who, and current doctor david tennant.

on disc two is the special release version of the story, which has better special effects than the original and a few other minor additions to some of the scenes.

This has a commentary from fifth doctor peter davison, and story writer terrance dicks.

There's a documentary called the ties that bind us, narrated by eighth doctor paul mcgann, looking at the continuity references in the story. probably more of interest to die hard fans this, but the ending montage of clips it uses has great music and is really quite lovely in showing what's so great about the show.

there are short documentaries about the special effects and some out takes. these are fun.

film of studio recording scenes. these are fascinating to watch, as it's an interesting insight into the recording process.

This disc also offers the isolated music and information text options.

And it contains clips of interviews with the actors done at the time of the story being shown, on programmes such as nationwide the old new show, and several children's shows such as saturday superstore and blue peter.

an easter egg can be found on this disc in the same manner as disc one, but it's on the special features menu and it's just a dolby surround logo which appears to have been taken from the original video of the special edition.

A really good story, and an excellent package for it.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jon Pertwee
Peter Davison
Tom Baker
Richard Hurndall
Patrick Troughton

Creators:
Peter Davison (Primary Contributor)
Patrick Troughton (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503245023
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-03-03
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1983-11-25

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