Doctor Who review: The Five Doctors (kind of) face many old enemies in the twentieth anniversary special

We’ve looked back at the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who, but what of the twentieth? Here’s our review of The Five Doctors.

The Five Doctors is a curious piece of Doctor Who history. Perhaps what instantly leaps out about it the most is that the title isn’t exactly accurate. Tom Baker declined to appear in the twentieth anniversary special, so stock footage was used for his incarnation. Unsurprisingly, the absence of arguably the most popular Doctor was definitely felt.

Also, eight years after William Hartnell’s death, the First Doctor was re-cast with Richard Hurndall. Almost three and a half decades before David Bradley also portrayed the role, Hurndall had big boots to fill. How well did he capture Hartnell’s performance?

Reasonably well, I’d say. He’s definitely not Hartnell, that’s clear from the start. And you never quite forget that. If I’m honest, I do think Bradley portrayed the role a little better. But Hurndall certainly does his best.

It also helps that Hurndall’s Doctor was definitely treated on the whole more seriously than Bradley’s. While Hurndall does have a couple of deliberately awkward moments, none of them are nearly as bad as what Bradley got in Twice Upon a Time. So the writing for the First Doctor certainly feels a lot truer to the character.

Many reunions

It’s also really fun to see so many characters paired up and reunited in this story. Especially the Second Doctor and the Brigadier. They’re such a fun duo, and Patrick Troughton and Nicholas Courtney clearly enjoyed the chance to play opposite each other once more. Especially since Troughton’s Doctor had shared only three stories with the Brigadier before, including The Three Doctors.

There are a lot of pairings between characters (and even enemies, when the Master joins up with the Cybermen). There are so many characters to include in The Five Doctors, which isn’t surprising.  But is it too much at times?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see Susan again after The Dalek Invasion of Earth. But it’s strange to think that the events of her departure story aren’t remotely mentioned at all. Especially considering that the Doctor essentially abandoned his own granddaughter, even if he did believe he was doing it to make her happy.

Is less more?

It’s actually not surprising to think that, despite the fact that the Doctor is reunited with both Susan and Sarah Jane in the same story – both of which had major emotional departures – the drama of such a reunion doesn’t get explored until they reunite again years later. (For Sarah Jane, in School Reunion in 2006; for Susan, in 2009’s special release An Earthly Child.)

Looking back on this story, while Steven Moffat did seem to enjoy celebrating fifty years with The Day of the Doctor, it’s also easy to see why he didn’t bring everyone back in one seventy-five minute special. (At least, not until the final scene.)

Only a few major characters returned, but each of them was given just the right amount of focus and exploration in The Day of the Doctor. I’m not sure I can say the same about The Five Doctors.

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However, having said all of that, there’s no doubt that The Five Doctors is a lot of fun to watch. It’s great to see a number of Doctors in the same place, and this special definitely has its fair share of amazing moments.

It also adds a lot in terms of mythology, too. If you want to know who Rassilon was or want to discover what the Death Zone is, The Five Doctors is definitely worth a watch. (Especially if you’re planning on listening to Big Finish. Both Zagreus and the spin-off series Gallifrey have significant references to this story.)

The Five Doctors may not be the best episode in Doctor Who history, but it sure is a lot of fun for any fan.

Are you a fan of The Five Doctors? What’s your favorite moment? Which Doctor did you enjoy seeing again? Let us know in the comments below.