The Two Doctors

“ I shall complain when this is over!” – The Second Doctor

Patrick Troughton, considering he left the show for feeling he was being overworked, did pop up an inordinate amount post 1969. Indeed he has appeared in every multi-Doctor story except Time Crash. And that was only because he was dead. Even so, all this springing up again goes to show Troughton never lost it as the Doctor, as his performance in this serial is as witty and fresh as ever.

The second Doctor and Jamie begin in the console room of the TARDIS, on a mission for the Timelords, which already seems a little odd given the Second Doctor was a renegade at the time, but anyway, they are, and are soon led to a research station so they can have a word with a chap called Dastari.

The whole thing doesn’t go too well and before long the Doctor has been killed. This is detected by the Sixth Doctor, as he passes out from the shock. Upon revival Robert Holmes plays fanfare to the past of Doctor Who, making passing references to celery, jelly babies and a recorder. These small gripes aside the Doctor makes for the same station as his second incarnation and finds the place in ruins.

The following scenes has the feel of the Crystal maze about them, constantly avoiding traps and explosions, the whole thing plays on the strengths of science fiction using the age old enemy: the computer. Indeed the security systems of the ship are less than pleased at the Doctor and Peri’s arrival and makes havoc with the two, heating them up and trying to suffocate them. The idea of Dastari having shielded his office against the computer, I thought, was quite neat and helped give some respite to the protagonists, though only long enough for them to realise they’re still in quite frank peril.

Whilst in the office however the two make a rather startling discovery: the Timelords are responsible for the attack. Reading this from Destari’s diary visibly stuns the Doctor, as the whole affair becomes a division of allegiances. However as Peri succinctly protests, it may be a rouse. The revelation of the Timelords potential involvement is cleverly written and adds a moment of tension in the air, as they are a race sworn to non-intervention. This seeming turnaround, however implausible it may seem on paper is made plausible with the clever writing Holmes provides as cover for their motives, adding a chilling element to the species.

One thing that does irritate me though is through the confusion Jamie is in throughout the serial, at no point does either Doctor attempt to explain to him the process of regeneration, which would have helped the story along immensely and saved us all those pointless bits of dialogue about Jamie not understanding how both Doctor’s are the same man.

Shockeye is something out of your worst nightmares. Holmes, not content with having an antagonist who merely wants to kill the Doctor and companions instead pens an antagonist who wants to eat them instead. The carnal desires of Shockeye are quite chilling as on two occasions companions are up for the chop. To play down the rather sinister themes of cannibalism and consumption, the Doctor is infused with the thoughts of Shockeye, making a more humorous than chilling sequence where the two eat a restaurant out of pocket, before Shockeye skips the bill by killing the owner of the establishment. There is however the peril to the Sixth Doctor as the effects of the Second Doctor’s transformation slowly begin to affect him.

Oscar has been cleverly penned as the amalgamation of Brits on holiday, a pathetic coward, his obsessive hobby of moth collecting adds an element of much needed comic relief in an otherwise dark story. Oscar is however themeatically important as his collection of moths ties in with Holmes outspoken indignation of hunting for the sake of it, something that is questioned by his companion Anita, which together with the characterisation of meat-eating and butchery in the form of Shockeye, are critical thematic elements inspired by Holmes own vegetarianism.

I was expecting a total throw of chaos in this serial, instead what I got was a brilliantly written delight of television. Over protective parents still protested at the ‘violence’ in this one, they were very much dismayed by the Doctor’s use of cyanide. They were fine with the butchery however…