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It was the first appearance of the [[Sontaran]]s since [[Season 15]]'s ''[[The Invasion of Time (TV story)|The Invasion of Time]]''. The Second Doctor returned, played by Patrick Troughton, as did Jamie McCrimmon, played by Frazer Hines, both having last appeared in the twentieth anniversary special ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''. It was the first Sontaran story set on contemporary [[Earth]], [[Peter Moffatt]]'s last contribution to the show and [[Robert Holmes]]' first Sixth Doctor script. | It was the first appearance of the [[Sontaran]]s since [[Season 15]]'s ''[[The Invasion of Time (TV story)|The Invasion of Time]]''. The Second Doctor returned, played by Patrick Troughton, as did Jamie McCrimmon, played by Frazer Hines, both having last appeared in the twentieth anniversary special ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''. It was the first Sontaran story set on contemporary [[Earth]], [[Peter Moffatt]]'s last contribution to the show and [[Robert Holmes]]' first Sixth Doctor script. | ||
After the success of ''The Five Doctors'', [[John Nathan-Turner|Nathan-Turner]] was keen to do another multi-Doctor story. He quickly secured Troughton as the returning incarnation. It was suggested the story be set in [[New Orleans]], but Holmes found it to have little merit as a setting and the idea was quashed when funding was pulled. [[Venice]] was chosen by Nathan-Turner, but this was too expensive, leaving them with [[Seville]], a [[Spanish]] town. Holmes reluctantly agreed to a rewrite, disappointed he would have to cut his jokes about the differences between [[Great Britain|British]] and [[United States of America|American]] [[English language|English]]. As a [[vegetarian]], Holmes wrote ''The Two Doctors'' as an allegory of meat-eating, hunting and butchering. | After the success of ''The Five Doctors'', [[John Nathan-Turner|Nathan-Turner]] was keen to do another multi-Doctor story. He quickly secured Troughton as the returning incarnation. It was suggested the story be set in [[New Orleans]], but Holmes found it to have little merit as a setting and the idea was quashed when funding was pulled. [[Venice]] was chosen by Nathan-Turner, but this was too expensive, leaving them with [[Seville]], a [[Spanish]] town. Holmes reluctantly agreed to a rewrite, disappointed he would have to cut his jokes about the differences between [[Great Britain|British]] and [[United States of America|American]] [[English language|English]]. As a [[vegetarian]], Holmes wrote ''The Two Doctors'' as an [[allegory]] of meat-eating, hunting and butchering. | ||
The location filming was plagued by numerous small problems, including high heat that caused make-up to melt, a three-day delay to replace [[Patrick Troughton]] and[[ Jacqueline Pearce]]'s wigs (which had somehow got lost in shipping), [[Carmen Gómez]]' refusal to wear a costume designed for her, and a local stunt man (the truck driver) who refused to perform his stunt as it had been choreographed. Pearce also says that she was a last-minute replacement for another, unspecified actress who had to drop out of the production. Nathan-Turner was informed that a filmed scene with Oscar and Anita in the olive grove was ruined by a scratch on the negative, so [[James Saxon]] and Gómez, who had already returned to England, had to be quickly brought back to Spain at considerable expense, only for it to then turn out that the reported scratch was virtually invisible and the original footage was perfectly fine. There was also a major spat between Moffat and Nathan-Turner, which resulted in the latter deciding not to hire Moffat for the show again. The upshot of the multiple problems with the location filming was that Nathan-Turner either decided to not film outside the UK again or was ordered by BBC executives not to do so (reports vary), although it ended up being academic due to the latter seasons not having big enough budgets to permit international shoots. | The location filming was plagued by numerous small problems, including high heat that caused make-up to melt, a three-day delay to replace [[Patrick Troughton]] and[[ Jacqueline Pearce]]'s wigs (which had somehow got lost in shipping), [[Carmen Gómez]]' refusal to wear a costume designed for her, and a local stunt man (the truck driver) who refused to perform his stunt as it had been choreographed. Pearce also says that she was a last-minute replacement for another, unspecified actress who had to drop out of the production. Nathan-Turner was informed that a filmed scene with Oscar and Anita in the olive grove was ruined by a scratch on the negative, so [[James Saxon]] and Gómez, who had already returned to England, had to be quickly brought back to Spain at considerable expense, only for it to then turn out that the reported scratch was virtually invisible and the original footage was perfectly fine. There was also a major spat between Moffat and Nathan-Turner, which resulted in the latter deciding not to hire Moffat for the show again. The upshot of the multiple problems with the location filming was that Nathan-Turner either decided to not film outside the UK again or was ordered by BBC executives not to do so (reports vary), although it ended up being academic due to the latter seasons not having big enough budgets to permit international shoots. | ||
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Meanwhile, three [[Sontaran]] battlecruisers appear near the station on an intercept course. Before the station's defences are activated, Chessene incapacitates the technician on post and opens the docking bays. Back in the office, the Doctor warns that the distortions from the Kartz-Reimer experiments threaten the fabric of time. Dastari refuses to order them ended. He accuses the Time Lords of not wanting another race to discover the secrets of [[time travel]]. The argument grows more heated. Dastari grows faint and falls into a drugged stupor. Energy weapons begin to sound in the corridors and the Doctor orders Jamie to run, as a Sontaran levels a gun at the Doctor. | Meanwhile, three [[Sontaran]] battlecruisers appear near the station on an intercept course. Before the station's defences are activated, Chessene incapacitates the technician on post and opens the docking bays. Back in the office, the Doctor warns that the distortions from the Kartz-Reimer experiments threaten the fabric of time. Dastari refuses to order them ended. He accuses the Time Lords of not wanting another race to discover the secrets of [[time travel]]. The argument grows more heated. Dastari grows faint and falls into a drugged stupor. Energy weapons begin to sound in the corridors and the Doctor orders Jamie to run, as a Sontaran levels a gun at the Doctor. | ||
Somewhere and somewhen else, the [[Sixth Doctor]] is [[fishing]] while [[Peri Brown|Peri]] finishes dressing after trying to get a tan. He tries explaining that the river should be full of [[gumblejack]]s, a fish that tastes heavenly when cooked just right. The Doctor packs up his fishing pole, chair and [[umbrella]]. He tells her it's time to leave. After returning to the TARDIS, Peri is startled as the Sixth Doctor sways and collapses — just as, back on the station, Jamie spies the Second Doctor in a glass chamber, writhing in agony while a Sontaran manipulates controls. | Somewhere and somewhen else, the [[Sixth Doctor]] is [[fishing]] while [[Peri Brown|Peri]] finishes dressing after trying to get a [[tan]]. He tries explaining that the river should be full of [[gumblejack]]s, a fish that tastes heavenly when cooked just right. The Doctor packs up his fishing pole, chair and [[umbrella]]. He tells her it's time to leave. After returning to the TARDIS, Peri is startled as the Sixth Doctor sways and collapses — just as, back on the station, Jamie spies the Second Doctor in a glass chamber, writhing in agony while a Sontaran manipulates controls. | ||
In his TARDIS, the Sixth Doctor awakens in a confused state. He starts talking about [[jelly babies]] and a [[the Doctor's recorder|recorder]]. He has had a vision of himself in his [[second incarnation]] being put to death. He realises this is impossible since he is still alive, but he is also concerned he may have died in the past and only exists now as a temporal anomaly. He decides to consult his old friend Dastari. | In his TARDIS, the Sixth Doctor awakens in a confused state. He starts talking about [[jelly babies]] and a [[the Doctor's recorder|recorder]]. He has had a vision of himself in his [[second incarnation]] being put to death. He realises this is impossible since he is still alive, but he is also concerned he may have died in the past and only exists now as a temporal anomaly. He decides to consult his old friend Dastari. | ||