The Three Doctors (TV story)

The Three Doctors was the groundbreaking first story of the anniversary Season 10 of Doctor Who. The serial marked several milestones for the program. Most notably it was the first multi-Doctor story (establishing the concept of the Doctor being able to meet his past incarnations); but also it marked the return of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton to the role of the Doctor (for Hartnell, the last time). It also ended the three year long story arc of the Third Doctor being exiled to Earth, which had began in Season 7 in 1970.

Synopsis

Time itself is in peril! The Time Lords find themselves besieged by a mysterious enemy, the legendary Time Lord, Omega. Omega has been inhabiting the anti-matter universe on the other side of the black hole from which the Time Lords draw their power.

They enlist the Doctor in his first three incarnations to battle this foe, who turns out to be a legend from the Time Lords' remote past.

But vital cosmic energy is draining into a black hole and the Time Lords are under siege. The Doctor is their only hope but, trapped in the TARDIS, he's powerless. The only way out is to break the First Law of Time to let the Doctor help himself - literally...

Plot

Episode one

On Earth, a small orange device is found on a grassy bank. Mr Ollis, the warden of the Bird Sanctuary, walks over to it and bends down to examine it. A land rover arrives at the cottage where Mr Ollis lives. A man steps out and knocks on the door. Mrs Ollis opens the door and the man introduces himself as Doctor Tyler. He asks her about the device and she tells him her husband is looking after it. The device is carrying an unusual energy blob that seems intent on capturing the Third Doctor. Tyler goes over to the area, and he and Mr Ollis site each other. Suddenly, there is a crackling noise from the device, and when Mr Ollis bends down to examine it, he vanishes. The birds fly off in panic. Doctor Tyler gets back in his Land Rover and asks to be put through to UNIT. He heads off to UNIT HQ and when he arrives, he meets with the Brigadier, the Doctor and Jo Grant. Tyler tells the Brigadier what happened and he tells him that he and the Doctor will be happy to help him. When Jo asks him what the box is for, he tells her it is for Cosmic Ray Research. Tyler explains that even though he's not NASA, he still gets the results. Jo asks why the balloons are still being used. Doctor Tyler tells her that inside the device is the most advanced cosmic ray monitoring device between here and Cape Kennedy. Doctor Tyler tells the Brigadier he was going to contact UNIT for help. Doctor Tyler shows the Doctor some results which surprise the Doctor.

The Brigadier hands a stirring rod to the Doctor and he stirs his tea with it. The Brigadier asks if there is anything he can do about the space lighting. The Doctor tells him there is some sort of compressed light that travels faster. When the Doctor asks if the machine is working properly Doctor Tyler tells him it is, but he hasn't developed the latest plate yet. The Doctor tells him to develop it at once and then let him know. The Doctor and Jo go off to look for the balloon and Tyler tells the Brigadier he will be fine. He tells Tyler to make himself at home. When the Brigadier has gone, Doctor Tyler develops his plate but is horrified to see Mr Ollis' face. As Tyler goes to dismantle the box, the crackling sound is heard again and Doctor Tyler mysteriously vanishes, while a strange organism emerges from the sink plughole.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jo are with Mrs Ollis who is showing them the spot where her husband vanished. She then tells them the box had been there this morning and that someone has already gone to collect it. The Doctor asks her if she has seen her husband since this morning. She says she hasn't. She tells them it's not really likely for him to go wandering off, but she will go and look for him. The Doctor and Jo return to Bessie and Jo asks if it is important and the Doctor tells her it is. Back at UNIT HQ, the Brigadier enters the lab with a full set of reports for Doctor Tyler. But he discovers Tyler has vanished and calls his name. The Brigadier meets Sergeant Benton and asks him to find Doctor Tyler.

Anti-matter encroaches on Bessie.

Outside, the Doctor and Jo are driving back to UNIT in Bessie. But as they get out, the organism appears and the Doctor orders Jo to get well back. They both run and Bessie vanishes in a flash of light. The Doctor and Jo return to the lab and the creature returns to the drain. In the lab, the Brigadier is waiting for Doctor Tyler when Sergeant Benton arrives and tells the Brigadier that Doctor Tyler is missing and that in the garage there was a explosion. The Brigadier asks: '"What explosion?"' and the Doctor comes in and tells him it was actually a flash of light. He tells the Brigadier that the drain needs guarding. Benton goes off to guard it. The Brigadier tells the Doctor that Mrs Ollis called, saying her husband has not returned. He then tells him they have 1500 acres to cover. The Doctor tells him they don't have to look further because he has already found Mr Ollis - the plate that Doctor Tyler was developing. He takes his sonic screwdriver out and gets the strongest reading as the bottom of the sink. The Brigadier hands Doctor Tyler's reports over to the Doctor. He reads them and discovers that someone has been scanning the Earth like a searchlight and picked on them. Jo reminds that the Doctor that Bessie vanished and he tells the Brigadier. he also mentions the creature from the drain that was after them. It had a very strong hunting instinct, and it was hunting the Doctor. When the Brigadier asks why it took Mr Ollis, the Doctor says it was a confused creature. He asks about Doctor Tyler. The Doctor tells him Tyler was in his laboratory and he thought the strange creature was the Doctor and that the creature went inside Bessie while the Doctor and Jo were near her at the time. He says there is a link between the beam and the organism. The beam was how the creature got to UNIT. The Brigadier asks if they can find it and the Doctor tells him that's it up to them.

Outside UNIT, a corporal stands next to a jeep. One of the organism creatures starts advancing towards the corporal. Sergeant Benton arrives and he shoots the creature. However, it is immune to bullets and it fights back. The Doctor notes that the creatures and the organisms are from the same source, first the scout then the reinforcements. Outside, Sergeant Benton realises that force is useless and he contacts the Brigadier. He orders a complete evacuation and afterwards, Benton must report to the lab. As the Brigadier leaves, one of the creatures emerges from a vent behind him. Benton climbs through the window. Suddenly, the creature enters the room, and the three friends rush into the TARDIS. The Doctor switches the TARDIS force field on. As the Doctor tries to take off, he can't. Someone is draining the power form the TARDIS. So the Doctor decides to contact his people, the Time Lords. On the planet of the Time Lords, at the control centre, the President and the Chancellor inquire about someone who needs to help the Doctor. The Time Lords, however, have problems of their own: power drains. They summon enough energy to send the Second and First Doctors to help the Third. After a conference, the Second Doctor switches off the TARDIS force field and the Third goes outside. Jo follows him and before she can stop him, they are both are engulfed in a blinding flash from the plasma creature in the U.N.I.T. laboratory...

Episode two

Friends reUNITed.

The Second Doctor warns Sergeant Benton not to go outside because the Third Doctor knows what he's doing. The First Doctor deduces the black hole is a bridge between universes, and the other two Doctors allow the TARDIS to be swallowed up by the energy creature which transports Doctor Tyler, Jo Grant, Sergeant Benton and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart into an anti-matter universe created by the legendary Time Lord Omega, a solar engineer who created the supernova that powers Time Lord civilisation, but was considered killed in the explosion.

UNIT HQ moves into the black hole.

In actuality, he had been transported to the antimatter universe, where his will and thought turned the formless matter into physicality. Trapped, due to the fact that his will is the only thing maintaining reality, he vowed revenge on the Time Lords who left him stranded. The Second Doctor switches off the TARDIS force field and the whole of UNIT HQ is transported through the black hole and into the universe of Anti Matter...

Episode three

The Doctors and Benton encounter Omega.

Meanwhile, on the planet, the Third Doctor, Jo and Doctor Tyler enter the throne room. Jo asks who brought them here and a loud booming voice declares: "I did!" From the shadows steps the legendary Time Lord, Omega. He has been imprisoned here for many years, and it is clear that the exile he lives in has made him quite insane. Along with his revenge, he has summoned the Doctors here to take over the mental maintenance of the antimatter universe so he can escape. He tells the Second and Third Doctors that without him, there would be no time travel and he and the other Time Lords will be locked away in their own time.

However, the Doctors discover that years of exposure to the corrosive effects of the black hole's singularity have destroyed Omega's physical body - he is trapped forever. The Second and Third Doctors ask him if he has a physical body. Omega walks over to a mirror and takes off his mask. The Doctors both discover he hasn't got a head or a physical body. The Third Doctor replies: "You exist only because your will says that you exist. And your will is all that is left of you." Omega bows his head in shame and lets out a insane cry. Driven over the edge by this discovery, Omega now demands that the Doctors share his exile. The Second and Third Doctors find the point of singularity within the black hole: the source of Omega's power. Omega and the Third Doctor argue until the Third Doctor is thrown into a black void - the dark side of Omega's mind. Omega's avatar gets the Doctor in a stranglehold and Omega declares: " THOSE WHO OPPOSE THE WILL OF OMEGA SHALL NOT LIVE! DESTROY HIM!"

Episode four

The First Doctor forms contact with his future selves.

The Second Doctor tells Omega that if he destroyed the Third Doctor, he would destroy his only chance of freedom. Both Doctors escape briefly, and offer Omega a proposition. They will give him his freedom if they send the others back to the positive matter universe. Omega agrees, and when that is done, the Doctors offer Omega a force field generator containing the Second Doctor's recorder, which had fallen in it prior to the transport through the black hole.

When the Third Doctor shouts at Omega to take the generator, Omega is angry at the Third Doctor for commanding him to do it. He knocks the generator over in a rage and the unconverted positive matter recorder falls out of the force field. When the recorder comes into contact with the antimatter universe, it annihilates everything in a flash, returning the Doctors in the TARDIS to the positive matter universe.

The Doctor feels guilt for tricking Omega.

The Third Doctor explains that death was the only freedom anyone could offer Omega. With the power now restored to the Time Lords, they are able to send the First and Second Doctors back to their respective time periods. As a reward, the Time Lords give the Third Doctor a new dematerialisation circuit for the TARDIS and restore his knowledge of how to travel through space and time. The Doctor is happy that his people have forgiven him and granted him his freedom, but Jo sadly states that he'll probably be rushing off now. The Doctor assures her that he won't be leaving just yet...

Meanwhile, Ollis arrives home and his wife asks him where he has been. Ollis tells her she wouldn't believe him if he told her, and skirts the issue by asking if supper is ready.

Cast

The Doctor - Jon Pertwee
The Doctor - Patrick Troughton
The Doctor - William Hartnell
Jo Grant - Katy Manning
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
Sergeant Benton - John Levene
Omega - Stephen Thorne
Doctor Tyler - Rex Robinson
President of the Council - Roy Purcell
Mr. Ollis - Laurie Webb
Chancellor - Clyde Pollitt
Time Lord - Graham Leaman
Mrs Ollis - Patricia Prior
Corporal Palmer - Denys Palmer

Crew

Writer - Bob Baker and Dave Martin
Producer - Barry Letts
Director - Lennie Mayne
Title Music - Ron Grainer and BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
Special Sounds - Dick Mills
Film Cameraman - John Baker
Film Sound - Bob Roberts
Film Editor - Jim Walker
Visual Effects Designer - Michaeljohn Harris
Costumes - James Acheson
Make-Up - Ann Rayment
Studio Lighting - Clive Thomas
Studio Sound - Derek Miller-Timmins
Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
Designer - Roger Liminton
Assistant Floor Manager - Trina Cornwell
Production Assistant - David Tilley

References

Astronomical objects

Omega controls a singularity in a black hole.

The Doctor

The First Doctor caustically refers to his future selves as "a dandy and a clown".
The Second Doctor does not like the way his future self has "re-decorated" 'his' TARDIS. He would later make a similar comment about the redecorated UNIT headquarters. (TV: The Five Doctors) Much later, the Fifth Doctor would make a similar criticism when meeting the Tenth. (TV: Time Crash). His eleventh incarnation would make the same observation of a friend's house. (TV: Closing Time)
The Second Doctor recognises Benton from their adventure with the Cybermen. TV: The Invasion.)
The Second Doctor treasures and likes to play his recorder. He apparently thinks little of television.
Neither the Third nor the Second Doctor seems to immediately recognise Jo's reference to the song "I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles.
The Brigadier at first thinks that one of the Doctor's experiments has changed him back to an early version of himself. He seems more outraged than wonder struck at the interior of the TARDIS, believing the Doctor has built it using UNIT resources. He either disbelieves or does not understand that part of UNIT HQ (including the Doctor's laboratory) has been transported into the anti-matter universe and states in confidence that he thinks they're in Cromer.
On Gallifrey, the Time Lords' dialogue makes it clear that there are no incarnations of the Doctor before the First, with specific mentions of "the earliest Doctor" and "the Second Doctor".

Cultural references from the real world

Jo makes a reference to the Beatles song I Am the Walrus; the Second Doctor wants to know how it goes.
The Doctor can play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on his recorder.
Jo refers to Omega's base as being "like Aladdin's cave."

Foods and beverages

The Second Doctor offers a Jelly baby to the Brigadier. Several years later, jelly babies became the confection of choice of the Fourth Doctor and continued to be referenced from time to time on the series for many years thereafter.

Species

The Brigadier mentions to the Doctor their encountering the Yeti and Cybermen.
The beings sent to UNIT HQ by Omega are known as Gell guards.

Temporal theory

The First Doctor gets trapped in a time eddy.
The First Law of Time expressly forbids any Time Lord to cross his own time stream and meet his former (or, for that matter, future) selves.

Theories and concepts

Omega's universe is a universe of anti-matter.

Time Lords

The Doctor's three selves have the power to have a "telepathic conference" amongst themselves, exchanging information at a rapid speed.
The Doctor admired Omega in his youth.

United Nations Intelligence Taskforce

The Brigadier says UNIT HQ is "a Top Secret establishment".

Story notes

This story celebrates the start of the tenth season of Doctor Who on television. Either for this reason or another, some people erroneously identify this as the 10th anniversary special.

This was William Hartnell's last appearance as the Doctor and his final ever performance as an actor before his death in 1975. Hartnell was too ill to play a more active role in the story. Instead his scenes were filmed in Ealing Television Film Studios while he read his lines from cue cards. The script was rewritten with the explanation that the First Doctor was stuck in a time eddy due to the power drain caused by Omega.

This is the first of three mainstream return appearances by Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. His next two were in TV: The Five Doctors and TV: The Two Doctors.

This is the first appearance of Omega. Originally Omega's name was supposed to be Ohm, the word resulting from turning "WHO" upside-down. "Ohm" was later used as the name of an ancient Gallifreyan god in PROSE: The Infinity Doctors.

The original script, entitled Deathworld had the Time Lords enlisting the three Doctors to battle a Federation of Evil led by Death. The idea of Death as an actual entity was later used in the Virgin New Adventures novels and Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories with Death as an Eternal who purposely arranges for the Seventh Doctor to be shot and die in 1999 San Francisco at the beginning of the television movie.

Original plans were for Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot to appear in the story. However, Frazer Hines was unable to take time out from Emmerdale Farm for filming, and the idea of additional companions received objections from Jon Pertwee, who felt too many characters would detract from the story.

This story featured a new redesigned TARDIS console room set by Roger Liminton. The one used in the previous tory, TV: The Time Monster, warped in storage and had a design which Barry Letts disliked.

This story marks the end of the Doctor's exile on Earth. This also marks the beginning of the gradual phasing out of UNIT on the series, as the Doctor spends more and more time away from 20th century Earth.

The Second Doctor offers the Brigadier a jelly baby. A few years later, the sweet would be brought back as the Fourth Doctor's favourite sweet, with cameos in later years.
This was one of the stories chosen to be shown as part of BSB's Doctor Who Weekend in September 1990.

Footage from this episode would later be used in TV: Death of the Doctor as a flashback of Jo's time with the Doctor. By using this footage, this marks the first appearance of Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Ratings

Episode 1 - 9.6 million viewers
Episode 2 - 10.8 million viewers
Episode 3 - 8.8 million viewers
Episode 4 - 11.9 million viewers

Myths

William Hartnell's scenes were filmed in the garage of his home against a black backdrop. (His scenes were actually filmed at Ealing Television Film Studios. His garden shed was used as a makeshift photo studio for a set of publicity shots for himself, Troughton and Pertwee together. Several other publicity shots from the same session, as well as the scene of the Doctor in a garden as seen on the Time Lords' monitor, were shot outside in Hartnell's garden)
The scene in which the Second Doctor was shown in black and white originated from the (now lost) 1960s serial, The Macra Terror. It was actually a specially filmed shot.

Filming locations

Summerfield Bungalow in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire served as the Ollis's cottage. The bird sanctuary was actually Springwell Reservoir, also in Rickmansworth.
Exterior scenes set in Omega's universe were filmed at Springwell Quarry.
Halings House in Denham Green, Buckinghamshire, served as the exterior of UNIT HQ.
The fight between the Third Doctor and Omega's dark side, as well as the First Doctor's scenes, were filmed at Ealing Television Film Studios.
Model shots were filmed at the BBC Television Centre Puppet Theatre, with all other scenes filmed at BBC Television Centre Studio 1.
Hartnell's garden.

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

There are shots that make it quite obvious that there is no interior to the TARDIS prop. Additionally, the doors in the back of the prop are often open enough to let in the distinct light from the window blinds behind it.
Just before the Second Doctor's arm appears, a boom mike drifts into the shot directly above John Levene.
When the Second and Third Doctor are observing the Brigadier open fire on the anti-matter creature outside on the scanner, the scanner itself still displays the repetitive flash and not an image of outside.
When UNIT HQ vanishes, there is grass where the building used to be.
When the gel creature is chasing Tyler, it bumps into a wall right before the cut to the next scene.
When the Doctor and Jo find Bessie, her tyres are covered with white dust, showing she was driven into the quarry, not transported.
Although it is later revealed that Omega has no physical shape, the actor's mouth can be seen on several occasions, notably when he is working out who the Second Doctor is.
When the Doctors flee Omega's lair, they open the door, which is smooth on its outer surface. But outside shots reveal the door to be textured.
After Jo and the Brigadier step through the singularity, their footsteps can still be heard after they've faded away.
At the start of the scene in Episode One in which the Second Doctor first appears in the TARDIS, a passing crew member can be seen reflected in the silvered strip along the side of the central column.

Continuity

The Second Doctor addresses Benton as Corporal, the rank he held in TV: The Invasion. He also refers to UNIT's battle with the Cybermen in that story. The Brigadier also mentions that adventure, as well as his first meeting with the Doctor during the Yeti attack in TV: The Web of Fear. Mention is also made of the two occasions the Doctor "changed his appearance" - the process was not yet called regeneration.
Omega returns in TV: Arc of Infinity, PROSE: The Infinity Doctors and AUDIO: Omega. A children's storybook, K9 and the Time Trap, features a villain very similar to Omega called Omegon, and includes subtle references to the events of The Three Doctors.
When he was returned to his TARDIS by the Time Lords several hours after having vanished in front of his companions Vicki Pallister and Steven Taylor, the First Doctor had only vague memories of this incident which involved "a dandy and a clown." (PROSE: The Empire of Glass)
The Second Doctor plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on his recorder. He played the song before in TV: The Abominable Snowmen.

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

This story was released as Doctor Who: The Three Doctors.

Released:

Region 2 24 November 2003

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1144

Region 4 12 November 2003
Region 1 2 March 2004

NTSC - Warner Video E1925

Contents:

Pebble Mill at One - Bernard Wilkie and Patrick Troughton interviews from Christmas 1973.
Blue Peter - Jon Pertwee and the Whomobile in the studio.
BSB - Excerpts from BSB '31 Who' weekend.
PanoptiCon 93 - Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney on stage at PanoptiCon '93
Trailers
Photo Gallery.
Production Subtitles
Commentary: Nicholas Courtney, Katy Manning and Barry Letts

Notes:

Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
It was also released in the UK in a limited edition boxset, including a miniature Bessie model car.

Region 2 cover
Region 2 - special edition
Region 1 cover
Region 4 cover
Region 4 Special Edition cover

A special edition of The Three Doctors DVD was in Revisitations 3 boxset in 2011. The special edition contained all the extras present in the 2003 DVD, plus a making-of documentary and a documentary about the less popular period of Doctor Who ("When Doctor Who Was Uncool").

Video releases