01 The Three Doctors

Production Code: RRR



First Transmitted
1 - 30/12/1972 17:50
2 - 06/01/1973 17:50
3 - 13/01/1973 17:50
4 - 20/01/1973 17:50




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



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



Plot Outline from Wikipedia

A superluminal signal is sent to Earth, carrying with it an unusual energy blob that seems intent on capturing the Third Doctor. In the meantime, the homeworld of the Time Lords is under siege, with all the power sustaining it being drained through a black hole. Trapped and desperate, the Time Lords do the unthinkable and break the First Law of Time, allowing the Doctor to aid himself by summoning his two previous incarnations from the past.

Unfortunately, the First Doctor is trapped in a time eddy, unable to fully materialize, and can only communicate via viewscreen, but the Second Doctor joins the Third in investigating the origins of the creature and the black hole, while UNIT headquarters faces an attack by the gel-like alien creatures.
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 them, Dr Tyler, Jo Grant, Sergeant Benton and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart into an antimatter universe created by the legendary Time Lord Omega. Omega was a solar engineer who created the supernova that powers Time Lord civilization, but was considered killed in the explosion. 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.

It is clear that the exile has made Omega 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. 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. Driven over the edge by this discovery, Omega now demands that the Doctors share his exile.

The 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. Omega 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 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 dematerialization circuit for the TARDIS and restore his knowledge of how to travel through space and time.



Analysis by Cuisle

Russell T. Davies has stated more than once that he would not do an episode like this with more than one Doctor in it. His reasons are sound ones, but many fans DO enjoy seeing The Doctors mixing it. The friction between #2 (Troughton) and #3 (Pertwee) in this one, refereed by #1 William Hartnell, who appears only in a viewscreen communication because he was in ill health and not up to anything more strenuous, is a joy for those who actually watch Doctor Who for The Doctor rather than for the monsters or how short the assistants shirts are.

This is also a good story for those who want to know more about Gallifrey. We see the Time Lords themselves in much more detail than ever did. Although in fact, we still aren’t told that The Doctor’s planet IS called Gallifrey. It is referred to only as the homeworld. With that homeworld under attack, though they summon their renegade, The Doctor, and expect him to come to their rescue. Having punished him for breaking the Laws of Time, they now break them themselves in order to let his previous incarnations join the third Doctor to fight the unknown enemy.

That enemy turns out to be another renegade Time Lord, Omega, and we learn about a deep bitterness from Gallifrey’s past. Omega was once one of the greatest scientists of Gallifrey, whose work gave Time Lords their ability to travel in time and space. Omega is, perhaps rightly bitter that he has been trapped on the other side of a black hole for eternity and forgotten by those who benefited from his work.

The solution to the problem is one that is typically down to Earth. The Third Doctor finds his second incarnation’s recorder which fell through into the negative matter universe and was a link to the ‘real’ postive matter universe. A simple, mundane object providing the downfall of the bad guy. Such has often been the case in Doctor Who. It is part of it's charm. Look at the cup of tea that revived the ailing Tenth Doctor in the 2005 Christmas Invasion or the famous broken spring in the Fast Return Switch (Edge of Destruction) The Doctor works best when a simple solution is found to what seems to be a complicated and sophisticated problem. Although I still think simply pulling the plugs on the Daleks in their first episode was a bit TOO mundane!

The special effects look a bit naff from our CGI effects led perspective. The frankly annoying glowing blob which looked like an after image of a bright light on the retina, looked very clearly painted onto the film in post-production. But it was a brave attempt at a non-humanoid ‘monster’ with the effects technology available.

This WAS a special to celebrate ten years of Doctor Who. It did so in style in my opinion.





http://www.rdwf.org.uk/doctors/D3/s10/01thethreedoctors.htm

An excellent episode,just a pity William Hartnell's health was so poor at the time. Certainly The Three Doctors is a story that I can watch over and over.

Omega is pretty fabulous.

neither 3 doctors or 5 doctors has all of them in it properly, which is a shame.

Got to view this special this weekend.

All in all it was very well done. The banter between Patrick and Jon was hilarious. It also is a lot of fun to see when (at the time) a timely reference is made. The "coo coo cachoo" line is what I'm referring to; and its such a throwaway line that you may miss it.

One thing having Doctors 2 and 3 together brought home a point that I think many overlook. The Doctor can be abrasive or condesending or pompous in every one of his incarnations (including Tom. Gasp, I said something bad about Doctor 4; but let's face it, the amount of times he tells K9 to shut up alone proves he can be rude as well.) Even Doctor 10 has his moments of arrogance/pomp. It was a rather nice touch to see that even though we love the Doctor; the actors all did their best to make the Doctor less human.

I'm in full agreement that it was such a tragedy for Hartnell not to be on set, even once; with Jon and Patrick. It was something that could of been incredibly special, but sadly was not meant to be.

This version of Omega was disappointing. I know its the first time the character appears; but both the encounter with Doctor 5 and his audio drama appearance it was a far more developed character.

I did love the fact that this story; for all its grand nature came down to a simple solution/explanation at the end. And that it was the Doctors who came up with the solution. (It rather annoyed me in 5 Doctors that it really was Doctor 1 that saved the whole mess, instead of how both 2 and 3 came up with the solution in 3 Doctors.)

You do have to look at some of the effects and laugh; but also applaud the fact that a: they tried and b: didn't do that bad of a job with them, considering the technology available in 1973.

Even the most ardent fans have to cringe at some of the special effects. But then again they are a part of what made the show so special.Them and the great stories.

Harry, I hope you're not the sort of viewer who likes doctor who as something to laugh and snigger at because of the effects, because that's not what I call a fan.

I've reread my post a dozen times and for the life of me I can't see why you would make that comment about me. Frontman was the one who stated that he laughed at the effects,not me.I merely said that the old special effects when watched and compared to todays standards are at times cringeworthy. I've been a fan of the show from the beginning in 1963.Followed it all my life and always will.I don't know if that constitutes being a real fan but in my opinon I am.

That is always the problem in text forums. some comments can be misinterpreted. Cool heads, folks.

Thankyou caringcara,well said.

Certainly not; but even the most die-hard fan can laugh at them as well. Especially considering the cast and crew laugh looking back at some of them? I don't think laughing is a form of malice towards the show.

To be honest; when I watch classic Who; I want to say once every series I find something that just is funny to see; and more often than not give a shoutout to Mystery Science Theatre 3000 with a good one liner or riff. Heck, I laugh at some things from the original Star Wars films; as some lines are just hilarious how poorly they were delivered; or such.

No harm intended, I'm sure.

I think, in any case, these 'specials' shouldn't have the same high standards applied. They are a bit more tongue in cheek and self-referential, and a bit more fun.