25th Anniversary Edition

The Five Doctors
25th Anniversary Edition
 (DVD)

Starring Peter Davison, 
Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, 
Richard Hurndall, Tom Baker 
and William Hartnell
1983
90 minutes (Original Televised Version)
102 minutes (Special Edition Version)
Double Disc


2001 Release
Special Edition Only



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Peter Davison
Jon Pertwee
Patrick Troughton
Richard Hurndall
William Hartnell
&
Tom Baker

Susan
Carole Ann Ford

Jamie McCrimmon
Frazer Hines

Zoe Heriot
Wendy Padbury

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Nicholas Courtney
Liz Shaw
Caroline John

Sarah Jane Smith
Elisabeth Sladen

Voice of K9
John Leeson

Romana
Lalla Ward

Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding

Turlough
Mark Strickson

The Master
Anthony Ainley
Written by
Terrance Dicks

Directed by
Peter Moffatt

Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Nov 25, 1983

US DVD Release Date
August 2008

Warner Home Video
#3000016669

1999 Special Edition Release
U.K. Cover



 

 

 

Cover Blurb
The Doctor's past incarnations are being snatched out of time and space and transported to the Death Zone on Gallifrey, where they are reunited with some old friends and pitted against their deadliest enemies in the Game of Rassilon.  Someone is manipulating the Doctor and his companions in order to claim the most ancient and powerful secret of the Time Lords, but can they survive the challenges and uncover the traitor before it is too late?




 

 

DVD Features
 

Disc One
90 minute version originally transmitted in 1983 plus other bonus features.

 

  • Celebration: 

 Narrated by Colin Baker (Doctor #6), this comprehensive, 52 minute long documentary details the events surrounding the 20th anniversary of the show in 1983.  Included in this featurette are Peter Davison (Doctor #5), Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Caroline John (Liz Shaw), Richard Franklin (Capt. Mike Yates), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Janet Fielding (Tegan), and Mark Strickson (Turlough).  Also included are contributions from Terrance Dicks (writer), Mike Kelt (visual effects designer), and Peter Moffatt (director).
 

 
  • Trails and Continuity:
 A combination of original trails and continuity announcements from 1983 as well as the faux cliffhangers when the story was re-transmitted and re-edited as a 4 part story.
 

 
  • Audio Options:
 Two options given here...

Commentary is provided exclusively by Doctor Who companions Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), and Mark Strickson (Turlough).

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the music Peter Howell composed sequentially as it appears in the episode.  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.

 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Lots of rare and never before seen photos taken during the production of this story.  Very nice.
 

 
  • Radio Times Listings:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings.
 

 
  • Information Text:
 An incredible amount of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided.  The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There are 2 Easter Eggs included in this release.  Scroll further down past the special features to find more details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 

 

 

Disc Two
The 1995 special edition version with updated special effects, additional footage added, newly scored soundtrack cues, and other bonus features.
 
  • The Ties That Bind Us:
 A 25 minute long featurette that looks more closely at the show's established continuity over the years.  Narrated by Paul McGann (Doctor #8).
 

 
  • Five Doctors, One Studio:
 Approximately 18 minutes of studio footage showing the filming of one of the scenes from The Five Doctors.  What makes this footage interesting is that it involves 4 actors playing the Doctor.  A fascinating look at the behind the scenes work, and the interactions between some of the actors to play the lead character.
 

 
  • Out Takes:
 Six minutes of bloopers from the making of the 20th anniversary show.
 

 
  • (Not So) Special Effects:
 It is no exaggeration to state that Doctor Who's budget for visual effects was miniscule.  This eight minute long featurette shows the inventive approach needed to pull together the visual effects for a show like Doctor Who.
 

 
  • Saturday Superstore:
 A 10 minute segment taken from the children's Saturday morning program.  Here actors Peter Davison (Doctor #5), Janet Fielding (Tegan), and Mark Strickson (Turlough) are interviewed and take calls from young viewers.
 

 
  • Blue Peter:
 Around the time of the 20th anniversary of Doctor Who, Peter Davison (Doctor #5) and the actor to assume William Hartnell's role as the first Doctor - Richard Hurndall made an appearance on the children's show.
 

 
  • Nationwide:
 A nine minute interview taken from the program Nationwide.  Actors Patrick Troughton (Doctor #2), Jon Pertwee (Doctor #3), and Peter Davison (Doctor #5) appear together in this entertaining interview.  The very first producer of Doctor Who, Verity Lambert, is also interviewed in this segment.
 

 
  • Breakfast Time:
 A brief interview with Patrick Troughton (Doctor #2) and Peter Davison (Doctor #5) on the morning show Breakfast Time.
 

 
  • Audio Options:
 Two options given here...

Commentary is provided by Peter Davison (Doctor #5) and Terrance Dicks (Writer).  This commentary was originally not on the first U.K. release version and was recorded especially to 'beef up' the features on the original R1 release version.  Now, with the 2 disc release, both R1 and R2 fans can appreciate this very lively and enjoyable commentary.

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the music Peter Howell composed sequentially as it appears in the episode.  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.  Of special note is the fact that Peter Howell came back for the Special Edition re-edit in 1995 and added new music. 

 

 
  • Information Text:
 An incredible amount of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided.  The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
 

 
  • Coming Soon:
 A specially made trailer for the upcoming DVD release of "The Invasion of Time."
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There are 2 Easter Eggs included in this release.  Scroll further down past the special features to find more details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Eggs

#1. SPECIAL COMMENTARY
 with David Tennant (10th Doctor), Phil Colinson (New Series Producer), and Helen Raynor (New Series Writer)

 

Go to the 'Audio Options' menu on Disc One
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the right of 'Companions Commentary'

 

 

 

#2. SPECIAL EDITION INTRO
(from VHS release of the Special Edition)

 

Go to the 'Special Features' menu on Disc Two
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of 'Nationwide'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "The Five Doctors" is the final story of the 20th anniversary season of Doctor Who.  Each story within this season features the return of one of the Doctor's former adversaries.
     
  • This story marks the introduction of a newly designed console for the TARDIS.  This new version would last for the remainder of the original series run (until it was cancelled in 1989).
  • This adventure marks the return of each of the Doctor's previous incarnations, and was written by Doctor Who alumnist Terrance Dicks.
     
  • Dicks was actually not the first writer approached for this anniversary story.  Long time writer and script editor Robert Holmes made an initial attempt, but this was ultimately turned down.  However, Holmes would continue to write for the series after this story.
  • Sadly, Tom Baker turned down the opportunity to return for this 20th anniversary story, so old footage from the untransmitted story "Shada" was used instead.
     
  • Other characters originally intended to appear included Victoria (played by Deborah Watling), Jo Grant (played by Katy Manning), Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter), and Leela (Louise Jameson) but were later dropped either due to time constraints or actor availability.
     
  • A popular foe that ultimatly did not make it into the finished product were the Autons from Jon Pertwee's era.  Again, this idea was dropped due to time and budget constraints.
     
  • The Castellan (Paul Jericho) makes his second appearance in Doctor Who.  His first was at the beginning of the 20th season, in the story "Arc of Infinity".
     
  • The character of Borusa makes yet another appearance - although played by yet another actor.  This character also appeared in the Gallifrey based stories "The Deadly Assassin", "The Invasion of Time", and "Arc of Infinity".
     
  • This story actually aired first in some parts of the U.S.A. before it debuted in the U.K.  1983 was a year where Doctor Who was enjoying a rise in popularity in the U.S.  This trend would continue throughout the 1980's.
  • The Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on the VHS release many years ago by adding additional scenes (roughly 10 minutes worth) that were filmed, but not included in the original transmission, adding new special effects, improving sound quality (including stereo and surround sound), and reworking incidental music with original composer Peter Howell.
  • In 1999, "The Five Doctors" - Special Edition was chosen as the first Dr. Who story to be released on DVD.  This was done to test the feasibility of a line of Dr. Who/DVD releases.  It has sold extremely well in the U.K.
     
  • This marks the first time that both versions of "The Five Doctors" (the original and 1995 special edition) are available together on DVD.
     
  • As with all of the U.K. DVD releases to date, the Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on this story to create the best possible transfer.  More information on the restoration of this story can be read at their website HERE.