The Two Doctors

"When you travel around as much as I do, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll run into yourself at some point."

When the Doctor (Colin Baker) lands on a space station in the Third Zone, he suspects he’s been there before and when he discovers his old assistant-Jamie-he’s certain.  Accompanied by Jamie and his present assistant Peri, the Doctor follows himself (Patrick Troughton) to 20th Century Seville.  There he discovers his old enemies, the Sontarans, about to dissect him in a genetic operation.  But just why are they operating on the Doctor?  And how will their findings aid their enslavement of the Universe?  Deadly questions to which the Doctors must find answers in order to escape their own excruciating death…

• "The Two Doctors" was the fourth story in Colin Baker's first season.

• Season 22 had a slightly different episodic format than the rest of the series.   Episodes were 45 minutes long (effectively making two shorter episodes into one longer episode).  It was felt that longer episodes could foster better story writing.   However, the format was abandoned after this season and the series went back to the traditional 23 minutes/episode format.

• "The Two Doctors" sees the return of the 2nd Doctor and his companion Jamie.   In the early planning stages it was originally intended as a story involving the 1st Doctor and his granddaughter Susan, the story had to be retooled to fit the 2nd Doctor when the actor who played the 1st Doctor (Richard Hurndall) in "The Five Doctors" died just before filming was to begin on the new season.

• Another change was location.  The original location of the story would have been New Orleans in the United States of America.  When the travel expenses proved too costly, it was quickly shifted to the much more affordable Seville, Spain.

• This story was penned by one of the most prolific writers for Doctor Who, Robert Holmes.

• The Sontarans make a reappearance after more than 7 years absence.

• Blake's 7 fans can watch for Jacqueline Pearce who plays the augmented Chessene.

• Watch for the humorous exchanges between the 6th and 2nd Doctors as well as Jamie and the 6th Doctor.  Also worth noting is the performance of James Saxon as Oscar Botcheby and John Stratton as Shockeye.

• This story is also available on DVD with an isolated score, several interview features and many more bonus items.