 This story was made as a celebration of the show's tenth anniversary and came about due to suggestions made by both members of the production as well as countless viewer letters. Two and a half weeks later after the final episode was recorded the first episode of "The Three Doctors" led off Doctor Who's iconic Season Ten. Although it actually began transmission only five weeks after the show's ninth anniversary on 23 November 1972.
It brought Jon Pertwee together with his predecessors William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton for the first and only time. Jon Pertwee, when approached to ensure he approved of the return of his predecessors, gave his consent with the condition that his incarnation of The Doctor remained the story's focus. However, due to illness, William Hartnell's health was too poor for him to take an active role in the entire story.
This prompted the script to be rewritten and to include the explanation that the First Doctor had become stuck in a time eddy due to the power drain caused by Omega. This change enabled his involvement to be restricted to brief scenes that were pre-filmed, at the BBC's Ealing studios, and then shown on a monitor. The story’s promotional photo shoot was the only time the three actors were actually shown together.
This story became the first of Patrick Troughton's three returns to the program (The others being the 1983 Twentieth Anniversary Special "The Five Doctors" and the 1985 Sixth Doctor story "The Two Doctors"), though sadly it was the last appearance in the show for William Hartnell, and indeed his final work as an actor, as he passed away in April 1975. For both actors this was also the first time they appeared in the show in colour.
The production team also planned for Frazer Hines to reprise his role of Jamie McCrimmon alongside the Second Doctor; however, Frazer Hines was appearing in Emmerdale Farm at the time and so was not available. Much of the role originally intended for Jamie was therefore reassigned to Sergeant Benton.
This story was a milestone in more ways than one. It was the first multi-Doctor story (establishing the concept of The Doctor being able to meet his past incarnations). However more importantly with the show's ratings now stable after the ups and down of the late Sixties, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks had decided to use "The Three Doctors" as a vehicle for removing the Earthbound constraints which had been imposed on the programme for budgetary reasons at the end of the Patrick Troughton era. And so, at the conclusion of episode four, the Time Lords are seen to reverse their decision to banish him by sending back his dematerialization circuit in thanks for defeating Omega. This ended the story arc of The Doctor being exiled to Earth, which had began in Season Seven in 1970. The Doctor was once again free to travel in all of time and space...
This story has the first appearance of Omega, the Gallifreyan time engineer who would become a focal point in the planet's mythology. He would later return in the 1983 Fifth Doctor story "Arc of Infinity" as well as in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio story "Omega" and The Past Doctors Stories novel "The Infinity Doctors".
The Gell Guards, that acted as guards for Omega and who also attacked UNIT Headquarters, were never named onscreen.
This story also marks the beginning of the gradual phasing out of UNIT, as The Doctor spends more and more time away from twentieth century Earth.
After the short-lived TARDIS set from "The Time Monster" was damaged, a new interior set was designed by Roger Liminton based on the original. It is considered to be more faithful to Peter Brachacki's original design rather than the much disliked set that Tim Gleeson had conceived for "The Time Monster".
This story demonstrates for the first time, for humorous effect, a mildly antagonistic relationship between the various incarnations of The Doctor. The Second and Third Doctors bicker, compete, and try to put each other down. Even the First Doctor dismisses the others by saying, ‘So you're my replacements - a dandy and a clown!’ This kind of relationship between The Doctor's selves was seen again in subsequent multi-Doctor stories. Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee in particular enjoyed the banter so much that they carried on the mock competition when they appeared together at science fiction conventions.
It is revealed that The First Law of Time expressly forbids any Time Lord to cross his own time stream and meet his former (or future) selves. As the President breaks this law it must be assumed that this a Time Lord rule rather than physical, law.
This was the first real ‘return’ of the Time Lords (not counting the odd Earth visitor or the brief appearance in "Colony in Space") since "The War Games".
This story marked the first time The Brigadier and Sergeant Benton entered the TARDIS in the show. Being the first time The Brigadier has been in the TARDIS he thinks at first, when meeting the Second Doctor, that one of The Doctor's experiments has changed him back to an early version of himself. He also seems more outraged than wonder struck at the interior of the TARDIS, given The Doctor's lavishing of valuable UNIT resources on it – so making him believe that The Doctor has built the TARDIS interior using UNIT resources. On exiting the TARDIS he either disbelieves or does not understand that part of UNIT HQ (specifically The Doctor's laboratory) has been transported into the anti-matter universe. Amusingly he states in confidence that he thinks they are in Cromer.
Jelly Babies make their debut in the show when the Second Doctor offers one 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 for many years thereafter.
For the first time it is revealed The Doctor's three incarnations have the power to have a ‘telepathic conference’ amongst themselves, exchanging information at a rapid speed.
The Chancellor is portrayed by Clyde Pollitt who had also played one of the Time Lords who tried and exiled the Second Doctor. Similarly, Graham Leaman reappears as a Time Lord having been seen in the role in "Colony in Space", discussing The Master's activities and their use of the exiled Doctor as an agent.
The Brigadier is heard to refer to the Yeti ("The Web of Fear"), the Cybermen ("The Invasion") and the Autons ("Spearhead From Space").
Jo references The Beatles song "I Am the Walrus" when the Third Doctor uses the line ‘I am he, and he is me’. Jo then replies with the line 'And we are all together, coo coo cachoo?'
The Second Doctor is heard to address Benton as a Corporal - (the rank he held in the last story they meet ("The Invasion") - rather than as a Sergeant.
The Second Doctor does not like the way his future self has ‘re-decorated his’ TARDIS much later the Second Doctor would make a similar comment to The Brigadier in the 1983 Twentieth Anniversary Special "The Five Doctors" and the Fifth Doctor would make a similar criticism, about the Tenth Doctor’s Console Room in the 2007 special Children in Need story "Time Crash".
The Target novelisation of this story, written by Terrance Dicks, marked the first appearance by the First Doctor in a novelisation commissioned by Target, although this is considered a Third Doctor-era story. Common practice by Target Books was to use the words 'Doctor Who and the…' at the beginning of the story titles; since this was impractical for this title, this became the first Target novelisation to use the title form 'Doctor Who…' - which would become the standard in the early 1980s (although the 1976 reprint used the 'Doctor Who and the...' in the title. The novelisation was also released on audio by the RNIB and was narrated by Gabriel Woolf.
The Target novelisation also provides a rationale for Omega's realm to be set in a quarry while the televised version does not. This being the amount of mental effort required to sustain his world inside the black hole has taken its toll, and once lush terrain has degenerated into mere rock and soil. The Second Doctor is referred to throughout as 'Doctor Two'.
This story was repeated on BBC2 in November 1981 as part of "The Five Faces of Doctor Who". It was also released on DVD in November 2003 as part of The Doctor Who Fortieth Anniversary Celebration releases, representing the Jon Pertwee years. The UK version came in a box set housing a limited edition Corgi model of "Bessie", the Third Doctor's vintage roadster.
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The Firsts:
The first story of Season Ten.
The first time The Doctor meets previous incarnations of himself.
The first time William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton appeared in the show in colour.
The first of Patrick Troughton's three returns to the show.
The first appearance of Omega.
The first trip in the TARDIS for semi-regular companion The Brigadier played by Nicholas Courtney.
The first trip in the TARDIS for semi-regular companion Sergeant Benton played by John Levene.
The first appearance of Jelly Babies in the show.
The first appearance of a new TARDIS interior set designed by Roger Liminton.
The first real return of the Time Lords since "The War Games".
The first Doctor Who story to be written by Barry Letts (under his own name).
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(Position = 33 out of 159)
(Position = 58 out of 200)
(Position = 51 out of 241)
