The Five Doctors

"A cosmos without the Doctor. It scarcely bears thinking about!"

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: November 1983

Series: Target 81

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9, Third Doctor, Sarah, Second Doctor, Brigadier, First Doctor, Susan

Synopsis 

Why are all five Doctors being removed from their separate time-streams? Who is the enemy they will have to unite against? What will become of the Doctors when the battle is over?

We have travelled a long way with Doctor Who. The Five Doctors gives us a chance to turn the clock back and meet some old friends - and some old enemies.

Verdict 

The Five Doctors was an outstanding novelisation of the superb anniversary television story that celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Doctor Who. It was an incredible feat to achieve at the time and although we have since had the fiftieth anniversary celebration with The Day of the Doctor, reading this story have it a somewhat different feel and I'm inclined to believe that the novelisation was even a little better than the televised story despite them both securing the perfect rating. The book has instantly become one of my all time favourite Target novelisations and Terrance Dicks really did seem to convert this story into prose with absolute ease. He captured the characterisation of all five Doctors, as well as their companions, with sublime simplicity and that just makes reading the story so much better. Even Anthony Ainley's likeness as the Master was effortlessly captured. It really was a fantastic job by the prose master that is Terrance Dicks. The plot of the story is brilliant and I love the setting of the Death Zone on Gallifrey. It's brilliant to hear the First and Second Doctors mentioning their home planet in this story which is something we never heard them say on screen. This novel also firmly reminds us that Susan is also a Time Lord and the description of the look between Susan and her grandfather when they realised where they were was tremendous. The Daleks had to appear in this story in some form and I think having just one gave them more of an impact. Pairing it up with the First Doctor was a move that I liked. The novel allowed us to see some things that weren't shown in the televised story, name the way Susan was captured by the obelisk. The references to The Dalek Invasion of Earth were great and I just love how different the novels can be despite telling the same story as what we can now watch on television. The pairing of the Second Doctor and the Brigadier was magnificent and I liked how the Doctor had come to hear the Brigadier's speech. Their capture and scoop into the Death Zone had caused many references to The Web of Fear, The Invasion and The Three Doctors which were all fabulous. The humour that seems to follow the Second Doctor really was captured marvellously. The reference to A Girl's Best Friend was very good in having Sarah captured by the obelisk and I love how she's still venting anger at the Doctor for abruptly abandoning her in The Hand of Fear. Her annoyance at the Fourth Doctor being missing from the Dark Tower once all the Doctors met up was fantastic and I think that feeling was shared by all the viewers as well. The capture of the Fourth Doctor and Romana II was quick but good and I think it is a real shame that Tom Baker didn't play a prominent role in the story. I thought the novel might change that but sadly it wasn't the case. The Fifth Doctor feeling the effects of his past selves being taken out of their time-streams was good and in a prose format it made me appreciate more just how helpless Tegan and Turlough were to help him. They were trying their best to get out the signal the Doctor was mumbling about but specifics were difficult with the Doctor fading from existence! The Master's arrival in the Death Zone, on the order of the High Council of the Time Lords, was greeted with good humour by the Third Doctor after he had eventfully rescued Sarah. Her reaction to seeing this particularly incarnation of the Doctor was excellent. A Planet of the Spiders reference followed and there were also numerous other stories referenced throughout this story. The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, Earthshock, Arc of Infinity and The War Games all got a mention with the latter reference particularly causing controversy that would eventually be resolved in Players. The idea of the Game of Rassilon was terrific and I loved the riddle that only the First Doctor seemed to grasp the meaning of. The man behind the Death Zone and time-scoop turning out to be Borusa seemed more obvious in the novel but maybe that was just because I've seen this story on numerous occasions, I'm not sure. I still enjoyed the revelation when the Fifth Doctor saw the truth about the Harp of Rassilon. Each Doctor had an eventful journey to the Dark Tower, with each taking a different direction of entry. The Third Doctor and Sarah, after encountering Cybermen and the Raston Warrior Robot, took above whilst the Second Doctor and the Brigadier encountered a Yeti before entering below. The First Doctor and Tegan, in an uncanny matchup, took the more conventional route of between. There were nice illusionary appearances of Jamie, Zoe, Liz and Mike Yates but the meeting of the Doctors by the Tomb of Rassilon was wonderful. The banter between the Second and Third Doctors was as wonderful as their previous meeting and I liked how the first three Doctors realised that the current incarnation was in trouble once Borusa arrived. His seeking of immortality was understandable, even if he was a Time Lord, but the way he was granted it was disturbing. He who won had lost. The riddle had proved true and under the immense powers of Rassilon, the Doctor and his past selves were protected from danger. All would be returned in a pretty comedic goodbye and I loved the final comment about the way the Doctor had begun his journey through the universe. He wouldn't be fulfilling his duties as President, and that was hardly a surprise. Overall, a simply tremendous novelisation! 

Rating: 10/10