Doctor Who in the 1980's: Season 20

As part of the celebrations on Who Time (& Space) of Doctor Who in the 1980's, I will be taking a look back at two classic seasons from across the decade. First up, from 1983, it's Season 20...

The Fifth Doctor, as painted by Jeremy Enecio.

In 1983, Doctor Who turned 20 years old. It was remarkably rare for any show to make it to ten years old, never mind twenty, and for a family drama show, even rarer. As such, producer John Nathan-Turner decided to celebrate this milestone with a season of stories that all featured monsters and villains from the past of the programme, culminating in the 90 minute special adventure "The Five Doctors", featuring all five Doctors up to that point (in one way or another). But it was also a season that was beset by production problems, including scripts not quite working out, elements having to be rejigged due to a lack of availability and, towards the end of the season, strike action that crippled recording, and, ultimately, forced its early curtailment when they were unable to film the planned final story. Nowadays, this season isn't one that's highly regarded by fans, who criticise weak stories, poor use of returning villains and some dodgy production. In this post, I'm going to be taking a look back at Season 20, looking at its production, and looking back at the stories in question and how they fair today.

The cover artwork for the 1992
reprint of the 1983 novelisation
of "Arc of Infinity", designed by
Alister Pearson.

Story 1: Arc of Infinity - Written by Johnny Byrne and Directed by Ron Jones.

In September 1981, script editor Eric Saward invited "The Keeper of Traken" writer Johnny Byrne to pitch another idea for the show, after he was impressed with the writer's previous work. However, what Eric Saward hadn't been told was that "The Keeper of Traken" had been heavily re-written by previous script editor Christopher H Bidmead, in order to properly accommodate the Master. This approach coincided with producer John Nathan-Turner's desire to take the show overseas to film, for only the second time in its history (1979's "City of Death" had been the first instance). Amsterdam was chosen because the BBC had already been recording in Amsterdam for the soap opera Triangle, and it was viewed as within Doctor Who's budget. Originally titled "The Time of Neman", it was originally thought that the Amsterdam setting would be central to the story, however, when unofficial fan consultant Ian Levine suggested bringing back Omega from 1972-3's "The Three Doctors", John Nathan-Turner decided to retool "Arc of Infinity" to bring back Omega. This then lead to a large amount of the action being shifted to Gallifrey, and, as a result, the Amsterdam setting became largely incidental to the plot. Guest stars in this story included Ian Collier (taking on the role of Omega), Leonard Sachs, Elspet Grey, Michael Gough (who previously appeared in 1966's "The Celestial Toymaker" as the eponymous Toymaker) and future Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker in the role of Commander Maxil, who was actually considered for the role after attending the wedding of a member of the production team on this story (producer John Nathan-Turner was also in attendance) due to his entertaining antics! Originally, Louise Jameson was approached about reprising her role as Leela, but was unavailable, with the vast majority of her material going to Nyssa. It was at this point that the writers begin to write up Nyssa's character too, in anticipation of Sarah Sutton's departure later in the season; this was also the story that reintroduced Janet Fielding as Tegan, after her sudden abandonment at Heathrow Airport (although Fielding's departure was never in question). This story was recorded second in the season, behind "Snakedance" to take better advantage of the spring weather in Amsterdam, and filming took place in May 1982. If you look closely during the chase sequences in episode 4, you may be able to spot members of the production team shooing members of the public away from the cameras: this was due to Peter Davison being a celebrity in the Netherlands due to the success of All Creatures Great and Small on Dutch television.

Omega's bond complete with the Doctor, he takes
on his face and form to survive!

Re-watching "Arc of Infinity" for this marathon was interesting, because I hadn't actually seen this story for quite a number of years, possibly even 10. Therefore, a lot of my memories focus upon watching it as a child, especially on holiday as we brought the DVD of this and "Time-Flight" from a Woolworths in Porthmadog. The first thing that struck me about this story was actually how much is compressed into the story. For a four-part mid-80's Who story, this has a lot going on. However, I would say that the pacing isn't quite as even as one would hope for; the Doctor and Nyssa take a long time to turn up, and even then they're kept hanging around in corridors for what feels like ages. The Amsterdam setting seems incredibly forced as well, and ultimately the final episode ends up degenerating into a chase sequence without the flair and style of "City of Death" or even "The Two Doctors". However, for all "Arc of Infinity"'s faults, there is a good story here, and some interesting material regarding Omega and the Time Lords. It's nice to return to some of the political intrigue of Gallifrey, even if its nowhere near as cutting as "The Deadly Assassin". At least there's some attempt to make Gallifrey and its history interesting again after the car-crash that was "The Invasion of Time" (although I agree, the set design isn't great!), and it does, to a degree, succeed. It's nice to see Nyssa given a lot more to do, especially considering how little the character had to do in a number of Season 19 stories, and Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison are wonderful together. It's a shame Janet Fielding is so sidelined, but considering that she'd been a very proactive force in most of her stories up to this point, it makes for a nice change of pace. And the more sympathetic portrayal of Omega in comparison to his ranting megalomania in "The Three Doctors" shows a genuine attempt to develop the character, and not just include him for nostalgia's sake. I do think "Arc of Infinity" gets an unduly bad rep: sure, there are a number of issues that prevent it from being the outright classic it could be. However, if you are willing to get past the various problems the story has, this is a story that has some undiscovered gems, and is actually not as bad as many people would have you believe.

The slipcover artwork for the 2011 Mara Tales
DVD box set, designed by Clayton Hickman.

Story 2: Snakedance - Written by Christopher Bailey and Directed by Fiona Cumming.

Even before Christopher Bailey's first Doctor Who story, "Kinda", finished production, script editor Eric Saward was in discussions with Bailey about providing a sequel for Season 20. It was quickly commissioned, and was soon pencilled in as the second story of the season. Bailey infused his script with lots of Buddhist terms, including in various character names, such as Tanha and Dugdale, as well as the planet of the story, Manussa. The director, Fiona Cumming, had worked on "Castrovalva", the debut story for Peter Davison's Doctor, the previous year, and had indicated that she was willing to return to the series, so long as she could work on character-focused scripts: John Nathan-Tuner thought she would be ideal for "Snakedance" (she would return later in the season to direct "Enlightenment"). While "Snakedance" was always planned to be the second story of the season, it was recorded first, in order to take advantage of better weather conditions in Amsterdam for the season premier, "Arc of Infinity". Among the cast for this story was Brian Miller, who would later go on to do Dalek voices in a number of 1980's Dalek stories, as well as appearing in Peter Capaldi's debut episode "Deep Breath". However, his most long-lasting connection to Doctor Who is that he is the husband of the late Elisabeth Sladen, who played popular companion Sarah Jane Smith alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, as well as starring in The Sarah Jane Adventures spin-off series. Also in the cast was future Men Behaving Badly and Doc Martin star Martin Clunes in his first major TV role (although not his first, as is widely reported). The final episode heavily overran, and, as such, had to be edited down for transmission. It overran so badly that one scene between the Doctor and Tegan in the TARDIS had to be moved into the next story, "Mawdryn Undead", to compensate. There were plans for a third Mara story (possibly entitled Manpower or The Children of Seth), however the story never made it to screen.

The Doctor and Nyssa try to work out what how
to defeat the Mara using the crystals of the Snake
Dancers.

Often, "Snakedance" is considered a lesser sequel to "Kinda", the first story to feature the Mara. After all, "Kinda" does have some wonderfully arresting imagery, and benefited from an experimental director in the form of Peter Grimwade. However, re-watching "Snakedance" for this marathon has shown it to be as fine a story as its predecessor, with plenty to enjoy and recommend. I think the presentation of the Fifth Doctor is one of the finest from his era, as he must try to convince the people of Manussa that his threats are serious, and that he isn't just a raving lunatic shouting about the end of the world. It's often difficult to walk that line with the Doctor: after all, their various incarnations are often quite forceful of character, and the actors lean into that approach. Peter Davison's Doctor, however, often comes across as more timorous than the others, and, as such, is more likely to be dismissed as a harmless crank. To a degree, even the Mara make the same mistake, simply having the Doctor locked up, rather than having him killed, because his rantings will not be believed. Janet Fielding is wonderful as the possessed Tegan, although amazingly she doesn't have as much to do as you would expect, while Sarah Sutton is given lots to do as Nyssa. The guest cast are fantastic as well, especially Martin Clunes as Lon, who plays one of the more believable Doctor Who villains in the show's history, and John Carson as curator Ambril, whose devotion to the history of Manussa is his downfall. This is a superb cast, even despite the sometimes strange costumes and sets. Despite it all being studio bound, Manussa is still a believable planet, and, thanks to Christopher Bailey's fantastic writing, it ends up holding a mirror up to our real world, and showing how something like that can happen to anyone, no matter their intentions. The people of Manussa are not evil, not power-crazed: they've just grown comfortable and indolent, to the point where the Mara can manipulate them once again, even without having a physical form. Not having seen "Snakedance" for a number of years, I had forgotten how powerful the storytelling was, and how all the elements cohere into a wonderful Doctor Who story that develops in a number of surprising ways. I love this story, and I think it might be a bit of an underrated giant amongst the Doctor Who fan base.

The cover artwork for the 2009 DVD release of "Mawdryn Undead", designed by Clayton Hickman.

Story 3: Mawdryn Undead - Written by Peter Grimwade and Directed by Peter Moffat.

With the imminent departure of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, John Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward set about devising a new companion to replace her. Deciding to introduce an element of danger into the TARDIS crew, it was decided that the new companion would be involved in a three-story arc, which would see them enter into a pact with the Doctor's old enemy, the Black Guardian, who wished the Doctor dead after the events of "The Armageddon Factor". The two drew up a character outline for Turlough, and planned that the trilogy would peel back the different layers of the character. The original first story for Turlough was planned to be The Song of the Space Whale, written by Pat Mills and John Wagner, who had written the first four comic strips for Doctor Who Magazine, and had originally submitted the story in 1980. Turlough would have originally been a member of a group of colonists who had been living inside the space whale. However, when problems arose on the script, "Time-Flight" writer and "Full Circle", "Logopolis", "Kinda" and "Earthshock" director Peter Grimwade stepped into the breach with "Mawdryn Undead". He based the setting of St Brendan's on his own experiences at Truro School, an all-boys public school he had attended in his youth. He also wanted to write a take on the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a legend about a ghost ship that was doomed to sail the seas forever, as well as a series of interrelated events that take place across different time zones. It was unofficial continuity adviser Ian Levine who suggested that the same person who appeared in both time zones could be one of the Doctor's companions: originally, this was planned to be Ian Chesterton, as played by William Russell; when Russell was unavailable to reprise the role due to theatre commitments, the team unsuccessfully contacted Ian Marter, who had played Harry Sullivan. Finally, JNT contacted Nicholas Courtney about returning as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and Courtney was available for filming. Ian Levine, however, pointed out a continuity error with the story: previous UNIT stories had depicted the Brigadier as still a member of UNIT into the 1980's, but "Mawdryn Undead" had him retired by the time of the Silver Jubilee in 1977. However, he was ignored, and, as such, the UNIT dating controversy was born... Guest stars in the story included David Collings (who had appeared in "Revenge of the Cybermen" and "The Robots of Death"), Angus MacKay (who previous played Borusa in his first appearance in "The Deadly Assassin") and, of course, Valentine Dyall, reprising his role as the Black Guardian (as he would do in the next two stories, "Terminus" and "Enlightenment"). The casting for Turlough was an arduous process, but, finally, Mark Strickson was chosen to play the part. Doctor Who, however, had to fight for him, as he was originally contracted to play a recurring part in medical drama Angels. He had to have is hair dyed red, in order so that he could be differentiated from Peter Davison, however, while his costume was his personal choice.

The Doctor, Turlough and the Brigadier discuss
the time conundrum in the teleport capsule.

"Mawdryn Undead" has always been one of my favourite Peter Davison stories, ever since I first saw it when it was released on DVD in 2009. The complex nature of the story is one that has always appealed, and, of course, any story featuring the Brigadier is a must. A lot of people think that Steven Moffat was the first Doctor Who writer to really explore how time could be used in interesting storytelling ways; however Peter Grimwade laid down the foundations for Moffat's work on the series here, with a story that's equally as complex as "Blink", "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon" or even "The Day of the Doctor". Jumping around across time zones, this story always keeps its complicated nature under control and never becomes difficult to follow. The two versions of the Brigadier are easily distinguishable, and, thanks to Nicholas Courtney's wonderful performance, it feels quite right that the Brigadier should return to the show, especially in the 20th anniversary season. Of course, the main thing this story does, though, is the introduction of Turlough and the start of the Black Guardian trilogy, and it handles these elements incredibly well. Turlough is an interesting character: much more so than Adric or even Nyssa, and Mark Strickson is wonderful in the role. He really brings an alien quality to the part, and his inner turmoil at having to kill the Doctor is well represented too, even if it just sometimes comes across as Turlough shouting 'I can't do it!', and the Black Guardian saying 'you will kill the Doctor!'. Mawdryn is one of the more believable Doctor Who villains, and his almost tragic backstory will make you feel sympathy for him, while never forgetting that, in many ways, he and his group of scientists brought their curse upon themselves. And, of course, this is all helped by a committed performance from David Collings as the eponymous Mawdryn, who even manages to, just for a little bit, convince you that he could be the Doctor, he's that good. "Mawdryn Undead" is my favourite story from Season 20, and, when you watch it, it isn't hard to see why. It's a confidently made, interesting story, with some great characters, some novel ideas and a genuine attempt to use previous continuity elements in a new and exciting way. Any Doctor Who story that can do all of that must be a good one.

The cover artwork for the 2009 DVD release of
"Terminus", designed by Clayton Hickman.

Story 4: Terminus - Written by Stephen Gallagher and Directed by Mary Ridge.

The initial outline for "Terminus" was discussed as far back as 1980; during production of "Warrior's Gate", writer Stephen Gallagher discussed some ideas with producer John Nathan-Turner and script editor Christopher H Bidmead, which they liked and asked to be developed. However, it took over a year before he was contacted about scripts, due to shake-ups in the production office (namely the change in script editor from Bidmead to Anthony Root, and then Root to Eric Saward). By this time, the production team were planning the Black Guardian trilogy for Season 20, and it was planned that "Terminus" could fill the middle slot in the season. It was also around this time that the production team were planning to write out Nyssa as well, as both producer and script editor felt the character had been developed as far as possible, and "Terminus" was also chosen to write the character out. This was against the wishes of both Sarah Sutton (who wanted to remain with the programme) and Peter Davison (who felt that Nyssa worked best alongside his Doctor, and was more in favour of writing out Tegan), despite the fact that Gallagher was instructed to write up Nyssa's part in the story in anticipation of her departure. A lot of the named characters in this serial had names inspired by Norse mythology; one character name that was changed was Kari's, as her original name turned out to be the Sanskrit word for the female reproductive organ. However, these concerns were as nothing when the story entered the studio, and hit major problems. First off, the BBC was hit by a major electricians strike, resulting in director Mary Ridge losing one of the six studio days the story had originally been allocated, and pushing "Terminus" right up against the clock before they had even started work on the story, which was especially fraught considering that most of the story was studio bound (only the ductwork material with Tegan and Turlough was pre-recorded at Ealing Film Studios). Then, problems came with the costumes; due to a miscommunication, the freelance contractor who had designed the Vanir armour thought it would be purely decorative, and Ridge was shocked to discover they were far too loud and cumbersome for the action sequences. These had to be reworked at great cost to the production. There was also an unresolved dispute about the costumes for space pirates Kari and Olvir, which apparently had to be redone when it was found that the colour chosen for their outfits was the same colour being used as the 'key' colour for Colour Separation Overlay (CSO). A number of last-minute amendments were also discarded, when Stephen Gallagher misinterpreted the request to add two additional one minute scenes, and simply extended existing ones. And when the story got into the studio, even more problems arose: on the first day, a power cut resulted in a two-hour delay, which was then followed by the discovery that a set had been erected off its marks, meaning it would have to be taken down and reconstructed. When Ridge moved to shoot on the TARDIS set, John Nathan-Turner called a halt to proceedings because the correct circuitry for the space-time element was missing. This left Ridge with no choice but to record on sets that hadn't yet been lit properly. At the same time, the drone robot props featured on the space liner were found not to work correctly, and one didn't even work at all. Another delay occurred when an Lazar extra accidentally grabbed at Janet Fielding's top, causing her to expose herself. This meant that, because of all the delays, a large number of scenes had to be held back for the already crowded second block, and caused a great deal of tension on set: Peter Davison and Mark Strickson were already unhappy with several aspects of the serial, and Davison was now incensed that the actor's performances were being virtually ignored in the rush to complete the story. Sarah Sutton, meanwhile, was very disappointed in her swansong, especially because she couldn't understand why Nyssa removed her skirt in episode 2. The second block was also fraught with problems: Peter Davison objected to the dressing of the Terminus pilot in cobwebs, as he believed he wasn't dead, but moving very slowly. Originally, Ridge had put in a request to have an hour's extra time to complete the story, however, at the last minute Nathan-Turner informed her that this had been rejected, and the story would be incomplete until late December, during the making of "The King's Demons". During this time, the liner set was damaged in storage. Ridge was furious at this, as was Davison, who blamed Nathan-Turner for ruining Sarah Sutton's leaving party. Sutton, meanwhile, was disappointed that having dealt with the emotion of leaving Doctor Who, she would now have to come back at a later date and finish the story. And even the broadcast of this story did not go without incident: several leprosy awareness organisations were very unhappy with "Terminus" for its portrayal of the condition, and wrote to the production office expressing their views.

The Doctor and space pirate Kari can only watch
in horror, as the countdown to the destruction of
the universe begins...

As you can see from the (very long!) section above, "Terminus" is a story with a lot of issues. Of course, its troubled production couldn't be helped, and it is clear on screen that this was the case, as the whole thing doesn't quite feel finished. It isn't as noticeable as something like "Warriors of the Deep", for example, but a hurried feeling does creep into the finished story. It feels like there are two stories in one here, and the more interesting of the two does feel slightly sidelined. The Lazar/Terminus corp subplot is fascinating, as it brings up a lot of issues (some of which are incredibly relevant today...) that are well worth exploring. The problem is, this story has to fight for space with the Big Bang subplot, which, I'll be honest, doesn't quite work for me. Sure, there's some good concepts there, but, unlike "Warrior's Gate", these are taken far too literally for it to work. The Lazar plotline is much more interesting, especially because it gives Nyssa something to do at long last, and it's presentation of downtrodden workers being forced to acquiesce to a company that only cares about profit is a suitably dark one that certainly pulls no punches about shining a light on something we've all become very much aware of in recent times. The grim and grimy version of the future that Terminus is working with is torn very much from the pages of movies like Blade Runner and Alien, and its an aesthetic that I think works really well in Doctor Who. That being said, not many stories are quite as relentlessly grim as this one, and, at times, this can really depress you out completely. That being said, I think that it is nice that Nyssa gets a bit more to do, and, while the Black Guardian stuff does go on a bit, Tegan and Turlough's thread of the story is actually a lot better than I remembered, and, thanks to shooting these segments at Ealing, the camera really captures the claustrophobia of the environment, and the tension of the situation for both Tegan and Turlough. As I mentioned, I think this story was just under too much pressure to get made, and, as such, it is nowhere near as successful as it should have been. Like "Warrior's Gate", this had the potential to be really good. But, like a lot of Doctor Who of the time, the pressure to get it completed simply sucked all the good bits out of it. It's a great shame, but it's still a Davison story I respect, if not love like I should.

The cover artwork for the 2009 DVD release of
"Enlightenment", designed by Clayton Hickman.

Story 5: Enlightenment - Written by Barbara Clegg and Directed by Fiona Cumming.

Veteran script writer Barbara Clegg was brought onto Doctor Who by Eric Saward, who, together with John Nathan-Turner, was looking for new writers, and, especially, female writers. Clegg's children were fans of the show, and she enjoyed watching it with them, so she pitched a story called The Enlighteners in September 1981. Her main inspiration for the story was her own family: as it covered many different social strata, she was fascinated by the way the upper class members of her family interacted with the less well-off members of the family. This lead her down the route of thinking about Gods playing with mortals, as well as several bits of biblical imagery, like the Tree of Knowledge. As the story continued development, the Black Guardian trilogy was created, and "Enlightenment" was positioned as the final story of the arc. Clegg replaced the Enlighteners with the Black and White Guardians, and renamed her story "Enlightenment" as a result. However, when the story came to production, it was as problem fraught as "Terminus" - first, Mark Strickson injured himself at Ealing when filming the sequence where Turlough jumps overboard, and found he could only walk with great discomfort for several weeks. Then, there was an even bigger problem: the BBC Electricians' Strike, which had already crippled "Terminus", wiped out all the production blocks for the story, meaning it couldn't be recorded as planned in late November/early December 1982. The strike was resolved in time to record "The King's Demons" (which had also filmed its location material), but there was still a major issue with "Enlightenment". There was no room in the schedule for both this story to record, and the season finale, which was known as The Return, so producer John Nathan-Turner had to make a choice. Because of its significance to the season arc, "Enlightenment" had to be recorded, and The Return was cut... which was particularly devastating, because it would have seen the return of the Daleks for the first time since 1979's "Destiny of the Daleks", and for the first time alongside Peter Davison's Doctor. All was not lost, however, as the story was eventually made a year later as "Resurrection of the Daleks". However, the delayed recording did mean that director Fiona Cumming lost a couple of the original cast, and so quickly had to find new actors (one of which being Lee John, better known as the lead singer with pop group Imagination). Another member of the guest cast was Lynda Barron, better known to Doctor Who fans as the singer of The Ballard of the Last Chance Saloon from "The Gunfighters". It was during production on this story that the three TARDIS regulars (Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson) all made the decision to leave the show in the next year, meaning that, over the course of the whole season, the show's regulars would change for the first time since Season 18.

Captain Wrack invades the TARDIS! But surely,
that didn't happen in "Enlightenment"... Did it?

In conclusion to the Black Guardian trilogy, "Enlightenment" is actually quite an unusual story. A story this ideas driven, this focused upon imagery and subtext doesn't seem like a natural fit for a story designed to wrap up ongoing plot lines. However, this story does work quite well at juggling both elements, even if it doesn't quite feel as fulfilling as it could as a result. The idea of yachts in space is inspired, and I'm amazed it took someone twenty years to come up with it. It suits Doctor Who right down to the ground, and this story takes that premise, and uses it in unusual ways. The whole thing feels like an early Hartnell story: not just in terms of its period (or faux-period) setting, but also in the way it draws the Doctor and his companions into the mystery and the more morally ambiguous nature of the supporting characters. Despite the fact the Eternals might seem incredibly distant, they work because of the way that Barbara Clegg gives them very distinct characteristics. It also helps that the acting is stupendously good: the guest cast really buy into their characters, and each one brings something new to the story. Despite the last minute changes, they all work well together as an ensemble. The character of Mariner and his relationship with Tegan is of particular interest to Clegg, and her development of it probably the story's finest moment, and, unlike a lot of these one-off relationships between the companion and a guest character, feels earned and develops in interesting ways. However, I think the weight of the set-up of the Black Guardian trilogy does impact rather negatively on this on, especially towards the end, as the story has to pay off a large number of storylines, some of which run contrary to the direction the story clearly wants to go in. I wouldn't say it was unsatisfying, but it ends up weighing down the end of the story. At least Barbara Clegg still manages to make some elements of the ending feel as mysterious and opaque as the rest of the story, even if, tonally, it doesn't quite work with what the story is going for. One thing that doesn't quite work is the dynamic between the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough. It seems far, far too spiky between the three of them, and there's not really a lot of comedy from their exchanges. As such, its difficult to really get to like this TARDIS team at this point, and it isn't until "The Five Doctors" that the team really start to even become likable. Of course, Turlough was designed to be untrustworthy (at this point, he's still under the influence of the Black Guardian), and Tegan is a little bit spiky and fierce, but somehow, the combination of the three of them doesn't really work, at least in its present form. While there are problems with "Enlightenment", its still a really enjoyable story that manages to feel very different to the tales that surround it. The ideas are great, and it looks wonderful. And, in many ways, that's more than enough.

The cover artwork for the 2010 DVD release of
"The King's Demons", designed by Clayton
Hickman.

Story 6: The King's Demons - Written by Terence Dudley and Directed by Tony Virgo.

In late 1981, producer John Nathan-Turner and script editor Eric Saward were approached by Chris Padmore and Mike Power, of a company called CP Cybernetics. They had developed a robot prop for a movie that had stalled in development, and approached the production team about using the android in Doctor Who. After a number of pitch meetings, the robot was demonstrated to Turner and Saward, both of whom were impressed and decided to include the robot in a short two-part adventure. This was commissioned from Terence Dudley, who was also instructed to include the Master in his storyline. This was something that Eric Saward wasn't particularly happy about, as he didn't like the character. Dudley made the android a shape shifter, allowing another actor to take on the role as necessary. His scripts went by several different titles, before settling on "The King's Demons", including The Demons, A Knight's Tale and Demons Keeper. Gerald Flood was selected as the voice of the robot, now called Kamelion, by director Tony Virgo. Production on "The King's Demons" was also affected by the same strike that caused problems with the previous two stories of the season, "Terminus" and "Enlightenment". During pre-production on the story, the BBC was still in the grip of an industrial dispute involving the electricians union, and there was some worry that the story would have to be abandoned. However, while the location filming for the story took place, the dispute was resolved, meaning "The King's Demons" could enter the studio as planned. However, the loss of the season finale now meant that the cliffhanger ending for the story had to be rewritten, and ended up acting as a prelude to the upcoming 20th anniversary special "The Five Doctors", However, while waiting for the story to go into production, the creator of the robot, Mike Power, tragically died in a boating accident, and no one else had the knowledge to programme the robot. This resulted in Kamelion causing huge troubles when the story entered the studio, with the robot often missing cues, coming in to soon, or not functioning as expected. This then held up studio work considerably, to the point where a extra day had to be scheduled in order to complete the story. It was at this point that JNT endeavoured to write Kamelion out of Doctor Who, with the robot quickly forgotten about due to its technical issues.

The Doctor and the Master battle for control of
Kamelion!

"The King's Demons" is a story that I have never been much enamoured with, and watching it in preparation for this post has very much confirmed my misgivings. The story is incredibly slight, and, even for two episodes, it struggles to gain much dramatic momentum. It always feels like we're watching a story that is just about to get started, yet somehow it never quite manages it, right until the end. "Black Orchid" (another two-part story written by the same author) is one of the most boring and inessential Doctor Who stories ever, but at least its plot gets started and concluded in its run-time. "The King's Demons" has some better ideas, but it takes longer to get started, and, as such, is difficult to watch. It also seems an odd story for the Master to be involved with: after all, his, schemes are usually on a grander scale than those we see here, and it seems petty and small-time as a result. Sure, the Master always been a bit of a petty b****, but this is just absurd. Of course, the main factor of interest in this story is Kamelion, and its a shame he's so rubbish. Sure, the shapeshifting thing is pretty cool:  however, Kamelion is utterly wasted in a thankless role that doesn't really establish him as even an interesting presence in the TARDIS. It's no wonder that he was shoved out of the way as soon as possible, especially considering the limitations of the prop are clearly visible on screen. The ideas are good, but probably needed a bit longer to feel fully fleshed out. There's some good content here, but it is wasted because the story is so brief, and little of consequence really happens. That's not to say that "King's Demons" isn't completely unsalvageable: the first episode sets the scene pretty well, even if there's some obvious padding (yes, there's padding in a two-parter!), and at least Peter Davison seems to be having fun in the historical setting, getting knighted and getting into sword fights. But this can't take away from how poor the rest of the story is. It's honestly difficult to think about many good things to say about "The King's Demons", because it fails at doing the main thing that it was meant to do (introduce Kamelion), and, as such, it is impossible to judge it on any other level. It's a shame, because there was a lot of potential, but it needed more time and a more skillful writer to bring those elements out.

The cover artwork for the 2008 Special Edition DVD release of  "The Five Doctors", designed by Clayton Hickman.

Story 7: The Five Doctors - Written by Terence Dicks and Directed by Peter Moffat.

The prospect of doing something special for Doctor Who's 20th anniversary was first mooted two years before "The Five Doctors" aired. Producer John Nathan-Turner's original plan was to bring the start of Season 20 forward from winter 1983 to autumn 1982, meaning a celebratory adventure could be included in the show's twenty-first season. However, this was vetoed by BBC1 controller Alan Hart, as it would mean delaying the sitcom Sink or Swim, which Peter Davison was starring in. However, Hart propsed that a special episode could be greenlit, for transmission in November 1983. This meant that Season 20 would be cut down from 28 episodes to 26, in order to fund the special (of course, as detailed above, the number would end being cut to 20), while the remainder of the episode was funded by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (after BBC Enterprises backed out of the project). It was decided early on to make the special a multi-Doctor story: Turner set about contacting the various Doctors. Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton immediately accepted, while Tom Baker said that his presence in the special depended upon the script. More complicated was the First Doctor. William Hartnell had passed away in 1975, and Nathan-Turner wanted the First Doctor to be a part of the special. He considered both Geoffrey Bayldon (best known for Catweazle and Worzel Gummidge; he also appeared in the 1979 story "The Creature From the Pit") and Richard Hurndell (who had guested in Blake's 7), eventually settling on Hurndell due to Bayldon's fame. Heather Hartnell, Bill's widow, gave her blessing later in the production. Script Editor Eric Saward's first thought for writer was Who veteran Robert Holmes, and he was contracted in August 1982 for a story called The Six Doctors: by the time the story was commissioned, Nathan-Turner had decided Anthony Ainley would feature as the Master, while Saward wanted the Cybermen as the monsters. The First Doctor's granddaughter, Susan (played by Carole Ann Ford) also featured in Holmes' outline, as did Jamie McCrimmon, companion to the Second Doctor (played by Frazer Hines). In Holmes' storyline, the First Doctor and Susan were cyborg imposters, which would account for the recast of Hartnell. However, Holmes was never entirely happy with using so many elements of past continuity, and soon backed out of the project, though he and Saward agreed to keep discussing ideas (which lead to him writing "The Caves of Androzani" for Season Twenty-One). Saward's next port of call was Holmes' script editing predecessor, Terrance Dicks. Around this time, Nicholas Courtney indicated his interest in the project, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was added to the storyline. Dicks started from scratch, and was also asked to include Sarah Jane Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen), so that each Doctor would be paired with an iconic companion (originally, Lalla Ward's incarnation of Romana was planned to feature, but the divorce of Ward and Tom Baker prevented this from happening). It was soon after that the story became "The Five Doctors" (the idea of Hurndell playing an imposter  Doctor having been dropped); Dicks drew heavily upon Holmes' interpretation of the Time Lords in "The Deadly Assassin" for his story, and also included the Autons, who were later dropped. After searching for a director (both Waris Hussain and Douglas Camfield were considered, but both couldn't come to an agreement with JNT), Peter Moffat was assigned, having most recently helmed "Mawdryn Undead". Dicks gave Tom Baker's Doctor the lion's share of the story (it was he was to travel to the Capitol and unmasked Borusa), while Hurndell's First Doctor was to remain in the TARDIS with Susan and Turlough. A number of characters from the Season 20 story "Arc of Infinity" were also planned to be included (in the event, only the Castallan, played by Paul Jerricho was able to return), while it was decided that Kamelion would not appear in the special (see above). In December, however, problems arose: first, Frazer Hines discovered that, due to his role in Emmerdale Farm, he wouldn't be able to appear in "The Five Doctors"; as such, the Second Doctor was pared with the Brigadier, while it was planned that Katy Manning would be flown from Australia so Jo Grant could be pared with the Third Doctor. Then, on December 29th, JNT was told that Tom Baker would not be returning to the part. As such, Dicks had to change a lot of the action: the Third Doctor was now pared with Sarah Jane, while the Fourth Doctor would appear via clips from the strike-hit story "Shada" from Season 17. It was also hoped that William Russell, Michael Craze, Anneke Wills, John Levene and Ian Marter might be able to appear, but this never transpired. Richard Franklin, Caroline John, Wendy Padbury and Deborah Watling, however, were able to appear as illusionary phantoms, however Watling had to back out when she was offered a role on The Dave Allen Show. Louise Jameson, meanwhile, offered her services, but there was no room in the script. Watling was replaced in the sequence by Frazer Hines, who could be released for a single day's filming. The Yeti were also included, replacing the Quarks, who were dropped at an early stage. During filming, some sequences were lost, meaning some of the Eye of Orion action had to be remounted; Mark Strickson had to cut a holiday short as a result. Very late on, both the Daleks and K9 were included in small roles (with John Leeson returning to voice the robot dog). In post-production, a clip of the First Doctor from "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (specially his touching goodbye speech to Susan) was added as a pre-credits scene, so Hartnell himself would have a presence in the special. Originally planned to air on November 23rd itself, it was pushed back two days so that it could form the centerpiece of the BBC's Children in Need telethon. The closing theme was a remix by Peter Howell of the original Delia Derbyshire version, mixed with his own version which had been in use since 1980. 

All of the Doctors must unite together to uncover
the evil in the Death Zone...

I mean, it's absolutely impossible not to like "The Five Doctors" right? Sure, it's plot is pretty much bobbins, and there are some huge contrivances. But who cares? This is Doctor Who's big birthday bash, and it is as fun as you would expect it to be. From the Second Doctor and the Brigadier's witty back and forth, to all the intrigue of Gallifreyan politics, and even Hurndell's affectionate portrayal of the First Doctor, it's hard to find any real issues with "The Five Doctors". What's nice is that, while having all the old Doctors back is exciting, the story remains committed to giving the Fifth Doctor the major role in the story, and the Fifth Doctor's unmasking of the traitorous Borusa is somehow more powerful because of it. Sure, it would have been nice to have had the Fourth Doctor feature. However, it would be hard to argue that, with five Doctors, the story may have been a little cluttered. Despite its extended runtime, the story never gets boring, and there's always something going on. The fun is often picking out the little details: like a Who's Who of Doctor Who. A lot of the guest actors have appeared in the show before, and there are so many little references and throwbacks to old tales. Ultimately, this is just an excuse for a good knees up, and, really, there's nothing wrong with that. Terrance Dicks knows the show: he knows the fans and he knows what they would want from a story like this. As such, he gives it to them, without worrying about things like a coherent story. That being said, this does have a pretty decent plot, which lifts a lid on Time Lord history, while, at the same time, keeping a lot of aspects shrouded in myth and mystery. Rassilon's presence reinforces this approach: it's little more than an cameo, but it does put a face to the name we've heard in so many prior Doctor Who stories, and gives the story the extra edge of something special. Making Borusa the villain is a masterstroke from Dicks; I think many people would have been perfectly content with the Master being the, if you'll pardon the pun, master mind behind the events. However, not only does this play about with the audience's expectations, but it also gives the Master something a bit different to do, and, as a result, it makes for one of his best showings in the 1980's. Ultimately, though, this is just a bit of fun, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's a big celebration of Doctor Who; its past, its present and its future, and it will always be one of my all-time favourite stories because of it.

The TARDIS team of Season 20 - the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough - at the TARDIS console, ready for new adventures.

Overall, Season 20 might have its issues, but it is a season with plenty of things to recommend it. There are two of Davison's best stories here ("Snakedance" and "Mawdryn Undead"), and three others with lots of potential and even some success. And, of course, the shining capstone that is "The Five Doctors" to top everything off. You can really see the Fifth Doctor come into his own across the season, and the stories starting to take a darker turn, building upon the end of the previous season. Ultimately, I had a lot of fun with Season 20, and I think it might be one that deserves some re-appreciation.

All pictures copyright to the BBC. Thank you very much for reading. You can subscribe by clicking the link at the top of the page to be notified of new content.

This blog offers thanks to Shannon Sullivan of the website A Brief History of Time (Travel) for his invaluable research.