Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6515 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-08
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Doctor Who: The Two Doctors is one of those occasional adventures in which the then-current Doctor joins forces with one of his former incarnations, here Colin Baker's sixth Doctor with Patrick Troughton's second Doctor. In the epic Three Doctors (1972-3) such a team-up faced a suitably overwhelming danger; here the threat is rather less impressive. This adventure starts encouragingly enough, with Troughton and Jamie (Frazer Hines) investigating time-travel experiments on a space station, which endanger the fabric of the universe. Baker's Doctor and Peri (Nichola Bryant) arrive in the aftermath of a massacre and suspect the Timelords; but events lead them to Spain and old enemies the Sontarans. Also involved is alien schemer Chessene (Jacqueline Pearce) in a role not dissimilar to her Servalan from Blake's 7, while John Stratton as Shockeye, a food-obsessed alien "Androgum" chef is vastly entertaining.

Despite location filming in Seville, the three 45-minute episodes eventually stretch the material too thinly, degenerating into some of the most farcical scenes in the history of Who. The story becomes a repetitive series of double-crosses, escapes and pursuits, featuring an unnecessary obsession with cannibalistic comedy-horror. Despite many fine moments along the way The Two Doctors ultimately leaves a Bad Taste.

On the DVD: Doctor Who: The Two Doctors is offered with an as-good-as-possible 4:3 picture, which exposes the limitations of the original video footage. The sound is excellent mono and the first disc also offers an isolated track of Peter Howell's striking musical score and an engaging commentary with director Peter Moffatt, Frazer Hines and Jacqueline Pearce. A Fix with Sontarans (9 mins) is a specially made mini-adventure, with Colin Baker and Janet Fielding returning as Tegan, made for the then hugely popular Jim'll Fix It.

The highlight of Disc Two is Behind the Sofa: Robert Holmes and Doctor Who a new 45-minute documentary with series luminaries Chris Boucher, Terrance Dicks, Philip Hinchcliffe, Barry Letts and Eric Saward remembering the writer. Of more specialist interest to would-be programme makers is Adventures in Time and Spain (29 mins), in which Production Manager Gary Downie charmingly recalls the problems of finding the Spanish locations. Beneath the Lights is a 27-minute compilation of studio footage centred on Baker and Bryant filming three scenes, while Beneath the Sun complies video location rushes, which at 36 minutes with poor picture quality is for completists only. Wavelength (1984) is an interesting 29-minute edition of the BBC Schools radio documentary series giving an in-depth look at the making of Doctor Who in general. Finally there's an animated, scored photo gallery. Overall this is an exhaustively comprehensive presentation that will satisfy the even the most serious Who fan. --Gary S Dalkin

Special Features

• Commentary by Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Frazer Hines, Jacqueline Pearce and Peter Moffatt
  
• A Fix With Sontarans - from a 1985 edition of Jim'll Fix It, starring Colin Baker and Janet Fielding
  
• Behind the Sofa: Robert Holmes and Doctor Who - a special 45-minute documentary looking at this popular writer
  
• Beneath the Lights - a 25-minute look at the studio recording of The Two Doctors
  
• Beneath the Sun - a 35-minute featurette focusing on The Two Doctors' Spanish location filming
  
• Adventures in Time and Spain - Production Manager Gary Downie offers his insight into the making of this story
  
• Wavelength - a half hour Radio 4 schools programme which goes behind the scenes of The Two Doctors
  
• Music-only option - allows the viewer to hear Peter Howell's score on an isolated music track
  
• Photo Gallery

DVD Technical Information:

• Subtitles: English SDH
  
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
  
• Audio: Mono
  
• Region Code: 2 & 4
  
• PAL
  
• Disc Format: DVD-9 x 2
  
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  
• Running Time: 133 mins approx.

Synopsis
Two doctors meet in this science fiction adventure orginally broadcast in 1985. Doctor number 2 (Patrick Troughton) comes under attack whilst on the space station Camera. In another time Doctor number 6 (Colin Baker) visits the same station. He finds the station abandoned but comes across Jamie (Frazer Hines) the second doctors assistant. Jamie drops the bombshell that his doctor has been murdered!

Customer Reviews

Timelords behaving badly"
I'm afraid that this is really not the best of Robert Holmes, Colin Baker, Patrick Trougton or JNT stories in general. There is a lot to enjoy, Patrick Troughton is always good, and whether you agree with me or not, so's Colin B, but this is a padded story that is less than a work of genius.
It might have been a lot better over 2x45 minute episodes instead of 3. The 1st episode is the most padded as Troughton and Jamie go to a space station and then after an argument, Jamie escapes while Troughton's Doctor is captured and the Androgums and Sontarans set up shop in 20th Century Spain(it must be for the views!).
Colin Baker's Doctor and Peri, fish, argue, look for the name of a good Doctor, argue and then wander about a space station.
And all of this takes 45 minutes.
Colin and Patrick Troughton are good and Robert Holmes gives Colin Baker some of his best Doctor lines ever, especially musing about the possible collapse of the Universe, and there are lovely touches such as the story begining with Troughton in black and white before changing to colour, Colin Baker feeling his predessor's pain, but this highlight's the problem.
The dressing is great but the meal is not.
Holmes love for his dear old Sontarans is clear and there is a great deal of humour with Commander Styke, especially bickering with Troughton.
New monsters the Androgums are interesting but never as well developed as they could be. Troughton gets to play an Androgum as he is injected with their genetic material and Colin Baker shows his doctor being affected as he muses about eating a cat!
The two Doctors themselves get a bare minimum of time together.
The silliest moment is when Colin Baker jealously covets Patrick Troughton's Doctor having a Tardis remote control. He says "I've always wanted on of those!" Colin he's your ealier self, you ought to know where it went!
The commentary including Bryant, Baker and Frazer Hines is a good 1, and full of happy memories.
There is an extra mini-adventure that was done for Jimmy Saville's Jim'll Fix It, and it's fun until Saville turns up.
There is an interview with Gary Downie remembering the logistics for shooting abroad and a radio programme provides some material on the making of the story.
There is also a bit or raw production footage but ity's not very interesting.
Best of all is a documentary on story author Robert Holmes' contributions to Dr Who "Behind the Sofa", where contributors such as barry letts and Terrance Dicks fill in some details on the man behind the writing.

All in a good support package for a disappointing adventure.

Poor- and it's the writer's fault
The Two Doctors is probably the worst story in Colin Baker's brief tenure as the Doctor and the fault lies squarely with script writer Robert Holmes. Despite many's determination to cast the blame on production values, these are frankly no worse than at any other period in the series history. The cannibalism theme was a major error of judgment. Holmes has written some wonderful scripts for Dr. Who. Sadly this was not one of them

Two great Doctors for the price of one!
The Two Doctors was a highlight of Doctor Who's classic 22nd series. It featured the surprise return of the 2nd Doctor Who, played as always by the lovely Patrick Troughton, who we discovered had grey hair (his previous stories were black and white.) Also back are the Sontarans, one of the top 10 monsters in the history of the show and as evil as ever here. The other thing the story is famous for is that it was filmed in Spain. This adds a real touch of class to the proceedings and the visuals are sumptuous, brilliantly directed by veteran Peter Moffatt. The creepy way he introduces the Sontarans is startling but effective. Special mention must go to John Stratton, who relishes the role of Shockeye, the main baddy of the piece. Mr Stratton establishes himself as one of the best villians ever to grace a Doctor Who story and his scenes are filled with tension. Colin Baker is well into his stride now and fills the screen with ease, even when he comes face to face with his former self (although that is no disrespect to Patrick Troughton, who is as wonderful as ever.) A real gem, this is one you will not want to miss. If you liked the new series, then I would say it compares very favourably with the likes of 'New Earth'. Wonderful.