Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9221 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

Violence and cannibalism in sunny Spain
Story: 4/5 - Extras: 5/5

Colin Baker's era of the TV series, and in particular season twenty-two, often comes under fire from fans as being badly written, thoughtless, bombastic and violent, with an unlikeable protagonist. However, I must confess a sneaking enjoyment of Colin Baker's era and nowhere more so than in Robert Holmes' The Two Doctors, which is by far the best of the original series' multi-Doctor stories.
The story isn't perfect: episode one drags, and there are some problems with the effects, particularly the Sontarans' loose headpieces. However, it also boasts excellent supporting characters in Jacqueline Pearce's conniving augmented Androgum Chessene and John Stratton's fiendishly greedy performance as Shockeye, the Androgum chef. The story is rife with cannibalistic and carnivorous themes and yes, there is a lot of violence, but it all serves to emphasise writer Robert Holmes' obvious ambhorrence of such behaviour in the real world, without ever resorting to preaching.
We also have the pleasure of seeing the return of Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines, both looking older but obviously enjoying themselves. Finally, much of the story is filmed in sunny Spanish locations in and around Seville, which gives the story a great sense of sophistication and a welcome departure from the often cheap studio sets common to the era. It's just a pity that the Spanish setting doesn't really kick in until episode two.
As well as an expertly restored version of the original story (which is a lengthy one, equivalent to a "traditional" six-parter), which also has an excellent score by Peter Howell, The Two Doctors has as large a package of special features as you could possibly ask for. The commentary by Baker, Bryant, Hines, Jacqueline Pearce and director Peter Moffatt is unfocused (Pearce says "darling" a lot without offering much else), but the on-screen production notes are excellent, and there is also a wide range of bonus material including two custom-made documentaries, an hour's worth of "making of" footage, a half-hour radio programme discussing The Two Doctors and the 1985 Jim'll Fix It special A Fix With Sontarans starring Colin Baker and Janet Fielding. All together a well-stuffed package.

Great Stuff
Im a big fan of the way Colin Baker played the Doctor.I feel he was far too heavily critised and did a great job. In this story he again puts in a top performance.It was also great to see Patrick Troughton back in the role as the Doctor as he is definitley one of my favourites.The story has a great atmosphere to it and is extemely well written.Frazer Hines also does a great job and he and the Doctor gel as well as they ever did.My only criticism of the story is that i dont think that the Sontarons are as menacing as they should be.They are easily tricked and arent as clever as previous stories.Apart from this it is a great story to watch and has a little drama and comedy rolled into one so well.

Good Fun !!!
I can understand why hardcore WHO fans hate this release, as it does take liberties with the history of the doctor. But I have to say that I found this to be an entertaining and well-made journey into the more ridiculous realms of eighties british sci-fi. You've got the fantastic Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan from Blakes 7) in top form as one of the villains of the piece, along with a crazed Androgun who looks like a possessed Brian Cant obsessed with eating Human Flesh. There's also another guy who looks like Trevor Horn from The Buggles era playing some kind of official. The spain footage gives a nice quality and warmth to the show, Colin Baker is endearing, Peri is great fun and Patrick Troughton is also a treat to watch although he doesn't actually do a hell of a lot as he was obviously quite old by the time he filmed this - the scenes where he is transformed into an Androgun are just downright wacky! Fraser Hines suprisingly gives a convincing portrayal of the young Jamie too. Overall, this is definately NOT to be taken seriously, so if you are the sort of Doctor Who fan who knows the show's history backwards then this will most probably not impress - for anyone who is looking for some colourfully bizarre, unique and amusing entertainment should step this way!!!