Script to Screen: The Five Doctors

The Five Doctors was the 1983 story celebrating the Twentieth Anniversary. When John Nathan-Turner became producer in 1979 he was then aware that Doctor Who's anniversary was only a few years away, and planned to stay on at least until then. In late 1981 he discussed possible formats for a special set of episodes with his new script editor, Eric Saward. One early idea was to incorporate clips from incomplete Hartnell and Troughton episodes. In November 1981, having seen Richard Hurndall in the Blake's 7 episode Assassin, JNT realised that now there was a way in which to have the first Doctor appear 'in the flesh'. In August 1982, by which time all the surviving Doctors had agreed to appear, veteran Doctor Who writer Robert Holmes was approached to handle the scripting chores. His brief was to include all the Doctors, and as many old companions and monsters as possible. Holmes thought the idea ludicrous but proceeded to write a 15 page outline. His storyline concluded with the First Doctor being revealed to be an Auton replica. Saward deemed the story 'funny, but ploddy', and rejected it.

Terrance Dicks was the next writer to be approached and he came up with the idea of the Game of Rassilon. In his initial storyline Dicks had the Master being the villain but Saward thought this was too obvious. After an amended storyline was accepted Dicks began work on the scripts. The Fourth Doctor was featured in a central role; it was he who was teleported to the Gallifreyan Capitol. The Time Lords accuse him of being behind the Games (Dicks considered the Fourth Doctor the only one who looked suspicious enough!), but he proves his innocence by unmasking Borusa.

A first draft script was completed by December 1982 but by then Tom Baker had pulled out so Dicks had to mount a complete rewrite to remove the Fourth Doctor. The Brigadier, Susan and Sarah were the only guest companions to be given substantial roles. Various other guest companions were pencilled in to appear as phantoms in the tower, with the availability of the actors deciding who would eventually appear. Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Louise Jameson (Leela) and Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan) were just three actors believed to have been approached.

In an early draft the Autons would have appeared. After arriving in the Death Zone Sarah wanders into a deserted street (on Gallifrey?). She examines one of several shop mannequins scattered about, worried that it might be a corpse. Suddenly the mannequin springs up and grabs her by the throat. The other Autons rise up and move in for the kill. At that moment the Third Doctor races up in Bessie and pulls Sarah away as the Autons prime their weapons. Bessie's path is obstructed by a roadblock. While the Doctor and Sarah clear the obstruction the Autons attack. The Doctor is about to be blasted when the Autons all suddenly collapse as the Nestene controlling them withdraws. The danger gone, Sarah then realises that she has been rescued by her 'original' Doctor. Apparently this sequence was dropped for reasons of cost and was replaced by the cheaper scene where Sarah is rescued by the Third Doctor after she tumbles down a hillside.

With Saward's input Dicks maintained series continuity by including the same Time Lord characters: Borusa, the Castellan, Thalia and Commander Maxil from Season Twenty's Arc of Infinity. As it turned out only Paul Jerricho was available to return as the Castellan. The other characters were either recast or renamed (however the rehearsal scripts still bear the original names). Colin Baker had been approached to reprise his role of Maxil, but according to him he was touring with a play at the time and was unavailable. However it has been suggested that because John Nathan-Turner had had Baker in mind for the Sixth Doctor as early as October 1982, the producer felt that Baker's appearance as Maxil would later confuse viewers if Baker was selected for the new Doctor, so he decided not to cast Baker in The Five Doctors.

The final rehearsal script was ready in time for production in March 1983. The script follows the final TV version fairly closely however there are some extra scenes. Unlike the TV version both Sergeant Benton and Victoria Waterfield appear. Deborah Watling had been engaged to appear in The Five Doctors but at the last minute she had to pull out. Frazer Hines was able to spare a day's recording from his series Emmerdale to appear as Jamie and so Victoria's line were simply given to Jamie. Only minimal changes were made to the dialogue in recognition of the change in character. Victoria's scenes are on pages headed 'New Page 24.2.83' which was only ten days before location filming commenced (on March 7 1983) giving a good idea of how late in the day rewrites were being made to the script.

The first edit of the completed serial came in at 1 hour 37 minutes 45 seconds. The final broadcast version was 1 hour 30 minutes 23 seconds, meaning some 7 minutes 22 seconds was cut. The following analysis of the deleted scenes is based on the original rehearsal script, and I have also referred to an article printed in the DWAS fanzine Celestial Toyroom issue 215 that listed all the cuts that were made to the first edit.

Terrance Dicks' novelisation was published in Britain shortly before the serial aired and contains most of the scenes that did not make it to the final version. References to the book are given in {} brackets where applicable.

The original longer edit later became the basis for the 1995 Special Extended Edition BBC Video (and later DVD), for which many of the cut scenes were reinstated. (The article What's So Special about The Five Doctors Special Edition in TSV 52 details in full all the extra scenes.)

THE FIVE DOCTORS

The setting for the Eye of Orion is described in the script as being 'Like a beautiful autumn afternoon' and like Earth but for 'a purple haze' hanging in the air. The building in which the TARDIS has landed is said to be the 'ruins of an abbey'. Dicks has almost transposed the exact wording of the script into his novel {p9}.

After the Doctor says 'Same cause and reason'. the script continues:

Instead on TV Tegan comments about how beautiful the place is. The Doctor says they can stay for a while.

On the longer version, there is a 6 second shot of the Doctor emerging from the TARDIS and joining Turlough.

The next scripted scene is in the Games Room. For the footage where the First Doctor is seen on the scanner, the script notes: 'at this point, and in this way, we run all the Hartnell material we wish to incorporate', the idea being to use clips from Hartnell episodes. The script then describes a change of angle to show 'a close shot of the old man seen from behind as he tends a rose bush'. The Doctor is described as pruning roses and bushes etc. There is the sound of bees humming. The location is described as being 'not of this world' implying it is not Earth. This is not how the sequence appears on TV, but it is very similar to the establishing shots of the First Doctor in The Three Doctors which is probably what Terrance Dicks had in mind when he wrote this scene. Dicks mentions the bees in his novelisation {p10}.

The next scene is in the Games Room. The black-gloved hands of the unseen villain open an 'ivory box, the kind that might contain antique chessmen... The hand takes a piece from the box, and places it on the map'. On TV, the figurines materialise in a cubicle.

The start of the UNIT reunion scene has 13 seconds missing from the beginning as Crichton pours his and the Brigadier's drinks, and toasts 'To civilian life'. {Novel, p12} The script sets the year as '1983', and there are three men in the Brigadier's office: Brigadier Charles Crichton (he's a Colonel on TV), the Brigadier, now retired, and Sergeant-Major Benton. Actor John Levene has been reported as saying he did not want to appear in the special after he read the script as Benton only has two brief lines! On TV, these lines are given to the Brigadier and the UNIT desk sergeant. Here are the two short pieces from the script in which Benton speaks:

And later in the same sequence:

The end of the scene as broadcast is missing a few seconds: as the Brigadier and the Doctor leave, Crichton replaces the top on the bottle.

The next scene is in the UNIT HQ grounds. The dialogue in the script is the same as on TV, except the Doctor's line about Zodin and creatures 'covered in hair [that] hopped about like kangaroos' is not scripted, suggesting that it may have been an ad-lib of Troughton's, or it could have been inserted later by the writer to 'suggest' the identity of the unseen foe who is behind the kidnappings. The BBC archive holds all the unused footage recorded for this story, and a videotape of outtakes reveals that it took about six takes to do this scene. One take is spoiled by an 'awful aircraft' that flies overhead. In each of the takes Troughton says his lines slightly differently, sometimes referring to Zodin as 'him'. After he mentions Zodin and the 'kangaroos' he then asks the Brigadier: 'You never met my Auntie Mabel, did you?' to which the Brigadier replies. 'No'. On the broadcast version the dialogue has been overdubbed to remove the reference to his 'relative'!

The next scene has lost 11 seconds:

The TV version picks up here as the Doctor says his past is melting like an iceberg. {Novel, p17}

The later continuation of this scene loses 6 seconds from the beginning:

The TV version comes in on the Doctor's line. [Novel, p19]

For the scene of the Fourth Doctor and Romana's abduction the script simply describes the Shada footage as 'Stock Film'. After the obelisk has snatched them away, the scene was to have resumed '...on the empty punt floating along...' which it doesn't do on TV. {Novel, p25}

A 'top and tailing' appears between scenes next. The Doctor has collapsed in the TARDIS. Tegan asks what they should do. Turlough suggest they wait till the Doctor recovers. The TV scene ends there and follows into a shot of Borusa entering the Conference Room. The longer version lasts a further 20 seconds:

{Novel, p29}

For the scene in the 'Gallifray' (Gallifrey is misspelled this way throughout the script!) Capitol Conference Room the two Time Lords in conference with Borusa are the Castellan and Lady Thalia. Thalia was a character from Arc of Infinity, but was renamed Flavia for the final version of The Five Doctors when actor Elspet Gray was unavailable to reprise her earlier role.

The scene where the first Doctor and Susan encounter the Dalek is written with Susan saying:

leading to the Dalek to establish the identity of the intruder: "It is the Doctor! The Doctor must be destroyed! Exterminate!" But during rehearsals, Carole Ann Ford refused to say this line, as Susan always called him Grandfather, and never 'the Doctor'. Accordingly, the line given on screen is dropped, but the fact that the Dalek still recognizes who the Doctor is left unexplained.

One scene of the Dalek searching for the Doctor and Susan has been reduced by 13 seconds.

The scene where Sarah tumbles down the hillside on TV was written more dramatically in the script (and the novel!). It is described in the script as a cliff which she falls over having lost her way in thick smoke. She is then pulled up by someone offering her a stick to hold onto. This is the Third Doctor. On TV, he pulls her up using a rope and winch attached to Bessie.

Immediately after the Third Doctor and Sarah reunion scene, there is a scene not on TV. In the previous TARDIS scene the Doctor has collapsed and mumbles something about sending a signal. This cut scene follows on from that point:

This runs for 31 seconds. {Novel, p44-45}

When the First Doctor and Susan see the TARDIS, the script mentions that they are being watched by a single Cyberman. This segment does not appear in the early edit so it should be assumed it was never filmed.

The end of the First Doctor and Fifth Doctor reunion is missing 7 seconds. After Tegan and Turlough leave to prepare a meal, the First Doctor turns to his younger self:

{Novel, p49}

After the Master has been transported into the Death Zone, the Castellan proposes that they wait. The sequence continues for a further 10 seconds:

{Novel, p50}

In the scene where the Doctor and Sarah drive through the Death Zone in Bessie the opening portion of their dialogue has been cut, and also differs in places in the script:

The scene continues as on TV. {Novel, p53-54}

When the Doctor takes the recall device from the unconscious Master, there is a scene in the Capitol which has been deleted:

As on TV, the Doctor fades from the Death Zone.

The beginning of the next TARDIS scene has 5 seconds removed from the start showing Tegan binding Susan's ankle with a bandage. {Novel, p70}

The end of the same scene has lost 5 seconds. Tegan asks to go with the first Doctor:

The Master has made his deal with Cybermen. But the Cyberleader plans that when the Tower is in their hands he will be destroyed. The scene on TV ends on that line, but the next 11 seconds have been deleted:

{Novel, p75}

The TV version shows the second Doctor and the Brigadier in the cave. The longer version actually comes in at an earlier position:

The TV version picks up here, but with the Doctor's words 'This way' dubbed onto the TV version. There are 16 seconds missing. {Novel, p75-76}

The Third Doctor and Sarah are confronted by the Raston robot. After the Doctor tells Sarah to freeze 'or we're dead,' the longer version continues:

This runs for 11 seconds. {Novel, p78}

At the end of the Cybermassacre, the Doctor and Sarah head for the cave. They are spotted by a lone Cyberman who follows them up the mountain. Once at the top, while the Doctor is preparing his lasso, Sarah spies several Cybermen climbing after them. She picks up a small rock and lobs it at the Cybermen. She misses and returns to the Doctor, who is now ready. This sequence, running a total of 20 seconds, is inter-cut between the footage that does appear on the TV version. {Novel, p87, 89-90}

A 10 second cut occurs at the end of the chess-board scene. Tegan starting to follow the Doctor across the board is missing. This leads directly into a cut sequence where the Fifth Doctor marches up to the Conference Room doors and enters. He calls to Borusa, who is not there. On TV, the scene simply cuts in at a later point with the Doctor asking the guards where Borusa is. [p99]

The following scene with the Second Doctor and the Brigadier is missing the beginning:

It is with this scream that the TV version starts. There are 33 seconds missing here. {Novel, p104}

The scenes in the Dark Tower where the Second and Third Doctors encounter the phantoms are the ones numbered differently from the rest of the script ('New page 24.2.83') as these were last-minute amendments made once it was known which guest companions would appear. The scene with Mike Yates and Liz Shaw is basically as it appears on screen.

On TV the Second Doctor finds Jamie and Zoe trapped, but in the script it is Victoria and Zoe. As mentioned earlier. Victoria was replaced by Jamie late in the day but with minimal dialogue changes. A major change is to how the Doctor realises he has been fooled. Here is the scripted sequence:

Several cuts are made during the meeting of the Doctors in the Tomb. When the First Doctor and Tegan enter the Tomb, a 10 second cut is made removing a shot of the Doctor approaching the engraved pyramid and walking all around it. The Brigadier arrives and is reunited with Sarah and Tegan:

This cut comes immediately before the Third Doctor turns to greet his old friend. Another cut comes after Sarah's comment that the Doctor always leaves them out when things get interesting:

{Novel, p109-110}

An 11 second cut comes after the Cybermen have prepared their bomb outside the TARDIS.

{Novel, p113}

A top and tailing edit occurs after Turlough's line that he and Susan are going to die:

This edit runs for 10 seconds. {Novel, p114}

Another top and tailing occurs as Borusa declares he knows the secret to 'True immortality':

This then leads to a longer sequence of Sarah and Tegan binding the Master. The total cut is 14 seconds. {Novel, p116}

Borusa leads the Fifth Doctor from the Game Room. The start of the next scene as they emerge is cut:

The voice of the Second Doctor then comes across the transmat communicator, as on TV. This runs for 14 seconds. {Novel, p118}

Just before Rassilon appears, a 10 second cut occurs. The still-disembodied voice asks:

{Novel, p121}

On the longer version the scene showing the Fourth Doctor and Romana was different and shows them approaching the college gates, firstly in freeze-frame and then slowing speeding up. This scene was changed to the one seen on TV at John Nathan-Turner's insistence as it shows the Doctor and Romana leaving in the TARDIS, just as the other Doctors would later do.

A 7 second establishing shot of the TARDIS before it splits up is cut.

As this happens, the Doctor says:

{Novel, p125}

A 3 second shot of the empty transmat booth before Flavia appears is missing, followed by a further 13 seconds showing two other guards materialising. On TV we only hear the second transmat operating out of shot.

The next cut comes where Flavia announces to the Doctor that he has been chosen as President. The cut removes a portion of dialogue within their conversation. Following Flavia's line '...to take office immediately':

The TV version continues with the Doctor's line 'Very, well. Chancellor Flavia, you will go back...' The 9 second cut is virtually undetectable but careful study of the TV version shows a slight 'jump'. {Novel, p126}

The final cut, of 15 seconds, is of Flavia snapping her fingers at her guards and stepping into the transmat. {Novel, p126-7}

Note that there are several other small cuts to make up the full 7 minutes 12 seconds missing but these are generally too brief and contain no dialogue to warrant inclusion here.

References:
The TARDIS Inside Out by John Nathan-Turner
Doctor Who Monthly/Magazine
The Doctor Who File by Peter Haining
Doctor Who Bulletin/DWB
The Doctors by Adrian Rigelsford
Celestial Toyroom 215