Doctor Who-The Three Doctors

                                        One of the qualities that endeared Doctor Who to so many people over the years was the mysterious nature of the lead character and his race the Time Lords. Most knowledge of them was only portioned out in small bits throughout different episodes of the programs original 23 year run. By this time Doctor Who was a decade old. And the show was up to doctor#3 with Jon Pertwee. This was the period where the show began to develop the enormous fan cult it's maintained. So for it's tenth anniversary it was decided that they write a serial that dealt with the program's most unique aspect: the idea of the physical regeneration of the lead character. By this time it had occurred twice. So there would have to be a situation which would reveal more about the time lords and their history to bring personalities such as William Hartnell,Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee into the same program.

                               As this story starts out people suddenly begin to disappear rather at random. It begins directly effecting UNIT HQ as whole sections of the building begin being gobbled up by an unusual energy monster. Turns out the time lords themselves are aware the laws of the physical universe are being very badly manipulated even beyond their powers to control. They come to understand the doctor,with his unconventional take on time,is ideal so they pull the other two previous regenerations out of their time streams to assist the third. Though the second and third doctors vastly different personalities conflict a great deal,they are able to discover by their own involvement that all this confusion is being caused by Omega,an ancient time lord who created the idea of space-time travel. Unfortunately he is now confined in an anti matter universe that has left no more than his will to survive. In the end it's that same will that ends his self imposed imprisonment and puts the physical universe back in balance.

                               Though highly entertaining this story is a very keen science fiction one on the involvement of emotion in the physical universe. The concepts of matter/anti matter are used against the metaphor of the light and darker sides of Omega's personality. The odd couple type relationship between the second and third doctor would be comically extended into their real life characters and become a big part of Patrick Troughton's act in terms of his Doctor Who experience.  Sadly the ailing William Hartnell's participation in this tale was reduced to appearing by video screen for all of ten minutes in the whole serial,dealt with in the story as a defect in his transport pod. But there are other great qualities to make up for that misfortune. In this the Brigadier and Sgt. Benton both get to have the TARDIS experience for the first time and become actual companions to the doctor and Jo Grant,helping...well two doctors in a high stakes adventure.  In this story we first and foremost learn a great deal about the time lords,their history and some of their motivations in this superb multi doctor story.