Doctor Who: The Five Doctors

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #81

by Terrance Dicks

A twentieth anniversary special featuring the Doctor in all five of his regenerations.

Why are all five Doctors being removed from their separate time-streams? Who is the enemy they will have to unite against? What will become of the Doctors when the battle is over?

We have travelled a long way with Doctor Who. The Five Doctors gives us the chance to turn the clock back and meet some old friends — and some old enemies.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Media Tie In, Time Travel, Fantasy

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 24, 1983

About the author

Terrance Dicks was an English author, screenwriter, script editor, and producer best known for his extensive contributions to Doctor Who. Serving as the show's script editor from 1968 to 1974, he helped shape many core elements of the series, including the concept of regeneration, the development of the Time Lords, and the naming of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. His tenure coincided with major thematic expansions, and he worked closely with producer Barry Letts to bring a socially aware tone to the show. Dicks later wrote several Doctor Who serials, including Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Five Doctors, the 20th-anniversary special.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Five Doctors is a Doctor Who movie special that aired in 1983. I have never seen the movie, but when I saw this audiobook from the novelization, I just had to listen to it! Jon Culshaw narrates perfectly! I had so much fun listening to his performance!

The five doctors and several companions are kidnapped from their different times and all (well with the exception of the 4th doctor who is stuck in a time anomaly. This is because Tom Baker declined to be in the movie, and they used scenes from an episode to fill in his on-camera scenes) are thrown into the Death Zone, a very dangerous area on Gallifrey. They battle Cybermen, Daleks, Yeti, traps, illusions and even The Master! Great Classic Who adventure!

The audiobook is just under 3.5 hours long. The production quality is great, as usual with BBC Audio presentations.

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Classic Who. Now I need to go watch the movie -- and even listen to the Riff Trax version. :) I never watched the movie because my favorite Doctor -- The Fourth -- wasn't in it much. Silly me!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Doctor Who adventure was televised for the 20th anniversary of the TV series in 1983. It's hard to believe that this year it's the 60th anniversary.
I often find that stories featuring multiple Doctors rarely work, but this one is a real gem. Terrance Dicks adds very little to the original script for his novelisation, which is a pity as it would have been a great oportunity to give more background to the characters. Thankfully the plot is good enough to entertain, but this straightforward retelling of the TV story doesn't quite live up to the original broadcast.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Five Doctors was a special twentieth anniversary episode of Doctor Who, and was written by Terrance Dicks, who also wrote this novelized version of his teleplay. The idea was that all five (at that time) iterations of the character were kidnapped from time and space, along with many of their most popular companions, and marooned together to fight many of their most popular and best known antagonists. (Much like all of the Marvel heroes get kidnapped to War World or whatever every few years, eh?) The action centered on Doctors five (who was the current one when the story was written), three and two, because the actor who portrayed the most popular version, four, chose to not appear in the show, and the one who was first had sadly passed away. While reading the Doctor Who novelizations it's important to remember what was happening on the show at the time the scripts upon which the novelizations were based, because that goes a long way to explaining why some of the plot decisions were made. This one is a good and clear adaptation of the script, but the story, almost by definition, is a weak on character development or depth because it's a celebration of many things and characters past and the huge range of menaces presented doesn't allow most of them more than a cameo. (The dialog he gave number three is a hoot, though!) Dicks translates his script into a fine clear and concise novel, which has long been a fan favorite.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I can’t be trusted to write a review of this book because it’s been a core Who text for me for over forty years. It’s a delight, loaded with a proper, though slight, story and isn’t loaded with the sort of pointless continuity Easter eggs that would plague the Classic series for a the next few years. It’s just a celebration of what we had with some returning characters and monsters. Just don’t play the Drinking Game Of Rassilon.

[Aylin Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

All five Doctors are being removed from their separate time streams. Now, the question is why? Who is behind all this and will the Doctor(s) be able to find out... Another page turner and lots of fun to once again be on a mission with the Doctor(s).

[Victoria Timpanaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite episodes of classic Who and a great novelization. This is a re-read and the book holds up just as well as the episode. A great read for Who fans of the original series.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first (of many) books I purchased from the Target line of adaptations still holds a special little nostalgic place in my heart. Curious about the history of the series, I figured "The Five Doctors" would be a good point to get an overview and catch-up course on the twenty plus years of history surrounding Doctor Who. Picking up the shiny silver cover, I quickly took it home and consumed it. It more than satisfied my itch and was the seed from which a huge collection of Target novels grew.

The sheer fact that the story crams in as many continuity references and callbacks as it does and isn't a complete shambles is a credit to Terrance Dicks. It's interesting that given a laundry list of things that the production team wanted included that the person many people consider to be the greatest writer in the history of Doctor Who (classic or new) couldn't find a way to crack it. When Robert Holmes passed on writing the anniversary story, the production team called on former script-editor and Target adaptation leader Terrance Dicks to give it a try. And somehow, Dicks managed to find a way to do what Holmes couldn't, serving as a testament to his skills as a writer.*

* Listening to Dicks on the audio commentary for the DVD release, it's fun to realize that he was having a bit of revenge on Jon Pertwee by giving him certain lines of technobabble.

Each of the Doctors is being taken out of time and forced to play a deadly game in the Death Zone on Gallifrey. Between them and the secret of why they've been called together ranges a plethora of familiar faces and foes. The story is fairly straightforward and given that you're bringing together that many callbacks and shout-outs to the past, it has to be. And yet, it still all works and provides an entertaining trip down memory lane.

And while Dicks moves around a few scenes here or there (which would later be reflected in the re-edited special edition) and includes some cut moments, the novel is a pretty straightforward adaptation of what appears on-screen.

For the audiobook, BBC Books has tapped comedian Jon Culshaw again. Culshaw's reading is, once again, spot-on. His imitation of various Doctors and companions is close to perfect (for the most part). The only one that sounds a bit off is his take on the Fifth Doctor. Nicholas Briggs adds in authentic for the story Dalek and Cyber voices.

The audiobook was a nice jaunt down memory lane and a reminder of just what an achievement this story really is. A fun trip down memory lane.

[Marcy Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

RIP Terrance Dicks

Adapting his own television script, it helps that it's a simple but engaging narrative that I've memorised many of the scenes and much of the dialogue from through repeat viewings. Though not adding much material that isn't in the broadcast version - besides a sequence of Susan in the 22nd Century - Dicks enhances the atmosphere of scenes in his description, including the imposing threat of the time scoop, the spooky corridors of the Dark Tower, refers back to character introductions in earlier stories and expands upon some elements - the notion that the First Doctor is weary and towards the end of this incarnation, placing both Hartnell recasts close together, and the concepts of the Players Dicks would return to in the Past Doctor Adventures. It's quite fun - Mr Men like? - to see Dicks refer to each incarnation as "Doctor 3" et al. The absence of the Fourth Doctor is more strongly felt in prose - without the excuse of not wanting to participate in the production - but there's enough references to being stuck in a time eddy and the narrative structure can only facilitate so many pairs of characters - that it isn't detrimental. It's a celebration and a fan service crossover and a quest/adventure narrative, but it also provides a morality story around the quest for immortality.

Jon Culshaw provides a brilliant job at the story's narration: though best known for his impressions of the Fourth Doctor, his flaws seem obvious to me (including in The Sontaran Experiment) - only able to present certain words and lines of dialogue in the right tonality - and the Fourth Doctor's role is limited to the lines of Douglas Adams. What Culshaw excels at is the broader assemblage of characters - the First, Second and Third Doctors with a very good sense of their voice and personality, and other characters like the Brigadier (a role he would return to for Big Finish), an uncanny Master, Borusa, Rassilon - and even K9! Despite the impressive commitment by this range's producers to provide music and sound effects for each story, Peter Howell's synthesised music is so integral to memories of this story that it only feels absent.

[Mary Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the novelizations of a classic Doctor Who story. Unlike some other novelizations this one doesn't go beyond what's seen on the screen, it's just a straight retelling of the story. It's a great story - I love "The Five Doctors" and I've watched it a couple of times because it's so much fun. Doctors One, Two, and Three working together is highly entertaining!! :)

In this time of having much of the classic Who back catalogue available on DVD these novels may seem silly, but they date back to a time before any kind of video recorder when you had to make sure to stay home to see each episode of the serial, and the only way to see it again was if the television station replayed it. These novels helped fill that gap, bringing the stories back to life through print. Certainly worth collecting for a classic Who fan.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1060883.html#cutid8[return][return]This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. It is fundamentally very nice to have the old companions back (though poor Susan is a bit underused). The Gallifreyan plotting makes very little sense, as usual, but it is tremendous fun, and one feels that Dicks was enjoying this despite the extraordinary pressure he was under to produce it. Oddly enough it is the Fifth Doctor who comes across least memorably here.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite classic Who story. Not only do we get 5 Doctors, we also get Susan, the Brigadier, Sarah Jane, Romana II, Tegan, and Turlough, as well as cameos by Liz Shaw and Mike Yates. I can't wait to watch this episode.

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I took a look at Doctor Who and the Giant Robot, I noted that Terrance Dicks only had two months to novelize his scripts after the television story had finished its broadcast and the book was published. Somehow there is a novelization that has even less time between broadcast and publication. The Five Doctors, once again Terrance Dicks adapting his own script for the 20th anniversary special, released officially on November 24, 1983, one day before the premiere of the television special on November 25, 1983 on the BBC and one day after the world premiere on US television on the actual 20th anniversary of Doctor Who. This means that the novelization would have had to have been written shortly after the episode wrapped initial filming at the end of March of that year. This means that things that were added in post-production, like the archival footage of William Hartnell in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, is not present in the novelization while there are scenes that were never filmed or were filmed differently like the abduction of the Second Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart being in an alley between UNIT buildings instead of just out in the open.

It is honestly a miracle The Five Doctors isn’t a total mess of a novelization. This is at least partially because Terrance Dicks is adapting his own scripts, so he has the knowledge of what his script was intending on television. It also helps that Dicks adapts it to be breezy and quick, something that works for a novelization of an anniversary special that on television was already a celebration for the fans. It’s The Five Doctors and it follows that plot incredibly well, converting almost everything that makes the story work in the new medium. The conversion of the characters allows Dicks to add a couple nice little bits of extra characterization when necessary, like the decision to have much of the scene at the Tomb of Rassilon to be told between Sarah Jane and Tegan, allowing the two companions to comment on the action while sidelined. There is also this nice added scene to see what Susan actually has been doing since The Dalek Invasion of Earth, though her characterization through the portion adapting the episode itself doesn’t always allow her to act as the character, something Carole Ann Ford had more input in when filming. The same with the First Doctor who it seems in television appearances not played by William Hartnell has this weird added layer of sexism which somehow feels more out of place and more bold here than in the televised adventure.

Overall, The Five Doctors is genuinely one of those great little novelizations that is a very quick read. There are a couple of additions that help, a couple that hurt the story a little bit, but especially for a book that had to be written and was published before the episode actually aired, it’s a book you’ll have a good time with. 8/10.

[Mikes Dw Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whatever your opinion on the five doctors tv story is, you cannot deny its impressive how terrance dicks was able to find a way to make a story that featured all 5, (well 4) Dr's and add companions, a couple of monsters, the master and the timelords and it somehow not turn out to be a complete mess. It's a simply but effective and very fun story.

When it comes to the book, all that fun is this still there however there is very little development on the orginal. The book whistles along quickly. While to fans who love expansion on the orginal stories will be disappointed, its important to remember that its was written very quickly so it could hit the stores at the same time of the anniversary story aired. And for that, it does it job and tbh the story doesn't really need expansion. You could definitely add more action scenes of the monsters and maybe some backstories of Rassilons tomb or make some of the games within much more scary etc but the story works fine on its own.

Overall I enjoyed it, it was interesting to see the little extra details given here as to why the 1st dr is alone, because he about to regenerate and while I respect Terrance for Writing the 1st dr how Richard hundall had performed it, at times you do forget its meant to be William hartnell.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the release of yet another version of this story on the bluray collection of series 20, this is probably the most well-known Dr Who story ever. It's certainly one of my favourites, and .coupled up with being written by Terrance Dicks, the novel should have been outstanding. And for the most part, it's quite good. Dicks even puts in an extra scene with Susan being taken by the obelisk.
However, unusually for Dicks, this book is littered with mistakes. On pg 8 he describes Tegan as "an Australian air-hostess", despite her clearly saying she'd been sacked at the end of 'Arc of Infinity'. He rapidly followed this by saying that the Tardis console had "suffered badly in a recent Cyberman attack". I'm not sure you could describe it as "recent" - 'Earthshock' was not only 7 stories ago, but also at the end of the previous series and broadcast 18 months before '5 Doctors' aired. Terrance's most unforgivable mistake however is on pg 104 - in relation to the phantom figures of Zoe and Jamie, he says "Both had been the third Doctor's companions on his travels for many years".
Overall, worth reading, but it should have been so much better.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good novelisation of one of my favourite TV stories. 5 (though really 4) Doctors, and a myriad of companions - what's not to love?
While the large cast of familiar characters means that it feels more like they all have extended cameos, rather than fully fleshed out appearances (see Three Doctors for the latter) - the sheer joy in reading about them all makes up for it :)
We also get to see various villains return as well, even if again some are more cameos, and the Master is in good form here as well.
The Doctors are generally in good form here, and helps cement the mystique / wisdom of the First Doctor, despite being the youngest as such, though like Castravolva, it strengthens the idea of the Fifth Doctor being a weaker incarnation, even though it is really only Castravolva and the Five Doctors that he is like that in.
The twist for who the ultimate antagonist is done well, and unlike in Arc of Infinity, it is actually a character we have dealt with before, to make it feel more personal.
Overall, a great read :)

[John Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Player sends a black obelisk (later identified as a timescoop) to capture the first, second, third and fourth Doctors. The fourth is caught in a time vortex, the others along with their companions are deposited in a sealed off area called the Death Zone on Gallifrey. The fifth doctor feels himself fading and programs the TARDIS to go where his previous selves are. The High Council knows something is up and sends in the Master to save the Doctor. In the Death Zone now are four iterations of the Doctor, several companions, the Master, and a bunch of monsters (Cybermen, a Dalek, another robot killing machine, Yetis…) The Doctors all independently decide to go to the Tower of Rassilon. Meanwhile the Player, the person who used the timescoop, may have other tricks up his sleeve.

A romp. All of the Doctors have to pull their weight getting out of tricky situations. So there are a lot of scene shifts. If you're not familiar with the characters you could get confused. I was fine, I even heard the squeaky Dalek voice in my head as I was reading "exterminate." Probably better as a TV episode. 3.7 stars.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doctor Who : The Five Doctors by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the twentieth anniversary special that screened in November 1983.

The First Doctor is taken out of his time stream by a mysterious object. The Second and Third Doctors soon follow. The Fourth Doctor is then trapped in a temporal anomaly. This all causes the Fifth Doctor to partially fade away. The Doctors then appear in the Death Zone on Gallifrey, as does the Master, a Dalek and some Cybermen. At the centre of the Death Zone is the tomb of Rassilon.

The Five Doctors is actually a highly entertaining story and is one of the best serials of classic Doctor Who. It’s highly recommended for anyone interested in Doctor Who.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Five Doctors is, in my opinion, one of the most ambitious stories in the series’ history, and this Target adaptation by the mighty Terrance Dicks proudly rises to the occasion! I remember thoroughly enjoying the book as a child, and that same experience was true on audio as an adult. Generally I tend to prefer audios narrated by their relevant Doctor (or a trusted companion, if need be), but in this case Jon Culshaw and Nicholas Briggs are the ideal combo. Culshaw captures the personality of each Doctor (and their companions) without ever descending into parody or basic mimicry. It’s an aural tour-de-force, and makes The Five Doctors a must-have on audio.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've yet to see the TV serial that this book was based on and I bit that added to my enjoyment of this book. It's quite a fun story that managed to contrive a way to bring together these different incarnations of the Doctor in one story, although what happened to the Fourth Doctor is probably the main disservice of story.

As much as these Doctor crossover stories can be a bit of a gimmick, this felt like a great gimmick with a solid enough story and managed to bring together not just the Doctors but also a lot of the Companions in order to really sell this story.

Totally great adventure. Enjoyed this so much.

[Karen Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adaptation of one of the classic serials, four of the Doctors (Tom Baker's Doctor makes just a cameo appearance from the unfinished episode Shada) unite along with several companions to solve a mystery that has transported them to Gallifrey.

The author adapts his own screenplay and once again shows that he is the master (pun intended, because the Master is also on hand) at telling a great story, either his or someone else's script. A great way to while away an afternoon or evening, spending time with multiple Doctors.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

"No not the mind probe!"

This is a fun story that probably is a nostalgia fest more than anything. Especially for TD who seems to give more than his fair share of the action to the third doctor.

The book becomes a bit of a labour partly due to four of the characters having the same name abiet prefixed with thier number, and i was disappointed with the treatment of Susan, for goodness sake she is a grown woman but the character is written like she is still a teenager.

All in all a fun romp but perhaps better seen on the tv rather than in this book.

[Aimee Peeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, the older shows! Um stories... They had something the new ones don't. And they had the original "rules"! They wrote of the first incarnation, now they act like there could have been millions of Doctors before the current one. They side tracked so many of the old ideas to keep going, sometimes I'm glad, sometimes not. The only thing that bothers me with this particular story is that I know it was Tom Baker who refused to do the show that caused him to get "stuck in the vortex"...

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ignoring the fact that Dicks seems to think Jamie and Zoe were Third Doctor companions at one point, this is a fine Target novel. Dicks at his best, expanding the scene and unbound by the confines of the on-screen budget.

Rassilon's tomb is re-imagined as a Cathedral, Susan's placement is further contextualised, and the battle between the Cybermen and the Raston Warrior robot is made more exciting.

[David Layton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aiming for publication simultaneous with the 20th Anniversary 90-minute special, Terrance Dicks' novelization of his script adds little to what was on the TV. The story itself is rather thin, a race-to-the-center plot spread across too many characters. In an attempt to get "everything" in that might satisfy fans, the story becomes sacrificed.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was one of my favorites when I was a kid. Bringing the five doctors back together seemed almost magical back then. The book is good as well although maybe not as dynamic as the tv show. I loved all the interactions between the Doctors and their other selves as well as a variety of companions. All in all, a good Doctor Who story, and I am glad I got a chance to read it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s only fitting that The Five Doctors gets five stars. 🤩 This has everything a sci-fi fan wants, Dr Who or otherwise. Drama, action, intrigue, temporal anomalies, the search for immortality and universal dominion. There’s really not much more you could want from a 20th Anniversary Special, not unlike the more recent 50th special with Doctors nine and ten, my favorites.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would have been nice if the writer had actually deviated from the televised story and included the fourth Doctor in the adventure. It was nice though that having watched the episode many times I was able to pick up some of the dialogue that was lost through sound effects or British-ness.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent audiobook, with some very good impersonations of the Doctor Who actors, was most impressed with the voice of the 1st Doctor, as that is such a distinctive voice.

Recommended to any fan of Classic Who.

[Calvin Saxby · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was this story that transformed me from a casual fan into a true Whovian. Some might say it tries to cram in too much but I personally disagree - it is a magnificent masterpiece and actually an engaging who does it (if you haven't seen the episode).

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. Short and sweet, an old one but a good one.