The Twin Dilemma

Last updated

136 –The Twin Dilemma
Doctor Who serial
The Twin Dilemma DVD.webp
The region 2 DVD cover
Cast
Others
Production
Directed by Peter Moffatt
Written by Anthony Steven
Script editor Eric Saward
Produced by John Nathan-Turner
Music by Malcolm Clarke
Production code6S [2]
Series Season 21
Running time4 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcastMarch 22, 1984 (1984-03-22)
Last broadcastMarch 30, 1984 (1984-03-30)
Chronology
← Preceded by
The Caves of Androzani 		Followed by →
Attack of the Cybermen
List of episodes (1963–1989)

The Twin Dilemma is the seventh and final serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 22 to 30 March 1984. It was directed by Peter Moffat and written by Anthony Stevens. The serial stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown, respectively. The Twin Dilemma was the first to star Baker.

Contents

The serial follows the Doctor immediately after regenerating as he works to prevent the alien gastropod Mestor (Edwin Richfield) from plotting to explode the sun of the planet Jaconda to scatter his eggs throughout the universe to conquer it.

The Twin Dilemma was critically panned with both the writing and direction being heavily criticized, though Baker's performance did receive some praise. It received a novelisaiton written by Eric Saward which was later adapted into an audiobook. The serial averaged 7.1 million viewers per episode, down slightly from the previous story.

Plot

As a result of his recent regeneration, the Sixth Doctor suffers from mood swings and violent delusions, culminating in his attempt to strangle his companion, Peri Brown. Realising the threat he could pose to the universe in this state, the Doctor decides to exile himself and Peri to a remote asteroid Titan 3. Meanwhile, the mysterious Professor Edgeworth abducts two teenaged math geniuses, Romulus and Remus Sylvest, at the behest of Mestor, the leader of the slug-like Gastropods who have usurped Edgeworth as ruler of the planet Jaconda. Mestor orders Edgeworth to hide on Titan 3, and destroys a pursuing squad of fighters.

The only survivor of the fighter squadron is Lieutenant Hugo Lang, who crash-lands near the TARDIS. The Doctor saves Hugo at Peri's behest, and he and Peri investigate the asteroid, leading to them being captured by Edgeworth. The Doctor recognises that "Edgeworth" is actually Azmael, a fellow Time Lord and his former tutor. Azmael tries to strand the Doctor and Peri on Titan 3, but unbeknownst to Azmael, his assistant Noma arms a bomb intended to kill them both, and they narrowly escape with their lives.

The Doctor, Peri, and Hugo follow Azmael to the now-desolate Jaconda, where Azmael makes it clear he never intended for them to be harmed, and reveals that Mestor is forcing him to have Romulus and Remus create calculations which will terraform two nearby planets that the Gastropods can settle on. The Doctor, however, realizes that Mestor has lied to Azmael about the nature of his plan, and the calculations will actually cause Jaconda's sun to go supernova, allowing Gastropod eggs to infest the galaxy.

After the Doctor tries and fails to kill him, Mestor announces that he will take over the Doctor's body. The Doctor tries to goad Mestor into doing this, but he instead takes over Azmael. The more experienced Azmael manages to briefly retake control of his body and initiates a regeneration, but since he has used up his entire regeneration cycle, this has the effect of killing both himself and Mestor, though Azmael and the Doctor make amends before the former dies. Hugo decides to stay on Jaconda and become its new ruler, while the Doctor agrees to return Romulus and Remus to their parents. The Doctor returns to the TARDIS, faces the camera and states, "I am the Doctor, whether you like it or not!"

Production

Development and filming

The reason for producer John Nathan-Turner's decision to place The Twin Dilemma at the end of Doctor Who season 21 was out of a desire to introduce the new Doctor as fast as possible. [3] The serial was developed under the working title A Stitch in Time. Nathan-Turner wanted the serial to be "simplistic", while script editor Eric Saward wanted it to be elaborate and complicated. [4]

The serial was directed by Peter Moffatt. [5] Moffatt later stated that The Twin Dilemma was one of his worst serials and that he did a terrible job. [6] Moffatt shot as much of the serial as possible in chronological order. [7] The first block of filming began on 24 January 1984, and ran for three days. The second block started on 7 February and ran for two days. The third and final block began on 14 February and ran for 3 days. The entirety of the first and third blocks were shot in studios 8 and 3 of the BBC Television Centre respectively. The scenes for Titan 3 were shot at Springwell Quarry in Hertfordshire and the scenes for Jaconda were shot at Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. [8]

Writing

The Twin Dilemma was written by Anthony Steven. Nathan-Turner had previously worked with Steven on the drama series All Creatures Great and Small. [9] Steven struggled to meet deadlines for the serial leading to several delays. Shortly after completing the script Steven became sick and unable to perform rewrites, leading Saward to completely rewrite the second half of the serial. [10] Saward cut several major story beats including a speech the Doctor would give to Azmeal and the Doctor promising to return to Jaconda. [11]

Throughout the serial The Doctor is unusually violent, even attempting to strangle Peri. [12] The intention was to create a Doctor that was initially unlikeable, but would grow to become beloved by the audience. [13] This was intended to be in contrast with the more likable Fifth Doctor. [4] During the 2003 documentary The Story of Doctor Who Baker revealed that the original plan was "over the many, many years I would be playing the part, the outer layers would gradually peel away, revealing the kind-hearted soul." [13]

Casting

Actor Colin Baker makes his debut in this serial in the lead role as the Doctor Colin Baker, Whovent 1986 2.jpg
Actor Colin Baker makes his debut in this serial in the lead role as the Doctor

Nicola Bryant returns from the previous serial as Peri Brown. Colin Baker makes his first full appearance as the Sixth Doctor. [5] Prior to being cast, various media outlets had suggested Baker should be the one to replace Peter Davison as the next Doctor. Baker, a fan of Doctor Who, had expressed interest and previously considered auditioning for the role of the Fourth Doctor. However, due to Baker's casting as Commander Maxil in Arc of Infinity he assumed he would be ineligible for the role. On 10 June 1983, during a meeting with the production team, Baker was formally offered the role by Nathan-Turner. He accepted and signed a four year contract. [4] [14]

Edwin Richfield portrayed Mestor, the serial's primary antagonist. Richfield had previously appeared as Captain Hart in the 1972 serial The Sea Devils . [5] Kevin McNally was cast as Lieutenant Hugo Lang. McNally had been a fan of Doctor Who as a child. [15]

When casting the titular twins Moffat had intended to cast a pair of girls, but Nathan-Turner insisted that the twins should be male. Moffat instead selected Andrew and Paul Conrad, children of Les Conrad who had served as an extra in several past serials. Les appeared in The Twin Dilemma as a Jacondan guard. [1]

Costuming

For the first half of "Part One" both Baker and Bryant wore the same costumes the Doctor and Peri wore in The Caves of Androzani before changing into new outfits. [7] Baker suggested that the Sixth Doctor's outfit should be a black suit. Nathan-Turner rejected it as he wanted the Doctor to wear something "totally tasteless". [16] Peri's new outfit was originally a blue trouser suit, however Nathan-Turner opposed this as he felt she should wear something more revealing. [7]

The cat badge worn by the Sixth Doctor on his lapel for this story was handmade and painted by Suzie Trevor and purchased for the programme from a specialist badge shop in Central London. Baker suggested that in each subsequent story, the Doctor should wear a different cat badge to symbolise his mood. [17]

Release

Ratings

EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions)  [18] 		Appreciation Index  [18]
1"Part One"24:42March 22, 1984 (1984-03-22)7.661
2"Part Two"25:09March 23, 1984 (1984-03-23)7.466
3"Part Three"24:27March 29, 1984 (1984-03-29)7.059
4"Part Four"25:04March 30, 1984 (1984-03-30)6.367

The Twin Dilemma was released on BBC1 in four twice-weekly parts from 22 to 30 March 1984. "Part One" was released to an audience of 7.6 million viewers, making it the highest viewed episode. It was followed by the second highest viewed, "Part Two", with only 7.4 million. Parts three and four were viewed by 7.0 and 6.3 million viewers, respectively. Audience Appreciation Index were taken for the episodes, the best rated episode was "Part Four" with a 67 and the lowest was "Part Three" with a 59. The serial averaged 7.1 million viewers per episode. The Twin Dilemma averaged 180 thousand less viewers than the previous serial. [18] [19]

Reception

The Twin Dilemma was panned by both critics and fans. [20] Where the previous serial, The Caves of Androzani , is frequently cast among the very best of all Doctor Who stories, The Twin Dilemma is often regarded as one of the very worst in the history of the series. [12] [21] [22] Despite the overwhelmingly negative reception for the serial, Baker's performance was somewhat praised. [5] [21] [23] Writing for Den of Geek , Andrew Blair felt that the quality of the serial partially devalued the ending of The Caves of Androzani. [24] David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker review of the story in Doctor Who: The Television Companion describes The Twin Dilemma as "painful to watch", feeling that the Doctor's erratic behaviour was "forced and artificial, and succeed[s] only in alienating the viewer." The review also argues the script "leaves much to be desired" and that the direction is uninteresting, giving the whole story "a rather tacky, B-movie feel to it". [25]

In the 150th issue of SFX magazine Russell T Davies, producer of the 2005 revival, cites the story as "the beginning of the end" of Doctor Who. [26] Tat Wood and Lawrence Miles, reviewing the story for their book, About Time, noted that the divide in quality between The Caves of Androzani and The Twin Dilemma "felt wrong at the time, and still feels wrong now". The pair wrote, "How could anyone have thought that this story, of juvenile space monsters, meaningless plans and never-ending cop-outs, was ever workable?". [27] Writing for Radio Times , Patrick Mulkern heavily criticized the serial along with the new Doctor. Mulkern disliked the episode's villains finding them dull and boring. Though he did praise Baker's performance stating that the main problems were the writing and the direction. [5] Digital Spy 's Morgan Jeffery also criticized the direction calling it "unusually flat" for Moffat. [23]

A 1998 poll by Doctor Who Magazine ranked the serial the second worst of all time only ahead of the Children in Need special Dimensions in Time . In 2009, another Doctor Who Magazine poll of the 200 stories produced up to that point saw the serial finish in last place, along with finishing last in every single age group that voted. [20]

Commercial releases

In print

The Twin Dilemma
Doctor Who The Twin Dilemma.jpg
Author Eric Saward
Cover artist Andrew Skilleter
Series Doctor Who book:
Target novelisations
Release number
103
Publisher Target Books
Publication date
September 1985 (hardback) March 1986 (paperback)
ISBN 0-491-03124-6

A novelisation of this serial, written by Saward, was published in hardback by Target Books in September 1985, and in paperback in March 1986. The cover illustration originally featured Colin Baker; however, when Baker's agent enquired about a royalty, the decision was taken to not feature him on the cover and a replacement was commissioned. [28]

In January 2012, an audiobook version of the novelisation was released. It read by Baker. [29]

Home media

The Twin Dilemma was released on VHS in May 1992. The tape was available exclusively through Woolworths as part of a special promotion. A general release followed in February 1993. [28]

Behind the scenes footage of the serial was released along with various other Sixth Doctor stories the most prominent being the 2008 release of The Trial of a Time Lord . [30]

The serial was released on DVD on 7 September 2009. Despite being the first Sixth Doctor story it was the last to be released on DVD. [30] It was later re-released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files in Issue 127 on 13 November 2013. [31]

Notes

  1. ↑ Credited as Gavin Conrad [1]

Related Research Articles

Time and the Rani is the first serial of the 24th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 7 to 28 September 1987. It was the first to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor.

<i>Doctor Who</i> season 23 Season of television series

The twenty-third season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, known collectively as The Trial of a Time Lord, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986. It contained four adventures: The Mysterious Planet, Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids and The Ultimate Foe; the season also marked the final regular appearance of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

The Ultimate Foe is the fourth and final serial of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord which encompasses the whole of the 23rd season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in two weekly parts on BBC1 on 29 November and 6 December 1986. This segment is also cited in some reference works under its working title of Time Incorporated. The title The Ultimate Foe is never used on-screen and was first used in relation to these episodes for the 1988 novelisation, with the two episodes that comprise the serial being referred to as The Trial of a Time Lord Parts Thirteen and Fourteen. This was the last story to feature Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, as Baker declined to do the regeneration for the following story, Time and the Rani.

The Caves of Androzani is the sixth serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 to 16 March 1984.

For the British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who, List of Doctor Who episodes may refer to:

The Two Doctors is the fourth serial of the 22nd season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on BBC1 from 16 February to 2 March 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Nathan-Turner</span> British television producer (1947–2002)

John Turner, known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who and the final producer of the series' first run on television. He finished the role having become the longest-serving Doctor Who producer and cast Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tegan Jovanka</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Tegan Jovanka is a fictional character played by Janet Fielding in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of Brisbane who was a companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to 1984. Tegan appeared in 20 stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peri Brown</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Perpugilliam “Peri” Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

Peter Grimwade was a British television director and screenwriter, known for his work as a director and writer of the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who in the 1980s.

Attack of the Cybermen is the first serial of the 22nd season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 5 and 12 January 1985. It was credited to the pseudonymous author "Paula Moore"; the level of contributions made by Paula Woolsey, Eric Saward and Ian Levine have been disputed. It is the final serial to be directed by Matthew Robinson.

Eric Saward is a British radio scriptwriter who worked as a screenwriter and script editor on the BBC's science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1982 to 1986. He wrote the stories The Visitation (1982), Earthshock (1982), Resurrection of the Daleks (1984) and Revelation of the Daleks (1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth Doctor</span> Fifth character from Doctor Who

The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixth Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time on the series was comparatively brief and turbulent, Baker has continued as the Sixth Doctor in Big Finish's range of original Doctor Who audio adventures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time Crash</span> 2007 Doctor Who charity special

"Time Crash" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on 16 November 2007, as part of the BBC One telethon for the children's charity Children in Need. Written by Steven Moffat, it starred David Tennant and brought back Peter Davison as the Doctor.

<i>Doctor Who</i> season 24 Season of television series

The twenty-fourth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 7 September 1987 with Sylvester McCoy's first story Time and the Rani, and ended with Dragonfire. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with Andrew Cartmel script editing.

<i>Doctor Who</i> season 21 Season of television series

The twenty-first season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 5 January 1984 with the Fifth Doctor serial Warriors of the Deep, and ended on 30 March 1984 with Colin Baker's first serial The Twin Dilemma. For the third time, the entire TARDIS crew changed over the course of a single season. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with Eric Saward script editing.

<i>Doctor Who</i> season 1 1963–64 season of television programme

The first season of British science fiction television programme Doctor Who was originally broadcast on BBC TV between 1963 and 1964. The series began on 23 November 1963 with An Unearthly Child and ended with The Reign of Terror on 12 September 1964. The show was created by BBC Television head of drama Sydney Newman to fill the Saturday evening timeslot and appeal to both the younger and older audiences of the neighbouring programmes. Formatting of the programme was handled by Newman, head of serials Donald Wilson, writer C. E. Webber, and producer Rex Tucker. Production was overseen by the BBC's first female producer Verity Lambert and story editor David Whitaker, both of whom handled the scripts and stories.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ainsworth 2015, p. 27.
  2. ↑ Lofficier 1994, p. 15.
  3. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 9.
  4. 1 2 3 Pixley 1998, p. 16.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Mulkern, Patrick (10 April 2012). "The Twin Dilemma ★". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Pixley 1998, p. 21.
  7. 1 2 3 Ainsworth 2015, p. 29.
  8. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 33.
  9. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 17.
  10. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, pp. 19–21.
  11. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 24-25.
  12. 1 2 Blair, Andrew (25 October 2013). "Doctor Who's top 50 controversies". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  13. 1 2 Wright, Caroline; Finnett, Claire (30 December 2003). The Story of Doctor Who (Video).
  14. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, pp. 14–15.
  15. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 26.
  16. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 16.
  17. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, pp. 16, 72.
  18. 1 2 3 Ainsworth 2015, p. 38.
  19. ↑ Wright 2018, p. 115.
  20. 1 2 Griffiths 2009, p. 19.
  21. 1 2 Bahn, Christopher (10 July 2011). "Doctor Who (Classic): "The Twin Dilemma"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  22. ↑ Miles & Wood 2005, pp. 310.
  23. 1 2 Jeffery, Morgan (20 August 2014). "Doctor Who's debuts: The best and worst". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on 4 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  24. ↑ Blair, Andrew (9 January 2022). "Doctor Who: Ranking the Doctor's Regenerations". Den of Geek . Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  25. ↑ Howe & Walker 1998, pp. 464–466.
  26. ↑ Golder 2006, p. 24.
  27. ↑ Miles & Wood 2005, pp. 310–322.
  28. 1 2 Ainsworth 2015, p. 39.
  29. ↑ Bishop 2012, p. 73.
  30. 1 2 Darlington 2009, p. 10.
  31. ↑ Ainsworth 2015, p. 40.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.