‘THE TWIN DILEMMA’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Colin Baker is the Sixth Doctor…whether you like it or not
‘The Twin Dilemma’ is Colin Baker’s first ‘Doctor Who’ adventure!
It’s also regarded by the fans as the worst ‘Doctor Who’ story ever made in the poll! This is a shame, as it’s Colin’s first appearance as the Sixth Doctor. Despite being given a weak story to start and tackle with in his tenure of ‘Doctor Who’; Colin Baker delivers an amazing (and loud!) performance.
I’ve had the DVD cover of ‘The Twin Dilemma’ signed by Colin Baker at the ‘Stars of Time Film and Comic Con’ @ The Tropicana’ in Weston-super-Mare, August 2016. I told Colin that I didn’t mind this story so much compared to how other fans rate it. He was very pleased to hear me say that to him.
This four-part story was tagged on at the end of Peter Davison’s third season. This was unusual, as all Doctors begin their tenure with the first story of the season instead of the last. But producer John Nathan-Turner decided to have Colin’s Doctor in action before his first season starts in the next year.
‘The Twin Dilemma’ takes place directly after ‘The Caves of Androzani’, where Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor regenerated into Colin Baker. The new Doctor has become arrogant and smug. He has a tasteless sense in clothes; becomes rude and angry and he acts strangely when he attempts to strangle Peri.
This ‘Doctor Who’ story was originally by Anthony Steven, who was a newcomer to the TV series. But his original scripts didn’t work and they had to be re-written by script editor Eric Saward. Sadly, the script suffered problems as well as the production and it didn’t turn out to be the success that it was.
This story was also directed by Peter Moffatt, who had directed a number of ‘Doctor Who’ stories before this. Sadly, and this is no disrespect to Peter Moffatt’s direction, but this isn’t his greatest work. The story is typical of the 1980s and is too colourful, and that’s not just Colin Baker’s costume.
This story is a bold experiment to start off Colin’s era by making his Doctor unlikeable. It was a brave move, but it upset fans at the time who were watching this, especially after three years of Peter Davison’s Doctor. It was a matter of time on how Colin’s Doctor was to appeal to the viewing public.
The new era of ‘Doctor Who’ begins with a brand new title sequence designed by graphic designer Sid Sutton. From watching the title sequence, it looks very dazzling and colourful (too colourful in my opinion). Colin’s Doctor is also very colourful as he dons a new multi-coloured costume in this story.
I don’t think Colin’s multi-coloured costume suits his Doctor well. It’s simply outrageous and unbelievable to watch. It’s difficult to take Colin’s Doctor seriously. It makes him a figure of fun and a jester. It’s not a costume Colin would have chosen to wear and Peri tells him that he looks ‘dreadful’.
Aside from these negative aspects, Colin Baker delivers an extraordinary interpretation of the Doctor that was never seen before on TV. I liked Colin’s boldness in how he plays the Doctor; how he interacts with Peri and how he goes through the stages of his post-regeneration trauma in this story.
Nicola Bryant is wonderful as Peri in this adventure. She’s shocked by what the Doctor looks like after his regeneration. She misses Peter Davison’s Doctor already and doesn’t like the manner of clothes Colin’s Doctor wears. She’s shocked by his change in behaviour when he tries to strangle her.
I wondered why Peri puts up with Colin’s Doctor in the series. She could have easily left him as the Doctor was treating her badly and was dismissing her. By the end, she’s compassionate and caring and remains with this new Doctor. Despite his abrasive behaviour, she’s able to put him in his place.
In this story, the Doctor and Peri have to rescue two twin boys – hence ‘The Twin Dilemma’. The two twins are Romulus and Remus (not the two planets in ‘Star Trek’). These twins are mathematical geniuses, so that’s two more Adrics. What is it about this obsession with learning maths in the 1980s?
The two actors, Gavin (real name: Paul) and Andrew Conrad, who play the twins in this adventure are pretty inexperienced. You can tell that they’re doing their best to act, but sometimes I found them annoying, especially in scenes when they’re arrogant and showing off their mathematical skills.
The guest cast also includes Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang, lieutenant of the space police. Hugo is sent off to search for the young twins before he meets up with the Doctor and Peri. Hugo is a likeable character, but why he changed into a multi-coloured jacket instead of his police uniform I’ve no idea.
There’s also Maurice Denham as Professor Edgeworth, who kidnaps the twins. It turns out that he’s really a Time Lord called Azmael and an old tutor and friend of the Doctor’s. Azmael is working for a Gastropod named Mestor and has kidnapped the two boys in an attempt to save the planet Jaconda.
Edwin Richfield plays Mestor the Gastropod, the villain of the story. I’ve seen Edwin in ‘Doctor Who’ before in ‘The Sea Devils’, but I couldn’t recognise him in that Gastropod make-up as Mestor. Mestor the Gastropod is unconvincing as a ‘Doctor Who’ monster and is pretty weak in terms of a character.
The rest of the guest cast includes Dennis Chinnery (who was in ‘Genesis of the Daleks’) as Professor Sylvest, the twins’ father; Seymour Green as the Jacondan Chamberlain; Oliver Smith as Drak and Barry Stanton as Noma, two Jacondans; and Helen Blatch as Commander Fabian of the space police.
By the end, Peri is unhappy with how the Doctor has changed for her. But the Doctor insists that Peri waits before she judges him. In a way, the Doctor is telling the viewers to wait before judging him. Colin has done plenty of Big Finish audios that have expanded his Doctor in a larger ways than one.
The DVD special features are as follows. There’s an audio commentary with Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Kevin McNally and an info-text commentary option. There’s also ‘The Star Man’, an interview with graphic designer Sid Sutton and ‘Look 100 Years Younger’ with Colin Baker and comedian Amy Lamé. There’s also the ‘Stripped For Action – The Sixth Doctor’ documentary. This is looks into the comic book adventures of the Sixth Doctor. There’s also a morning ‘Breakfast Time’ interview with Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. There’s also a ‘Blue Peter’ interview with Colin Baker; continuities; a photo gallery and a ‘Radio Times Listing’ PDF. There’s also a ‘coming soon’ trailer for ‘The Keys of Marinus’ DVD, starring William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill and Carole Ann Ford.
So, ‘The Twin Dilemma’ is a pretty rocky start for Colin Baker’s Doctor. The story isn’t great, but I enjoyed both Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Doctor and Peri. Although Colin delivers a bold performance, his Doctor didn’t prove popular with the viewing public back then, which is a shame.
But no matter how you look at it, Colin Baker is the Doctor…whether you like it not!
‘The Twin Dilemma’ rating – 6/10
The previous storyFor the Fifth Doctor was
For the Sixth Doctor was For Peri was |
The next storyFor the Sixth Doctor is
For Peri is |
| Return to The Sixth Doctor’s Timeline | |
| Return to Peri’s Timeline | |
| Return to The Doctors’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to The Companions’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to Doctor Who Timelines | |
| Return to Doctor Who | |
| Return to Sci-Fi |
Bradley's Basement 
I class this one as a guilty pleasure, i think tagging this story on to the end of a very strong season didn’t do it any favours as the production budget had run out making the setting look cheap & tacky, you needed something more dynamic in introducing a new Doctor not a man in a rubber costume.
I like Colins performance however as he brings a chilling unpredictability to the Doctor & shows moments of darkness never seen before gives the character a whole new dimension.
A great review & fair rating for this Sixth Doctors debut adventure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is unusual that Colin Baker’s debut story in ‘Doctor Who’ should start at the end of a season rather than at the beginning of the season. I would have preferred ‘The Twin Dilemma’ as a season opener and would be patient to wait for nine months until the next season with Colin Baker’s Doctor to get over the departure of Peter Davison. It’s a shame the budget ran out on this story and the script could have worked better with more editing on the dialogue to make it sound better.
I too like Colin’s performance in this story. He stands out for me as the unpredictable, loud Doctor as the beginning of his era. I wish he wasn’t always like that in his TV tenure as he came across as unlikeable throughout most of his stories. Thank goodness Big Finish have toned the Colin’s Doctor down and made him lighter; happier and become more interesting over the years in his audio adventures.
Many thanks for your comments, Simon. Glad you enjoyed my review on ‘The Twin Dilemma’.
Tim. 🙂
LikeLike
Great review Tim.
I just finished watching this story on Britbox. I wouldn’t call it a guilty pleasure, I just decided to watch it for completion sake. I’ve only seen two of Colin Baker’s tv stories (five if you count the four parts of ‘The Trial of a Timelord’ as seperate stories). If the story had opened Season 22 they might have been able to make the script work and use better production values. Hugo Lang was my favourite guest character played well by Kavin McNally from the Dad’s Army 2019 episodes.
The Sixth Doctor was a mixed bag for me in this story. He showed genuine concern for Azmael and did a good job when face-to-face with Mestor. However, he was most definetely abrasive at times especially during the strangling scene. Poor Peri. I hope to get a better opinion of the Sixth Doctor when watching Season 22 and listening to his Big Finish audios. I’m sure his relationship with Peri improves as I saw it had in Season 23.
P.s. I might be able to go to the Bedford Who Charity Con after all. Have you been to any of the previous ones or will this year be your first one?
Take care, WF92.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi WF92,
Glad you enjoyed my review on ‘The Twin Dilemma’. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this story. My review does require an update, which I hope will happen when it comes to the Season 21 Blu-ray box set of ‘Doctor Who’ whenever that comes out. Yes, ‘The Twin Dilemma’ could have worked better as a season opener and Kevin McNally is great as Hugo Lang in this. Who knew he would go on to be in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and the ‘Dad’s Army’ 2019 episodes. I found out he’s married to Phyllis Logan who is well-known for being in ‘Downton Abbey’ and she was in the ‘Doctor Who’ episode ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’ with Jodie Whittaker. So both have been in ‘Doctor Who’. 😀
Yeah it’s a shame the Sixth Doctor divided fan opinion when he was in the TV series. Sometimes he can be unlikeable, sometimes he can be very enjoyable, which is an inconsistency in how his character developed in the TV series. Colin Baker still delivers great performances as his Doctor though. It’s a good thing that the Big Finish audios have been able to develop the Sixth Doctor’s character and have made him more likeable compared to how he was in the TV series.
Well, that’s good to hear. Maybe I might see you in Bedford then. 😀 This will be my first trip to a ‘Bedford Who Charity Con’ so I’m hoping it’ll be good. I’ve read another chapter of ‘Four Time-Travellers and a Baby’. I wonder what the Master’s up to and fancy Nyssa finding that baby. What will happen next? 😀
By the way, Series 2 of new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ will begin on Channel 5 on Thursday 16th of September.
Best wishes,
Tim. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
As a side note, there is something I wanted to ask about the second chapter of ‘Four-Travellers and a Baby’. Did you find it funny that Michael, Nyssa and Tegan weren’t properly dressed when they confronted the Master?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it was funny, especially when Michael assumed Nyssa and Tegan were warm as he was and when the Master made comment about their attire before he left.
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Tim.
Having re-watched ‘The Twin Dilemma’, it is pretty bad, although not as bad as it’s reputation suggests in my opinion. ‘The Caves of Androzani’ is better, although I found the plot in this one to be a bit easier to follow. I expect they were trying to experiment with the Doctor being unlikeable at first, which didn’t work out in the end. I felt bad for Peri throughout the story, Especially when the Doctor almost killed her. Could you imagine if the Sixth Doctor met Mr. Brittas? 😀
Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang is still my favourite character in this story. I liked his decision to stay behind on Jaconda, a moment that was let down by the Doctor saying he could believe Hugo had no one on Earth. The Sixth Doctor did have his positive moments though, especially with Azmael.
I’ll finally get around to watching ‘Attack of the Cyberman’ to start Season 22 (even though I’ve already seen ‘Attack of the Cybermen’). It will be interesting to see Stephen Churchett in that, as well as Terry Molloy, Brian Glover and Maurice Colbourne returning as Lytton.
P.s. have you been coping with the current heatwave?
Take care, WF92.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi WF92,
Thanks for sharing your updated thoughts on ‘The Twin Dilemma’. Yeah, Colin Baker’s first ‘Doctor Who’ story isn’t all that great but I wouldn’t consider it the absolute worst ‘Doctor Who’ story in the series. Again, hope to re-examine the story when it comes to the Season 21 Blu-ray box set release. If the Sixth Doctor actually met Mr. Brittas following his regeneration, he would definitely strangle him. 😆 I think you should do reviews on ‘The Brittas Empire’ on your blog sometime. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang in the story as well as the Sixth Doctor’s positive moments. Did you know the story’s writer Anthony Steven wrote episodes of the original ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ series?
Hope you enjoy revisiting ‘Attack of the Cybermen’. I’m currently revisiting ‘Vengeance on Varos’ in the Season 22 Blu-ray box set. I just found out Stephen Churchett was in ‘Attack of the Cybermen’ and he doesn’t last long, does he? 😆
I’m coping okay with the hot weather. Hope you are too. Having a Calippo to cool me down. 🙂
Many thanks for your comments.
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Tim.
I have actually been considering doing ‘Brittas Empire’ reviews for a while now. I’m still hoping that Britbox will make series 6 and 7 available to watch soon. After that, I might purchase the complete series on DVD. I know there is already one, but I would like it if Eureka Films released a new box set that featured more extras such as audio commentaries, BTS featurettes, cast and crew interviews etc.
Whilst were on the subject of Chris Barrie, are you familiar with any of the ‘Red Dwarf’ cast members other than him and Norman Lovett (who was in ‘Soldiers of Love’ which I know you’re familiar with).
P.s. I didn’t know Anthony Stevens wrote episodes of ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. Thanks for mentioning that. 😀
WF92.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi WF92,
I look forward to your ‘Brittas Empire’ reviews when they arrive on your blog. I’m not familar with many cast members from ‘Red Dwarf’ apart from Chris Barrie and Norman Lovett. Norman Lovett was also in an episode of ‘Keeping Up Appearances’. I did see some of a ‘Red Dwarf’ episode where they did a crossover with ‘Coronation Street’ once. 😆 No problem. Glad to have helped out regarding Anthony Stevens.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A wise author once said there was a keen difference between executing a story and assassinating it. There’s a very good idea at the heart of “The Twin Dilemma”, but its development stacked all the odds against it. It would’ve been interesting to see someone like Terrance Dicks (or Robert Holmes, again) receive the brief and see what they came up with.
I love the dynamic between the Doctor and Azmael. We’ve never met Maurice Denham’s character before, but as soon as they step into the same room, they feel like old friends. I think it’s their friendship that actually sustains a lot of a very troubled story. Peri still has her sparkiness from “Planet of Fire” here and Hugo Lang could easily have come aboard like Jamie McCrimmon in 1967. The make-up for the Jacondans, transforming them into silvered birds, was a brilliant touch of originality on the part of the production and the final confrontation recalls many a worthy Tom Baker baddie duel.
Some of the lines in “The Twin Dilemma” are even quite unironically witty. Especially, for the Doctor in the latter half. “In my time, I have been threatened by experts, I don’t rate you fairly highly at all,” shines. As does the Doctor’s riposte to Hugo’s “Frankly, I find you unreliable.” The Time Lord responds, “So’s most currency. Doesn’t stop people from spending money wisely.”
I think the biggest critique I can bring to it is that it has all these wonderful elements and it doesn’t *do* anything with them. We spend two episodes idling before we reach Jaconda and, once we’re there, we don’t get much of an opportunity to explore it. I’d have loved to see a more cohesive “The Twin Dilemma” (“The Seeds of Jaconda”?) start up Season 22. Something that set up the Sixth Doctor’s kindlier baseline in “Part One” and then radically jostled with it like a manic barometer for the rest of the story/season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Wolfie,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on ‘The Twin Dilemma’ as a ‘Doctor Who’ story. It’s shame about this story not being well-recieved, especially as it’s the first one with Colin Baker’s Doctor and the last story of Season 21. It would’ve been better to make this the opening story of Season 22 as opposed to the finale of Season 21. I look forward to expanding my thoughts on ‘The Twin Dilemma’ when it comes to the Season 21 Blu-ray box set. I especially enjoyed Colin Baker’s performance as the Doctor as well as Nicola Bryant as Peri, Maurice Denham as Azmael and Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang.
I would like to check out the Target novelization of ‘The Twin Dilemma’ by Eric Saward, with the audiobook read by Colin Baker, to see how much is improved in terms of the development of the story and the characters in book/audio compared to the TV version. I’ve just finished revisiting ‘Vengeance on Varos’ and hope to update my review on it soon.
Once again, many thanks for your comments, Wolfie.
Tim 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Tim. The novelisation makes for a much more cohesive experience than on television, I found. It’s much more tongue-in-cheek, but hits many of the same beats while injecting a lot of background detail that makes the Universe feel a lot more alive than what the television version could offer at the time. I think it’s a credit to the cast — Colin, Nicola, Kevin, Maurice, Edwin, et al. — that “The Twin Dilemma” is as watchable as it is. They certainly weren’t in want of talent, they had it.
“Vengeance on Varos” is, perhaps, I think my favourite from Season 22. Much of the season tries to emulate the virtues of “The Caves of Androzani” and I think “Varos” is the most successful of the efforts. It replicates many of the cosmetic choices, but it also understands the core. It has the doggedly heroic Doctor that made that story so special (“I can show you new prosperity!”). As always, looking forward to hearing your own (new) thoughts on the story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Wolfie,
I’m sure my new thoughts on ‘Vengeance on Varos’ will be entertaining and interesting. I watched the extended version of the story on Blu-ray and it has been an enjoyable experience. Interesting it’s your favourite story out of Season 22.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLike
“The Twin Dilemma” is a bit of an odd duck.
This is not the first instance of this kind of misjudgement for the programme. Only two years ago, the climactic death of a companion was followed up by a story seemingly oblivious to the emotional (and narrative) aftershock of its predecessor. The problem was dutifully dodged with the production of “The Five Doctors” for Season 20, but Season 21 was again hit by the same curious problem.
The debut of a Doctor should not be an afterthought and yet… It’s difficult to describe “The Twin Dilemma” as anything else. An afterthought and a baffling one at that. Rather than be armed with the resources of a full season, the flow of a production block’s worth of stories, the Sixth Doctor was deposited on our screens in what feels like a bout of overeagerness. It’s a shame as there’s quite a lot going for “The Twin Dilemma” if only it had been in better circumstances.
The Sixth Doctor and Peri have developed a strikingly excellent friendship in other mediums. Audio, especially, and that has been down to the chemistry between Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. Here, in their debut, you can see the sparks and how well they’re bouncing off one another… But they’re mired in a script that for half its runtime doesn’t want to take them anywhere.
The kidnap of the Sylvest twins could have been as nailbiting as some scenes from “Frontier in Space” at the Earth Empire prison. There was a great opportunity here for intrigue and complex characterisation. Unfortunately, Anthony Steven’s screenplay simply doesn’t know what to do with them. There was a nice observation made about the arguments in one of the programme’s cousins — ‘Blake’s 7’. The arguments, whether fleeting or dire, always led to a decision. It’s not until halfway through “Part Two” that the Doctor and Peri are permitted just that.
Let’s look at the antagonists. Azmael is perhaps one of the best characterised guest stars in “The Twin Dilemma”. In no small part due to Maurice Denham who invests him with pathos, consideration and a gentle gravitas. Something similar to his performance as the half-mad and destitute Prince Lorenzo in “The Village that Sold Its Soul” from ‘Return of the Saint’. The Doctor’s former teacher feels like someone we should’ve met before and will be our throughline for much of this story. What better way to pass the torch than have the Doctor meet a figure from his Gallifreyan origins?
Noma, Drak and the Chamberlain all feel as though they’re chomping at the bit for more material. Each actor in their respective role is trying to imbue them with substance and purpose. From Drak’s understated friendship with Azmael to Noma’s awestruck and curiously genuine fealty to Mestor. In the next season, it would be easy to have seen all these roles expanded to something a bit more meaty. However, how does the classic ‘Doctor Who’ monster (to use the old nomenclature) stack up?
Perhaps this is one of those decisions made obvious by hindsight: Mestor bears a strong resemblance to the Gravis from “Frontios”. Indeed, there’s nothing in this story that could have prevented another appearance from the Tractors. A different colony with differing abilities and objectives. There would be a writer’s credit to pay Christopher H. Bidmead, but you’d save on costumes, surely? Regardless, Edwin Richfield does extremely well with what he’s given. Both physically and narratively. The confrontation between the Doctor and Azmael versus Mestor is one of this incarnation’s best.
Some good material swamped beneath some rather baffling choices.
SCRIPT DOCTOR: ‘What would help this story?’
— Do we need Titan III? Probably not, actually. We certainly don’t need Earth or Fabian. Focus directly on Jaconda and its people, instead. There’s enough interesting material there to fit the whole serial.
— Who is the Sixth Doctor? We don’t really know in this version. He’s all madness, no method, so let’s give him little “moments of charm” with Peri and other characters. The barbs should come from two passionate, headstrong characters butting heads (The Peri of “Planet of Fire”, rather than “The Caves of Androzani”).
— What is the Twin Dilemma? Well, it’s Azmael’s choice of saving the people of Jaconda by aiding Mestor in colonising the Universe with Gastropod eggs. A bit more could be made of this choice with the added space. The more alien Doctor and Azmael ending up at odds with Peri and Hugo who get the wrong impression of the two Time Lords.
— Where do we want to leave this incarnation? In the audio commentary, Colin Baker cites his final scene with Maurice Denham as “the Doctor [he] wanted to be.” Delivering a quiet eulogy with a sad smile. Observed by Peri, who perhaps gives us a thoughtful look at the (un)surprising depths of this new Doctor’s compassion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Wolfie,
Thanks for sharing more thoughts on ‘The Twin Dilemma’. I agree, having ‘The Twin Dilemma’ placed at the end of Peter Davison’s third and final season is an odd thing to do to start off Colin Baker’s era. With Season 4 starting off with William Hartnell in the first two stories and having the rest of the season featuring Patrick Troughton, I can forgive it for that, since the production team then were starting off with regeneration and they didn’t know how to introduce new Doctors due to how the format of the TV show worked in the 1960s. The decision to start Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor at the end of a season is an interesting one albiet a mistep and producer John Nathan-Turner should have thought this through. ‘The Twin Dilemma’ would work better as a season opener than a season finale. I was happy to wait for Peter Capaldi’s Doctor to get over Matt Smith in 2014 and was happy to wait for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor to get over Peter Capaldi in 2018.
Thanks for sharing what good ideas ‘The Twin Dilemma’ had going for it and what could have been improved upon had the story gone in a different direction. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Maurice Denham’s performance as Azmael. Interesting comparison you made between Mestor and the Tractators. That would have been an interesting twist if Mestor was a Tractator all this time. 😀 I’m astounded Edwin Richfield played Mestor, having seen him recently as Captain Hart in ‘The Sea Devils’. I liked your Script Doctor suggestions for where the story could go in a different direction. I personally would have ended ‘The Twin Dilemma’ with the Sixth Doctor becoming nicer to Peri, but wondering whether he’s still the good Doctor, much like how Peter Capaldi’s Doctor asked Clara, “Am I a good man?” Actually, thinking about it, the Twelfth Doctor’s journey in Series 8 could have been how Steven Moffat would have handled the Sixth Doctor in starting him off from being unlikeable to becoming likeable as the seasons went on.
Many thanks for your comments.
Tim 🙂
LikeLike