The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

IMDb legend Bob The Moo mentioned in passing that I should check out this short comedy film poking fun at DOCTOR WHO . Truth be told I'd known it had existed for a couple of weeks but had zero interest in it as other comedy specials namely DIMENSIONS IN TIME and THE CURSE OF THE FATAL DEATH were so awful as to being unwatchable and the story seemed to revolve around the three Doctors from the 1980s . Let's analyse the history of classic Who

Hartnell 1963-66 ) Stories are clearly defined in to being either historical dramas or experiental sci-fi . A bit hit and miss but you never knew what was coming next

Troughton 1966-69 )The show evolves in to being a tea time horror show for all the family

Pertwee 1970-74 ) More of the same but mainly Earth bound

Early T Baker 1974-77 ) More of the same but more sophisticated and really pushed the boat out with the horror element

Latter T Baker 1978-81 ) Pythonesque humour that was an accuquired taste

Davison 1981-84 ) Bland Doctor in very many bland stories

C Baker 1984-86 ) Dreadful Doctor in very many dreadful stories

S McCoy 1987-89 ) The absolute nadir of the series that saw the BBC commit a mercy killing by cancelling the show

So watching a bland Doctor , a dreadful Doctor and the worst Doctor since Josef Mengele didn't fill me with any hope but I gave Mr Moo the benefit of the doubt since I normally mirror his opinions with the exception of Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN

I needn't have worried because this is the most effective tongue in cheek tribute we've ever seen dedicated to the show and was totally surprised why it wasn't broadcast on BBC 1 during peak hours . The premise is simple - three forgotten Doctors played by washed out actors try to gatecrash the anniversary special . This isn't where the comedy succeeds in Peter Davison's script , though it is enjoyable . The major success is in the casting that literally caused my jaw to hit the floor several times as household names appeared on screen . Do yourself a favour and watch this without reading the cast list on this page because you might be literally shocked as to who is appearing

Any downside ? Well truth be told we can't travel through time and time always catches up with us in the end and some of the cast have been ravaged a bit too much by time . That said the years have been kind to Steven Moffat and doesn't look a day older than when he played McClaren in PORRIDGE all those decades ago

Being full of in-jokes, I'm not sure how entertaining this would be for those not familiar with Doctor Who, but if you know the series, this is pretty brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny (I suspect it's even funnier if you know the older episodes, which I don't). This goofy tale of ex- Doctors desperate to get a guest shot in the anniversary episode is elegantly constructed and quite ingenious.

Most of the projects surrounding the anniversary episode were appalling, dreary clips and comments shows that represented the worst instincts of cheerleading television (although that short piece on how the "warrior doctor" came to be was pretty good). I'm happy that amidst all the self congratulation, someone thought to poke a little fun at the series.

Better than the actual special at a fraction of the cost. Sorry Matt Smith, David, etc, you can't act charm. The original Doctors had it, because the had too! The modern ones? Well, the FX are pretty, now and again, briefly.

Sweet and silly, and great companion to the real show, for the real fans.

The fans have always looked forward to multi-Doctor stories from "The Three Doctors" to "The Two Doctors" to "The Five Doctors".

This is no different with the possible exception that this is the 50th anniversary one of the top science fiction franchises in the world and the demand for a multi-doctor story, however impractical, was there.

Enter Peter Davison...

Scene: Christmas 2012-Filming is fast approaching for the actual 50th anniversary episode (Day Of The Doctor) with three actors anxiously awaiting a phone call from show runner Steven Moffat. It becomes more and more clear that Mssrs Davison, C. Baker and McCoy are not penciled into the cast. Desperate times call for desperate measures. They picket The BBC building in London. Enter John Barrowman who informs the picketers that Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff, Wales.

Road Trip!! The boys arrive in Cardiff and promptly steal t-shirts resembling their old costumes from the Doctor Who Experience. Luckily, Peter Davison has an inside contact on the set, a certain actor with a Scottish accent who happens to be married to his daughter. That's when the fun begins as they are hunted by security, wander through some of the offices, sign autographs for one of the guards, lock the Dalek operators in their waiting room and manage to get on set disguised as Daleks. Mission Accomplished! Or is it? Cut to (after closing credits) two weeks later where Producer Steven Moffat and an associate are viewing and editing the programme. The show is running 10 minutes over, the Dalek scene is then cut from the programme. When Mr. Moffat is distracted by a phone call, the editor moves onto the next scene, one with The Doctor, Clara and Kate first enter the under-gallery. Guess who might be under those shrouds? Lightly poking fun at itself for almost the entire 30 minutes, there are many 'insider references' and inside jokes that will delight the fans (particularly ones of the classics) but do not have to be understood to enjoy the programme.

The cast list is impressive and the show needs multiple viewing to see who's who. And despite the title, there are references or nods to each of the other doctors with the exception of the late William Hartnell, Chris Eccleston, and the upcoming doctor, Peter Capaldi. Or if there were, I missed them.

Doctors 2 and 3 are referenced by their sons, David Troughton and Sean Pertwee respectively. Tom Baker is referenced when Colin calls him and we hear his voice on a voice-mail. And of course, Matt Smith and David Tennant physically appear.

30 minutes of fun at least semi-sanctioned by the BBC judging from the cast and use of opening credits. Very enjoyable.