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The Twin Dilemma

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This article is about the Doctor Who serial. For the Nancy Drew story, see The Twin Dilemma (novel).

136 – The Twin Dilemma
Doctor Who serial
The region 2 DVD cover
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byPeter Moffatt
Written byAnthony Steven
Script editorEric Saward
Produced byJohn Nathan-Turner
Music byMalcolm Clarke
Production code6S[2]
SeriesSeason 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.

The serial follows the Doctor immediately after regenerating as he works to prevent the alien gastropod Mestor (Edwin Richfield) plots 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 a 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

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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. 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

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Development and filming

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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 A Stitch in Time. Nathan-Turner wanted the serial to be "simplistic", while script editor Eric Saward to be elaborate and complicated.[4]

The serial was directed by Peter Moffat.[5] Moffat later stated that The Twin Dilemma was one of his worst serials and that he did a terrible job.[6] Moffat 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

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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 ot 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

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Colin Baker at 1986 fan convention.

Nicola Bryant returns from the previous serial as Peri Brown. Colin Baker makes his first full apperence 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 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 instead 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.[1]

Costuming

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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 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

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Ratings

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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

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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 repetition for the serial, Bakers 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. Howeand 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?".[22] 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

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In print

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The Twin Dilemma
AuthorEric Saward
Cover artistAndrew Skilleter
SeriesDoctor Who book:
Target novelisations
Release number
103
PublisherTarget Books
Publication date
September 1985 (hardback) March 1986 (paperback)
ISBN0-491-03124-6

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.[27]

In January 2012, an audiobook of the novelisation was released, read by Colin Baker.[28]

Home media

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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.[27]

The serial was released on DVD on 7 September 2009.[29] It was later re-released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files in Issue 127 on 13 November 2013.[30] The DVD included various behind the scenes videos and production notes.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^ Credited as Gavin Conrad.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ainsworth 2015, p. 27.
  2. ^ Lofficier, Jean-Marc (1994). The Doctor Who Programme Guide (Third ed.). Target Books. p. 15. ISBN 0-426-20342-9.
  3. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 9.
  4. ^ a b c Pixley 1998, p. 16.
  5. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c Ainsworth 2015, p. 38.
  19. ^ Wright, Marc (2018). "Doctor Who - The Complete History: Resurrection of the Daleks, Planet of Fire, and The Caves of Androzani". Doctor Who - The Complete History. Vol. 39. Panini Comics. p. 115.
  20. ^ a b Griffiths, Peter (October 2009). "The Mighty 200!". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 413. p. 19.
  21. ^ a b Bahn, Christopher (10 July 2011). "Doctor Who (Classic): "The Twin Dilemma"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  22. ^ a b Miles, Lawrence; Wood, Tat (2005). About Time 5: 1980–1984: Seasons 18 to 21. Mad Norwegian Press. pp. 310–322. ISBN 0975944649.
  23. ^ a b 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, David J.; Walker, Stephen James (1998). Doctor Who: The Television Companion. BBC Books. pp. 464–466.
  26. ^ "Hanging out with David, Billie and the Cybermen". SFX. No. 150. 29 November 2006. p. 24.
  27. ^ a b Ainsworth 2015, p. 39.
  28. ^ Bishop, Venessa (2012). "The Twin Dilemma". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 443. Panini Comics. p. 73.
  29. ^ Darlington, David (September 2009). "The Twin Dilemma". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 412. p. 10.
  30. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 40.
  31. ^ Ainsworth 2015, pp. 39–40.

Bibliography

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  • Ainsworth, John (2015). "Doctor Who - The Complete History: The Twin Dilemma, Attack of the Cybermen, and Vengeance on Varos". Doctor Who - The Complete History. Vol. 40. Panini Comics.
  • Pixley, Andrew (October 1998). "The DWM Archive - The Twin Dilemma". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 270. Panini Comics.
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