The first concept for show’s 10th Anniversary story saw three Doctors in a fantastic battle with Death. 

‘The Three Doctors’, Doctor Who’s tenth anniversary tale, set the template for multi-Doctor encounters. For all its charm, however, it wasn’t without its drawbacks; the Season 10 opener suffered from poorly realised visuals and a dose of run-of-the-mill quarry action.

Also, due to his poor health, the story barely featured the show’s original star William Hartnell. His contributions were limited to a few scene-stealing pre-filmed appearances on the TARDIS scanner, where he memorably berated his successors as “a Dandy and a Clown.”

Now, producers Big Finish have returned to Bob Baker & Dave Martin’s ambitious original concept, with John Dorney fashioning it into an audio drama.

Deathworld

The story begins with the President of the Time Lords playing chess with Death on a beach. It’s an unusual match into which she plays three kings. Those kings represent the three Doctors, each of whom are felled by events which bring them into death’s domain.

What follows is an action-packed romp through a world of mythological creatures, strange forces and deadly sins personified. Accompanied by their stalwart companions, the Doctors try to puzzle their way through the traps set for them. But is it possible to survive an encounter with death?

How this story lands may in part rest on your feelings about the recast Doctors. Despite talk in the extras of them being uncanny soundalikes, it’s really only Michael Troughton who sounds like the original. Tim Treloar’s take on the Third Doctor is close at times, and his rapport with Katy Manning’s Jo helps, while Stephen Noonan has a handle William Hartnell’s vocal mannerisms and gives an entertaining performance, even if his Doctor remains in grumpy mode for the most part. To be honest, it’s probably something that either works for you or it doesn’t.

With six main characters, the action is split for a good part of the time. Jo and Jamie are with their respective Doctors while the First Doctor pairs with the Brigadier. While it’s no doubt true to the storyline, and as much as we love Jon Culshaw’s Brig, it’s a shame one of the Hartnell-era companions wasn’t in the mix – Susan would have been ideal. It does however allow a name-check for Bret Vyon, whom Nicholas Courtney also played opposite William Hartnell.

That’s not the only nod too, as writer John Dorney works in various fan pleasing links. However, it does feel odd to have the First Doctor naming the TARDIS cloister bell, something not brought into the show until much later.

Joe Shire takes on the enigmatic role of Death, while Dianne Pilkington is the Time Lord President. Both also voice several other characters throughout.

In Summary

‘Deathworld’ once again stretches the definition of what a lost Doctor Who story can be. Unfettered by budget restraints and actor availability, it’s a fantastical tale with the feel of Doctor Who in prose. Like the billing for The New Adventures novels, this is a story which is “…too broad and deep for the small screen.” To that end, it proves that Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts, the script editor and producer at the time, knew what they were doing when they scaled down this story’s ambitions.

Oddly, the story might have been better rendered in prose, as it felt description heavy at times. However, what it does deliver well is the banter between the three leads. It’s fun to imagine what might have been if the BBC had attempted something closer to this version. For us, ‘Deathworld’ is fascinating, if not essential listening.

Doctor Who – The Lost Stories: Deathworld is out now. It’s available as a collector’s edition CD (+ download), or on download only, from Big Finish.