RRR1 - The Three Doctors 1

For years, I have appreciated The Three Doctors for what it is - an anniversary celebration story that brings the first three Doctors together in an entertaining romp of an adventure. However, only in viewing the story in sequence during the Chronic Hysteresis, and especially with a heap of Jon Pertwee episodes fresh in my memory, does the true impact of what occurs in The Three Doctors make itself felt.

When Patrick Troughton appears out of thin air, it's almost magical. Here is a Doctor who is now in colour and fresh in the mind despite having left the series some three years previously. You can tell that the character is still relatively easily accessible in Troughton's mind, too, as he effortlessly recaptures the role, and proves an instant and perfect foil to Jon Pertwee's Doctor. When William Hartnell makes his first of several brief appearances, too, the magic is compounded. Hartnell is frail, but the trademark irascibility in his voice is instantly recognizable.

I could crack wise about the appearance and reduced mobility of the gell guards, as well as Corporal Palmer's famous reaction upon first seeing them, but this episode deserves to be savoured and celebrated. From the Doctors' first appearances, to Benton's awed amazement at the size of the TARDIS interior, this episode leaves one with a glow more fuzzy and warm than the dodgy CSO used liberally throughout.