REVIEW: Doctor Who - Dimensions In Time
REVIEW: Doctor Who - Dimensions In Time
With Doctor Who appearing to be a feature of next week's Comic Relief telethon, I thought I would take a look back at my thoughts on the infamous Children In Need minisode Dimensions In Time.
Although Doctor Who had aired during Children In Need's yearly telethon before, with 1983's feature-length anniversary adventure 'The Five Doctors', Dimensions In Time holds a unique milestone among the show's rich history. Not only is it the first televised story to cross over with another piece of media, it is also the very first Doctor Who minisode to be filmed especially for the big night. It's a shame, therefore, that it also happens to be the worst of the show's charity offerings.
Dimensions In Time was broadcast in two parts. The first half aired during the BBC's yearly Children In Need telethon, with the second half forming introduced by the Third Doctor himself Jon Pertwee on Noel's House Party; the story is a prime example of how not to do a multi-Doctor adventure. It has everything that could possibly go wrong with throwing a large assortment of Doctors and companions together into a singular story: some of the Doctors don't get enough screen-time, the narrative is confusing and almost non-existent, the acting often treads into camp territory and the companions may as well not be there in the first place.
The plot sees the Rani (Kate O'Mara), having captured the First and Second Doctors who has been attempting to bring together an assortment of sentient beings from across space and time, land on Earth after discovering that a human is all she requires in order to complete her collection, and exact her plan to control every mind in the universe. The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), aware of the Rani's schemes, attempts to send a warning to his past and future incarnations, but to no avail. The Rani imprisons the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) in a temporal trap, which sees them constantly cycle through various Doctors and companions from the show's history, and takes control of their TARDIS, sending the pair hurtling off course to London 1993. Together, each Doctor and companion must find the Rani and put an end to her masterplans once and for all.
Dimensions In Time also inexplicably crosses over into EastEnders, something which I would wager very few viewers actually wanted to see. The likes of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt, Tim Handel) all pop up throughout the narrative and form their own interactions with the various Doctors and companions who feature in the story.
Dimensions In Time also inexplicably crosses over into EastEnders, something which I would wager very few viewers actually wanted to see. The likes of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt, Tim Handel) all pop up throughout the narrative and form their own interactions with the various Doctors and companions who feature in the story.
There's a reason why Tony Stark doesn't pop into The Woolpack or Bruce Wayne doesn't eat a Betty's hotpot in the Rover's Return. It's just ridiculous, even for a charity skit, and the resulting product is something that feels more akin to a parody of our beloved sci-fi drama series rather than a celebration of the show we have come to know and love.
The most depressing aspect of this minisode is that it forms the Sixth Doctor's first and only televised meeting with the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtenay). For such an iconic and beloved figure in the show's history, the Brigadier deserved better than his first encounter with Colin Baker's Doctor to come in the form of a Doctor Who and EastEnders crossover. Colin Baker and Nicholas Courtenay have such great chemistry in their brief interactions here, that it feels as though we were robbed of some truly great scenes in Colin Baker's era, had they brought him back during his tenure. It's such tragic wasted potential.
On the plus side, Dimensions In Time contributed greatly in providing a significant portion of money for Children In Need. The phone vote was a major success for the BBC, with many ringing to cast their votes on who they wanted to see team up with the Doctor, and all proceeds from the call rates going directly to the charitable cause.
The other good thing about Dimensions In Time is that it only lasts fifteen minutes, so the torture of sitting through this embarrassment mercifully doesn't last long.
If you wish to make a donation to Children In Need, click here.
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What are your thoughts on Dimensions In Time? Let me know in the comments.
Remember is was also part of BBCs 3D week,
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