Talking about the Sixth Doctor: they made a terrible mistake in immediately following Peter Davisons swansong The Caves Of Androzani with The Twin Dilemma. Every new Doctor since the Second Doctor regenerated into the Third had arrived in the closing minutes of the final serial of the season: suddenly the highly popular Fifth Doctor had regenerated in the penultimate story, leaving the viewer one serial to get used to a brand new man. And this was a completely brand new Doctor: where Five was patient, kind, gentle, thoughtful and sensitive, Six was impatient, abrasive, thoughtless and insensitive. The first episode after his regeneration saw him attempt to strangle his companion. The Sixth Doctor rubbed everyone up the wrong way, and rather than pave the way for his first full season the following year, The Twin Dilemma a cavalcade of stupidity actually put people off. Following The Caves Of Androzani was an error in judgment too. An instant classic, its since been voted the best Doctor Who serial ever made. If it had to be shown at all, The Twin Dilemma should have been saved for the first episode of the next season, and Androzani made the season finale.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
