It's too easy to pick on 'The Twin Dilemma' because it had a tortured conception, execution and reception. The production team made the unusual choice of having the Sixth Doctor dance on the Fifth Doctor's grave by putting 'The Twin Dilemma' immediately after 'The Caves of Androzani' as the last episode of the series. Putting any story immediately after 'The Caves of Androzani' is going to make the latter look bad, but as it is, we have possibly Doctor Who's best story followed by possibly the worst. Our main antagonist is a giant slug called 'Mestor' who looks like a sack of manure, and his henchmen, the Jacondans who look like they have been covered in wallpaper paste and thrust into the stuffing section of a pillow factory. The actual plot is farcical, suffering from a similar sort of absurd science as 'Time and the Rani'. The melodramatic performances also destroy any credibility the story might have had. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I think some of that comes down to the scripting stage seeing 'negative' as more dramatic, but also a lot is asked of Colin Baker for his first performance as the Doctor. Often the stories are shot out of production order and the first to air story is shot later on, to let the lead settle into the role. Making 'The Twin Dilemma' part of Davison's last series made that impossible, but also meant that the audience's lasting impression of the 'unstable' Doctor was a negative one and that sour taste would have lingered all through the series break. Everyone's thoughts on disastrous Doctor Who stories are different, the ones listed here are just a few exceptionally troubled examples. What are your thoughts, should any other stories have made it into this list? Let us know in the comments.
My name is Jon, recently graduated media production student. Always on the look out for chances to do what I enjoy and make it count. Writing, filming, animating, editing, radio. My speciality seems to be Doctor Who, years of accumulated knowledge and passion appear to be paying off creatively this being one outlet channel. So thanks for sharing in that with me and offering your support by reading my articles.
