Reviews

Doctor Who was having a party in 1983, and everyone was invited. While the main anniversary event of the landmark Season 20 was The Five Doctors, there was a celebratory air to the whole series, with old friends reunited and ancient enemies returning.

Producer John Nathan-Turner famously boasted that this season featured “an element from the show’s past in every single story”. Perhaps that claim only really worked if you sort of squinted at the Black Guardian trilogy in the middle, but the laps of honour for Omega and the Brigadier did feel suitably momentous, while rematches with more recent menaces – such as the Mara – added to the festive flavour. And all this before we even got to the TARDIS cocktail soirée.

For fans, the bounty of extra features contained in the new Season 20 box set represents a win of epic proportions. Perhaps the greatest treasure is the much-anticipated Look Who’s Driving documentary – which follows Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton on a lighthearted road trip across Europe, as they make their way to the Timelash convention in Germany. Imagine a cross between Top Gear, The Apprentice and Snakedance. Our heroes shriek, bicker and weep tears of laughter as they navigate continental thoroughfares, visit a chocolate factory, and listen to Janet reciting poetry in a forest. This is a hilarious and very candid portrait of some of our favourite stars, and we sincerely hope to see other Doctors and companions having similar adventures in future releases.