View source for Dr. Who anniversary is tonight on state ETV

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| publication = The Sun (Biloxi, MS)
| file = 1983-11-19 Sun (Biloxi, MS).jpg
| px = 350
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| date = 1983-11-19
| author = 
| pages = Marquee, p. 25
| language = English 
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FROM [[broadwcast:Mississippi Educational Television|ETV]] REPORTS

When two imaginative chaps named Sidney Newman and Donald Wilson created a new children's program for the BBC back in 1963, little did they know what would become of their modestly budgeted series of Saturday afternoon science fiction cliffhangers. Their brainchild, which was titled Doctor Who, is now seen weekly by 98 million viewers — children and adults — in 38 countries.

The BBC celebrates the 20th anniversary of Doctor Who, it's longest running television series to date, with a new 90-minute drama, "[[broadwcast:The Five Doctors|The Five Doctors]]," slated for worldwide telecast on the anniversary date, today. Mississippi ETV will carry the program beginning at 8 p.m. (The Doctor Who series starring Tom Baker can be seen weeknights on ETV at 10:30 and on Saturdays at 7 p.m.)

All five actors who have portrayed the traveling Time Lord, known simply as "the Doctor," are represented in the program.

Richard Hurndall handles the role of the original Doctor, portrayed in 1963 by the late William Hartnell. Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Peter Davison, as Doctors 2, 3 and 5, respectively, also participated in the production, and even though Tom Baker, Doctor 4, was not available for shooting, never-before-seen footage of him as the Doctor has been inserted in the story.

For those disadvantaged viewers who may not be acquainted with the Doctor, here is a briefing:

The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He travels through time and space righting wrongs and making the universe safe for democracy and apple pie. The ship he travels in is called a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space).

It is bigger on the inside than on the outside, a result of transcendental engineering, "a key Time Lord discovery," he has been known to explain. He usually travels with at least one companion — oftentimes someone from Earth.

The most amazing aspect of the Doctor is that — like all Time Lords — he is able to regenerate his cells whenever he is on the brink of death, which results in a total replacement of body and mind. In other words, he changes physically and psychologically. Strangely enough, this conveniently happens when the actor portraying the Doctor wants off the show.

The character of the Doctor explains that it's not a pleasant experience, for it usually comes on the heels of some accident, like a fall from a telescope tower or a blast of radiation.

The Five Doctors, written by Terrance Dicks, finds the Doctor (Davison) along with companion Tegan and new companion Turlough on their way to see the "Eye of Orion." Companion Nyssa has parted ways with the Doctor to find new adventures elsewhere. The Doctor and his "otherselves," in the form of Hurndall, Troughton and Pertwee, are suddenly lifted out of time and placed in the Death Zone on Gallifrey, according to producer John Natan-Turner, "whilst the Doctor as portrayed by Tom Baker is trapped in a temporal void."

The Doctors learn that the reason for their being in the Zone is to play the Game of Rassilon, a series of problem-solving situations with a loser's prize of instant death, delivered by various foes including the Cybermen, the Daleks and Yeti.

A final discovery surfaces to reveal that the game is not mere diversion nor is it a meaningless activity to fill time, but there is far more to the game than anyone ever realized, a theme that serves as a fitting tribute to Sidney and Donald.


Spelling correction: Sydney Newman, John Nathan-Turner

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