So you want to start watching the 6th Doctor?

The Twin Dilemma is the first full story line with Colin Baker as the Doctor. We get to see him in the regeneration scene, but this is where we get our first opportunity to see that there's something not quite right with our favorite character. Sure the Doctor is usually disoriented and confused right after a regeneration. He has to figure out who he is not, but this is different. He doesn't just seem confused, he seems rather rude. This is when you discover the show was trying to go in a different direction.

Colin Baker's Doctor was supposed to be a darker character. He was going to provide a different perspective on the life that the Doctor has chosen. The Doctor has to make lots of hard choices and sometimes he's had to pay a price. (See Earthshock) Unfortunately, some idiot at the BBC made a decision that never happened before and hasn't happened since, Colin Baker was not allowed to have any input into his costume. He wanted a black suit, or something similar to what Eccleston wore as the ninth Doctor, instead he was put in an outfit that even a clown would think twice about.


The Two Doctors is a very unique story in the history of Doctor Who. There were certainly 'reunion' episodes in the past, but this is the first time we see just one Doctor meeting himself. They have always been all the Doctors. This is actually the episode that started the discussion about the Second Doctor after his trial. There's a camp of fans that think that after his trial the Second Doctor worked as a special agent for the Time Lords. Either way, this is a very good combination of Doctors. You also get to see Jamie McCrimmon again.

This is a bit confusing because there's a space station and a Sontaran, and the Second Doctor being turned into a strange omnivorous alien that just loves to cook up anything. It's still a very fun episode.


The Trial of a Time Lord is another unique time in the history of Doctor Who but this time it isn't a good thing. The BBC was thinking about ending the show and they were going to put the show on hiatus after this season. So the writers threw out all of the stuff they'd been working on and put together a story idea to try to keep the show from being taken off the air. This is where the Trial of a Time Lord comes from.

The concept is effective and a great change from what you would expect. These days, a show like this would be the chance for an extensive flash-back episode. Instead, the production staff decides to make the trial be about stories the audience hasn't seen. We also get to meet a character that most long-time fans hope has disappeared from the Doctor Who universe. The Valeyard is the prosecutor and it turns out that he is actually the Doctor's 12th and final regeneration. He also happens to be evil and trying to steal the earlier parts of the Doctor's life. In the end, the Doctor wins in the court and with the BBC. Colin Baker, however, didn't make out so well. He was fired from the role, but that didn't stop the BBC from asking him to come back for the regeneration scene. (He declined and this led to the most ridiculous regeneration with possibly the one from the Doctor Who movie with the Eighth Doctor.