Every since the series was resurrected in 2005, fans have been clamoring for an episode where an earlier incarnation of The Doctor encounters a previous one. But unbeknownst to fans, this has happened years ago, although it wasn’t the 8th/10th Doctor crossover everyone was salivating over. Back in 2007, the Children in Need telethon got Steven Moffat to bring the 5th and 10th Doctors together, with all of creation in the balance. But it’s not just a little seen curiosity, it may also have repercussions for the present season.
Taking place just before “Voyage of the Damned”, Martha Jones departs the TARDIS and The Doctor ponders life traveling solo. He puts his time machine in gear, and suddenly it seems like the transmission’s fallen out while the engine’s seized up. When order is restored, The Doctor struggles to make sense of what happened–and bumps into himself.
Turns out that The 10th Doctor wasn’t entirely paying attention when putting the TARDIS into the space/time continuum. He forgot to put the shields up, and his TARDIS merged with the 5th Doctor’s TARDIS; now the links are threatening to destroy the universe, by tearing a hole in the universe the size of Belgium. To save basically everything that ever was and will be, both Time Lords have to put aside their differences for at least a couple of minutes and work together.
One of the perks of starring in a hit show is to work with one of your childhood idols, and for David Tennant it’s the chance to share the screen with Peter Davison. Tennant’s amazing, but you have to wonder how much of the performance is coming from him and how much is true acting. Now that it really matters, his comedic timing is pretty flawless; it’s funny to watch him get starstruck when confronted by a previous Doctor. Davison matches him note for note, taking the role of superstar–he tries to be polite, but when that quickly fades he gets downright grouchy. When the two finally team up, it leads to mutual respect and the pair saluting each other on a universe saved. It’s a nice bit of “Doctor Who” history, one not likely to be repeated anytime soon.
Steven Moffat’s script is a nicely compact piece of work. It lasts just under ten minutes and only has one set, but it makes the interaction between the two Time Lords the focus instead of the rip in reality. There really is something historic about this encounter; after all, there hasn’t been a time-line cross since “The Two Doctors” in 1985. It may also have implications for the current season; after all might not this accidental meeting be the cause of the ruptures in the universe? Moffat was the author of this, and now is showrunner on the series, so it’s plausible he may have hidden a clue in this gem. Time will certainly tell…..
“Time Crash” is available on the “Doctor Who: Season Four” DVD box set, as a DVD extra and also on Youtube. It something any fan of the last Time Lord would enjoy, if not just to see the first youthful Doctor meet the version he would influence the most. But watch carefully, for the clues to this season’s big mystery just may be here.
Graeme Harper (director) / Steven Moffat (screenplay)
CAST: David Tennant … The Doctor
Peter Davison … The Doctor
