53 Years Ago, Doctor Who Broke the Rules of Time Travel For the First Time (& It Never Stopped)

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A groundbreaking episode of Doctor Who aired 53 years ago, fundamentally changing the show. Doctor Who has remained popular for decades thanks to the Doctor’s ability to regenerate into a new form, played by a different actor. However, this episode broke a key rule of the show: it brought together multiple versions of the Doctor at the same time – something that had never happened before and has been revisited in many stories since.

First aired across four episodes beginning December 30, 1972, “The Three Doctors” united William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee – each having played the Doctor – in a battle against Omega. This marked the first time different versions of the Doctor appeared together in Doctor Who, and it set the stage for many more multi-Doctor stories. In this adventure, the First, Second, and Third Doctors team up to stop Omega, the inventor of Time Lord time travel, from stealing the universe’s energy, ultimately launching a tradition of popular multi-Doctor episodes.

What Other Doctor Who Episodes Have Featured Multiple Doctors?

“The Three Doctors” changed how Doctor Who stories were made, paving the way for many future episodes that featured multiple incarnations of the Doctor. It also kicked off the show’s 10th anniversary year. A decade later, in 1983, Doctor Who celebrated its 20th anniversary with “The Five Doctors.” When the original First Doctor, William Hartnell, passed away in 1975, Richard Hurndall took on the role. Tom Baker didn’t want to film scenes as the Fourth Doctor, so the production team used existing footage of him. Patrick Troughton reprised his role as the Second Doctor two years later in “The Two Doctors,” teaming up with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) to fight the Sontarans.

As a huge Doctor Who fan, I remember being so excited by the special events during the show’s breaks. Back in 1993, “Dimensions in Time” was a really fun, if a bit odd, team-up of the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Doctors – along with their companions – battling the Rani. It was all for Children in Need, and while it isn’t officially part of the Doctor Who story now, it was a blast! More recently, in 2007, we got “Time Crash,” another Children in Need short that saw the Tenth Doctor meeting the Fifth. That one feels like it really happened within the show’s history and actually led right into the Christmas special, “Voyage of the Damned.” It was the first time we’d seen multiple Doctors together in the revived series, and it was a fantastic moment!

Recent episodes of Doctor Who have been notable for bringing together multiple incarnations of the Doctor. The 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” reunited Doctors from different eras, and “Twice Upon a Time” featured a poignant farewell as two Doctors faced their regenerations. Jodie Whittaker’s time as the Thirteenth Doctor introduced a mysterious new Doctor and concluded with a special episode. Most recently, “The Giggle” introduced a groundbreaking concept called bi-generation, allowing both the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors to coexist.

The newest Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, had a quick encounter with Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor in 2025’s “The Reality War,” where she offered him helpful guidance. With Billie Piper now appearing to be the next Doctor, fans are wondering if she’ll join forces with Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor or David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor in the 2026 Christmas special. It remains to be seen which Doctors will team up in future episodes.

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2025-12-30 22:43