I rewatched the episode “Four to Doomsday” this weekend. This episode from early in Peter Davison’s stint as the Doctor has a special significance for me.
It is the first episode of Doctor Who that I ever saw.
I was quite young at the time – I’m not sure exactly what age, but single digits – and staying at a hotel with my family, and it just happened to be on.
I only caught the first part at that time, but it was enough to persuade me that this was a show that I wanted to watch again.
You can apparently watch the episode in small chunks on YouTube.
Even if I had managed to see all four parts back then, I doubt I would have picked up on the religious elements in the episode. The character of the monarch is a figure who wants to travel faster than light so as to be able to go back in time, before the Big Bang, when he believes he will meet himself, because he believes himself to be God.
Also on the subject of Doctor Who and religion, I had it drawn to my attention recently that David Tennant’s father is a Presbyterian minister!
What was the first episode of Doctor Who you ever saw?
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In