'Doctor Who' Novelisations - 'The Five Doctors' Quiz | Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 'The Five Doctors' was a twenty-year 'Doctor Who' anniversary novel - so what year was it released?

Answer: 1983

The first 'Doctor Who' serial, 'An Unearthly Child' was shown in 1963, so, adding twenty years...

2. Terrance Dicks wrote the novelisation, but who wrote the original television serial of 'the Five Doctors'?

Answer: Terrance Dicks

Terrance Dicks wrote a few of the 'Doctor Who' stories, and wrote many more of the novelisations. Douglas Adams has written a few 'Doctor Who' scripts, such as 'The Pirate Planet'. John Nathan-Turner was the producer of 'the Five Doctors', and Peter Moffatt was the director.

3. When we first come across the fifth Doctor in this novel, where is the TARDIS located?

Answer: The Eye of Orion

Supposedly one of the "most tranquil" places "in the Universe", according to the fifth Doctor (played by Peter Davison in the television serial). There is a purple haze in the air.

4. When the Player looks for the first Doctor, in order to transport him to Gallifrey using the Timescoop, what is said Doctor doing?

Answer: Pruning a rose bush

The novel says that the first Doctor is in a garden, having a sort of vacation before regenerating ("He could enjoy a time of peace, of semi-retirement, before returning to the mainstream of his life and preparing to face the coming change"). This doesn't really agree with 'The Tenth Planet', however, which was the serial the first Doctor regenerated in.

Originally, the first Doctor was played by William Hartnell, but in 'The Five Doctors' he was played by Richard Hurndall.

5. Who was 'the Player'?

Answer: President Borusa

President Borusa had decided that he wanted to be "President Eternal", and rule Gallifrey for the rest of eternity. In order to do this, however, he first had to become immortal, which is where the Doctor(s) came in.

6. Who was set to replace Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart as head of UNIT?

Answer: Charlie Crichton

The Brigadier: "Colonel Crichton. My replacement."
The second Doctor: "Mine was pretty unpromising too!"
In the serial, the second Doctor was played by Patrick Troughton, and the Brigadier was played by Nicolas Courtney.

7. Who was Sarah Jane Smith on the way to see when she was transported to the Death Zone on Gallifrey?

Answer: A magazine editor

K9 warned her not to go, but she did anyway, being kidnapped by means of a "tumbling black obelisk".

8. Which of the following companions was not featured at all in 'The Five Doctors'?

Answer: Leela

Romana was briefly seen with the fourth Doctor before they became "trapped in a freak eddy in the vortex", Tegan Jovanka was one of the fifth Doctor's companions in the novel and Mike Yates was seen as an illusion created to deter the third Doctor, as was Liz Shaw. Leela had been one of the fourth Doctor's companions.

9. After encountering a dalek, where does Susan - mistakenly - assume she is?

Answer: Skaro

Makes a sort of sense, considering Skaro is where the Doctor and Susan - along with Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright - first came across the daleks. Susan later found out they were in fact on Gallifrey, in the Death Zone.

10. What enemy, that grabs hold of the Brigadier's wrist in a "steel clamp" like manner, do the second Doctor and the Brigadier come across?

Answer: A cyberman

The Doctor and Lethbridge-Stewart first met in a serial containing yetis - 'the Web of Fear'. Autons only began occuring in 'Doctor Who' from the first third Doctor serial ('Doctor Who and the Spearhead From Space' the television version, or 'Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion' for the novelisation), while we came across cybermen in the last first Doctor serial, 'the Tenth Planet'. I'm not sure a dalek would be able to grab anything in a clamp-like manner.

11. At one point the second Doctor sings, "Who unto Rassilon's Tower would go...Must choose - Above, Between, Below!" Which Doctor takes the "Above" route?

Answer: The third Doctor

The first Doctor ended up going through the Tower's main entrance ("Between"), after the fifth Doctor tried but ended up using the Master's transmat device. The second Doctor and the Brigadier went "Below", through the caves. The third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith went up the mountain, as they were pursued by Cybermen.

12. Climbing up a mountain, the Doctor and Sarah Jane find themselves followed by Cybermen. A Raston Warrior Robot destroys most of the Cybermen in pursuit, but one manages to escape and keeps following them. What does Sarah use to try and deter the Cyberman?

Answer: A big rock

The Doctor was busy trying to get a rope over to the top of the Tower, and asks Sarah: "See if you can hold it off, will you?" Sarah Jane was not amused.

13. Was the Master really sent to the Death Zone to rescue the Doctor?

Answer: Yes

Somewhat ironic, that, what with the Master having a history of trying to kill the Doctor. He was given the Seal of the High Council by Chancellor Flavia as proof to show the Doctor, but the Doctor was not convinced.

14. Who in the High Council of Gallifrey is framed and killed?

Answer: The Castellan

President Borusa frames the Castellan by placing a homing device in the Master's transmat device (that the Castellan gave him) and planting the "Black Scrolls of Rassilon" in the Castellan's room. The homing signal attracted the Cybermen, who had found the Master and the Doctor fairly quickly. The Castellan is then killed by the guard Commander.

15. Whilst he's waiting in the Inner Council conference room for Borusa, how does the Doctor while away the time?

Answer: Looking for a secret door

Although I wouldn't put it past the Doctor to write on wallpaper or ride a bicycle indoors, he was indeed looking for a secret door. He eventually found that playing a specific tune on Rassilon's harp led to a door opening in the wall.

16. Which companion gave the Master an uppercut?

Answer: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

The Brigadier stepped in to help. Turlough was in the TARDIS at the time while the Master was threatening to kill the Doctors. Harry Sullivan was not in 'The Five Doctors'.

17. What item was required in order to gain immortality?

Answer: The Ring of Rassilon

Borusa already had the Coronet of Rassilon, which allowed him to control the fifth Doctor. The Ring, however, was what was needed.

18. When the Master disappears, who or what does he briefly remind Tegan of?

Answer: The Cheshire Cat

"For the moment Tegan actually thought she could see his snarl hanging in the air like the smile of the Cheshire Cat in 'Alice in Wonderland'," according to Terrance Dicks in this novel.

19. "To lose is to win - and he who wins shall lose!" So says the inscription in the Tomb of Rassilon. Which of the Doctors first realises what this actually means?

Answer: The first Doctor

The others were horrified when the first Doctor verified that Borusa deserved immortality - until they found out that he had realised that immortality was really a punishment used by Rassilon to get rid of dangerous Gallifreyans. Borusa was stuck as a figure frozen in stone relief. "Borusa had achieved his Immortality. An eternity of living death."

20. By the end of 'The Five Doctors', who is the President of Gallifrey?

Answer: The Doctor

Chancellor Flavia informs the Doctor that, what with President Borusa being permanently unavailable, he is to be the new President. The Doctor does not like this idea.
As the novel says:
" 'I told Chancellor Flavia she had full deputy powers till I got back,' said the Doctor cheerfully. 'She'll be the longest-serving Deputy President in Time Lord history!' "

Source: Author JasonOgg

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

'Doctor Who' Novelisations - 'The Five Doctors' Quiz

'Doctor Who - the Five Doctors' was a 'Doctor Who' twenty-year anniversary serial. Terrance Dicks then wrote the novelisation that was released the same year. Warning - contains spoilers.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>