N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!

You can’t fault Colin Baker for effort in The Twin Dilemma.

He really does give it absolutely everything, often in the face of poor dialogue, some ropey acting and a cross-eyed monster.

Unfortunately, the die was probably cast the moment the Doctor tried to throttle Peri.

“I’m old, lacking in vigour. My mind’s in a turmoil. I no longer know if I’m coming, have gone or have even been. I’m falling to pieces. I no longer even have any clothes sense.”

The Doctor, The Twin Dilemma: Part Three

Whilst the decision to play against the ‘feckless charm’ of his predecessor by making the Sixth Doctor ‘egocentric, wilful and quite mad’ was a brave one, it really needed a story the quality of its predecessor to pull it off.

True, there is a certain degree of self-awareness that something new is being attempted. When not being assaulted physically or verbally, Peri is at least willing to give the Doctor what-for, telling him she ‘never saw anyone who loved himself so much with less reason’, but it’s perhaps the fact that the degree of imbalance is so imbalanced that makes it hard to like the Doctor here.

The moments of Doctor-y-ness aren’t quite enough. Couple that with four episodes of tedious (dare I say sluggish) plotting and you’re far away from a brave new dawn.

“Whatever else happens, I am the Doctor, whether you like it or not.”

The Doctor, The Twin Dilemma: Part Four

I have to say, though, that I did appreciate the delicious moment where Gavin Conrad as Romulus informs the venerable Maurice Denham that the man of mystery is a role he plays badly. It’s probably the funniest thing in the whole serial!

Sadly, no amount of unintended irony, caustic wit or stomping around the universe, theatrically belting out recitals of 19th century American poetry is going to make The Twin Dilemma great.

Let’s hope Colin Baker has better material to work with in Season Twenty-Two.