My Top 20 Doctor Who Favourites (Part 1)
It's no secret that I'm a die-hard fan of Doctor Who and I have been since I was about eight years old when I was questioning to myself what on earth this show was when watching William Hartnell mutter and dart around on screen.
If you haven't noticed much about it, it's a TV Show that's been running since the 1960's about an eccentric alien who travels in a time machine disguised as a Police Public Call Box saving people, fighting evil and overthrowing villainous dictators all over time and space.
A student in my class asked me to summarise it, and I explained that it was one of the roots of what Rick and Morty (a cartoon sci-fi satire) was based off.
Inevitably I was going to do this because it's fun. By no means are these the best stories or signify Doctor Who well, but it feels like these are the stories that I go back to most and have watched numerous times.
Without further ado, let's begin the first part of what I believe are my favourite TV episodes in the overly bloated back-catalogue of stories:
20. 'The War Machines' (The First Doctor, Season 3, 1966)
Alright, quite a quirky place to start off, but I do honestly enjoy this story.
Pretty much the sum of it is a super-computer named WOTAN decides that humankind should not be allowed to continue, so builds an army of War Machines to eliminate everybody.
It involves a nightclub called "The Inferno" and the Doctor and co. settling in within the London setting over the whole story, which does make it feel weirdly like a New-Who episode, but in a 1960's context.
There's a lot of clunky aspects to this story, such as the writer referring to the Doctor as Dr. Who (which for recent stories I now accept this name) and a very sudden departure from the companion Dodo, who was kind of pushed under the rug.
We also have a very forced introduction to Ben and Polly, the replacing companions.
But to be contrary, I'm very acceptable of all of this.
It's a fun story, which is brave in trying to create a foe to try and uprise against the popularity of the Daleks (failing to do so), but at the same time, there's a lot to enjoy, particularly Hartnell's performance.
19. Time Heist (The Twelfth Doctor, Series 8, 2014)
I love this story because it feels so contradistinction.
The crux of Time Heist is that the Doctor and Clara have been put on a mission with a group of other characters, Saibra and Psi, to get into a bank and rob it of something that somebody else wants. It's all set up as a disjointed time sequence and nothing really makes sense at the start in terms of how the Doctor and co. end up where they are.
The other weird thing about this story is that it feels like a story that is trying to make it sound like it belongs in the Sylvester McCoy era of the show.
It was probably because with the direction of Series 8, being Capaldi's first, writers like Steve Thompson were trying to do different things. It felt like there was a bit of Season 25 in Time Heist, a bit of Hinchcliffe influence in Mummy on the Orient Express and Kill the Moon, among a few other influences thrown in here and there.
I tend to gravitate towards the stories that stick out and this is one of them. Not for bad reasons, but because it feels different to the rest of the series, and I kind of dig that.
I couldn't not do this list without talking about this beast of a story...
There is a lot to talk about in one paragraph.
Basically, JNT (the man in power) thought it was a good idea to do a season-long Doctor Who story involving the Sixth Doctor in court for his life, which was quite figurative for what was going on at the time for the show's future itself.
This is covered across four adventures, which are all commentated on by the Inquisitor, the Doctor and the Valeyard at different times.
The first two stories, The Mysterious Planet and Mindwarp, are used to attack the Doctor and how he meddles and intervenes too closely with other planets and lives when it is a vow of the Time Lords to only ever spectate and watch over time as it passes. Mindwarp is my favourite of these because it goes to the darkest places where Doctor Who as a show hasn't been before, and I wished that this was explored more in the classic series. It was a bold move, but historically, a very good one. You'll watch it and see why.
The third story, Terror of the Vervoids, is used in the Doctor's defence of where his interventions become relevant and needed in times of when people need help, but the events as they run are altered by the person who cut them together.
The final story is the showdown between the Doctor and his accuser, the Valeyard, where we learn more about each character as they chase each other through the Time Lords' super-computer known as the Matrix.
This story does get a lot of dirt from fans, but it's an enjoyable story.
It's hardly designed to be watched through one sitting as the court room scenes would become laborious over time.
This episode was released at the point where Chris Eccleston really took the character of the Doctor by the scruff of the neck and absolutely went for it.
We got deeper and more adult stories than we had in the first half of the season, which was more introductory and had some fun, lighter stories.
Here, we see Rose's character development sky-rocket when we get a sense about her family background and the history of her dad, Pete Tyler.
As a self-contained story, I love this episode. I love all episodes that take a bit of a rest of the alien and monster of the week, as this one focuses on what happens if you try to go back and change events of time. Almost like the butterfly effect, and in this instance, time is stuck in a loop until it is reset.
There's a lot to stomach in this episode, and it deals with the hardship of the loss of loved ones in a very adult tone which is executed brilliantly. Probably the best episode of the Ninth Doctor's run. If only he had another season, then we could have seen stuff like this develop further.
The crux of Time Heist is that the Doctor and Clara have been put on a mission with a group of other characters, Saibra and Psi, to get into a bank and rob it of something that somebody else wants. It's all set up as a disjointed time sequence and nothing really makes sense at the start in terms of how the Doctor and co. end up where they are.
The other weird thing about this story is that it feels like a story that is trying to make it sound like it belongs in the Sylvester McCoy era of the show.
It was probably because with the direction of Series 8, being Capaldi's first, writers like Steve Thompson were trying to do different things. It felt like there was a bit of Season 25 in Time Heist, a bit of Hinchcliffe influence in Mummy on the Orient Express and Kill the Moon, among a few other influences thrown in here and there.
I tend to gravitate towards the stories that stick out and this is one of them. Not for bad reasons, but because it feels different to the rest of the series, and I kind of dig that.
18. Inferno (The Third Doctor, Season 7, 1970)
This is a highly acclaimed story, sure, but I'm surprised it felt so down far at the bottom of my list. I guess I favour more stories than others. Anyway, it doesn't mean it's less of a treat.
It essentially has James Bond and Quatermass vibes all over it.
The story goes that UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) are researching into the going ons of a drilling project that's going into the Earth's crust.
As events progress, we soon learn that things are not going well when a steaming hot green goop is coming out of the drillhead and anybody who touches it becomes a werewolf-esque mutant creature, in true '70s style.
What I love particularly about this story is the complex part.
The Doctor is dobbing his assistant, Liz Shaw, into helping him get the TARDIS working again, contrary to the Brigadier's instructions.
Karma bites back when the Doctor and the TARDIS console end up travelling to a parallel universe where the effects of the drilling project turn sour and progresses towards doomsday for everybody.
A lot more fans would regard this story higher than I would've, but when you have a back catalogue of over 200 stories, it would be one of the ones I would choose to make it into the Top 20. I just never really knew where to put it...
17. Trial of a Time Lord (The Sixth Doctor, Season 23, 1986)
I couldn't not do this list without talking about this beast of a story...
There is a lot to talk about in one paragraph.
Basically, JNT (the man in power) thought it was a good idea to do a season-long Doctor Who story involving the Sixth Doctor in court for his life, which was quite figurative for what was going on at the time for the show's future itself.
This is covered across four adventures, which are all commentated on by the Inquisitor, the Doctor and the Valeyard at different times.
The first two stories, The Mysterious Planet and Mindwarp, are used to attack the Doctor and how he meddles and intervenes too closely with other planets and lives when it is a vow of the Time Lords to only ever spectate and watch over time as it passes. Mindwarp is my favourite of these because it goes to the darkest places where Doctor Who as a show hasn't been before, and I wished that this was explored more in the classic series. It was a bold move, but historically, a very good one. You'll watch it and see why.
The third story, Terror of the Vervoids, is used in the Doctor's defence of where his interventions become relevant and needed in times of when people need help, but the events as they run are altered by the person who cut them together.
The final story is the showdown between the Doctor and his accuser, the Valeyard, where we learn more about each character as they chase each other through the Time Lords' super-computer known as the Matrix.
This story does get a lot of dirt from fans, but it's an enjoyable story.
It's hardly designed to be watched through one sitting as the court room scenes would become laborious over time.
16. Father's Day (The Ninth Doctor, Series 1, 2005)
We got deeper and more adult stories than we had in the first half of the season, which was more introductory and had some fun, lighter stories.
Here, we see Rose's character development sky-rocket when we get a sense about her family background and the history of her dad, Pete Tyler.
As a self-contained story, I love this episode. I love all episodes that take a bit of a rest of the alien and monster of the week, as this one focuses on what happens if you try to go back and change events of time. Almost like the butterfly effect, and in this instance, time is stuck in a loop until it is reset.
There's a lot to stomach in this episode, and it deals with the hardship of the loss of loved ones in a very adult tone which is executed brilliantly. Probably the best episode of the Ninth Doctor's run. If only he had another season, then we could have seen stuff like this develop further.
15. The Enemy of the World (The Second Doctor, Season 5, 1968)
Another great example of a story that tinkers more with the human element than the alien. In fact, this story does not have any alien characters at all.
The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria end up in Australia's future, where an evil dictator named Salamander has a striking resemblance to the Second Doctor.
Patrick Troughton playing both parts is pure genius. And again, there's a real James Bond feeling about this story. It's all about secret missions and world politics.
I love that Jamie particularly gets some extra screen-time away from the Doctor in this story as he and Victoria get to see what is goes on behind the scenes of Salamander's regime while the Doctor goes with Kent to impersonate Salamander in order to put things right and gain more information.
It's a clever witted story that has a lot of development and a bit of a head-turner in Doctor Who history.
The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria end up in Australia's future, where an evil dictator named Salamander has a striking resemblance to the Second Doctor.
Patrick Troughton playing both parts is pure genius. And again, there's a real James Bond feeling about this story. It's all about secret missions and world politics.
I love that Jamie particularly gets some extra screen-time away from the Doctor in this story as he and Victoria get to see what is goes on behind the scenes of Salamander's regime while the Doctor goes with Kent to impersonate Salamander in order to put things right and gain more information.
It's a clever witted story that has a lot of development and a bit of a head-turner in Doctor Who history.
14. The City of Death (The Fourth Doctor, Season 17, 1979)
(By this point, you're probably wondering why all these great episodes are so far at the bottom half of my list, but I did say my most highly regarded stories are probably not as tasteful as others would find, but I will leave that to your discretion when we get there. These ones had to be included anyway.)
The City of Death is one of the greatest Fourth Doctor stories. It's also one of the greatest Douglas Adams stories.
I always enjoy watching his Doctor Who episodes, because you can spot the threads of where he would of been tinkering with ideas for both The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Both of these are evident here.
The Doctor and Romana II roll up in 1970's Paris, France, where they go to see the Mona Lisa and soon realise it is a fake.
They are given stern words for their abrasive behaviour around this time, and eventually go back in time trying to find the source of what happened to the Mona Lisa.
In the centre of all of this is the elusive Scaroth, the cunning art curator.
We learn about his further regime and how it effects everything going on, and it's done in a very Adams way that is very entertaining.
I won't spoil too much about this one, but it has all the essential Who Tropes from the Doctor's quirky nature at it's peak, fantastic original one-off villains, and even a guest appearance from John Cleese at the very end mistaking the TARDIS for modern art.
This is one of those stories most fans will tell you to go watch, particularly if you're a fan of Hitchhikers.
13. The Pilot (The Twelfth Doctor, Series 10, 2017)
I flipping love this episode so much, so I had to include it.
The Pilot is the perfect reintroduction for new viewers to the show, as it attempts to refresh the viewer with what they might not be familiar with, but keeping both the casual and the hardcore fans very satisfied.
The thing I love most about this episode is the pacing.
The story goes for over several years. Very much the same merit of a film in the Harry Potter franchise.
The story follows Bill, the soon-to-be new companion. who is being privately tutored by the Doctor, who is posing as a lecturer on Quantum Physics at the University of Cambridge.
We have characters blending in the background as the furniture, like Nardole, who is Alfred the butler to the Doctor's Batman, and the Daleks, going about their pesky evil rampage against the Movellans.
Again, I love all of the humany stuff going on here. The triangle of story direction between the Doctor, Bill and Heather is great fun to watch and I love how on point these three are, Stephanie Hyam (Heather) particularly. There's a lot of eerie moments that definitely suck in the viewer wanting to know more, which shows how a Doctor Who story should be done.
12. The Waters of Mars (The Tenth Doctor, Series 4 Special, 2009)
Probably one of the creepiest stories of the new series.
One thing that New-Who does tremendously well is turning the ordinary into the terrifying.
It would be pretty simple to turn this into a earthbound story, but I like that the writer, Phil Ford, went to the length to make this apart of a Mars exploration project.
In this story, the Doctor turns up on Mars to find a team lead by Adelaide Brooke who are getting ready for settlement. When the Doctor recalls these names, he learns that all the crew members aboard will die on the day of his arrival, and tries to hide the fact that he knows.
We soon learn that the water spreads a disease to anybody who touches it turning into a zombie-like creature which soon plagues from one person to the next.
David Tennant's performance here is so on point as well. With his endgame looming, he throws it all in. The ensemble cast is also very fun to watch banter and communicate.
There are also some very great traditions of the RTD era in here, which I adore to death.
I know it doesn't don the title, but I do like to think that The Waters of Mars is a Halloween special in its' own right, and thus more stories should be made like this at the time of year.
11. Survival (The Seventh Doctor, Season 26, 1989)
The funny thing about Survival is that it feels like a perfect ending to an incredible era in the show's history, yet at the same time it wasn't anticipated to be the last script. It was just timely.
The Doctor takes his companion, Ace, back to Perivale, to meet back up with familiar faces in her hometown.
All is not well when Ace learns that people have mysteriously being disappearing in the neighbourhood and strange black cats are transporting people to another planet.
Both Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are at the top of their league here and this story has some magnificent and memorable moments that stand out brightly in the show's patterned history, including two tremendous showdowns.
If there's anything that I particularly enjoy about Survival, it's that the tone paves the way for the future. The urban aesthetic is very much one that you would find in the new series, particularly the RTD era. If you ever have the time, watch this alongside Doctor Who - The Movie (1996) and Rose (2005) and it actually feels like a rather neat trilogy.
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