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Big changes came to Doctor Who in its second season, as Carol Anne Ford left the series and a new character, Vicki played by Maureen O'Brien joined. Even bigger changes occurred at the end when Peter Purves joined the crew to replace William Russell and Jacqueline Hill.
But what about their adventures? Well it's the same mix of historical, future and sideways, but with more humour than before.
Which is your favourite from Season 2?
Such an easy choice for me here. Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of my favourite stories of the shows history, and the rest of the season are nothing more than 8/10 stories for me.
I have to agree with Paul, although The Time Meddler ran a close 2nd to me!
I watched season 2 all the way through in order a few (actually about 11!!) years ago, and it's such a strong, but such a varied run. Maureen O'Brien is so good, it's a shame Vicki gets a bit overlooked because the interaction between her & Hartnell is a real delight. The Romans and The Crusade seem to be exactly the same story just with different settings & emphases, The Crusade being perhaps the most dramatic Who ever made?
Other than The Chase, I'd be quite happy to see any of these stories win this particular round - but simply because I like it so much, I've gone for The Rescue.
I found the a difficult season to choose for, because they're all pretty strong stories, but for me there's nothing that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
So, although I was tempted to vote for the generally unloved (but actually quite good) The Web Planet, I have in fact gone for The Crusades, for its literate and wonderful script, for the great performances from Julian Glover, Jean Marsh and Bernard Kay and because it's generally very, very good!
I think it's the Time Meddler for me. Peter Butterworth and William Hartnell should have had a series together...
That said, it's an even more mixed bag that Season 1. The Dalek stories really string out the season and although The Dalek Invasion of Earth has a lot going for it, I actually think I prefer The Chase!
Most of the stories are pretty successful at what they set out to achieve, which makes it harder. The Romans is a decent comedy, while The Web Planet is (in some ways) a surreal masterpiece, but how do you compare the two?
So I've put The Time Meddler as it's the most fun to watch.
DIOE. Not many other Who stories are this doom-laden.
There are really good reasons why I should vote for DIoE, Time Meddler or the Crusades but I've always had a soft spot for The Space Museum. May be because it was the first Target I read, or perhaps because it was the first Target I re-read :p but I just love the story. The other 3 are probably better scripts but TSM gets my vote.
I re-read Space Museum recently and really felt the writer hadn't got the characterisation right at all, especially Ian. The first episode is still one of my favourites. Hugely atmospheric and fully utilises time as a influence on the story.
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Very, very difficult. But I thought The Web Planet deserved a vote for its sheer imagination if nothing else.
That imagination may not have been realised to its full potential, and yes it's a bit slow in the middle, but it has the atmosphere and creativity to capture the imagination of the more patient viewer. :D
The Time Meddler for me. Steven fits in so completely perfectly as the new companion. His interaction with Hartnell and O'Brien is a joy to watch, and Peter Butterworth is of course superb. And it's just such good fun.
Another strong season, some really good stories here. Voted for Dalek Invasion of Earth for being the best of the bunch, and the first real monsters invade earth story that would become a stable of the story over the years.
DIOE for me - normally the Doctor arrives before an invasion takes place and helps to stop it, i.e. the Pertwee years, but I love the fact that the Earth has been succesfully invaded some years before he arrives. The team get separated and all have their own little adventures and seeing them teamed up with various supporting characters works well, especially Barbara and Jenny. It's just a shame the Dalek voices are so poor! And to top it all, we have the first and one of the best companion departures and Hartnell is brilliant in that scene.
I was torn between The Romans and The Chase as they're good, underrated fun. In the end I went for the former.
A great season, this one, and while I really like The Romans and love The Crusade (to name two) it's another vote for Dalek Invasion for me - a landmark, pivotal story which gave us the formula for some of the best Doctor Who of later years.
Again, there are a lot of stories in this esason that I'm really fond of, and great performances all round. But I think I'm going for The Romans here...a nice change of pace and style from previous stories which showed just how versatile the format actually was.
Poor Planet of Giants - even The Space Musem has a supporter!
Daleks may have just missed out in the S1 poll, but they got the win here! :clap