New Doctor vs Old friends and enemies

[SiHart]

The Davison years were apparently a reinvigoration for Doctor Who after the long tenure of Tom Baker. Aside from a new Doctor, Season 19 changed the days of braodcast to weekdays and featured a mix of the old and the new to great success...

Then Season 20 came along and mixed less of the new with more of the old to celebrate 20 years of a Time Lord.

But which do you think worked best and why?

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

But which do you think worked best and why?

There's only one way to find out...



Si.

[Rob McCow]

Comparing the highs and lows - Enlightenment is better than The Visitation, while Arc of Infinity is better than Time-Flight. So I reckon Season 20 is best!

Plus no Adric, of course.

[Perry Vale]

S19, just.

[Larry]

my biggest criticism of seasons 19 and 20 were that there were far too many companions but that's for another thread - I think I'd have to say season 19. As much as I am a huge fan of Tom Baker, things had got stale during his last 3 seasons and every thing about season 19 seemed so thresh and vibrant. AS for the stories in both seasons I do feel there is much to chose between the two as they are all of the same quality but season 19 dose have Earthshock, (one of my favourite stories in it so season 19 gets my vote.

[Pip Madeley]

Season 20 is one of the poorest seasons Doctor Who ever produced, IMO. 'Arc' was a good idea badly made, 'Snakedance' is cringeworthy, 'Mawdryn' is passable but a bit of a disappointment, 'Terminus' is terminal, 'Enlightenment' stands out as an enjoyable viewing and 'The Kings' Demons' is throwaway nonsense.

'The Five Doctors' doesn't come under season 20 IMO, always thought of it as a special in its own right.

[Andrew Curnow]

Although I wouldn't go quite as far as Pip, I have to admit that even at the time season 20 didn't really 'do it' for me in the same way as S19 did.

With my rational head on, I'd probably have to say that Four To Doomsday & Timeflight are very weak, and that season 20 doesn't have any weak links that are as weak as that (if that makes sense)! But my heart and my warm fuzzy nostalgia head remind me that in the early part of 1982 season 19 (up to Timeflight, which was a sad drop off at the end) was such an exciting and fresh and unquestionably entertaining series of adventures.

Don't get me wrong, as an unashamed 80s man I like season 20 a lot now (Mawdryn Undead in particular) but for me it has to be season 19, simply because it was just so fresh and it was my first new Doctor - from the off Davison was just brilliant. So it's season 19 for me.

[Dirk Gently]

Time-flight, Andrew. Don't forget the hyphen~!

[Andrew Curnow]

Indeed, Tim. Shada Pavlova was appalled!!!!

[Wayne]

S19
Castrovalva - Dull.
Four To Doomsday - Dull.
Kinda - Dull.
The Visitation - Good.
Black Orchid - Ok
Earthshock - Good
Time-Flight - Dull

S20
Arc of Infinity - Good
Snakedance - Ok
Mawdryn Undead - Good
Terminus - Good
Enlightenment - Good
The King's Demons - Dull

S20 by some considerable goodness!

[Dirk Gently]

What about the 5 Doctors, Wayne?

[SiHart]

The Five Doctors is seperate! It wasn't made as part of Season 20 or Season 21 it stands alone like a giant colossuss of a special.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

We all know that "The Five Doctors" spiritual home is Season 20, though, even if it does show hints of Season 21's class. Anyway, it's the 20th anniversary story! Surely it belongs with the 20th Season?!

Season 20 is best, as it displays the true spirit of Davison's era. I always find Season 19 a little too reminiscent of a Johnny Ball early eighties Maths/Science program they'd let you watch at primary school for a treat. "Earthshock" is great, but "Kinda" and "The Visitation" are taking themselves very seriously and not even the actors are bothering for "Time Flight". "Castrovalva" is a gentle, if not particuarly exciting, era-opener which only really hits its stride AFTER the two episodes of wandering through TARDIS walls and forest. "Four to Doomsday" has dated horribly, and badly lacks soul and a touch of humour.

Season 20, by contrast, after a farting start with "Arc of Infinity", has the pyschological horror and clever directorial flourishes of "Snakedance" and then the eerie, imaginative "Mawdryn Undead". Tegan has now hit her stride, and I can't help but feel that this is the true heart of the Davison era. "Terminus" certainly wears that heart on its flapping, new romantic styled sleeves, but the plot if not the costume budget is urgent, and "Enlightenment" is another masterpeice - possibly the seasons third - of clever story ideas and mood. See that nice dark, creaky ships hold and admire how lovely the TARDIS looks down there. The Eternals are beautifully expanded from their original concept. I've always been fond of "The Kings Demons" too, and can't for the life of me work out what everyone is complaining about - historical hi-jinx, false beards and accents, real horses, and home for tea. Perfect! The scene where Davison wanders through the castle following the haunting lyre-playing of the King, only to discover a robot in a chair, stuck with me as a kid. "The Five Doctors" is of course the most perfect Doctor Who story ever.

So Season 20 is much better - livelier, more colourful and brimming with classics. Because a few old monsters came back, people think of it as unoriginal - but this is a bit misleading. The Mara is only "returning" from a year ago and The Guardians were mere guests in a couple of Tom adventures, not given half the extrapolation they get here. It's only really Omega and The Master that seem tacked on to this season. "The Five Doctors" somehow adds more to the legacy of the series than it borrows, even though it includes K9, Susan, Borusa and Sarah Jane. The returning elements are not bizarre bits of continuity pulled together to confuse people; instead the point of the story is a completely new plot which happens to involve friends and enemies from the Doctors past. And of course it's all done with such a spirit of fun.

Season 20 for me!

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'd like to say another thing I've got against season 20 is Tegan's costume. I don't see the point of her wearing the same thing story after story, but if she has to then I far prefer the uniform of season 19 to the monstrosity of season 20.

Of the two Mara stories, though, I far prefer Kinda which has (IMHO) more depth to it than Snakedance. Hindle going mad, and all that jazz, is really gripping and although at the time it was kinda dismissed as 'the one with the crappy snake' it's actually extremely good. Davison is top notch, and the interaction with Nerys Hughes just spot on.

[Dirk Gently]

We all know that "The Five Doctors" spiritual home is Season 20, though, even if it does show hints of Season 21's class. Anyway, it's the 20th anniversary story! Surely it belongs with the 20th Season?!

Si.

Absolutely!

Season 20 for me.