What story will top the DWM 200 Poll?

[Paul Monk]

I remember thinking, "Is that it?" about the Lazarus Experiment. There just seemed to be very little substance to it. It was "guy becomes younger but turns into a monster and chases people" and thats it.
I was very underwhelmed.

[Simon R]

It's a pity that "The Twin Dilemma" comes out on DVD after the poll has closed as it might have got a few extra votes once people have seen the DVD. I really hope it doesn't come last again, it's nowhere near my least favourite story!

[SiHart]

I wonder if there might be more than a few changes since 1998. After all, everything that exists has been amde available now- be it on video or DVD or the soundtrack CDs of the missing episodes and perhaps fans will be more objective.

Oh sorry, I used the word objective and fans in the same sentence there. What am I thinking of? Hinchcliffe rules. Nothing else comes close.

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

@ Si!

I also enjoyed The Lazarus Experiment - in fact, even New Earth which I detested in 2006 has turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected, during my current re-watching. Who knows, I might even warm to The Doctor's Daughter...

[Jonno]

I've felt all along it would be Blink - not that it deserves it, mind, but I don't think I've ever seen a story so enthused about by so many - notably the newer fans though. Reading this thread reminds me that the S4 finale is a real contender, not least as it's so fresh in the mind.

I guess Genesis will be the top "old" story and proably around 4th or 5th overall. Hopefully Talons in the Top 10 - it had better be!

Twin Dilemma to retain bottom status.

[SiHart]

It's your last chance to share your predictions with us today...

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

OK then - Top 10.

10 - Talons of Weng Chiang
9 - Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
8 - Caves of Androzani
7 - Dalek
6 - Inferno
5 - Journey's End / Stolen Earth
4 - Empty Child / Doctor Dances
3 - City of Death
2 - Blink
1 - Genesis of The Daleks

With Timelash, Twin Dilemma, Monster of Peladon and The Space Pirates languisihing.

[SiHart]

I think the top ten might, just might be something like this:

1: Human Nature/ Family of Blood
2: Caves of Androzani
3: The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances
4: City of Death
5: Blink
6: Talons of Weng-Chiang
7: Genesis of the Daleks
8: Bad Wolf/ The Parting of the Ways
9: Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday
10: Father's Day

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Dammit! I'd forgotten about Paul Cornell!

[Jonno]

Interesting Top 10s, but would Human Nature be ahead of Blink, given that it didn't manage it in the DWM S3 poll? We'll soon find out!

I'll go for The Long Game as worst performing modern story, though not in the overall bottom 20.

[Rob McCow]

I dunno, I don't think there's much love for 42. Or The Doctor's Daughter - though that has two redeeming points, so I'm told.

[Logo Polish]

Apparently the top ten is as follows.

1. The Caves of Androzani
2. Blink
3. Genesis of the Daleks
4. The Talons of Weng-Chiang
5. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
6. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
7. Pyramids of Mars
8. City of Death
9. The Robots of Death
10. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways

[Jonno]

I'm not looking at that Top 10 as I'd rather see for myself in the mag, but given my earlier comment, maybe Blink may not be Tennant's top story, given that it's not on his cover...

[Si Hunt]

Si, interesting you don't think any sixties stories will make the Top 10. I can't see "Caves of Androzani" outperforming "Blink" myself!

Si.

[SiHart]

I think my low score for Blink will help tip the balance!

Si xx

[Milky Tears]

There's a lot of love for Pertwee and Hartnell in the new poll!! McGann is clearly DOOOOOOOOOMED!!

[Andrew Curnow]

Mine's come today, so I had to have a peek and see - interesting top ten, and it's also interesting to see what's lingering right at the bottom. Obviously there are the usual kneejerk ones, like Twin & TATR, neither of which deserve to be that low, but it's not all old ones down there.

[Si Hunt]

Do tell!

Some of us are stuck in another time zone and won't see it for aaaageeeees!

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

Well, Twin Dilemma gets the bottom spot at 200 - must be baffling for new fans, really, to see two consecutive stories getting in the number 1 and the number 200 spots! Timelaash is 199, and TATR at 198 (yes, even lower than Underworld!!).

But, Fear Her is 192, The Long Game at 165 (less popular than The Invisible Enemy at 164 apparently), Love & Monsters at 153, with the Daleks in Manhattan 2-parter at 152, The Lazarus Experiment at 150. The Doctor's Daughter manages to scrape in at 140, which is pretty good going IMHO!!

And 42 (your favourite, Si) is at 136.

[Si Hunt]

Thanks Andrew!

It seems to me that (surely) most of the votes were from old series fans? Which is a bit of a shame as it means the magazine has possibly picked up less new readers than we thought, despite all the evidence on the letters page (maybe they're so pleased whenever they get a letter from a Young Reader they always print it?).

"Twin Dilemma gets the bottom spot at 200"

Expert timing from BBC Worldwide in bringing it out on DVD this month then! That's sure going to sell...

Si.

[Logo Polish]

I'd imagine that not many new series fans will have seen the likes of Underworld, Twin Dilemma and Time and the Rani at the time the survey was conducted, given that none of them were then available on DVD, and only one of them is now.

[Si Hunt]

That doesn't account for all the top stories which have mysteriously edged out recent and hugely popular New Series episodes... or do we think most new viewers genuinely prefer the likes of "Genesis of the Daleks" having discovered them on DVD, to the modern episodes that got them into the show?

Si.

[Logo Polish]

Actually, I've found out that they've also analysed the results according to age group and also established a category of people who'd only become interested in the series from 2005 onwards, with separate top tens and lowest results for each of them. Poor old Twin Dilemma came bottom in all of them, apparently. And even the post-New Series fans had four stories from the old series in their top ten, although it seems that the previous era that got the best results from them was Troughton's, with several of his stories getting a higher placing with them than in the main results.

[Simon R]

Maybe a lot of people gave "The Twin Dilemma" a low mark because they'd heard it was crap rather than because they'd seen it. Unless all these new fans have snapped up the video or seen it on the interweb.

[Captain Tancredi]

Other than getting hold of the long-deleted VHS, I can't really think of any other way that somebody who became a fan after 2005 can have experienced it legitimately. UK Gold may have shown it once or twice, I suppose, but you'd have to be really (un)lucky to have been watching that one Sunday morning.