Your Top 10 Doctor Who TV Stories

[Dr Crewe]

Yeah -thats her!

[Pip Madeley]

My mum used to be an Avon lady.

Not sure if she's slept with Paul Darrow, though.

[Wayne]

Not sure if she's slept with Paul Darrow, though.

Did your Dad sleep with Elisabeth Sladen?

(Yes, That old chestnut)

[Logo Polish]

Dr Crewe - are you Blakescrewe on the Blake's 7 Forum on Louise and Simon's Blake's 7 site?

[Dr Crewe]

Dr Crewe - are you Blakescrewe on the Blake's 7 Forum on Louise and Simon's Blake's 7 site?

Yeah -who are you there?

[Logo Polish]

I'm not a poster there, but I did used to read it sometimes over the last year or two. Did try to join at one stage but didn't have the right sort of email account.

Thought I recognised your style though. I remember Avon too, who used to be on DW2005 for a bit.

[Avon]

Wayne

So it's the Avon Lady, then?

DING DONG! AVON CALLING!

"Well now," - Thanks to a certain member who, has let slip that I'm a Female ( DR. CREWE). That maybe the case BUT, I'm definitely NO Lady!!!

[Dr Crewe]

She is a lady -i`ve met her!

[Ralph]

She is a lady -i`ve met her!

Lady or no lady, Avon's taste in Who seems to be relatively impeccable

[Carol Baynes]

This thread should be pinned to the top of the board for prosperity!

Anyway, at last!!!

This list has changed a bit since I last did it, but some favourites nver change. Others have taken me by surprise....It's been a tortuous thinking process!It may change again, as I see even more stories...but as of February 2007 my top ten Who stories are-


1. The brain of Morbius
I'd love to count most of season 13, but I've gone for this. Gothic horror Who on a tight budget, but played with such conviction that I can overlook all shortcomings and relish the atmosphere! Oh, and what an atmosphere. Creaking doors, dingy castles, mad professors, hunchbacks and old Pertwee monsters having the crap scared out of them, before having their heads cut off (a Hinchcliffe allegory?) Philip Madoc is superbly deranged as Solon, and the body Morbius ends up with is nothing short of being one of the sickest, scariest things to chase Sarah Jane. A teatime horror masterpiece, with great production design, and the fact it looks so staged and theatrical just adds to it's...um...charm.


2. City of death
Season 17 was Who as student comedy sci-fi, but fortunately "City" avoids the excesses of the later stories by being very intelligent and exceptionally witty. It also has one of the great Doctor and companion combinations and comes across as an odd mesh of slightly screwball comedy and movie standard epic. An anomaly perhaps, but a great one. If only it had K9 and the Tardis console room in it- then it'd be near perfect! Still not sure about the latex mask/Jagaroth head though. That gets tackier with every new viewing. But you do tend to over criticise the ones you love...


3. Full circle
Slightly weird and full of suspense, this was the point where season 18 really hit the ground running. It's a great season too, but this remains my personal favourite. Tom's Doctor doesn't seem to know what's going on half the time and the other regulars end up possessed or with a head missing (a theme in my favourite stories perhaps?). A very good story, too often overlooked in favour of the convoluted season climax, which was almost in this very spot. “Logopolis” and I have had a ‘falling out’ recently you see. Nostalgia and over reverence has blinded me to its shockingly silly concepts and block transfer bollocks using a BBC Micro, but I love it as dearly in other ways.


4. The Talons of Weng-Chiang
The talons of Weng-Chiang will rip your Fleassssssssshh…(Relatively) Scary and stylish in equal measure, and boasting some of the finest looking Dr. Who episodes ever made, which ooze period atmosphere, with a solid engaging story to boot. Tom and Louise’s “Pygmalion” relationship is well utilised here and the villains and heroes are all expertly crafted from the pen of Robert Holmes. Some wonderfully quotable dialogue too, with lots of suspense thrown into the mix. Also the production design is to die for, darlings! A winner!

5. Terror of the Autons
The Daemons has aged better and The claws of Axos is more fun, but terror is the all round winner of season 8. The Master, Jo Grant, UNIT and Pertwee in one story, not to mention the Autons. It’s a solid good story that has that bizarre Dr. Who element of presenting the everyday in a disturbing context. I think I might laugh, until I imagine what it'd be like...plus a combination of shop dummies and clowns with flowers was always going to be a creepy idea. Pertwee is great of course, and he gets a new jacket (which is never a bad thing).


6. Earthshock
"Destroy them! Destroy them at once!" Giving Cybermen emotions and then reminding the viewers they don't have any seems a silly thing to do, but when the Cybermen are as threatening and as visually impressive as they are here, who cares? Davison gives a decent performance but it's the Cyberleader’s show. It’s a good story that will never look as good as it did to childhood eyes, but still delivers some great moments.

7. Genesis of the Daleks
Grim and often shockingly humourless, just as any story about war should be. Sadly likely to educe a blas response from many after too many repeat viewings, it’s a story with a worthy moral dilemma at its climax and a clash of ideals throughout. Even when the message is obvious it makes for a strong story. Michael Wisher gives the performance of his TV career and Tom Baker gives the ethical arguments a strong cornerstone. Some great direction here from David Maloney too, and Skaro certainly comes alive as a planet you’d not want to go to for a rambling holiday. A barbwire and mud soaked classic,

8. Inferno
Relentless and desperate with an edge of the seat quality that brings the trappings of ‘70s disaster movie and James Bond scale epic to Dr. Who. It’s budget restrictions are more than obvious, but the story carries us along all the same and Jon Pertwee is nothing short of astounding, showing his moral outrage at Professor Scarmann’s obsessive project. The alternative universe is a splendid idea, and allows us to wallow in the horror of what might be. Some of the best cliffhangers in the series ever, as well, and all manned by one of its finest directors.

9. Tomb of the Cybermen
Patrick Troughton on good form, and displaying a side to The Doctor not seen too often, comforting a scared girl in the dark in a touching scene that adds to an already good story. The Cybermen look fantastic and the emergence from the tombs remains an iconic moment. Not the Lost Ark many thought it was for many years, but it still stands as a captivating tale despite the odd production gaffe.

10. Horror of Fang rock
Such a simple premise, but so brilliantly realised I sometimes forget what limited resources the series works on. The very first Dr. Who serial I remember seeing (except a hazy memory of “The hand of fear”) and thank goodness it was a good one!
This is another story where the production design really shines; it looks like a real lighthouse throughout. Elsewhere, Tom Baker’s sombre performance, untypical of the era, serves the story well. The guest cast are good too, and Louise Jameson delivers one of her most engaging and likeable performances as Leela. The alien Rutan is a vast disappointment after this good looking serial build s up to a climax, but it doesn’t ruin the full effect too much. If only they could have afforded Ray Harryhausen though; imagine the results! We can dream still…




A special mention for…
An unearthly child

(which was originally no.9 until I decided ‘Fang rock’ needed to be in there.)
Enthralling from the first moment, that first episode is in turn utterly surreal and fantastically original. The Doctor is not our hero here, and we are very much with the two schoolteachers, who give great performances that convey all the wonder and fear of the situation. The rest of “100,000 BC” is good, but I’m counting this as that one episode- it’s wonderful. Grainy and archaic television perhaps, but utterly sublime. Television to capture the imagination and keep you watching.



So close for...The caves of Androzani, Pyramids of Mars, The Krotons (oh yes!), The Ribos operation, Destiny of the Daleks (oh yes!), Planet of the Daleks (oh yes!), Revelation of the Daleks Remembrance of the Daleks, the curse of Fenric


If memory serves me well…The Sun makers was fantastic, and would probably be in my top ten if I could recall it in full. But fantastic when I’m 6 years old isn’t quite the same as now.

Future contenders…Marco Polo, The Daleks’ master plan, The web of fear, Fury from the deep, The seeds of doom. I will see or hear them all!

The "just can't quite decide" list belongs all to...Ghost Light. The best, most intelligent and atmospheric Who story ever made, that returned the series to former glories.... or a pretentious, confusing mess with peculiar dialogue and performaces not worthy of an amateur dramatics production?? Who knows???!! May it's enigmatic qualities continue to flummux me!

[Andrew Curnow]

A superb list!!

[Carol Baynes]

Thanks Andrew! Theres a few choices there I imagine you agreed with!

Today I'm going having my hair cut in an hour (which is all very fascinating, I'm sure you're thinking) but after I'm going to see if I can find "The Daleks master plan", "Fury from the deep" or "The web of fear" on audio. Audio! I've never bought Who audio before! I've put some stories off for so long. Pity I can't get hol dof "The seeds of doom", unless I get an old copy off Amazon.... I've still got about five Pertwees I need to see...it's a geeky fan crazed mission.

Shall I put my specs on and wear my anorak before I go out?

[Captain Tancredi]

Pity I can't get hol dof "The seeds of doom", unless I get an old copy off Amazon....

One of which is the one I'm trying to sell, by the way...should be obvious which one if you check the seller names!

[Captain Tancredi]

After not really having bothered much with this thread (or the idea of having favourites, come to that) I thought I'd give it a go- and strangely enough, the first list of stories which came to mind just happened to come to 10. So here goes- this is in chronological order, by the way, not order of preference.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Mainly for the wonderful creation of the ruined London and superb first real use of location filming. [I]Doctor Who[I] thinking big and getting away with it.

The Web of Fear

I've allowed myself one mostly missing story for a number of reasons. Firstly, I'm not convinced that we lose too much by not having five episodes available to watch- we know what the London Underground looks like, and so it's fairly easy to imagine it all from the soundtrack. Secondly, the Colonel's moment of despair after the failed attack in Episode 4- knowing what happens to the character, in hindsight it's a very human moment not often allowed to characters in Who.

The War Games

Yes, it's ten episodes long and repetitive beyond belief, but the charm of the story is that it never drags. You could go straight from Episode 2 to Episode 9 and not miss much in terms of plot, but it's so competently padded that it never really loses the sense of movement. And a couple of excellent supporting performances from Edward Brayshaw (a proto-Master?) and Philip Madoc.

Doctor Who and the Silurians

The point where Doctor Who grew up, in that this has realistic people in normal settings being drawn into events, and with plenty of ideas in the background.

The Daemons

Not the classic it was claimed to be, nor the contrived mess that it was then supposed to be, but a decent stab at combining the occult with science and of course the original Master.

Carnival of Monsters

Only the third Who story I ever saw all the way through, and surprisingly complex and multi-layered with Robert Holmes's satirical edge winning out for once.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang

Literary parody, evocation of an era which never existed- this is the kind of story you can show to a non-fan to demonstrate what the series could do at its very best.

Image of the Fendahl

I'll never understand why this one isn't better regarded. Genuinely creepy with a disturbing contemporary edge that the preceding Hinchcliffe/Holmes era generally lacked, there are some genuinely dark moments - Thea as the Fendhal Core smiling as Ted Moss turns into a Fendahleen or the Doctor giving Stael the gun so he can shoot himself- combined with the beautifully written and acted relationship between the Tylers.

City of Death

So much has been said about this that nothing I add will change anybody's mind- it's just a perfect collaboration and probably the best thing to come out of Douglas Adams's involvement in Who.

Earthshock

In here primarily for the experience of watching it as a nine-year-old in 1982 and being terribly excited that my new Doctor was going up against the Cybermen.

The one story which would have made it on another day was 'The Curse of Fenric', another of those stories with a load of ideas rattling around and where the production seems to have stepped up a notch.

[Steven Ford]

Righto - A thread, that, like many of the stories contained in it, never gets old, no matter how many times I read it.

So, my top 10 in no particular order:

1 Caves of Androzani - "But the eyes, they tell a different story". The first Doctor Who story I ever had on video. It was the only one they had in HMV when I was six. I don't think I understood the plot either.

2 Power of the Daleks - "Why do human beings kill other human beings?". Not only a fantastic Dalek story, doing everything right, but the first story for the first new Doctor. After having a spaceship bigger on the inside than the out, I think regeneration is one of the greatest concepts in Doctor Who, so revolutionary and such a risk

3 Evil of the Daleks - "There is only one form of life that matters - Dalek life." An opinion that I'm beginning to endorse, based soley on only these two stories. It's amazing that these two stories can make it into my top 10, without even existing (or maybe because they don't exist) but I'm more than happy to list the Tom Baker narrated tapes as some of my favourite stories. One thing I tend to forget about the Evil of the Daleks is not only are the Daleks terrifying, but the story itself is actually quite weird.

4. The War Games "True, I am guilty of interference. Just as you are guilty of failing to use your great powers to help those in need". Yes! It may be four hours long, but it is such an epic. Possibly the greatest appearence of the Time Lords... ever...

5 The Mind Robber "It doesn't exist". Surreal, weird, terrifying. The opening with the Tardis falling apart has always struck me with a real sense of hoplessness. How can they possibly escape this?

6 Inferno "But I don't exist in your world!" A real tense one this one - and also showing that the Doctor doesn't always win... not to mention the fact that it's launched one of the best Courtney anecdotes of all times, all together now: "I turned round and they were all...". Oh, how we laughed.

7 Ghostlight "I can't stand burnt toast. I loathe bus stations, terrible places, full of lost luggage and lost souls". Another weird 'un - but very atmospheric. Sylvester at his best.

8 Fury From the Deep "The weed creature". Quite a bias here for black and white stories (and more so for ones that don't exist). A fantasticly terrifying story though.

9 Daleks Invasion Earth "One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back." The Daleks have invaded Earth! Damn things. Amazing. And made into such a "brilliant" film as well.

10 The Time Meddler "Up there is the scanner, those are the doors, that is a chair with a panda on it." One of the first anarchonistic stories, I think. The irony of a wrist watch being out of time.

[Pip Madeley]

Some good choices there, Steven - nice to see another fan of Fury

[Steven Ford]

I'd actually forgotten how much I liked it until I read it again on your list. Just the names Oak and Quill terrify me still. Has anyone heard any of the new audio versions of this Evil or Power with a different narration to the Tom Baker one that we've all grown up on?

[Pip Madeley]

I'd actually forgotten how much I liked it until I read it again on your list. Just the names Oak and Quill terrify me still. Has anyone heard any of the new audio versions of this Evil or Power with a different narration to the Tom Baker one that we've all grown up on?

Mmm, the new narration (by Frazer Hines) isn't bad, but I have a fondness for Tom's first person narration, particularly the first cliffhanger to Fury. "Closer... and closer... and closer... AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Terrifying indeed!

[Lord President]

In alphabetical order, and in no way related to any top ten list I might have completed in the past!

Awakening
City of Death
Curse of Fenric
Genesis of the Daleks
Gunfighters
Inferno
Marco Polo
Power of the Daleks
Talons of Weng Chiang
Terror of the Autons

Take that!

[Dirk Gently]

Take that!

They were a singing group not an episode of Doctor Who.

[Andrew Curnow]

Although they did also make an unexpected, and amazingly successful, comeback in the 21st Century...

[Lord President]

They were a singing group not an episode of Doctor Who.

don't you mean are?

[Dirk Gently]

I know nothing of this thing you call 'popular music'.

[Paul Hayes]

Crumbs, I haven't sat down and tried to do one of these for *years*.

1) The Caves of Androzani
Dark and moody and vicious, superbly written and directed and Davison gives one of the best performances of any actor in the role. Also the first regeneration I ever saw, and I had absolutely no idea it was coming - you can't beat that for excitement!

2) Remembrance of the Daleks
After a years of being background players and gradually having their threat removed ever more, the Daleks are back at the top of their game here. Apart from the wobbly Renegades, the whole thing *looks* terrific, and Aaronovitch and Morgan manage to craft a fast-paced action thriller on a BBC budget. Also, of course, has possibly the best cliffhanger.

3) The Curse of Fenric
Childhood nostalgia perhaps propels this story a little further up the list than it otherwise might be, but I adore the look and feel of this story, and the mysterious mythological aspects which always give Who a nicely epic feel.

4) Genesis of the Daleks
A big Daleky epic, this is terrific stuff from end to end, even with the giant clams thrown in! From the slow-motion deaths, through to the mysterious Godlike Time Lord and the wonderful original Michael Wisher Davros, this is a rare six-parter that really sustains its length. Fully deserving of its reputation as one of the best, and a great, moody performance from Tom Baker too.

5) City of Death
A very different Baker here, much more flippant and less authoratitive, but he's loving the part and his charisma helps to light up the programme. As you'd expect from a story co-written by Douglas Adams it has some zinging dialogue, and a great turn from Julian Glover as the guest villain. Tremendous fun.

6) The Daleks' Master Plan
A big, ludicrous, rambling space epic from a series that just refused to acknowledge any sort of limitations, which you can't help but love. The Daleks are at their best here as the hard-arsed bastards of the universe, Hartnell gets a chance to be genuinely heroic as the First Doctor, and this is perhaps the moment when the series changes - when the Doctor stops and stands and fights, not because he *has* to, but because it's the *right* thing to do.

7) Pyramids of Mars
Edwardian England, Sarah Jane Smith, the Fourth Doctor still in his mean, moody and alien persona, and the voice of Gabriel Woolf. Come on, basically we all know why this one's good!

8) Spearhead from Space
It's basically Quatermass II without the rather daft launching into space bit at the end, but if you're as big a fan of Quatermass as I am then that's not a problem. An excellent re-launch for the programme, Pertwee hits the ground running and UNIT are still a serious force. And the all-film look gives it a unique feel that sets it apart from most of the rest of the classic series, which helps boost its status.

9) The Time Meddler
I'm a sucker for these "pseudo-historicals", especially when they're as well written and performed as this. Despite the silliest bunch of Vikings in the history of the moving image, this has a wit and wisdom that makes it hugely enjoyable, as well as a touch of the magical as we see another TARDIS for the first time. Plus Hartnell really on form and Purves's first full story, both of them making an excellent showing.

10) Earthshock
I've never had much time for the Cybermen, but this story has a cracking first episode that's only slightly let down when the silver giants take over the menacing for the subsequent three episodes. Their revelation in the first cliffhanger is quite good, though, and Davison is excellent.

[Milky Tears]

How did I manage to miss this thread?