Top 5 Doctor Who serials (1960s-80s)

[Vulpine]

Admittedly some have aged, but I look at it like this. If a friend tells me a good story, but he is bad at telling stories, it doesn't make that story bad... Does that make sense?

For example one story I had on Audio (made in 90s) was state of Decay. I love it, so recently I thought, better watch the episode, never seen it before. The sets were bad and the acting was worse... But it's the same story . So use it to teach you the story and take it away and CGI it in your head.

Hope that helps.

[Luddite]

Top 5?  Well, for me there really is only one Dr, and he looks like Tom Baker.

So for me they'd run (in no particular order):

The Ark in Space (1975) - The first with Tom Baker at the helm.  It's a cracking story, made all the more so as its clear Ridley Scott basically stole the whole plot for his movie 'Alien'.  Ignore the overuse of bubble wrap though.  It was mind-blowingly new in 1975...

Pyramids of Mars (1975) - OK, so here we have Call of Cthulhu, Stargate, Agatha Christie, and a whole 'Green and Pleasant Land' Englishness rolled up into and insane 'end of Empire' style romp.  Bloody marvellous and one of the few series i'll still sit down and watch without thinking.

Genesis of the Daleks (1975)  Absolutely brilliant series where we see the Daleks being created.  Some top nothc soul-searching by the Dr as he contemplates retroactive genocide of the species.  The duologue exchange between the Dr and Davros is breathtaking.

The Robots of Death (1976)  A great story where sci-fi looms large and we get a healthy dose of Dune-esque desert mining.  Although its got robots in it i think we can see some real slavery analogies here, and it smacks of Azimov's Laws of Robotics arguments.

For the last one i'll divert into fringe territory with...

The Curse of Fenric (1989)  Dr Who had been staggering about in farce for some time with Sylvester McCoy at the helm (he does a good job as Radagast n the new Hobbit movies by the way).  But as the axe was about to fall, things started to come right again.  This story has hints of Weird World War II, and veers off into some disturbing Germanic Blood Myth territory.  McCoy seems to be finally let loose the of 'be a clown' direction, and turns in a startling performance of the Dr as really quite a dark figure.  His companion Ace is good too, and their relationship in particular is quite interesting.  Well worth a watch i think...

[Vulpine]

I haven't watched you last Lud' ill try and get hold of it (my mate has a little boy who's into the Who and Dr Who, we share our collections) .

Ark in space is a nice choice, 2nd Ep Lud? Robot? I really like it, I don't think the bubble rap put me off (watched a documentary once, supposedly then Bubble rap wasn't that well know yet and so looked fab) I think it wasn't quite dark enough, but its a Family/Kids show, the kids should be scared not scarred.    

Dim_Reaper likes Troutey due to his Loki trickster ways, my other mate and his Son like the Pert-maester for his quick thinking and ass kicking, Colin Baker is better than most realise, just never given a chance... All are in my top 4, but, I agree Lud' Tom is the one doctor.

[FierceKitty]

I understood that Scott was legally established to have nicked the plot from the middle section of The Voyage of the Space Beagle.

[Paint it Pink]

For the last one i'll divert into fringe territory with...

The Curse of Fenric (1989)  Dr Who had been staggering about in farce for some time with Sylvester McCoy at the helm (he does a good job as Radagast n the new Hobbit movies by the way).  But as the axe was about to fall, things started to come right again.  This story has hints of Weird World War II, and veers off into some disturbing Germanic Blood Myth territory.  McCoy seems to be finally let loose the of 'be a clown' direction, and turns in a startling performance of the Dr as really quite a dark figure.  His companion Ace is good too, and their relationship in particular is quite interesting.  Well worth a watch i think...

I agree The Curse of Fenric was rather good, as was Ghost Light IMO. Heck Battlefield had its moments too. I would also argue that Silver Nemesis and Happiness Patrol have lots to commend them as well.

[Raider4]

The Ark in Space (1975) - The first with Tom Baker at the helm.  It's a cracking story, made all the more so as its clear Ridley Scott basically stole the whole plot for his movie 'Alien'.

Alien was written by Dan O'Bannion, from a story by Dan O'Bannion and Ronald Shusett. Any ripping off of plot would have been done by the writer of the story & screenplay, not the director.

Cheers, Martyn
--

[Luddite]

Alien was written by Dan O'Bannion, from a story by Dan O'Bannion and Ronald Shusett. Any ripping off of plot would have been done by the writer of the story & screenplay, not the director.

Cheers, Martyn
--

Um...OK then.     

[Vulpine]

I agree The Curse of Fenric was rather good, as was Ghost Light IMO. Heck Battlefield had its moments too. I would also argue that Silver Nemesis and Happiness Patrol have lots to commend them as well.

'Silver Nemesis' is in the same boat as 'The Two Doctors' main plot was fab and with slight script edit they could have both been fab. For example, Trout with a ginger wig eating lots of food, pointless and pants part of the story, it spoilt the story not added. Silver nem, I can't quite put my finger on it, I think it was the poor way the '4th reike' were scripted.

[Vulpine]

I was talking to my mate yesterday about what doctor are people's fav's. He pointed out that its often the one you grow up with, Lud and PIP I wounder if you might both be a tad older than me (making you 30-35) and so grew up with McCoy and perhaps see him in a better light than I do?

Also, I do think that I perhaps have not given him much of a chance, I think I've only seen a handful of McCoy eps, Remberence and Silver Nemisis are both good eps, but somehow... I don't know, McCoy ain't bad but I I'm not keen on Ace, it's that hole, she looks mid 20s but is suppose to be and acts like a 16 YrOld. Mainly I think it's the soundtrack, very dated.

On the note of growing up with a Doctor, I was 4-5 when McCoy left and as such I grew up (7+) with no doctor who's. so my opinion was based on what was on my TV,VHS's... now this is the odd thing, I had 4 VHS doctor who's (that I watched a hole lot), and without thinking, all of them have made it to my top 5 all time (thanks mam and Dad for your good taste). Day of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen, Robots of Dearh and The Five Doctors. So really I grew up with Tom, Peter and John

[Techno]

HAH !!

You bloomin' kiddy !
I hid behind the sofa the very first time the Daleks appeared ! (True)
Wish I was 30-35.
Cheers - Phil

[Vulpine]

Nah Tec, I was just talking about Lud and PIP. I know your.... Of grater experience.  

Out of interest Tec, as you have been around through all doctors, who's your frave? Or is it Hartnall as he was the first?

[Vulpine]

Pyramids of Mars (1975) - OK, so here we have Call of Cthulhu, Stargate, Agatha Christie, and a whole 'Green and Pleasant Land' Englishness rolled up into and insane 'end of Empire' style romp.  Bloody marvellous and one of the few series i'll still sit down and watch without thinking.

Just ordered this DVD on eBay, under your say so Lud. £6.13 (inc P&P) new!

However I've never seen a bad Tom Baker Ep... I've seen some that were so-so but no bad ones.

I want all the Tom Bakers but its around £300 for the remaining story's. However, one less! 22 (+E-Space trilogy) to go!

[Techno]

Nah Tec, I was just talking about Lud and PIP. I know your.... Of grater experience.  

Out of interest Tec, as you have been around through all doctors, who's your frave? Or is it Hartnall as he was the first?

No.....Definitely not Hartnell.....
I can remember really enjoying Tom Baker's version of the Doctor....I think of the first 5 Doctors he'd be my favourite without a doubt.
After those, I think I would vote for David Tennant's portrayal.

But.....It's a bit unfair to put the 'modern' Doctors against the 'old timers', as they seem to have far better budgets nowadays....better/'more realistic' (?) costumes for the bad guys (perhaps), better sets, better 'filming techniques' and then the technology for special effects has improved things beyond recognition.

Just as an aside....I was allowed to take the '5 Doctors' from the local market on 'sale or return'.....
Well....I watched it all the way through.....But it did seem so cheap and cheerful, I was rather disappointed.....I should have stayed with my memories from all those years ago.....They were better than the reality.  
Still had a wonderful charm about it though.

Cheers - Phil.

[Vulpine]

  

[Techno]

Sorry V.
This has given me the idea for a new thread.
I won't post it here yet.....Otherwise we'll go off on a real tangent.
Cheers - Phil.

[Vulpine]

Let me think... Program's from childhood that now don't seem as good?

[Techno]

Along those lines V....and what HAS stood the test of time.
But let's not start it here, otherwise we will go off on a tangent.
Cheers - Phil.

[Luddite]

Tom Baker IS the Dr.  Accept no substitutes.



Until, that is, they cast Ray Winstone as the Dr, playing him as a battered TimeWar veteran embittered and damaged beyond repair by a millennium of trying to stem the tides of chaos. 

A sort of 'John Constantine' figure, completely hollowed out by his experiences.

That might give Tom a run for his money.



If you could choose the next Dr, who would it be?


Stephen Fry?  Witty, eridite, enlightened, intelligent beyond imagining.

Michael Sheen?  So versatile an actor it could go anywhere...

Tilda Swinton doing the Dr as an androgenous inhuman sylph?

Personally i'd go with Philip Seymour Hoffman payling the Dr as a world weary idealist akin to the Gust Avrakotos character he played in Charlie Wilson's War.

[Vulpine]

Sean bean as a wiry yet at the same time energetic time vet!

Or Brian blessed! "THE TARRRDIIIISSS !!"

[Luddite]

Sean Bean?!?!?

He'd have to keep moving though or how would you tell him apart from the wooden scenery?