If you are into the mythology of the Daleks it is one of the key episodes, and contrary to some people's opinions, a lot of the McCoy episodes were quite good, it's just that people only remember the bad ones.

So can be said for all the doctors. Tom had some poor eps (not a lot) so did trout and Davidson, he was an ok doctor but poor eps.

Just focusing on that story, yes it is a main part of Dalek history, just not delivered very well. That 'human Dalek' girl was poor, McCoy Vr any other classic doctor, poor, Ace ain't even in the top ten companions (in my opinion) and just the set up of the story could have been done so much better.

This is all just my opinion, if you like it, brill, but Day/planet/Evil/Genisis/destiny/death to the Daleks and the invashion earth are all better. Infact the only ones I consider worse than Rememberence is Resorecthion (ok but could habe been presented better) and The Chase .

They'ld still loose vs Weeping Angels! 

Blink (the first one) although aint counted as 'clasic' is a fantastic episode, most likly in my top 10 all time DW eps. Eccleston's Dalek is a god one also. The new Cybermen... Pants (technically not Cybermen, there from earth and are cybernetic)

I watched Dr Who through most of the seventies, certainly with Jo Grant, Sarah-Jane Smith and Leela.

I can remember seeing a man eaten by a plastic sofa (Autons?), Sea Devils, Peladon, dinosaus invading London, giant maggots, giant spiders, a giant robot, mummies, cybermen, daleks, the Loch Ness monster and a whole load of other things.

The top 5 I can remember are Planet of the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars, Giant Robot and Talons of Wien-chang. But there were plenty of other goodies at the time.

Sadly I don't think the programme has aged well. BBC4 showed the Hand Of Fear a couple of years ago. Sorry, but it was un-watchable rubbish.

Cheers, Martyn

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.

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...

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.

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

Quote from: Luddite on 12 January 2013, 12:27:10 AMFor 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.

Quote from: Luddite on 12 January 2013, 12:27:10 AM

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
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Quote from: Raider4 on 12 January 2013, 02:46:41 PM
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
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Um...OK then.     

Quote from: Paint it Pink on 12 January 2013, 10:04:00 AM
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.

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

HAH !!

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