Even as someone who appreciates clunky old sci-fi, watching the entirety of "Classic" Doctor Who wasn't worth the significant time investment that could have been spent elsewhere, though I would have been eternally curious. Like the modern series, it has its high and low points that are worth selective revisiting, but it probably does require the childhood connection to get much out of it.
I used to think I'd missed out on the communal childhood trauma thanks to growing up in the '90s wilderness, but being drawn by mysterious forces to watch the latter years of the original series before the rest, I recognised imagery that had haunted my nightmares for years and realised I had just scraped in after all.
It's a run that's as inconsistent as they come, but it's still part of 'My' Doctor Who. Here are my Top Twelve Seventh Doctor Stories.
Companion key:
- Mel
- Ace
12. Time and the Rani (24x01–04)Likely one of the worst in existence, embarrassingly terrible on multiple fronts, but I enjoyed it more this time around. For the first couple of episodes at least, before the third literally sent me to sleep. It benefited from considerable kitsch novelty value as the first serial I'd watched in years (the action synthesiser especially) and the comforting foreknowledge that the worst is already over.
11. Delta and the Bannermen (24x09–11)Ask someone who's never watched the series what they imagine it's like, and their sarcastic pitch might not be far off this actual story. One of the surprisingly rare cases of Doctor Who genuinely being so bad it's good (provided you're in the mood), it's not boring or excruciating, just intensely naff. Only being a three-parter definitely helps.
There's a gem of a space fantasy classic buried deep inside this dodgy casing, and it can't all be blamed on the budget. Even being one of the shorter ones, there's so much pointless filler. Mel's departure is as frosty as she deserves and Ace's recruitment was surprisingly moving. We've had our chuckles with panto villains and overlit monster suits, let's try to raise the bar and dare to make this silly show genuinely good.
9. Paradise Towers (24x05–08)
J. G. Ballard put through Pat Sharp's Funhouse mangle. I don't know why I didn't appreciate this silly satire the first time, I guess suffering through the previous stretch had worn down my sense of humour, as the comic performances (deliberate and less so) keep it more entertaining than some dreary Pertwee or Davison serial. It's too long at four parts though, and Mel needs to go.
8. The Happiness Patrol (25x05–07)Like many of these, you really have to be in the mood for its garish satire. My own liquorice intolerance varied day by day, but ultimately, what I formerly considered some kind of ironic peak of the era has plunged to wade in the middle pool with formerly maligned ones I've found some appreciation for. It's basically Paradise Towers with a less annoying companion.
7. Silver Nemesis (25x08–10)Cybermen, neo-Nazis and a Jacobean sorceress compete to complete a puzzle, but it turns out the Doctor had been playing chess all along, again. It's nice to see time travel used for the plot, and the injection of mysterious lore for its own sake elevates it, however forced and superficial. It's not up to the standard of the Dalek story, but not as bad as I remembered. Maybe catching up on the rest of the saga has lowered my standards.
6. Battlefield (26x01–04)The big difference since the last time I sat through this failed medievalpunk epic is that I've now seen all of the Brigadier's episodes, so could appreciate his warm send-off. It's also pleasingly progressive, showing how far the 'classic' series had come by the end, and the concept of an unseen future Doctor leaving clues is better than the actual story, which is toss.
5. Ghost Light (26x05–07)This is the only Doctor Who I remember catching from the original run (specifically part three), though it took 20 years for me to realise it. It's more Sapphire & Steel in its cryptic gloom. The series' most successful haunted house story set the scene for my recurring nightmares growing up, but it's fair to say I didn't have much of a handle on the plot as a preschooler. Not that I'm not much more enlightened as a university graduate.
So the fur suits and animatronic cats aren't convincing, but they shouldn't faze you by this terminal point in the run. Refreshingly straightforward and primal after so many oblique ones, but continuing to emotionally batter Ace in sinister grooming that would have to be taken up by the expanded universe. The Master may just be there for the sake of it, but it's better than generic padding.
3. The Curse of Fenric (26x08–11)Another serial heavy on atmosphere before getting more action-packed in the second half, this is about as mature as the series got, but still makes time for aquatic vampires. It's all a bit too dark, really, but my mum was probably watching Coronation Street, so I was spared the nightmares this time. McCoy's Doctor completes his journey from mildly irritating to dangerously unpleasant.
The eccentric weirdness of Delta and the Bannermen, done mysterious and spooky rather than plain daft. As fun and inappropriate as any Tom Baker era creepshow, while actually having things to say. Though I had to wonder whether a more serious actor might have pulled off the faux naivete more convincingly than the inconstant McCoy. Maybe his Doctor was a better actor than he was.
1. Remembrance of the Daleks (25x01–04)
Ben Aaronovitch's unremittingly quotable Dalek caper is still the best of those and makes a fitting commemoration and compelling rejuvenation for the series. The hints at unseen lore may be contradictory to what came before and after, but this time- and reality-warping series gives you enough excuses to not have to worry about continuity and go with your multiple-choice favourite.
