Doctor Who: Classic or Dud?

Ben Aaronovitch >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paul Cornell
Lance Parkin >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paul Cornell
Kate Orman (before she started believing her press)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paul Cornell
Dave Stone >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paul Cornell
Peter Anghelides >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paul Cornell
Jonathon Morris >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paul Cornell

(Paul Cornell >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Terrence Dicks)

(Also Paul Cornell >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dude who wrote The Pit, I can't believe I've forgotten his name)

NEIL PENSWICK

Man, the reaction that book caused! lol

Dueds Kylie Minogue's in the Crimmus santabotlien special!

Jonathan Morris >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> * >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Terry == Barry

Mark Gatiss (scripts) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> * >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mark Gatiss (that horrible book about #3)

Oh actually some stuff >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mark Gatiss (scripts)

Everyone else who ever wrote a Doctor Who book >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Jon de Burgh Miller

Way to break my horizontal layout

Mark Michalowski is missing from this recent discussion.

Also let's not forget Craig Hinton.

I LOVED CRAIG HINTON

Right, there appears to be a very large number of old-skool Who episodes on Veoh and I've been meaning to do some sort of crash course in the first five Doctors for a while now. Which stories should a virtual novice make a beeline for?

(I am assuming that the C Baker/McCoy episodes are not really worth bothering with).

Genesis of the Daleks
Tomb of the Cybermen
Caves of Androzani (apparently; I've not seen it since I was 10)
Pirate Planet (also the Robert Holmes one before it (can't remember what it's called)
Inferno

Top 3 for each Doctor:

The Daleks
The Romans
The Time Meddler

Tomb Of The Cybermen
The Invasion
The War Games

Inferno
The Daemons
The Time Warrior

Genesis Of The Daleks
Terror Of The Zygons
The Seeds Of Doom
Pyramids Of Mars
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang
The Ribos Operation

Black Orchid
Resurrection Of The Daleks
The Caves Of Androzani

(4th Doctor gets twice as many because he was there twice as long. 1st and 2nd constrained by existing episodes)

That'll do nicely :)

YES THE WAR GAMES

(although note The War Games is very long)

(although note The War Games is 10 episodes of bliss)

(although note The Invasion is 8 episodes of bliss too)

For Hartnell I'd add The Ark.

(although note The War Games is 10 episodes of bliss)

O RLY? It does betray its origins as a four-to-six episoder padded up to ten, one reason why the novelisation is so much more enjoyable.

When does the new season start?

Spring. I think it was April last year.

Here's the trailer if you've not seen it. Sontarans!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXWHSg08Bv0

It's got those cthulu guys again!

The Ood.

My suggestions:

The Daleks
The Aztecs

The Mind Robber
The Invasion? (I'm in the middle of it, and it seems good)
The War Games

Inferno (or Spearhead from Space, or The Silurians)
Carnival of Monsters
The Daemons

Talons of Weng-Chiang
The Robots of Death
City of Death
The Face of Evil
Warriors Gate
The Ribos Operation
Pyramids of Mars

Haven't seen much Davison, but Caves of Androzani is great, and Enlightenment is pretty good.

Revelation of the Daleks is the only C. Baker one I've seen, and it's fun, if rather strange. The last season of McCoy is also worth watching - Curse of Fenric, Survival, and Ghost Light are all really interesting.

Carnival of Monsters is excellent, yeah. I also have a soft spot for The Three Doctors - the interaction between Troughton and Pertwee is a joy.

I need to get on the Davison, don't think I've seen any since they first aired when I was very young indeed.

wow there are so many classics i haven't seen!
i am so doing some solid hungover doctor who watching tomorrow

Have started watching the restarted series. Not bad.

Barry Letts RIP

Was a joy on the commentary tracks, Pertwee era DVDs will seem odd without his input.

Watching 'Genesis of Daleks' this afternoon...great stuff.

Still haven't got into Davison much, can anyone recommend me a couple of indispensable stories?

Black Orchid is lots of fun, and not a huge time investment at around an hour long.

Black Orchid is probably my favourite. Caves of Androzani. Black Guardian trilogy. Planet of Fire. Resurrection of the Daleks.

I'm not really much of a fan of the Wet Vet, mainly because I don't like any of his companions.

Black Orchid my favourite too. But I've been watching the Davisons in order recently, and I think he's a bit of a failed experiment. A fallible Doctor is a nice idea, but one who consistently messes stuff up and then fails to make the decisions needed to fix things again just gets a bit annoying.

(xpost) Nyssa and Tegan particularly are a huge PITA. Possibly that's what puts a lot of people off Davison, because from the very first post regen story (Castrovalva) they have N & T lugging a box with the Doctor in it around the place and complaining to each other.

I'm not much of a fan of him either, but Kinda and Enlightenment are pretty cool.

Four to Doomsday has its peculiar charms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSaD0g8xY_k

^Some inspired 'casting' in that.

WTF is this all star perfect day????????

is this a thing?

over here we do not know

10-year-old anti-poverty charidee record - it topped the charts for ages.

Also Heather Small's solo sounds like Tardis takeoff/landing REAP REAP REAP REAP REAP...

but perfect day is SO FUCKING CREEPY!!! how could it be charity record? world will you please make sense?

been meaning to do an all-star perfect day poll for ages. no time now.

the original BBC charity song from 1997, it was in aid of Children in Need, would you believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpQJWpVJds

so now that they've shown all of the new season over here, can I just say that Matt Smith is a fucking fantastic Doctor and Amy has the possibility of being a great character now that they don't have a plot device sucking her backstory into a void, turning her into a one-note cypher?

Kind of amused that Rory turned out to be the interesting companion.

Cosign although I have noticed that fans online are all kinds of creepy about Rory, which is off-putting. They act like he is the star of the show and complain about the Doctor and Amy taking away from his screentime? It is so weird.

ha I am glad I stopped paying attention to online fandom; I don't really think I could bear watching people going all TEAM RORY

Episode quality was super patchy at times the season, especially compared to last year; "Victory of the Daleks" is probably the worst of the entire series (or at least on par with "The Idiot Lantern") but "The Lodger" was fantastic.