Doctor Who

[Kilbowie's Finest]

The Torchwood series Children of Earth which starred Peter Capaldi as well as John Barrowman and co is one of the best Who related things ever IMO.

[scottsdad]

Wasn't a fan of that episode. Worst of this series so far. All a bit Robot of Sherwood.

[harry94]

I viewed the Doctor saving that girl as a shout-out to the Tennant days when he'd get emotional and make irresponsible decisions.

[KnightswoodBear]

I viewed the Doctor saving that girl as a shout-out to the Tennant days when he'd get emotional and make irresponsible decisions.

Was it the flashback to the Tennant days where he made an emotional, irresponsible decision that gave it away?

[dogmc]

The Torchwood series Children of Earth which starred Peter Capaldi as well as John Barrowman and co is one of the best Who related things ever IMO.

Absolutely spot on...

[DA Baracus]

What a load of pish

That lion thing was one of the worst things ever in Dr Who.

The whole episode was simply to set up the scene between Ashilda/Me and the Doctor in the tavern at the end and setting her up as someone significant in this season's arc

[Boghead ranter]

Galloping along full pelt on a horse, with neither him nor the horse's head moving an inch. Jeezo.

[accies1874]

That's got to be one of the most forgettable Doctor Who episodes ever made.

[Gaz]

Capaldi is a fine actor, and has the potential to be a great Doctor, but by f**k he's getting let down with some shite episodes.

[~~~]

Instantly forgetful episode.

Next week looks decent though

[Kilbowie's Finest]

Yet again I will buck the trend and say I enjoyed that - interesting look at how immortality is as much a curse as it is a blessing . Liked the flashbacks to Ashildr / Me at Agincourt / surviving The Black Death etc although thought the big Thundercat was a bit shit. Liked Rufus Hound in this as well.

[meanmistermustard]

'The Girl Who Died' had a few decent moments and it least it wasn't just a matter of the girl dreaming saving the day (such a possibility brought up memories of the abominable Matt Smith episode where the girl sang to save the planet - that's when I gave up on it. How I detest even the thought of that episode).

'The Girl Who Lived' was a total waste of time right from the beginning. Jenna Coleman probably read the script and wanted no part in such crap.

[accies1874]

'The Girl Who Died' had a few decent moments and it least it wasn't just a matter of the girl dreaming saving the day (such a possibility brought up memories of the abominable Matt Smith episode where the girl sang to save the planet - that's when I gave up on it. How I detest even the thought of that episode).

'The Girl Who Lived' was a total waste of time right from the beginning. Jenna Coleman probably read the script and wanted no part in such crap.

That half-series had 2 or 3 decent/good episodes but that one was fairly horrific.

[killienick]

Whilst not exactly being vintage Who, the criticism on here for the current series is, IMO, way over the top. The Girl Who Died was an OK episode as was the Woman Who Lived. More than that though, the 'tidal waves' or butterfly effect storytelling is being set up nicely. It's something which Who has always skirted around or dealt with in a clichéd way but the Maisie Williams character is bubbling away nicely.

I think it might be best to view these episodes retrospectively.

I've a couple of questions though;

• Who told Me about the Doctor? I'm sure there is another player somewhere who told her about the 'ship' and the 'running away' and her excuse about picking it up from the survivors doesn't sell. The Doctor asked a couple of times so it would appear to be the case.
• The look the Doctor gave Clara seemed foreboding, does he know something or was that just pondering mortality? (the I've missed you line seemed out of place without any context of how long they'd been apart),
• The missing diary pages? I guess these will refer to the unknown source of information?

I'm intrigued by the whole thing so far.

Edit typo.

Edited October 26, 2015 by killienick

[milton75]

Good post. I wasn't a big fan of the episode, but happy to sit back and let the wider story unfold.

[KnightswoodBear]

That was as bad as any of the worst Sylvester McCoy shite when the BBC were trying to kill it.

Some of the acting was chronic and the bit on the horse was so utterly dreadful I think they were taking the piss.

[SGMilne]

I liked the Girl Who Died but I thought The Woman Who Lived misfired.

Shouldn't have tried to mix serious human emotion with ditzy comedy.

As always as ever, more expanded views can be found at https://stuartreviewsstuff.wordpress.com/category/doctor-who/

[Bully Wee Villa]

I decided to start watching every Doctor Who episode from the beginning, watching recons/animations for the "missing"/strike-affected episodes. Inspired by Stuart (above!) I've rated them. His write ups are better than mine, so buy his books!

I thought I'd put them here anyway. Starting with the William Hartnell Era.

My initial plan had been to review them as I went along while they were all fresh in my mind. However, being lazy, I didn't quite get round to it and I've only just finished my reviews of Hartnell's stories despite the fact that I'm nearing the end of Troughton's spell as I type this.The result is that, while I've remembered the stories, I haven't made as many notes on the companions and the character of the Doctor as I should have. To make up for this, I've given final thoughts on each companion and The Doctor at the point where they leave the show.

Finally, I've done ratings of the companions (with the exception of Ben and Polly, who I'll review when they leave near the start of the Second Doctor's incumbency) and the stories.

So as to avoid giving too much away, and to prevent my posts clogging up the entire page, I've put my story/companion reviews in spoiler tabs.

An Unearthly Child

I'm pretty much in agreement with fandom on this one. Wonderful first episode, fairly dull for the rest.

I'm immediately intrigued by The Doctor, some say he's too mean in this and other early episodes but I find that more interesting. The way in which Barbara and Ian stumble in to the TARDIS for the first time is brilliant, and Susan was rarely better. The first episode is just... fantastic. The rest isn't entirely without merit, despite some hammy acting from the extras, but to be honest you wouldn't miss much by simply jumping straight from Episode One to Skaro, via the next story... 6/10

The Daleks

The story that really made Doctor Who.

While people often criticise the special effects in the programme, I feel that it doesn't get enough recognition for its revolutionary sound effects. While the theme tune is, obviously, brilliant, the other sounds are ace here too. When they're walking through the corridors, exploring this unknown planet, it really sounds, just, sort of alien. The Dalek voices are cool too, you can really see why just about every child that watched this would have gone into school the next day shouting "EXTERMINATE!".

The special effects themselves aren't too bad. Throughout the series, robot-like metal aliens seem a lot easier to make convincing that humanoid creatures with hair and skin. I like the way this story takes a while to build up, we get to roam around in episode one, allowing the Daleks to maintain their mystery until the second instalment. It does go off a bit in the middle episodes though, so I'll mark it down a bit for that, but certainly a story everyone who has any interest in black and white-era Who should watch. 7/10

Edge of Destruction

Regarded as a bit of a "filler", it's certainly far from essential if you only want to watch the odd episode but still enjoyable enough. Obviously a budget-saver, the whole thing is set inside the TARDIS and the writers deserve credit for still coming up with a watchable story. We see The Doctor at his harshest here, all set to chuck the humans off the ship, and continuing the cockish behaviour he's displayed in the earlier stories. By the resolution though, he's pretty apologetic and you can already see his personality beginning to thaw.

So, if it's not the most vital serial in the show's history, it is important in terms of character development. At only two episodes, it certainly doesn't drag. 6/10

Marco Polo

First up… a confession. I am watching all the missing episodes via animations or (when they're unavailable) recons. In the case of this story though... I haven't watched the whole thing. I just watched the reconstructed version on the "The Edge of Destruction" DVD. I will get round to watching all seven episodes in recon form at some point but can't really be arsed to give myself another load of missing episodes to watch while I'm currently at the beginning of the recon-dominated Troughton Era. I might watch it after a bunch of Pertwees or Tom Bakers.

This is, in many ways, the archetypal Hartnell story. It's a pure historical, the likes of which were pretty much abolished a couple of stories into the Second Doctor's spell. We have some nice olden-days people and some horrible ones, at odds with each other. The eponymous Polo is pretty good, the whole plot is fairly captivating. I'm not sure if there is quite enough to spread over seven episodes (I'll find out later when I watch it properly!) but from what I've seen it's engaging enough. I like that the show has an educational bent at this stage, insisting on referring to China as "Cathay" for instance. The costumes look good and it's easy to lose yourself in the story and feel you are in Asia, a sign that the effects department are doing a good job.

Definitely recommended, and, as with all missing episodes, I cling to the hope that it will turn up some day. 7/10

The Keys of Marinus

A complete change of pace here. Every episode is, basically, an entirely new adventure. It keeps you guessing throughout… even to the extent of killing off the guy you thought was going to be the main protagonist at the end of episode one.

And, it works! The Voord look okay and I love the episode when the baddies use mind control to create the illusion of luxury, so as to deceive our heroes. This is just good fun, throughout. 8/10

The Aztecs

Simply… excellent. Barbara's finest hour as she is mistaken for a Goddess and attempts to change the course of history, leading to an altercation with The Doctor and his famous "Not one line!" speech.

The contrast between the understanding and the Machiavellian natives is a well-worn one in early Who, but it's never done better than in this episode. The sets look good, the dialogue is convincing, the story never lets up. If you don't like this one, you probably won't like any of the historicals. 9/10

The Sensorites

And then we have The Sensorites. It's not really bad, it's just a bit dull.

The first episode sets up their threat nicely, and when you first see them floating outside the spaceship you expect an interesting plot.

You expect wrong.

Telepathy is rarely used in Doctor Who, perhaps surprisingly for a sci-fi show. It was used pretty well as recently as The Keys of Marinus though, and the effect was far better than here where it basically consists of Susan grabbing her head from time to time and trying to look like she's in some great pain.

This might be tolerable for four episodes but after six I wanted to dismember a Sensorite.

Okay, maybe it is bad. 4/10

The Reign of Terror

If you ignore the filler "Edge of Destruction", there's a clear pattern to the first series. Historical, followed by alien one, followed by historical, followed by alien one… and so on. It's a pattern that would be retained with only the odd exception until 1967. The last one was an alien one, so this must be... an historical. It's also my first view, on this run, of one of the animated episodes. The animation looks great. I wish they would just animate all the missing episodes but it seems too expensive. We need a Whovian to win the Euromillions!

Anyway, the story... upside, it's quite interesting, maintains a sense of, erm..., terror, and has some decent performances. On the downside, I think this is one of a few stories where the writer forgets he's writing for an audience of, mostly, children, who aren't going to know the politics and history of the French Revolution inside out and may get a bit lost at some points. 6/10

Planet of Giants

Verity Lambert took the decision to reduce this one from four to three episodes as she thought it was a bit dull. I agree on the dullness. It deserves praise for some of the effects, particularly going to the trouble of creating a giant sink. There is some fun to be had from the TARDIS crew's miniaturised-adventures, but it's not that great, and doesn't even have the excuse that it was new and original, as "The Incredible Shrinking Man" had done the same thing, much better, in the fifties. What I most disliked though was the central story involving the fully-grown characters which was so boring I've pretty much forgotten it already. I think it was something to do with fertiliser. Not a bad metaphor for the rest of the plot.

Verity should've reduced it to zero episodes. 4/10

The Dalek Invasion of Earth

I'll start with a bit of a moan. I know they need viewing figures, and wanted to advertise the revival of the megastars from series one. Still, it does spoil it a bit when everyone watching would've known that the Daleks were going to turn up. Particularly the otherwise brilliant and iconic cliff-hanger at the end of the first episode which sees a Dalek rise up from the Thames.

While this story does suffer slightly, like the first Dalek serial, from some padding in its middle episodes, it's still pretty great. The whole thing has an air of nastiness to it, from the sheer soullessness of the Robo-Men to the sign warning locals not to dump bodies in the river. It all finishes with Susan getting a genuinely touching farewell from the Doctor. If I was her though, I'd be pissed off that he hadn't let her go back in the TARDIS to get some shoes. In summary, definitely not one to skip.

Let's just pretend that The Slither didn't happen. 7/10

Final thoughts, Susan Foreman: She starts as an interesting character, and there is plenty of chance to develop her as a near-equal for The Doctor, even more so when the writers decide to give her telepathic powers. But… it just never quite happens for Susan.

While Barbara gets to be play the role of a strong, independently-minded woman, Susan spends most of her time getting into trouble and screaming. She could've been so much better. I never actually disliked her though, like I did some companions, so I'm glad she got a good send-off.

The Rescue

This one is the first two-parter since Edge of Destruction and, much like that story, it's a bit of a filler. It does serve as an introduction for the new companion Vicki though, and she's pretty good straightaway. While the central twist is fairly easy to guess, it's not a bad story, and the outfit worn by Koquillion is pretty good... even if it is a bit S&M.

I'm not too keen on Ian's character here though. Within seconds of meeting the baddy, he's dismissing his entire species as untrustworthy and "worse than The Daleks". You've only met one, you big racist! 6/10

The Romans

This is just a bit silly, but it's not bad for that. Nero has plenty of fun, albeit he does overstep the mark as he becomes about the fortieth person in the show's run, so far, to attempt to rape Barbara. The whole thing is a bit of a farce, but it's enjoyable.

The end though, as The Doctor laughs manically having realised he's been responsible for causing the Great Fire of Rome.... it's a bit off, isn't it? It's pretty weird that the writers decided that he'd find causing so many deaths to be a bit of a jolly old lark. Still, it is in keeping with the rest of the story's tone. Some people ask... doesn't this story make The Doctor a big hypocrite? He's castigated Barbara for trying to interfere in Aztec history but now, here he is, laughing his head off having just, effectively, burned down Rome. I'd say the best explanation for this is that the watching audience who had all lived prior to the events of An Unearthly Child knew Earth's history up to that point. They know that The Aztecs don't survive, and they know that Rome gets burned down during the reign of Nero. Therefore those things had to happen. So when The Doctor stopped Barbara intervening in pre-conquest Mexico, he was preserving history as it was meant to be. When he bumbled and caused the Roman fire, he was only, inadvertently, preserving history too. Does that make sense? No? Well, okay, how about... the writer of The Romans hadn't seen, or didn't particularly care about, what happened in The Aztecs? Choose whichever theory you prefer! 7/10

The Web Planet

I've not been too quick to have a go at the programme for its alien effects. I know they're restricted by budget, and that this was half a century ago. But still. These insect-people are just shit. I mean, they'd make Ed Wood blush.

To praise the story: it's nice to see some aliens given distinct personalities rather than just the usual "everyone from this species are slaves or psychopaths". To criticise though, the story's really boring and it seems to go on forever. The effects got so bad at one stage that until Vicki shouted "leave us alone you dirty spider!" I genuinely thought she was under attack from a killer lampshade. I got so bored I decided to take advantage of the DVD's option to watch the last episode in Spanish. I enjoyed hearing "DOC-TORRRRR MYSTEEEEERRRRRREEEEOOOOO!!!" shouted over the opening titles. I didn't enjoy much else on "The Web Planet" though. 3.5/10

The Crusade

Well, might as well state that I generally like the historicals, in case you hadn’t guessed yet. This one's great, the actors stand out especially the bolshy woman playing the King's sister… Jean Marsh. Sadly though, I really struggled to work out what was happening in the final episode, as it is missing. Watching the recon it seemed just too action-packed to keep up. Of all the indivual Hartnell episodes missing, I think I want Crusade part 4 to turn up more than any other. Slight points off for the ludicrous plotline involving Vicki dressing as a boy. 7.5/10

The Space Museum

A bit like An Unearthly Child… we have one brilliant episode, followed by three meh. Initially we're treated to seeing time work in a mysterious way, as the TARDIS crew change clothes without noticing, and a glass gets smashed and hastily re-assembles itself. Towards the end of the episode we realise that, not only have the Doctor and co been here already, but they're already dead and on display as exhibits at the eponymous museum! Surely, it'll be fascinating finding out if they can prevent this terrible future happening?

Well, no. Not really. One great episode precedes three dull ones, as we encounter that rarest of revolutions, a slow-paced and boring one. At some points I did think they might be taking the piss, especially when Barbara says "all these corridors look the same". Indeed, there's a feature on the DVD explains that we should all love this story as it's clearly meant to be ironic. I didn't really enjoy the story enough to be arsed watching said extra though. A fairly poor effort overall, but not one of the very worst if only for the quite superb first twenty-five minutes. I wonder if Big Finish could be persuaded to remake An Unearthly Child and The Space Museum with decent middles and ends? 5/10

The Chase

Lots of people seem to hate this, as it’s silly. Bollocks to them, it's brilliant! There's just loads to keep you occupied, TV's Shelley and the Fish People's dilemma (it's not much of a dilemma, admittedly, I'd have handed the Doctor over to the Daleks before you could say "have you got any tartare sauce?"), the Daleks onboard The Marie Celeste, The Beatles, Dracula, Peter Purves' shit American accent and all kinds of other stuff. It never lets up. So long as you don't think about the plot too much (and by "too much" I mean "at all") then it's just enjoyable from start to finish. Perhaps a downside is that it makes the Daleks seem just too lacking in menace. Fear not though! They'll be back to being metal b*****ds in their next outing!

I wasn't madly impressed with Ian and Barbara's goodbye, a bit too light-hearted. I prefer the weighty gravitas of Shoeless Susan's "So Long". Still, you can't help but get a slight lump in the throat when The Doctor admits "I shall miss them". He's come a long way from the surly old sod we saw back in the junkyard. He's now blossomed into a slightly-surly old sod. 7/10

Final thoughts, Barbara Wright: Barbara is probably the most likeable and relatable character in the show throughout her spell in the TARDIS. She's basically good-natured, believable and, crucially, she doesn't start screaming every eight seconds like some female companions. Ian is perhaps slightly more memorable as he gets to try the role of action hero more often. However, Barbara is utterly crucial in early Whostory (is that a word? Don't care, using it anyway). She comes across as more convincing and vulnerable than most assistants. Simply brilliant.

Final thoughts, Ian Chesterton: Probably the only companion to really, genuinely, share top billing with the Doctor in the show's entire history. With the possible exception of Clara in the last series. He's excellent. The show needs someone to stand up and question the Doctor's motives during the early episodes when audiences would've been unsure whether the old bloke that keeps saying "Hmmmm?" was actually a good guy or a baddie. If I had one criticism, and it's not the actor's fault, it would be perhaps he's a little too action-heavy. They seem to have to contrive a way for him to get into a fight in every episode. I prefer my heroes to outwit, rather than outfight, the evil-doers. That's why I'm a Dr Who geek not a James Bond fan. Generally though, he's absolutely crucial to the show's history and one of the all-time great companions.

The Time Meddler

A "modern" feeling historical. The first time an alien presence appears in an Earth history setting (apart from the Doctor/Susan). Nowadays they can't go back in time without sticking a token extra-terrestrial but this was pretty new. So much so, that a lot of the audience members thought that the discarded wristwatch was a production error, rather than a deliberate clue that someone didn't belong in 1066.

Conclusion: people in the 1960s were idiots.

Anyway, the story: it's excellent. There's maybe a bit of padding, if you're going to be critical. However, the central concept is original and imaginative. The interaction between the Doctor and the eponymous Monk is superb and the reveal of his TARDIS remains one of the most iconic in the show's history. I like the ending too. The Doctor, arguably, wouldn't vanquish an opponent in such a sadistic way again until "The Family of Blood" forty-two years later.

This is easily one of the best Hartnell stories and among the elite serials in the programme's entire history. 8.5/10

Galaxy 4

This is a whole pile of meh. For one, "Chumblies" is a shit name for an alien. Secondly, the plot is so obvious that it's hardly worth bothering with. Thirdly, the story is just dull. I doubt this is one I'll be rewatching. Well, okay, I will if they find more of the missing episodes. But that's only because I'm a sad completist, not because Galaxy 4 is any better than piss-poor. 3.5/10

The Myth Makers

It should be Mission to the Unknown next, but it seems to make more sense to review that alongside Daleks' Master Plan. I do wonder if some people watching Myth Makers would've been disappointed to not see any exterminating in the first episode.

Anyway, my thoughts on it: I couldn't really be arsed with this story when I listened to the audio tapes (all the episodes are missing). However, for some reason I enjoyed it a lot more watching in recon format. Maybe because I tend to watch the recons on my phone which means I have to concentrate as I can't piss about on my phone at the same time. It's quite silly and whimsical for the opening episodes, but it works here like it does in "The Romans". The conclusion is a bit bleak, but I quite like bleak so that's fine by me. The violence encompassed in the ending would never have been allowed in the Mary Whitehouse-dominated seventies or, arguably, today. 7/10

Final thoughts, Vicki: Generally, I'm not sad to see companions go. Even the better ones often outstay their welcome, and I feel that changing them from time to time helps keep the programme fresh. Vicki's an exception though. It really does feel like she got the push just as she was getting going. There's contrasting views as to whether she was sacked, chose to leave or ended up leaving because of a big misundertanding. Regardless of why she left, she was a clear, massive upgrade on Susan. She was adept at the getting into the sort of trouble that companions need to in order to keep the story going but never really felt weak or had to start screaming every three seconds.

A very good addition to the TARDIS and it's a shame she didn't stay in the show longer.

The Daleks' Master Plan (including Mission to the Unknown)

"Mission to the Unknown" first, and I quite like the concept of a prequel episode, it seems quite a modern and dangerous idea. No Doctor, no assistant, no TARDIS. I don't think you could get away with this now when you only have thirteen or fourteen episodes a year to play with but it works here. You could probably enjoy "The Daleks' Master Plan" without bothering with the events of the prequel episode but I still think it's well worth watching (the original episode doesn't exist but there's a very good animated version on Youtube).

I enjoyed the silliness of "The Chase" but I think it's still important that the Daleks are allowed to regain some of their menace and they do so here in excellent, brutal style. As for the story itself, it's pretty much impossible to talk about without giving away some fairly crucial elements of the plot, so if you don't know the story and would consider watching or listening to the story then best not to read on.

I'll start with the criticism. I really don't like the "Christmas episode", "The Feast of Steven". While it's fair to say that some of the humour might work better if you could actually see it (another missing episode) I find it unlikely that this would've been regarded as a comedy classic anyway. Some, well, okay, most of it is toe-curlingly bad. What annoys me most though is how NOISY it is, once they arrive in the "hilarious" setting of a US-movie set. You have a choice of listening to it at a volume where you can't tell what's going on, or at a volume so loud that it makes your ears hurt. Trust me, go for the first option, you won't be missing much. The Doctor also breaks the Fourth Wall to wish viewers a Happy Christmas. No, really. The japery is continued, to a lesser extent, in the next episode when the TARDIS materialises in the middle of an Ashes Test. Surprisingly, this event rarely warrants a mention on the myriad of "Funniest Sporting Moments" compilations that pad out the schedules.

Despite the unorthodoxy of the festive episodes, which should be understood in the context of aiming to entertain a family audience who may not normally watch Doctor Who, I really, really like DMP.

The action rarely lets up, the Daleks are made scary again, Mavic Chen is one of the best baddies, we get an excellent early performance from a pre-Brigadier Nicholas Courtenay, the reappearance of the Meddling Monk (hurrah!) and not just one, but TWO companion deaths (I did warn you there would be spoilers). Katarina's death is well done but not particularly affecting as she'd only been around for a brief spell. By the time Sara Kingdom cops it, after nine episodes, she'd have felt fully like part of the programme and her death is pretty shocking, even today. The overall feel of the episode is just, as you might expect given its length, epic. I love it.

This is the last we'll see of the Daleks in Hartnell's spell, and every story has been very good. You can see why they were so popular, a far cry from today when many of their episodes are instantly forgettable. 7.5/10

Final thoughts, Katarina: It seems unfair to judge her as she wasn't around long, but… I'm going to anyway. She was pretty much never going to work, you can really tell she was drafted in at the last second when Vicki wasn't being kept on and the writers don't seem to know what to do with her character. I count her as a companion, some don't. I don't really have a strict rule for what does and what does not constitute a companion but I've decided she is. So's Sara Kingdom. Bret Vyon isn't. Katarina's not a very good companion though and it was probably for the best that she was swiftly written out.

Final thoughts, Sara Kingdom: Unlike Katarina, here's a brief addition to the TARDIS crew who adds something to the show. She's got a pretty dark side and kills her own brother off just as the audience would've started to care about him. Never a pushover, she takes some convincing to convert to the Doctor's cause and feels more realistic as a result. I could certainly have watched a few more episodes with her in. As it is though, her death is shocking and iconic and it's a real shame it doesn't exist to view in its original format anymore.

The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

Not a particularly well-known story this, and it is entirely missing. Still, well worth seeking out via recon/audio. It's difficult to tell how well the Doctor/Abbott William Hartnell double-role would've worked without being able to see his mannerisms in each part, which is a shame. Steven is given his most starring role yet, virtually all the characters are given properly-fleshed out stories and the plot is dense and bleak, how I like it, being a misery-arse.

There are some complaints though. Firstly, the name. I understand the show has to hype the episodes with Daleks and Cybermen in, to boost viewing figures. So you rarely see an episode with them in when you don't know they're going to be in it. In this case though, I fail to see how the show would've suffered from renaming the story so it didn't contain a massive fucking spoiler as to how it's going to end up. And if you're doing a historical, you might at least get the date right. It should've been St Bartholomew's Day, not Eve. Secondly, while I enjoy this story, I'm not sure there would be much in it for a child. For a show that relies on having a large number of children watching, that's quite a significant weakness. Still, I'm sure even they'd apreciate the moving scene at the end where The Doctor bemoans those he has left and lost, and wonders if he'll ever get back to his (at this stage still unnamed) home planet. The scene is somewhat spoiled by the third major weakness of this story. The bumbling entrance of new companion Dodo. Or, to use her full name, Oh No Not Fucking Dodo. 7/10

The Ark

This is one that would have been better watching at the time than watching on DVD now. The trick of seemingly ending the story after two episodes… only to discover that the TARDIS has materialised back in the same place many years later, would've worked better for an audience not knowing this was going to be four parts long.

There's plenty to like. The concept of an ark to save a species is one that's been visited plenty of times in sci-fi but still works well here. The symbolism of the statue which changes to show Monoid features and signal the changing of the guard is clever. The Monoids are a decent alien. The story never gets boring. Only downside is ONNF Dodo. Not just annoying but annoying and snotty. Although the latter feature does provide crucial plot material in episodes one and two. Overall, this is well worth watching. 7/10

The Celestial Toymaker

This is interesting but ultimately unsatisfying. There are several good bits, and the Toymaker is sold as being a genuinely imposing threat. However, it ultimately falls a bit flat. The tasks the heroes are forced to maintain are a bit mundane. With the Toymaker being a rare example of an intellectual equal to the Doctor, it would've been nice for them to have more scenes together, unfortunately this story coincides with one of Hartnell's many holidays. We do get some scenes together but it's mostly just the Toymaker and the Doctor's hand, as the Toymaker has punished him by making the rest of him invisible. Indeed, the script-writers, by now determined to change the lead actor, toyed (sorry) with the idea of changing the Doctor by having the Toymaker make him re-appear with a different face. It's a clever idea, but ultimately nowhere near as clever as the renewal (now called regeneration) idea that they finally decided on, one which has allowed the show to endure.

The ending has potential but, as with much else, falls a bit short. Oh, and one character uses the "N" word. It can probably, just about, be justified given that it was only used in a rhyme in a way that many schoolkids would've, unthinkingly, used it all the time. Still, it sounds a bit shocking to modern ears. So much so that the narrator attempts to talk over it on the audio version. 5/10

The Gunfighters

This one was considered, for a while, to be the Worst. Story. Ever. The accents are bad. Abysmally so. The remaining shock twist from the Celestial Toymaker that something is wrong with The Doctor turns out just to be that he has toothache. And that's it. Still, it serves its purpose as a plot contrivance to get The Doctor to visit town dentist Doc Holliday.

And there's the tune, "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" (I had to Google it). If I heard it once, it would be irritating but, basically, forgettable. Unfortunately, this assault on the ears is repeated ad nauseum, throughout the whole story and really does spoil it. Nurse Gladys from Open All Hours has a lot to answer for.

So, worst ever then?

Nah. It's actually quite a decent story. Characters are given depth, the tension builds up nicely and the Wild West theme would've resonated nicely with a sixties audience used to watching The Lone Ranger and the like. Nowhere near the worst story ever, but I am marking it down for that sodding ballad. The DVD should have an option to watch the story with it edited out. 5.5/10

The Savages

We're getting towards the end of the First Doctor's Era now and this story is not particularly well known. All the episodes are missing, there's no "name" baddy and the story gets overlooked compared to the hugely significant serials in the show's history which will follow shortly. Still, there's plenty to enjoy here. The plot keeps up a steady pace, so much so that I wouldn't have minded it being a six-parter, rather than my usual stance that a story would've lost nothing by editing it down by an episode or two. After the questionable racial politics of The Ark, and the ethnic slur in The Celestial Toymaker, it's good to see a story that seems on the right side of history, firmly backing the oppressed against their oppressor.

The producers try another way to get rid of Hartnell... this time one of the show's many Dastardly Machines imbues a character with many of Hartnell's mannerisms. It's amusing to hear him doing the "Dear Boy"s and a real shame that we can't see it to judge how well he impersonates The Doctor.

If you're only ever going to listen to one audio or watch one recon, I probably wouldn't recommend this one. I still like it though, and wouldn't put anyone off giving it a try. 6.5/10

Final thoughts, Steven Taylor: He tends to get forgotten about. He's not helped by the facts that he only turns up just as we reach the period of Hartnell's spell in which great swathes of episodes are missing. I think people also tend to relate Purves with Blue Peter meaning that it can seem uncool to give him credit here. But he deserves credit. I must say, watching The Chase, I didn't really care about the character. However, he grows into the role and his performances the closing moments of The Daleks' Master Plan and he whole of The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve are among the best by a companion, ever. He also had to improvise a lot as Hartnell's health was failing and he'd have to think on his feet and make up some new lines when The Doctor had forgotten his. The producers decided to completely change the show and that meant Doctor and his two companions had to go. Replacing Hartnell must have been a difficult decision but was probably the correct one. Replacing ONNF Dodo was a no-brainer. Purves, however, can consider himself unlucky to have got the push. An ofte- overlooked excellent assistant.

The War Machines

Dastardly Machines? We haven't had them since… oh, the last episode. This is pretty good to start with. The secretive, hypnotic, baddie keeps the interest up. Polly and Ben turn up and feel like they belong as companions before they, officially, are. And we get rid of ONNF Dodo, with the least fanfare of any departure ever. Yes!

Being set on modern-day Earth, it feels more like a Troughton story. Maybe because Ben and Polly are in it!

That said, once we actually get the "reveal" of the eponymous machines, they're a a bit shit and, as so often is the case in Doctor Who, vanquished far too easily. The script also includes a now quite unsettling line when one of Polly's friends compares The Doctor to... Jimmy Savile.

Still, it's certainly watchable enough and doesn't drag. 6/10

Final thoughts, Dodo Chaplet: Irritatingly chipper, accent changes every five seconds, never improves an episode, and so unloved that she's written out and only warrants a brief mention at the end of the story having been missing for a few episodes. ONNF Dodo is the worst companion of Hartnell-Who by a distance.

The Smugglers

Admittedly, I'm probably not being fair on this. Having come this far, I wanted to just get on and finish the First Doctor's stories, and this is the very epitomy of a "filler" episode. It was stupid when Middle Age people confused Vicki for a boy and it's equally nonsensical when these Cornish Scenery-Chewers do the same to Polly. From the few clips that remain, this seems to have been pretty violent by kids' TV standards, which is good. Overall though, it's just a bit boring. While doing this run of stories I keep thinking of which ones I can see myself watching/listening to again and this would be pretty low down the list. Unless they find it of course, then I'll give it a try. 5/10

The Tenth Planet

So, the end of Hartnell. A shame then that the last episode is mostly missing (although the animated version is very good) and Hartnell was ill during the penultimate episode so missed it.

First though, let's talk about monsters. While The Daleks are undoubtedly the headline-aliens of Hartnel's era, The Cybermen take over as threat number one during Troughton's Doctordom, so it's appropriate that they appear in the story that that sees his introduction. Initially though, there's little to suggest they're going to become beloved fan-favourites for nearly half a century and counting. The concept behind them, human-like species slowly upgrading their organs with technology but going too far, is excellent. They look pretty cool marching about in a blizzard. They don't look great close up though and their voices are more irritating than intimidating. The arguments between the humans are more interesting than any of the Cyber-dialogue.

It's another story that could easily be Troughton, and one of a number of "Base Under Siege" we'll see in the coming decades.

Still, onto the departure of the First Doctor. I think it's done really well. Hartnell gets a few great lines, and, happily, doesn't mess any of them up. The regeneration itself (yes, I know it wasn't called that at the time) is beautifully done. Okay, it's easier to make it look good in black and white but the special effects team still deserve plenty of credit for the best regeneration effect for at least eighteen years, and arguably ever, on a limited budget.

As for Hartnell, while I'm a Troughton fan and have been looking forward to his incarnation, I'll still be pretty sad to see him go. The story itself though is just, sort of, okay. Nothing to write home about but not particularly bad either. Every Doctor Who fan should watch the final thirty seconds, though. 6/10

Final thoughts, The First Doctor: A criminally under-rated Doctor in my opinion. People seem to moan about him as he doesn't always behave the way they feel that The Doctor should… but he was writing the rules for The Doctor as he went along as he was the original!

I find some of his reactions, like wanting to bugger off out of trouble, more believable than those of his successors. He also gets slated for messing his lines up but it's worth mentioning that he had to do it all pretty much "live" and he was getting iller as the series went on. I really like Hartnell and there's plenty of stories I could watch over and over again. Partly that's helped by my own enjoyment of the historicals, a format that pretty much died when he regenerated.

I think he combines sinister with endearing, alien with grandfatherlike and serious with funny, really well. A gigantic foundation for the show to build on.

Now for the First Doctor Companions Rankings:

8 Dodo Chaplet

7 Katarina

6 Susan Foreman

5 Sara Kingdom

4 Vicki

3 Steven Taylor

2 Ian Chesterton

1 Barbara Wright

And finally, the First Doctor Serials Rankings:

28 Galaxy 4

27 The Web Planet

26 Planet of Giants

25 The Sensorites

24 The Celestial Toymaker

23 The Space Museum

22 The Smugglers

21 The Gunfighters

20 The War Machines

19 An Unearthly Child

18 Edge of Destruction

17 The Rescue

16 The Tenth Planet

15 The Reign of Terror

14 The Savages

13 The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

12 The Romans

11 The Ark

10 The Daleks

9 Marco Polo

8 The Myth Makers

7 The Dalek Invasion of Earth

6 The Chase

5 The Crusade

4 The Daleks' Master Plan (including Mission to the Unknown)

3 The Keys of Marinus

2 The Time Meddler

1 The Aztecs

Edited November 4, 2015 by Bully Wee Villa

[SGMilne]

A good read there.

Only thing I would say is that The Massacre wasn't actually named 'The Massacre' when it was broadcast, so it wouldn't have spoiled anything.

Oh yeah, and you're being harsh on The Gunfighters!

p.s. Cheers for the kind words about my reviews.

[Bully Wee Villa]

Cheers, I like the Gunfighters, except for that bloody tune!

You're right about The Massacre. Odd it has acquired that name, when it's not the name of any of the four episodes.

If it ever gets found I'm gonna campaign for them to release the DVD under the name "The Sea Beggar" so it doesn't spoil it!