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valoiseI'm turing a big corner on my 60th Anniversary Doctor Who rewatch. There are only 3 episodes left in classic Who and this is a good time to really look back on the journey. I'm glad I didn't do the math before I started. From The Unearthly Child in 1963 to Battlefield in 1989 there are 697 episodes divided into 159 stories. That's a LOT of television. On Sunday I'll be moving on to the 1996 movie then plunging on to Rose and the modern era on Monday. Initially, I thought I might look back on the my favorite stories for the first 26 seasons, but I thought I'd collapse that into favorite stories for the first seven Doctors.
First Doctor
There are several stories that I enjoy but if I had to name favorites this time through It's been a year since I watched these, but I think these are the ones I enjoyed the most this time around.
The Aztecs
The Chase (except for the weird haunted house episode)
Second Doctor
So many missing stories but, like the First Doctor, there are some good reconstructions and also some recent animation versions, including the one that I'd pick as my fave for this rewatch: the Abominable Snowman. The animation fills in the story in a way recons can never do and they can draw the Tibetan characters as actual Tibetans and not British actors in yellow face.
Third Doctor
Picking favorites is really hard for this era, Jon Pertwee is one of my favorite Doctors. The four episodes I liked the best were:
Spearhead from Space
Inferno
The Sea Devils
The Green Death
Fourth Doctor
Tom Baker is so iconic and had so many seasons. I think The Face of Evil was the first Doctor Who I ever saw. But this time around I found new vid inspiration in the entire Key to Time series of stories. One story from that season is in my short list of rewatch favorites.
Horror of Fang Rock
The Ribos Opeartion
Fifth Doctor
Although I do like Peter Davison as an actor and convention guest, I usually find this era a bit boring. I do enjoy the crowded TARDIS aspect, especially once Turlough joins the cast. And we do get a return of the Brigadier in my favorite story, as well.
Mawdryn Undead
Sixth Doctor
Here's where I make a confession, I really dislike the Sixth Doctor. I feel a bit sorry for Colin Baker, he got dealt some crappy episodes and generally did the best he could with them. The Trial of a Timelord season seemed a bit better this time around, so I guess I'll pick:
Trial of a Timelord: The Mysterious Planet
Seventh Doctor
Starting with his second season, I think Sylvester McCoy really brought something great back to Doctor Who, and I absolutely love Ace.
My two favorite stories were both written by Ben Aaronivitch.
Remembrance of the Daleks
Battlefield
First Doctor
There are several stories that I enjoy but if I had to name favorites this time through It's been a year since I watched these, but I think these are the ones I enjoyed the most this time around.
The Aztecs
The Chase (except for the weird haunted house episode)
Second Doctor
So many missing stories but, like the First Doctor, there are some good reconstructions and also some recent animation versions, including the one that I'd pick as my fave for this rewatch: the Abominable Snowman. The animation fills in the story in a way recons can never do and they can draw the Tibetan characters as actual Tibetans and not British actors in yellow face.
Third Doctor
Picking favorites is really hard for this era, Jon Pertwee is one of my favorite Doctors. The four episodes I liked the best were:
Spearhead from Space
Inferno
The Sea Devils
The Green Death
Fourth Doctor
Tom Baker is so iconic and had so many seasons. I think The Face of Evil was the first Doctor Who I ever saw. But this time around I found new vid inspiration in the entire Key to Time series of stories. One story from that season is in my short list of rewatch favorites.
Horror of Fang Rock
The Ribos Opeartion
Fifth Doctor
Although I do like Peter Davison as an actor and convention guest, I usually find this era a bit boring. I do enjoy the crowded TARDIS aspect, especially once Turlough joins the cast. And we do get a return of the Brigadier in my favorite story, as well.
Mawdryn Undead
Sixth Doctor
Here's where I make a confession, I really dislike the Sixth Doctor. I feel a bit sorry for Colin Baker, he got dealt some crappy episodes and generally did the best he could with them. The Trial of a Timelord season seemed a bit better this time around, so I guess I'll pick:
Trial of a Timelord: The Mysterious Planet
Seventh Doctor
Starting with his second season, I think Sylvester McCoy really brought something great back to Doctor Who, and I absolutely love Ace.
My two favorite stories were both written by Ben Aaronivitch.
Remembrance of the Daleks
Battlefield
