Yay! I think the Second Doctor is an excellent place to start. Quite a few of his stories are missing or incomplete, because of the BBCs bad habit of wiping its master tapes, but some have been rediscovered in recent years ("Tomb of the Cybermen" and just a couple of months ago "The Web of Fear" and "The Enemy of the World"). Others have been officially reconstructed ("The Invasion" has two animated episodes to replace the missing video), and all of them have been unofficially reconstructed by fans, using the audio, any surviving video clips, and still photos.
Classic Who storytelling is slow by modern standards and unflashy, but I know we agree that those aren't necessarily bad things!
"Tomb of the Cybermen" is the earliest fully surviving Second Doctor story, and (although not one of my favorites) not a bad place to start. "The Enemy of the World" and "The Web of Fear" are the other surviving storylines from that season (series 5), in which the Doctor's companions are Jamie (a Scotsman rescued from Culloden) and Victoria (daughter of a nineteenth-century scientist).
Almost everything from series 6, the Second Doctor's final series, survives. Victoria has left, and the Doctor has a new companion, Zoe, who had been a sort of human computer on a 21st century space station. Jamie's still with him, of course. All of my recs are from series 6, because I like that combination of characters best.
This list of Who stories is useful if you want to explore Classic Who, especially the Second Doctor era when not everything survives. Unfortunately not all the surviving stories are out on DVD, though there are ways of seeing them. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure "The War Games" is out on DVD.
Yeah, the old-fashioned style 'slow' storytelling is one of the things I'm potentially looking forward to. Obviously scripts vary and older isn't always better but I do like that style as you know. And when I watched the various documentaries on Who last month, Patrick Troughton seemed to have brilliant presence/chemistry, which intrigued me. I noted the 'Scotsman rescued from Culloden' thing (deliciously random) and I recalled you talking about a 'Jamie' with a Doctor, and I'm always keen to pursue things you've enjoyed because I tend to enjoy them too!
I've just been poking around Wikipedia myself. Bad BBC for deleting so much (I know, they didn't have reason to think not to, but still it's sad) and I like to do things chronologically. But all the extant ones seem to be on DVD (including 'The War Games') so I'll start seeking them out. Thanks for all the info.
Not yet, though, because I must fight the Yuletide bears... *determined face*
It would be awesome to be able to talk about Classic Who with you. Because I haven't been happy with the direction of New Who, I've kind of lost track of my Doctor Who love over the last few years and I'd like to find it again. Plus, a reason to rewatch!
I didn't know all the surviving stories were out on DVD now. That's cool--they weren't when I started watching. But I guess the BBC has finally realized what an asset (in the literal, monetary sense) they have in Doctor Who.
I must fight the Yuletide bears
Yes, me too. I really need to finish my first draft soon.
Classic Who storytelling is slow by modern standards and unflashy, but I know we agree that those aren't necessarily bad things!
"Tomb of the Cybermen" is the earliest fully surviving Second Doctor story, and (although not one of my favorites) not a bad place to start. "The Enemy of the World" and "The Web of Fear" are the other surviving storylines from that season (series 5), in which the Doctor's companions are Jamie (a Scotsman rescued from Culloden) and Victoria (daughter of a nineteenth-century scientist).
Almost everything from series 6, the Second Doctor's final series, survives. Victoria has left, and the Doctor has a new companion, Zoe, who had been a sort of human computer on a 21st century space station. Jamie's still with him, of course. All of my recs are from series 6, because I like that combination of characters best.
This list of Who stories is useful if you want to explore Classic Who, especially the Second Doctor era when not everything survives. Unfortunately not all the surviving stories are out on DVD, though there are ways of seeing them. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure "The War Games" is out on DVD.
Reply
I've just been poking around Wikipedia myself. Bad BBC for deleting so much (I know, they didn't have reason to think not to, but still it's sad) and I like to do things chronologically. But all the extant ones seem to be on DVD (including 'The War Games') so I'll start seeking them out. Thanks for all the info.
Not yet, though, because I must fight the Yuletide bears... *determined face*
*g*
Reply
I didn't know all the surviving stories were out on DVD now. That's cool--they weren't when I started watching. But I guess the BBC has finally realized what an asset (in the literal, monetary sense) they have in Doctor Who.
I must fight the Yuletide bears
Yes, me too. I really need to finish my first draft soon.
Reply
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