The DWM top 200

[nwhyte]

Doctor Who monthly's latest issue publishes the results of a reader poll of all 200 Doctor Who stories to date, ranked in order of popularity. (The article also includes scores for the two Dalek films and other ephemera, but never mind that). The top stories are difficult to argue with, though I am sorry that the best of the black and white era

Comments

[drplokta]

Numbers 10 and 11 are attributed to the wrong Doctors -- should be 9 & 10 respectively. Not sure if there are any other similar errors.

[nwhyte]

Fixed that; I'm sure there are others!

[qatsi]

Day of the Daleks is (3) and Underworld is (4), aren't they?

[nwhyte]

Yep!

[londonkds]

I think it is a huge injustice and proof that the wrong sort of people are voting that Love and Monsters, Fear Her and The Happiness Patrol are all in the bottom quarter. Especially Love and Monsters.

[redfiona99]

Yay, it's not just me that loves L&M. You're also right that there are far, far worse stories that Fear Her.

[wwhyte]

You're not a big fan of 3, are you? I like the idea that you consider even 9% from the bottom to be insufficiently harsh for The Mutants.

I'm a bit surprised not to see you blue Warriors' Gate.

[nwhyte]

The only stories worse than The Mutants are Timelash and The Twin Dilemma. Trufax.

I didn't feel as strongly about the Warrior's Gate ranking as about some of the others!

[wwhyte]

The entire of the Third Doctor's era seems extremely harshly treated by the DWM poll, especially as this era really cemented Doctor Who as quality drama.
Classics like: Terror of the Autons, The Daemons, (why would one put that in red, particularly when it is already quite low for a classic story?) The Claws of Axos and even Day of the Daleks are rather low down on this poll. However, I confess I have never liked the "Mutants."
It's good to see the Fourth Doctor's previously underrated story "Horror of Fang Rock" at 26, but why so low for "Masque of Mandragora" and "Image of the Fendahl"?

what to buy next?

[wwhyte]

I just bought the peladon double - monster is great for watching the young and spunky Liz, bless her memory - however now I am confused...I'm condiering buying Trial of a Timelord as I think Mark of/2 docs are pretty awesome (apart from the rani's ep 4) however I agree wholeheartedly regarding "Time And"...but way way down there? The Mutants cannot be that bad can it? I think The Silurians/Spearhead/Inferno comprise the best season ever of Who...but I have no recollection of story 2. But. Pertwee's doctor is the greatest, except mabe Troughton and Tennant. IMHO!! So: I'll be buying Ghost Light, Curse of Fenric and the Zygons, which I only ever read the novelisation of - alors, they better be good!!
Excelsior :0

[iainjcoleman]

We watched The Twin Dilemma last night for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not great, and the costume design alone would put it in the bottom quartile of Who stories, but the worst ever? No. It's not even the worst Colin Baker story (Attack of the Cybermen and The Mysterious Planet are both worse), or the worst story of season 21 (Warriors of the Deep, by a long chalk).

[nwhyte]

I think part of the shock factor for the awfulness of The Twin Dilemma is that it came immediately after Caves of Androzani. Reasonable people may disagree about whether Androzani deserves the top spot it got in the DWM poll; you and a few others may disagree about whether The Twin Dilemma really deserves the bottom spot; but nobody at all (apart from John Nathan-Turner, apparently) could disagree as to which ranks above the other.