Top 10+ Classic Doctor Who Serials
For those that have only recently gotten into “Doctor Who” with the New Series (2004 - present) I thought I should create a list of the best classic Doctor Who stories, starting with one from each of the first 7 Doctors from that era, plus the 8th Doctor’s one-off appearance:
1) the Pilot / an Unearthly Child - 1963
2) Tomb of the Cybermen - 1967
3) Inferno - 1970
4) Genesis of the Daleks - 1974
5) Caves of Androzani (arguably the BEST filmed story of all!) - 1984
6) Vengeance on Varos - 1985
7) Curse of Fenric - 1989
8) the 1996 BBC/FOX telemovie introducing the one-off 8th Doctor
9) the Five Doctors (which was really ‘the Four Doctors’ as Tom Baker, the 4th, refused to take part so soon after leaving his STILL unsurpassed 7 year stint in the role on screen and so footage was used from the incomplete Douglas Adams story “Shada”. Also, the deceased William Hartnell was brilliantly replaced by look-a-like Richard Hurndall as the 1st Doctor) - 1983
10) the Daleks aka the Dead Planet (introduces the Daleks) - 1963
In addition there is:
“the Dalek Invasion of Earth” (long serial with extensive London shots + Susan leaves her ‘grandfather’) - 1964
“the Time Meddler” (first time the Doctor encounters another of his kind on screen, besides Susan) - 1965
“Terror of the Autons” (introduces the Master) - 1971
“The Dæmons” - 1971
“Frontier in Space” (a space opera with Daleks, Draconians, UNIT, Ogrons and the final appearance of the 1st Master/Robert Delgado on screen) - 1973
“the Three Doctors” (also introduces Omega) - 1973
“the Time Warrior” (introduces the Sontarans, first mention of Gallifrey by name) - 1973
“Pyramids of Mars” - 1975
“The Brain of Morbius” - 1976
“the Talons of Weng Chiang” - 1977
“City of Death” (if you like more humour in your sci-fi) - 1979
“Black Orchid” (only purely historical story since 1967′s “the Highlanders”) - 1982
“Earthshock” (return of the Cybermen after 8 years + the shocking ending) - 1982
“the King’s Demons” (odd scheme for the Master, but still well done) - 1983
“Mark of the Rani” (introduces the Rani + has the Master) - 1985
“Silver Nemesis” (modern day Nazis + Cybermen + a Baroque Villainess that seems to know more about the enigmatic Doctor than we do) - 1988
…and pretty much ANY story written by the brilliant Robert Holmes, Douglas Adams (“the Pirate Planet” & “Shada”), Terry Nation or Terrence Dicks.
The unlost, true ‘regeneration stories’ from the original series (basically only 10) are typically pretty bad with the exception of the epic serial “the War Games”, the mid-trilogy “Logopolis” and the near perfect “Caves of Androzani”. Such scripts often play second fiddle to the actual event of the Doctor being reborn again, but they are all still fairly important ones.
