Off the top of my head. Gosh the show has been on the telly and in other media for SO long it's hard to know where to begin. If you want to get an idea of the history and richness of the series then I would suggest a few episodes in this order to get a time line and appreciation for the series.
First Doctor
An Unearthly Child/The Daleks
The Rescue/The Romans
Second Doctor
The Invasion
Tomb of the Cybermen
War Games
Third Doctor
Spearhead from Space
Terror of the Autons
The Three Doctors
Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks
Time Warrior
Planet of the Spiders
Fourth Doctor
Robot
Pyramid of Mars
Deadly Assassin
Talons of Weng Chiang
Invasion of Time
Entire Key to Time series
City of Death
State of Decay
Warrior's Gate
Logopolis
That right there is a small list that will not only give you background into the Doctor but also his association with his people on Gallifrey and the rich variety of companions and stories he's had. Those stories I've listed while not the only good stories are some of the BEST written stories the series ever produced and are enjoyable beyond measure. These episodes also have some of the best acting the principles ever gave and while the sets may look dated and tacky the level of professionalism and conviction the actours gave their parts is what made Who so great.
[IMG]http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2886/coxboardsig.jpg[/IMG][B][SIZE="3"]
The shining world of the seven systems. On the continent of Wild Endeavour. In the mountains of Solace and Solitude there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mightiest race in the Universe. Sworn never to interfere. Only watch...[/SIZE][/B]
Thanks! I see the Pyramids of Mars is on your list, that's the random one I started watching. I guess I'll eventually give it another chance, perhaps once I'm more used to that Doctor I may be able to watch it with less bias (lack of quirkiness made a bit of a disappointment.)
From the 7th Doctor,
Rememberance of the Daleks
Ghost Light
Curse of Fenric
Survival
are all pretty good.
Oh and for the 2nd Doctor, Seeds of Death is fun, its got the Ice Warriors and some dodgy special effects.
Always remember, we were Heroes.
Quote:
That would technically be impossible, since a number of the early episodes have been destroyed. And would in any event be inadvisable, since even a fairly serious long-time Doctor Who fan (uh, me, for instance) will readily admit that there's quite a lot of the original version that's rubbish.|
Originally Posted by Starsman
I am not sure if I want to watch the full of Dr Who
|
Here's the thing about early Doctor Who that you have to accept before you'll get anywhere with it: Even when it was really good, it wasn't very well-made. The BBC spent about £4 3s. 9d.* on each episode for most of the 1963-1989 run, and it shows in a lot of ways. It's kind of like amateur theater, especially in the very early black-and-white era. To get anything at all from a lot of early Who, you've got to look much more for writing and performance than for any sort of visual wow-factor (with the exception of Wendy Padbury in that Jumpsuit of the Future in The Wheel in Space). And you have to be able to walk that tightrope wherein you're respecting something enough to enjoy it and willing to laugh at its utter failures at the same time, which a lot of SF fans find very difficult.
That said, there are some gems, even in the flimsiest black-and-white stuff. If I had to pick one serial for each Doctor, it'd go something like:
The First Doctor (William Hartnell)
The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964) - Not as awkwardly paced as the original Dalek story, The Dalek Invasion of Earth shows the Daleks at their most frightening, crushing all resistance and plotting the destruction of humanity. This was the first time they really transcended the fact that they're rather crap props to be properly scary villains anyway.
The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
Tomb of the Cybermen (1967) - Again, much better and much scarier than the original appearance of the Cybermen, this shows them for the menace they can really be (and they look a lot less like escapees from a burn ward). Also features the Doctor showcasing that fine balance of zaniness and God-you-people-are-stupid frustration that has become a hallmark of most versions of the character since.
The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)
Terror of the Autons (1971) - Another second outing for a villain (in this case the Autons), but the real key here is that this is the first appearance of the Master, as played (to the hilt!) by the late Roger Delgado.
The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)
The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977) - There are a lot of Fourth Doctor stories, and a lot of them are either good or epochal (Genesis of the Daleks, for instance, is both), but this one's my favorite. Someone at the BBC realized, wait, we have a show whose protagonist is a time traveler. That means we could do a spot of Victorian horror if we wanted! So they did. Marvelous.
The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)
The Caves of Androzani (1984) - I might have gone with Earthshock for this one - it's certainly significant, and contains the greatest Cyber Leader line ever ("These things are irrelevant!") - but I just couldn't, because this, for my money, is the best damn story in the original run, with the Doctor at his most heroic.
The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)
I didn't like the Sixth Doctor. Um... at all. So I have no recommendation to offer here.
The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)
Remembrance of the Daleks (1988) - I could've gone with almost any of the Seventh Doctor's serials - big fan - but even I have to admit that several of them are crap (I'm looking at you, The Happiness Patrol). This one, however, is not. It was the final appearance of the Daleks in the original series and sees them out with a bang, and it contains one of the show's great "whoa, okay, zany little cheery Doctor fellow is not an enemy you want" moments.
The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann)
Doctor Who (1996) - Well, that was easy. He was only ever in the one thing.
Most, if not all, of these things are available on DVD nowadays (though the last time I looked, the Eighth Doctor movie was only out in Region 2 - which is weird, since it was produced as a pilot for an American TV series).
* SKETCH WRITTEN BEFORE DECIMALISATION
Question about the Dalek. I already saw a few spoilers of them for my googling on their name and saw multiple of them (like the Dalek Emperor) before this new series, were the Dalek ever shown out of their robot/tank thingies?
Quote:
Very occasionally, I think. LoT or one of the other hardcore Whovians here would have to verify that, though.|
Originally Posted by Starsman
Question about the Dalek. I already saw a few spoilers of them for my googling on their name and saw multiple of them (like the Dalek Emperor) before this new series, were the Dalek ever shown out of their robot/tank thingies?
|
As one of my t-shirts says, "You never forget your first Doctor."
Looks like Eccleston is going to be your benchmark...
There is an art, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. --The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Yes, the daleks have been seen "caseless" several times.. "Genesis of the Daleks", "Resurrection of the Daleks" and "Revelation of the Daleks" are your best bets. (Oddly enough.. they really weren't seen till Davros was introduced..)
"Well, there's going to be some light music and a short note of apology saying, 'The universe ended last week, we're really sorry, we don't know what you're doing here, didn't you get the message?'"- Steve Moffat
Quote:
A couple of times. They're not very impressive - think of the things from the old Star Trek episode "Operation - Annihilate!", if you remember that one, and you're basically there. (Though there's one in Remembrance of the Daleks that's frisky enough to try strangling somebody. It doesn't get very far with the job before being bludgeoned to death with a softball bat, but at least it had ambition. |
Originally Posted by Starsman
before this new series, were the Dalek ever shown out of their robot/tank thingies?
|
)
Part of a caseless Dalek was seen in the very first serial featuring them waaaaaay back in the 60s.
Glimpses and fleeting glances show up all throughout Doctor Who history, however it wasn't until 2005 when they really start to show up properly.
Quote:
Others haven't been suggesting this because you already mentioned it, but Genesis of the Daleks is one of the finest Doctor Who stories out there.| So I am not sure if I want to watch the full of Dr Who but I still would like to see the essentials. Things like the Dalek origin story (that I already know happen in Genesis of the Dalek) and other foes I may see in the length of this show. |
Just remember when watching the old series, it's old, it had a shoestring budget and the top bods at the BBC ****ing hated it.
So, any time you see a dodgy special effect remember, it's a miracle it was ever made at all
Quote:
Eccleston is the first I actually see in the show but the first actor I saw that I ever placed a face on for the Doctor was Tennant. Seeing so many shots of Tennant it was odd to see Eccleston's face on the role, but I guess I will indeed keep Eccleston's personality as my baseline for meassuring Doctors in the future.|
Originally Posted by Hazmatter
Very occasionally, I think. LoT or one of the other hardcore Whovians here would have to verify that, though.
As one of my t-shirts says, "You never forget your first Doctor." Looks like Eccleston is going to be your benchmark... |
I also liked Eccleston's character in Heroes, ironically didnt tie him up to that character until a few minutes ago.
Quote:
Heheh Zikar made a very astute observation. One of the biggest hurdles Doctor Who had was that many of the big wigs at the BBC HATED the show and were always trying to either cut the budget to the point where it was impossible to make it or handcuff the content they were allowed to show to the point where I think the only thing allowed was a guy standing in front of the camera wagging his fingers going 'boogie boogie boo'. |
Originally Posted by Zikar
Part of a caseless Dalek was seen in the very first serial featuring them waaaaaay back in the 60s.
Glimpses and fleeting glances show up all throughout Doctor Who history, however it wasn't until 2005 when they really start to show up properly. Others haven't been suggesting this because you already mentioned it, but Genesis of the Daleks is one of the finest Doctor Who stories out there. Just remember when watching the old series, it's old, it had a shoestring budget and the top bods at the BBC ****ing hated it. So, any time you see a dodgy special effect remember, it's a miracle it was ever made at all |
Also as already stated yes the Daleks have been seen without their casings and depending on what era you've seen them in never really appeared looking the same way twice as the writers interpretation changed or a question of budget. Now the new series has remained pretty consistent with how the mutants inside appear but back in the old series it ranged from basically a bubbling mass of muck to tentacles and in some cases a rudimentary claw.
In fact in the Seventh Doctor episode Remembrance of the Daleks there was actually a 'Race War' between two factions of Daleks. Funnily enough even the Daleks weren't above such issues of race relations as they had their own Civil War because one set of blobs thought another set of blobs weren't like the first set enough. Ergo they went to war with the black cased Daleks being led by a Supreme Dalek and the white/gold Daleks led by Davros.
I'm glad one of your first episodes was Pyramid of Mars because it really was an excellent episode during Tom Baker's early years especially with Liz Sladen who now of course has her own programme The Sara Jane Chronicles. I'd also recommend The Brain of Morbius as it's not only a BRILLANT piece of writing with incredible acting but also a nice spin on the Frankenstein genre and appropriate since we are getting so close to Halloween
Also it has some nice Time Lord on Time Lord action and shows that unlike the Doctor not all Gallifreyians are nice guys and are often pretty nasty son of a *******.
[IMG]http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2886/coxboardsig.jpg[/IMG][B][SIZE="3"]
The shining world of the seven systems. On the continent of Wild Endeavour. In the mountains of Solace and Solitude there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mightiest race in the Universe. Sworn never to interfere. Only watch...[/SIZE][/B]
Quote:
But that's the beauty of the Doctor. Don't like a personality? Wait a few years and roll the dice again. Though its hard to roll the dice again after you've witnessed the 10th Doctor. |
Originally Posted by Starsman
was a bit disappointed (didn’t get to finish that episode) mainly because the personality of the doctor was not as quirky or sarcastic as it was on the show I been seeing (I read already on the regeneration and personality changes that come with it.)
|
(and that thought, despite the fact that Doctor 4, Tom Baker, was my initiation to all things Who)I find it hard to believe though that Doctor 4 wasn't quirky. He might just be the quirkiest of all. (I tend to see rockabilly Doctor 6 as unbalanced, egotistical, even bizarre, but not so much quirky)
As for sarcasm, didn't Doctor 2 and Doctor 3 not like each other very much and let fly with a lot of barbed sarcasm?
OK I guess i'm full of noobness here...
From what I gather there have been 11 doctors, but saw this "comic" that seems to be set in order of generation and there are 13 (and thats not counting the new one.) The first 3 doctors on the list are the ones I don't see in the wiki photo so.... where they from?
Oh also has any other doctor ever been as quirky and sarcastic as Eccleston's?
Quote:
Maybe I caught him in a moody shot, he started the episode very Peter Parker like whining about not liking his overseeing job when things got interrupted.
|
Originally Posted by Rodoan
I find it hard to believe though that Doctor 4 wasn't quirky. He might just be the quirkiest of all.
|
Quote:
Well, the first one is actually Rowan Atkinson. He played the doctor (along with a few others) in a comedy short about the Doctor trying to retire and settle down. It's called "The Curse of Fatal Death". Check it out on youtube; freakin' hilarious.|
Originally Posted by Starsman
OK I guess i'm full of noobness here...
The first 3 doctors on the list are the ones I don't see in the wiki photo so.... where they from? |
I'm not sure about the second one, but the third is Peter Cushing. He played the Doctor in two American-made movies where the Doctor was a human inventor, not a Time Lord.
Quote:
I've always felt bad about the sixth Doctor, as I thought he had a lot of potential. We were switching from Peter Davison, one of the sweetest of the Doctor's incarnations; and ran smack into Colin Baker.|
Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)
I didn't like the Sixth Doctor. Um... at all. So I have no recommendation to offer here. |
His first episode was unbalanced. The story was pretty standard Who-fare and rather forgettable. But I will ALWAYS remember nearly every line the Doctor said in that episode. Completely insane for almost the first half of the show, he was nearly the polar opposite of Davison. Mean, crass, violent, and sometimes even a bit cowardly.
Sadly this jarring switch in personality didn't initially sit well with the fans and he was quickly toned down to more "Doctor-like" levels. This really took away his edge and kinda neutered the character. Colin Baker may not be a favorite for many people, but I'll always love him for that first appearance; paranoid, gibbering, and nearly murdering his companion.
Quote:
The second one in that pic was the Doctor voiced by Richard E. Grant from the animated "Scream of the Shalka" webcast on the BBC site. Until the new series, he was considered the "official Ninth Doctor" despite the webcast being his only appearance.|
Originally Posted by Cowman
Well, the first one is actually Rowan Atkinson. He played the doctor (along with a few others) in a comedy short about the Doctor trying to retire and settle down. It's called "The Curse of Fatal Death". Check it out on youtube; freakin' hilarious.
I'm not sure about the second one, but the third is Peter Cushing. He played the Doctor in two American-made movies where the Doctor was a human inventor, not a Time Lord. |
Also, you might be interested in checking out The Chronic Hysteresis by one of the Radio Free Skaro guys. He's been going over all the episodes from the beginning (using telesnap reconstructions for the missing episodes). He's up to the start of the 4th Doctor now, which just might be my favorite "era" of the show.
William Shakespeare was the Bob Haney of his day!
That list is missing the [spoiler edit] a version of the Doctor seen near the end of the 6th Doctor's run.
"I do so love taking a nice, well thought out character and putting them through hell. It's like tossing a Faberge Egg onto the stage during a Gallagher concert." - me
@Palador / @Rabid Unicorn
Well, the basics have been pretty covered, so I'll just throw my two cents in on which stories to catch. To spread things out, I'll just do one per Doctor (plus perhaps some bonus episodes here and there)
Doctor One: The Aztecs
It's one of the rare pure historical episodes, a style of story that was phased out over the early seasons, but it's brilliant stuff. The supporting cast has such a poetic flow to their acting, it's really good!
Stay away from: The Web Planet
An ambitious production that just misses the mark
Doctor Two: The Invasion
Sadly since most of Pat's run has been gutted from the archives, we dont have some of the REALLY good episodes for me to recommend (Evil of the Daleks would be at the top of the list). So I think I'd go The Invasion here. A cracking good bad guy, the introduction of UNIT and the Cybermen! Cant go wrong! (Although I should point out that the animated reconstructions of episode 1 and 3 might be off-putting if youre not prepared for it).
Stay away from: The Dominators
Just a dull, plodding script.
Doctor Three: Inferno -
It may not play as well to someone who doesn't know the UNIT family, but I think it's a cracking good adventure. A touch long, but worth it.
Stay away from: The Time Monster
Way way WAAAAAAAY too long, by at least three episodes.
Doctor Four: The City of Death -
Written by Douglas Adams (yes THAT Douglas Adams), it's a great romp, has an awesome bad guy (Jullian Glover needs to be in the new series) and is witty as hell. The best of Tom's run in my opinion.
Stay away from: Genesis of the Daleks
"What?!? Have you gone mad!" The other fans in the audience scream, but hear me out. It's a good story to be sure, but it's got two episodes full of padding and it's overrated. It's not a story that I'd have a new viewer start out on.
Doctor Five: Earthshock
A nice, tightly paced adventure with a shocking cliffhanger for episode one (that will no doubt be spoiled for you by the cover of the DVD or the front end menus).
Stay away from: Time Flight
Yikes! This one is a clunker on all fronts! Seriously, seriously bad.
Doctor Six: The Two Doctors
Written by the show's best scribe and has the added bonus of more Patrick Troughton!
Stay away from: The Twin Dilemma
While the story isn't as quite as dire as I remember, the Doctor being a total jerk for two episodes is a bit off-putting.
Doctor Seven: Curse of Fenric
The Doctor at his Chess-mastery best. Gripping and well written, with some solid acting on all fronts.
Stay away from: Time and the Rani
Bad acting, insane script and WAY too much screaming!
The Runner-up list:
The Caves of Androzoni (Dr 5)
The Horror of Fang Rock (Dr 4)
The Time Warrior (Dr 3)
The Time Meddler (Dr 1)
Remembrance of the Daleks (Dr 7)
Quote:
The best bit is, they had to do entire episodes in one take in those days, look for the spot where Ian breaks his sword and has to quickly improvise with another prop | It's one of the rare pure historical episodes, a style of story that was phased out over the early seasons, but it's brilliant stuff. The supporting cast has such a poetic flow to their acting, it's really good! |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Great_Beyond
Stay away from: The Twin Dilemma
While the story isn't as quite as dire as I remember, the Doctor being a total jerk for two episodes is a bit off-putting. |
So alone....
Being a fan of House (meaning I really enjoy anyone being a total jerk in TV) I may actually not avoid that one
Okay, now that I think about it, I can totally see Hugh Laurie seriously playing the Doctor.
He wouldn't even have to do the fake American accent.
-np
I see myself as witty, urbane, highly talented, hugely successful with a keen sense of style. Plus of course my own special brand of modesty.
Virtue: Automatic Lenin | The Pink Guy | Superpowered | Guardia | Guardia Prime | Ultrapowered
Quote:
That would be SO full of win!!! Shame he would had to quit House to do this but I would sacrifice House for a single season of Hug Laurie's Jerkish Doctor Who.|
Originally Posted by NinjaPirate
Okay, now that I think about it, I can totally see Hugh Laurie seriously playing the Doctor.
He wouldn't even have to do the fake American accent. -np |
Also wanted to ask, what's that about BBC hating Dr Who? Why would any suit hate a show that makes them money?
BTW, I know Daleks came first, but am I the only one that thinks they look like War Mode R2D2? I ponder if Lucas was inspired on them when he designed R2.
Oh and found this cool Halloween inspired Daleks!
OK, first off, dont kill me for what Im about to state: I have never seen Dr Who.
Last week, due to curiosity and the fact that the new series Season 1 was up for streaming in Netflix, I decided to give it a go and was ok. So I see episode 2 and WOW!!! The end of the world the last human, wow all that was epic sci-fi!!! Not to mention the extremely sarcastic doctor!
Well, I been watching the series and last night I got to the first episode they show a Dalek (for this new series) and I started to get curious about the past of this show. I started looking about and saw a few old episodes also up for streaming so I started watching one well, was a bit disappointed (didnt get to finish that episode) mainly because the personality of the doctor was not as quirky or sarcastic as it was on the show I been seeing (I read already on the regeneration and personality changes that come with it.) So I am not sure if I want to watch the full of Dr Who but I still would like to see the essentials. Things like the Dalek origin story (that I already know happen in Genesis of the Dalek) and other foes I may see in the length of this show. Would also like to see more on the constantly referenced Time War but I read already they dont really show it and apparently happened between the last movie and the start of this series.
So going to the subject of the thread: can anyone point me at a list of Dr Who Essentials that I should watch? You know; the classic episodes/arcs that are either required to get the full idea behind certain foes motives or that were just plainly amazingly cool?