My friend James has started a series of articles on his blog, which shares what he believes to be his list of essential classic Doctor Who stories, which fans of the new series should dip into, if they’re interested in exploring the history of this rich and amazing program. With his kind permission…and spurned on after last night’s dinner conversation…I’ve decided to add my own two cents worth to the discussion.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, here is part one of my list of essential classic Doctor Who for new fans. Note that the word essential doesn’t necessarily equal best…although most of the episodes I will discuss are indeed the cream of the crop of classic Who. However, some choices might be a little more surprising…
We start with the First Doctor: the irascible, cantakerous, commanding, blazing, gentle, hilarious, original incarnation of our favourite Time Lord, played by William Hartnell. We owe this man so much: all of the actors playing future Doctors would look to Hartnell’s performance for character traits and emotional touchstones…because Hartnell managed to not only stamp his authority all over the part, but set the standard by which all future Doctors would be judged. He took something that could have been handled disastrously…and made television history, instead. Watch those early stories…and marvel at what they managed to achieve.
(Please note that virtually all of these are available on VHS and/or DVD…and the episodes that are no longer complete have had all their soundtracks released, with accompanying narration. Amazon and Ebay are the best sites to visit in order to obtain these stories.)
ESSENTIAL VIEWING - THE FIRST DOCTOR (WILLIAM HARTNELL)
1963 - 1966
Season 1 - Episode 1 only
Although episodes 2 to 4 are part of the same story, episode 1 is so self-contained – and so uniquely magical – it deserves consideration on its own merits. One of the most magnificent pilots in television history, An Unearthly Child takes 25 sublime minutes to establish the basic premise of a series that continues to this day. It’s magical, mysterious, fascinating, directed with astonishing flair for its time (including some groundbreaking 4th-wall-toppling scenes), and features a positively frightening performance by William Hartnell as the Doctor…a man who hasn’t quite become the hero we’re now familiar with. An absolutely stunning, landmark moment in television history…and a compelling story in its own right.
Season 1 - 4 episodes
The earliest surviving historical adventure…and one of the best in the series’ history, it’s the first attempt by anyone in the series to change established Earth history. The end result is a personal tragedy on numerous levels, populated by actors at the height of their powers, and a script so elegant that Shakespeare himself would have been proud to put his name to it. It’s a showcase for Jacqueline Hill’s Barbara — one of the best companions in the series — as she struggles to accept in her heart what her mind already knows to be a futile endeavour. But the story is nearly stolen by the Doctor, as he experiences his very first romantic entanglement – a relationship that appears very chaste and sweet at first, but is slowly revealed to be far deeper, far more personal…and far more surprising. William Hartnell excels, being able to say more with a silent glance and a pained expression than most actors can do with a thousand, elegant words. An absolute treasure of Doctor Who’s first year.
Season 3 - 12 episodes
Only three episodes survive intact, but combined with the audio recordings, it remains an unbelievably epic experience (and those three episodes are impressive to watch, thanks to director Douglas Camfield). It loses its way somewhat between episodes 6 and 10 (and the Christmas episode 7 is…very very odd), but for the remaining time, it’s a story full of unexpected brutality, desperation, adventure, set backs, and life changing experiences (with a number of surprising and affecting deaths, which I won’t spoil for anyone who isn’t aware of them). It’s as if the writers suffered a nervous breakdown inside the room with all the ideas and props left over from innumerable space-Nazi B-movie adventures, used James Bond novels, and unmade Avengers episodes…and then decided to mash it all together into a single story! Today’s Doctor Who would be hard-pressed to put together something on this massive scale…that they managed it back then, as successfully as they did, is nothing short of a miracle. And if you believe that witty, pithy, scheming Daleks are only to be found in recent episodes, then you really need to be introduced to the Machiavellian creatures of this 12-week mega-saga.
Season 3 - 4 episodes
For many years, the major opinion of fandom declared this story to be one of the worst in the series’ history. Those people need serious, institutional help!
The Gunfighters is gloriously camp, surprisingly dark, and blisteringly funny…all in one go. A song known as The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon narrates the entire story…and then begins to sing the plot…almost as if the singer is starting to sip on some very potent sherry in order to keep her wits together! It has some of the worst fake-American accents in history…and dares you to acknowledge it! Meanwhile, Steven and Dodo are trying to blend into the real west using Calamity Jane quality outfits, and William Hartnell reveals himself to be an absolutely-friggin-comic GENIUS. Star Trek turned the gunfight at the OK Corral into a surrealist nightmare…but Doctor Who turns it into an episode of The Carol Burnett Show…starring a Time Lord and his goofy assistants!
Loopy beyond all reason – and proud of it! In the words of the Doctor, “He extracted my tooth, and gave me a gun…what more do you want?”
Season 4 - 4 episodes
As a story, it’s a bit…iffy. The international crew running the Antarctic space base are cliches of such paper-thin quality, they should have been wallpapered all over the sets…Hartnell disappears from episode 3…and some of the science is absolutely ludicrous…
…but this is a story that survives on its imagery, and director Derek Martinus crafts a story that leaves behind memorable impressions & scnearios. The Cybermen’s first appearance in Doctor Who makes for strange viewing…but their odd & awkward appearance only enhances their introduction…and their half-computerized voices are – by turns – unearthly, atonal, outstanding, strange, and wonderful.
It’s an episode of surprising vicousness, emotion, and tension (Robert Beatty’s General Culter is an exceptional performance, showcasing disturbing obsession and casual cruelty)…and it ends with the biggest single change in Doctor Who history: the first regeneration of the Doctor, from William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton. The final episode, even as a still-picture-and-soundtrack reconstruction, makes for eerie viewing, as the rest of the story suddenly becomes incidental to a Doctor on the verge of…what? Death? Transformation? Even the TARDIS starts having a nervous breakdown at the end of part four…
In short, this story WILL leave it’s mark on your memory. 
