Hi! I'm trying to go through Classic Who and was wondering what some good serials to start off with would be, in your opinion? From a variety of Doctors, if that's okay.
Great question. Itâs hard for me to boil 27 years into a quick watchlist, but Iâll do my best to give you a good sampler with good stories, watershed events, and most classic companions. Iâll boldface my top rec for each Doctor.
My suggestion is to try 2 top-recommended stories for each of the classic Doctors, and then watch more of whichever Doctor/companions catch your fancy.
I always wrestle with where to start newbies.
Unearthly Child is such a good launch, especially the first half hour. It establishes that the Doctor has a lot to learn from humans! But if you find the later episodes of that story a bit draggy, it's okay to skip ahead to when the show hits its stride.Here:
The Aztecs (Barbara, Ian, Susan): First TARDIS team, classic historical, first to grapple with ethics of altering history. Excellent story.
The Romans (Barbara, Ian, Vicki): Lighthearted historical with a lot of moments to make you grin.
The Time Meddler (Steven, Vicki): Another fun one, first to introduce another Time Lord (although at the time, the showrunners hadnât decided that the Doctor wasnât human; the âTime Lordâ concept was introduced in the second Doctorâs final episode.).
I know this era the least, because almost all its episodes were lost when I was a kid, and I still need to catch up on recons and recovered stories. A pity, because Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Peter Capaldi all look back to Patrick Troughton as their Doctor.
Iâm still playing catch-up, but I warmly suggest:
Power of the Daleks (Ben, Polly) Iâm not quite sure about this rec. Itâs the first regeneration story ever, totally lost apart from the soundtrack, recently reconstructed using 1960s-comics-style animation. The visuals may not be your cup of tea, but itâs a good story. I guess this is another, âTry it, see if it works for you, and if not, move on.â
Enemy of the World (Jamie, Victoria) WATCH THIS. NO SERIOUSLY. Itâs alarmingly topical, and Pat Troughton is amazeballs. Remember itâs 50 years old now.
The Mind Robber (Jamie, Zoe) a goofier, more lighthearted entry than most of my suggestions, but if you have a sense of humour, itâs a lot of fun. It reminds me that (a) Who was primarily a kidsâs show smart enough for the whole family to enjoy and (b) early television was like watching a stage play; Â you had to suspend disbelief, tolerate flat sets and basic props, and fill in the rest with your imagination. Our minds were the CGI of early TV.
Three was my first Doctor, so from here on it gets difficult for me to be choosy.
Spearhead from Space (Liz, Brig) for sure; itâs the intro of the UNIT era and a good regeneration story. Keep in mind what a radical departure this was; not only was it in colour, but it was the first time the Doctor and companions had left at the end of one season and been replaced with an entirely new cast in the next. The Doctor was now Earthbound, working with UNIT. The Time Lords had just been established in the previous (10 episode long!) serial.
Inferno (Liz, Brig) is widely regarded and a heck of a story, with some unforgettable moments, but itâs another thatâs about one episode longer than it needs to be according to modern tastes.
Terror of the Autons (Jo, Brig, Benton) introduces Jo AND the Master. Good story. Watch it. :)
The Three Doctors was the tenth anniversary special, and I love it, goofy monsters, ham acting, campy villain and all. William Hartnell passed away not long after.
This is especially hard to pick and choose because Tomâs era spanned seven years, and he had so many good companions and watershed stories. You donât have to hit all of these; I just have trouble choosing.
Genesis of the Daleks (Harry, Sarah Jane) for sure, introduction of Davros. Unusually dark but important story, a real watershed.
The Brain of Morbius (Sarah Jane) is a solid Four-era adventure introducing the Sisterhood of Karn and another problematic Time Lord. Itâs not a pivotal story so much as âthis is absolutely classic classic Who, and good entertainment.âÂ
Hand of Fear is Sarah Janeâs final story. Itâs a good sendoff, even if the writers had forgotten she was a tough bird; she shrieks more than Iâd like. The final scene is embedded in the hearts of all Whovians of my generation. Our Sarah Jane.
The Deadly Assassin (just about the only solo Doctor serial): I waffle on whether to recommend this because itâs slow in spots, but it probably did the most to establish Gallifrey canon of any story, since itâs the first story that takes place on Gallifrey.Â
The Face of Evil introduces Leela. And you can skip it. No really, itâs simply a good adventure, and I hate for you to miss Leela altogether.
The Pirate Planet (Romana I, K9) is hilariously over the top, a farce penned by the inimitable Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhikerâs Guide. Bonus: drinking game with the phrase âMIISTER FIBULIIIII!â Except that might land you in a hospital, so never mind.
The City of Death (Romana II) contains a lot of running through the streets of Paris and Tom Baker and Lalla Ward flirting shamelessly. Nevertheless, itâs a good story with an unusually good secondary cast. A fan favorite. Watch for the John Cleese cameo!
Drat, thatâs too many Tom Bakers already, so I guess I shouldnât say Keeper of Traken. But Iâm gonna, because Iâm biased. (Itâs Nyssaâs intro, a Shakespearean tragedy with an interesting villain. More importantly, Anthony Ainley, the next Master, plays her father.)
Castrovalva is the best regeneration story. Yes, Iâm biased, but that sequence with Peter Davison wandering around the TARDIS imitating the Doctors he grew up watching is a great intro.
Earthshock (Adric, Tegan, Nyssa) I havenât given you any Cybermen stories yet, have I? Watch this one. I refuse to spoil why; Iâve already spoiled the first cliffhanger (it had been seven years since the previous Cybermen story, and nobody was expecting them).
The Five Doctors (Tegan, Turlough, and everybody else) is the 20th anniversary special that brought back as many Doctors, companions and monsters as it possibly could. Pure fanservice, but fun for all that. Plus more Gallifrey worldbuilding.
Caves of Androzani (Peri) is often voted the best classic Who story ever. Not sure about that, but the directing in this one is so much better than most of the era it hurts. Even if modern audiences are no longer used to characters addressing the camera; it was a convention back then.
Poor Colin; I love his audios but I havenât gone back and watched his TV serials since the 80s. The two I remember as especially good are:
The Two Doctors (Jamie, Peri) - Colin Baker collides with Patrick Troughton. Not to mention Jackie Pearce, who played the arch-villain of Blakeâs 7.
Vengeance on Varos (Peri) - keep in mind that so-called Reality TV was almost two decades away
I loved the quirky first season of the Seventh Doctor era, but most people donât. Delta and the Bannermen (Mel) was apparently penned under the influence of recreational substances, and I love it, but again, most people donât. Happiness Patrol is another âI love it, but most people donâtâ story.
These are safer, quality bets:
Battlefield. (Ace) WATCH IT. NO SERIOUSLY. Last Brig appearance on classic Who. A+ would recommend, if nothing else for the fact that Who clued in to having a diverse (and good) cast. Watch for Aceâs gal pal of the week. ;)Â
Remembrance of the Daleks (Ace) was originally meant as the 25th anniversary special. The Doctor returns to Coal Hill School for the first time since Unearthly Child. Thereâs Daleks and the famous Unlimited Rice Pudding speech. Ace kicks Dalek ass.
Survival. Last classic Who ever. A Master story. Aceâs gal of the week is none other than Lisa Bowerman (Big Finish director, also plays Bernice Summerfield) disguised as a furry. Despite the naff costuming, itâs a good story, and the scriptwriter was slipping in as much lesbian subtext as she could get away with in the 80s (according to an interview).
By all means, watch the TV movie, despite its flaws. When it came out, my friends compained, âStop trying to appeal to Americans by making Doctor Who more American! Weâre Anglophiles!â And I lamented, âThis is the opposite of Doctor Who: The FX are superb [well, they were then] but the dialogue is mediocre!â Â Nevertheless, we all loved Paul McGann as the Doctor and were angry on his behalf that he hadnât been given a better script to reboot the franchise.
My opinion of the 1997 movie has risen considerably over the years, but itâs still a bit rocky.
And of course you have to see Night of the Doctor, but itâs only seven minutes. Perfect Paul.
Edited to add: Nobody is grading you on your hobby. Or if they are, F âem. You are allowed to pick and choose! There is so much Who now that itâs pretty much impossible to see, read and listen to all of it. Different eras of the show have different styles and appeal to different tastes. So watch what gives you joy. Just remember there are overlooked gems in every period.