Because I have been accused of late of being a right old
curmudgeon and hating everything I listen to/watch/read I thought I would take
a departure from the usual reviewing duties and have stab at something I know a
lot of people of a geekish persuasion enjoy...lists! This is going to be
comprehensive list of my top 50 Doctor Who adventures taking in the classic
series, the new series, the audios, the books and the comics. It's time to
spread a little love...
The TV Series (Classic)
The Power of the Daleks - Six episodes of pure bliss,
showing off the Daleks at their scheming best and playing a fascinating game
with the audience over the new Doctor. The tension escalates masterfully.
The War Games - Changing Doctor Who for ever and doing it
with absolute class, this whopping ten part adventure fees shorter than some
four part stories such is the pace and the enjoyment I get from it. Troughton
delivers probably the best ever portrayal of the Doctor and the whole
production is given a huge lift by David Maloney's incredible direction. As
fresh today as it ever was, especially the revelations.
Inferno - Few Doctor Who stories have scared me as much as
this one. Not the Primords, they are a stock Doctor Who monster. No it is the
terror of the alternative universe scenes as the regulars realise the futility
of their situation and yet strive to escape any way. Episode six might be the
most perfect Doctor Who episode to date, skin crawling and unrelenting.
Genesis of the Daleks - Justly praised, we might know the
dialogue back to front and inside out but this is still an exquisite script,
masterfully delivered by one of the best ensemble casts and delivered with an
unusual violent touch by David Maloney. I can't watch this one too often but
whenever I do I am blown away. Davros' introduction is unforgettable.
The Seeds of Doom - It's all about how this one is directed.
Douglas Camfield is my favourite director to have worked on the show and his
swansong is his best work; an atmospheric, pacy, gripping and shocking horror
tale that features men being turned into plants and makes it the most
terrifying thing ever. Also featuring Tom Baker and Lis Sladen at their most
sublime.
Talons of Weng-Chiang - Witty, frightening, atmospheric and
packed full of great characters, this is the story to show to a non-fan to
prove how good classic Who can be. Robert Holmes' dialogue was never better and
you'll be hard pushed to find a better guest cast.
City of Death - Like Talons, a funny story that reaches
classic status. Douglas Adams and Graeme Williams produce one of the series'
most imaginative scripts and the gorgeous acting and scenery is just a bonus.
This one constantly surprises in a way that few Doctor Who stories do.
Enlightenment - I'm surprised I included this and it was a
close call between this and Androzani. However this is far more imaginative and
reflective, which is far more to my tastes than the guns and bombs of Davison's
swansong. Everything I look for in a classic Doctor Who story is here and it
looks beautiful too.
Revelation of the Daleks - An atypical story that stands out
because of it, Revelation never ceases to amaze me with how far it pushes adult
content and humour in a teatime slot. Eric Saward is Holmes' protégé and
finally he delivers something that rivals his mentors work. Too many blackly
funny and memorable sequences to mention. Astonishing characters.
Ghost Light - The last classic Doctor Who story made, Ghost
Light saw them out in style. I wish the McCoy era had been more like this
because it seems to be all the things that Cartmel was striving for; a gripping
Doctor and fascinating companion, complex storytelling, top notch dialogue and
characters and everything stylishly brought to the screen. Hard to fault.
The TV Series (New)
Human Nature/The Family of Blood - As complex as
characterisation gets in Doctor Who, this is the sort of story the series
hasn't dared to tell since. War is examined psychologically and the resulting
drama is extremely powerful. David Tennant was never better...and considering
how good he is usually that is quite a statement.
The Sound of Drums - I make no apology for this. One of the
most perfect 45 minutes of Doctor Who with one glorious scene after another.
The final ten minutes are dazzling, climaxing on the massacre of 10% of the
Earth's population.
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead - Steven Moffat's
masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. He has never bettered this story. I was
staring at the screen after Forest of the Dead finished for an age, literally
astonished at the intelligent, probing and emotional drama that had just
unfolded. Tennant and Tate are simply extraordinary.
Midnight - The scariest Doctor Who story ever in my book.
Read my review for why I think so. My buttocks were clenched for a good 30
minutes and I was probably sweating at the end.
Turn Left - For Catherine Tate's standout performance (the
best companion performance ever in my book), the perversion of continuity, the
jet black tone, the astonishing characterisation, the efforts of Cribbins and
King, the shocking ending...the best Doctor Who story to barely feature the
Doctor.
The Waters of Mars - Graeme Harper's masterpiece. Gripping
throughout climaxing on a shock suicide, it doesn't get any better than this.
The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone - Moffat is still on fire
here, fresh faced and delivering all the elements that have made his standalone
efforts in series 1-4 such a delight. The Angels are treated differently but
the imagery surrounding them blew me away.
Vincent & the Doctor - Any story that reduces me to a
blubbering wreck like this has got to be doing something right. Simply the
finest character drama in Doctor Who ever.
The Doctor's Wife - Gaiman's debut script knocked me over.
It's quirky, funny, imaginative and heartbreaking.
Audios (Main Range)
Jubilee - One of the most substantial audios, a cutting
satire on commercialism delivered with razor sharp wit and psychological
scares. So good it inspired the return of the Daleks in the new series.
The Wormery - This has a unique atmosphere all of its own,
somehow melancholic and hilarious. I never get tired of listening to The
Wormery and the dazzling Colin Baker/Katy Manning double act.
LIVE 34 - Using the audio format to its fullest, I was
shocked at how good this was on my last listen.
Son of the Dragon - The Dracula myth is brought to audio
with a superlative central performance by James Purefoy. History at its most
gripping and the best example of the surprisingly thoughtful trio of the fifth
Doctor, Peri and Erimem. The passion in the performances really sells this one
as a classic.
A Thousand Tiny Wings - Still one of the most haunting,
disquieting audios with Sylvester McCoy's best ever performance in the role. A
fascinating slice of history, beautifully dramatised and re-introducing one of
Doctor Who's most interest guest characters.
A Death in the Family - Everything you have hear about this
one is true. Check it out.
The Forth Wall - Some might be surprised to see this one on
my list but the more I listen to it the more it, the more I am taken aback by
the deeply intelligent things it has to say about writing fictional characters.
It's also startlingly creative, boldly characterised and features the shock
death of a companion. I adore it.
The Silver Turk - Traditional Doctor Who delivered about as
stylishly as it can be.
The Curious Incident of the Doctor in Night-Time - From this
years output, Nev Fountain stretches the format of Doctor Who about as far as
it can go and says something very profound and touching about autism in the
process.
Books
Nightshade - Mark Gatiss' masterpiece. I wish this could
make it to the screen, grisly deaths and all.
Just War - For what it puts Bernice through, I will never
forget the content of this novel. Trapped within its pages, it is startlingly
oppressive.
Eye of Heaven - The scenes written from Leela's point of
view are done with such style I could have had the whole book told in that
style. A non-linear narrative that satisfies, gorgeous prose, shocking
content...Jim Mortimore didn't always get it right but when he did he was
rarely bettered.
Festival of Death - A Doctor Who story told backwards with a
wealth of great jokes, mood, insane twists and some very poignant moments. The
climax is most satisfying.
The Infinity Doctors - Lance Parkin's greatest opus, using a
wealth of continuity and expanding upon it with reckless abandon. Some of the
best imagery and individual scenes in any of the books and the ultimate
expression of the Doctor.
Alien Bodies - It's just glorious, isn't it? Lawrence Miles
might be nuttier than squirrel shit but he is still a genius.
Father Time - The most beautifully written Doctor Who book
of all, one which puts him in the position of being a father for the first time
and makes it a stunning prospect. I've read this more times than I care to
remember. The writing is so good in spots it gives me shivers.
The Adventuress of Henrietta Street - Terrifying in content,
this is the boldest Doctor Who book and one that may have over stepped the mark
for some. I loved it, especially the strength of characterisation and the
brutal imagery. Shocking twists that have a profound effect on the Doctor.
The Tomorrow Windows - Ridiculously funny and imaginative,
there are more ideas in this book than in any other Doctor Who story. It never
stops giving, right up until the last page. Just magnificent.
Prisoner of the Daleks - An NSA in the top ten? Go and read
this and tell me different.
Comics
Voyager - Some pages of this comic are pieces of art, not
just panels in a comic. I can sit and stare at them for ages. For innovation,
this cannot be bettered.
Ground Zero - They wanted the seventh Doctor to depart the
comic strip in style. They succeeded. What an ending.
The Glorious Dead - Epic in scope with some insane twists
and turns and mind expanding artwork, for me this is the ultimate Master story.
Beautiful Freak - A one issue wonder that shows how devoted
the creators of the strip were to the characters of the eighth Doctor and Izzy.
God I love that TARDIS in the strip.
The Flood - I first read this in graphic novel form and
couldn't believe the scale and striking nature of the storytelling and artwork.
Two for two, the strip provided me with my favourite Master story and my
favourite Cyberman story.
Time of My Life - Jonny Morris is something of a genius and
it is not co-incidence that he has turned up several times on this top 50.
Stunning vignettes showing unseen Doctor/Donna adventures, beautifully captured
on a page each (check out the bordering) and with a gut wrenching climax.
The Crimson Hand - I adored Majenta and her caustic
relationship with the Doctor so I was intrigued enough already when her past
finally caught up with her. Dan McDaid saw his companion out in real style,
providing a dramatic backdrop to force her to choose where her allegiances
finally lie. It says something about the quality of the characterisation of
this companion that I wasn't at all sure which way she would jump.
The Professor, the Queen & the Bookshop - A beautiful
Christmas tale that left me cooing like a baby.
Planet Bollywood! - I love Bollywood! This quirky,
madcap adventure is my personal favourite of the Eleventh Doctor's run because
it jettisons the need to be timey wimey and just has a great deal of fun.
Colourful, pioneering and very funny.
10 comments:
Awesome, awesome list!! And isn't it fantastic that there are still so many amazing stories to choose from beyond a top 50 :-)
Hey, Enlightenment! Nice to see someone else has that on their favorites list... It may be my personal favorite of the classic era (well, alongside 'Ghost Light' and 'The War Games'). Seriously, seriously underrated; I get so annoyed when I consider that it's the only story Barbara Clegg wrote for the series (though I adored both 'Point of Entry' and 'The Elite' in the Lost Stories, so there was some justice later on!).
Great list! I wouldn't agree with all of them, of course (I'm not a fan of 'The Fourth Wall' or 'The Waters of Mars'), but it's a nice set of unusual choices. And I am always a sucker for a good list!
Kinda surprised not to see Spare Parts and Androzani, although these are choices of heart, so I can't fault that.
That said, I am still kind of struck at how much you praise Revelation of the Daleks. I can't stand it, personally - just for that DJ character alone.
Surprised not to see Chimes of Midnight, Blink, Spare Parts.
I would have chosen Vegeance on Varos(my fav Colin's TV story) and Two Doctors before Revelation
On the books I only agree with Festival and Windows. I find Henrietta rather dull and dry in the style it's written
Wholehearthly agree with the comics Beautiful freak and Time of my life
That's the beauty of Doctor Who, every fan has his/her own choices and there's plenty to choose from :)
and surprised to see any story with the great Lucie Miller in it! tch tch ;) :)
Shocked that you left "The Rapture" out of the audios section... (*sarcasm*)
This is a fantastic list - and I really liked that you chose Enlightenment. While I would say that The Caves of Androzani is still superior in its craft and as a unified work of art, the too-often-overlooked Enlightenment really is just about as good, and far more to my taste as well. Speaking of taste, you perfectly summed up what I love about the Cartmel era in Ghost Light - the difference being that I actually think they *did* achieve all of that in the last two seasons. Nonetheless, you are the only critic who has presented a critique of the McCoy era that I can actually understand and appreciate - so kudos for helping me open my mind a bit :)
I've really gotta get reading some of those later Morris comic strips, especially the Bollywood one!
I'll follow with my own Top 40 list soon.
Revelation of the Daleks is a masterpiece and a wonderful character drama. Don’t focus on the DJ. Focus more on the characters Orcini and Bostok, Kara and Vogel, Jobel and Davros and view it as a Doctor lite Doctor Who story which is centred more around Davros. It’s got very chilling music and the part where the mutant passes away literally made me cry and it was genuinely chilling. I think the murder of Jobel is one of the most heartbreaking deaths of all time and I feel heartbroken for the character Tasembeker. It’s pure art too, it has so much style. In my opinion the Greatest Doctor Who story of all time followed by Ghost Light & Heaven Sent.
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