Doctor Who: Catching Up On Classic Series (in 8 episodes)

With a few months to go until the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. I am finding more and more folks who started the series during the Christopher Eccleston years; during the relaunch of the series. But the origanl series launched in 1963 and ran continuously until 1989.

So these are 8 episodes, one for each of the “classic” Doctors that should give you a taste of each of their characters and how the series evolved over time. The pilot catches the Doctor’s life midstream so the back story of the lonely traveler and his machine is spread out over 50 years.

History

Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi series. It ran continuously from November 23, 1963 to December 6, 1989. The date it aired in the UK was the same day President Kennedy was assassinated (in the episode Rose, the photo of the Doctor at the assassination was a homage to the tragedy of the day). Doctor Who was slated to be a children’s educational program where the viewers could get more of a living sense of history by seeing it through the eyes of a high school girl, and her two teachers (the first 3 companions); although, the sci-fi aspects became more popular and the series morphed. In the beginning the BBC was skeptical about the project and hedging their bets on failure they assigned a female producer, Verity Lambert (rare at that time) to oversee the project. Homage was paid to Verity Lambert in the 10^th Doctor episode Human Nature when John Smith named his parents.

The original plan was to have the Tardis alter its disguise every episode to match the landscape and blend in. However, due to budget constraints placed on the series, it was decided to keep the one shape to save cost and claim that the chameleon circuit was broken. The Tardis has changed shapes only a few times in its history. In one particular episode of the 7^th Doctor, he was able to fix the circuit, but by the end of the episode he missed the classic shape of his home and decided to deactivate it again.

Many of the first and second Doctor Who episodes are lost to time. The UK originals have deteriorated. Some episodes have been found, preserved, in Australia. Some episodes still have existing audio tracks. Recently, animators have begun recreating the missing episodes and from what I’ve seen of the work, it looks incredible.

The First Doctor

The pilot opens following a young girl, Susan Foreman, home from school. She is being tailed by two of her teachers who are worried about her odd arguments in class pertaining to mathematics, physics, and history. At one point arguing she couldn’t solve a physics problem because the problem excluded sufficient data on the fourth dimension of time. The teachers (Barbara and Ian) become very concerned when she disappears into a junk yard, so they enter after her. They are discovered by an old man who denies that anyone is there until they hear Susan calling out for “Grandfather;” a title she continues to call him while she travels with him. The teachers, hearing Susan inside a police box, think he is mistreating her and push their way in to the small booth and discover the Tardis. Susan claims she nicknamed it that as an acronym. In an attempt to control the situation, the Doctor locks the Tardis and electrifies the console. Ian attempts to escape and in advertently sends the Tardis on her first trip of the series.

The Doctor’s backstory is heavily hidden in mystery and is slowly revealed over the past 50 years. Most of it is still unknown such as the references to a family he had before the series began. What we do know is that he stole the Tardis from a repair yard on Gallifrey (hence the mechanical problems) and he is fleeing from his people. During the life of the series, he has visited home several times to either help with a crisis or at least twice stand trial for violating Galifreyean laws of non-interference.

The Aztecs

Episode 6 in the series (the original series followed the classic serial format with approximately 15 minute episodes and 4-8 episodes making a story. My episode counting is by major story not the serial title.), this is one of the historical episodes. I picked this episode because the Doctor’s character finally begins to soften. In the early episodes he was cold, untrusting, and manipulative. This episode also shows the first sign of his flirty nature, a rare thing in the classic series.

The Second Doctor

The second Doctor is described as “the hobo.” He is not the take charge, threatening Time Lord we see in the new series. He is often in the background supporting the main story.

The War Games

Season 6, episode 7: I picked this episode because it was the first exposure to the Doctor’s people, the Time Lords, and the struggle that defines his relationship with them. This episode also features the first trial of the Doctor and his subsequent sentencing which includes heavy punishment that overshadows the 3^rd Doctor’s life time.

The Third Doctor

The third Doctor is a more mature, more outgoing leader than the former Doctors. He is also more dramatic and quick to spring into hand to hand combat. Exiled to Earth, he joins a United Nations task force UNIT and helps them deal with extraterrestrial matters on Earth. The Master frequently appears in these episodes working some sort of scheme either against the Earth or the Doctor.

Terror of the Autons

Season 8, episode 1: This episode was picked because it has several elements that characterize this era of Doctor Who. The Master is featured, another Time Lord makes an appearance, and the secondary villain, the Autons, is the same villain from the first episode of the new series, Rose.

The Fourth Doctor

The fourth Doctor is often referred to as “the Bohemian.” He was the most popular of the Doctors and made the series incredibly popular. He wears the long scarf that has become the symbol for Doctor Who in pop culture. He was also the longest regeneration of the Doctor from 1974 to 1981. He could disarm you with his charm, a jelly baby candy, or his hands if it came to that. His companions included Sarah Jane Smith (who met the 3^rd Doctor first – and she was initially an American), K-9 (who provided analytical power and fire power when needed, but had limited batteries), and Romana (a Time Lord, who I believe was the one reaching out to Donna’s granddad during End of Time).

Genesis of the Daleks

Season 12, episode 5: Picking one episode for this Doctor was very hard; so many of them are personal favorites. I’ve avoided Dalek episodes thus far because I think it would be a good mini-set for you to see separately. However, to help you with what is happening in the new series, it would likely be interesting to learn something more about their past. This is not the first appearance of the Daleks. Every Doctor has had a run in with them going back to the second ever episode. In this episode you’ll get to see a typical Sarah Jane episode, plus Time Lord intervention, the creation of the Daleks, and one of the most powerful moral dilemmas our Time Lord has to face.

The Fifth Doctor

This Doctor was probably the youngest of the Doctors at the time. He moved around in an energetic frenzy and got distracted by cricket.

Earthshock

Season 19, episode 6: The Cybermen are the main villain in this episode. In the Classic Series, the Cybermen are not from Earth and the invention of a Earthling madman. They have many similar traits to the Star Trek Borg, but those firmed up over time. They do, however, often need a human controller for creativity in their battlefield strategies. These cybermen also are susceptible to gold. They “breathe” and when they breathe in gold dust, it shorts circuits in their systems thus killing them. The ending also has some unique insight into the Doctor’s boundaries.

The Sixth Doctor

He was the shortest of all the Doctors and the least favorite of the TV series. However, he has made a strong comeback in the Big Finish audio dramas and a few experimental animated web episodes. He wore bright colors, but thankfully the books and web episodes toned it down. His regeneration was very violent and a scene where he briefly attacked a companion turned many fans off. He survived about 1 season.

Attack of the Cybermen

Season 22, episode 1: This episode was one of the few instances in the TV series where the Doctor repaired the chameleon circuit.

The Seventh Doctor

A much calmer, softer Doctor than the last few regenerations. This Doctor preferred reading and a quieter life; although that was unlikely to happen. He was also the final Doctor of the continuously running TV series.

Remembrance of the Daleks

This episode deals with the Hand of Omega. An artifact the Doctor stole before the series started and hid on Earth. The Time Lord Omega was the primary architect in harnessing the star that became central to the Time Lords’ time travel. The Hand of Omega was the glove that enabled him to do so. No one online has implied the connection, but I believe this glove was the same Rassilon wore in End of Time. The way it was used was different than the intended purpose, but there is no evidence I remember that would discount it.

The Eight Doctor

Seven years after the series ended, Fox attempted to reboot it. They brought back the Seventh Doctor for a cameo and placed him back in the Tardis. The series never did reboot and most non-hardcore fans are unaware the movie exists. However, the 8^th Doctor lives on in several seasons Big Finish audio dramas and a few web episodes. The new series has officially tied him in as the 8^th Doctor and it is believed he was the one who fought in the time war. With the 50^th anniversary coming this year, there appears to be efforts to close the gap between the two series and explain more about the time war; if not tell that story altogether. It’s my belief that he was the one who sealed the Time Lords and the Daleks in the time bubble before regenerating into the 9^th Doctor.

The Enemy Within

I found this completely by accident many, many years ago. I was delighted and excited. The Tardis interior, which has remained essentially the same throughout the classic series (with 1 exception) is completely different. It pays tribute to Jules Verne and has been my favorite interior. The Master returns. Initially I thought some of the changes to him were not consistent with the classic series, but I did recently run across a 7^th Doctor episode that makes me think they picked up where they left off with him (I’ll have to watch it to verify it).