Wishing Doctor Who a happy 60th birthday with 60 unforgettable bits from the show, the fandom and more.
60 years is a long time.
This could range from toys to songs to UGNs (Unexpected Graham Nortons).
Not just for us, but for you and Susan too.
You ought to go down on your hands and knees and thank us.
But gratitudes the last thing youll ever have, or any sort of common sense either.
F**k him up.
Whitaker gives the Daleks a leader too, a glass Dalek with the mutant visible within.
The most recent edition of the book, with illustrations by Robert Hack, came out in 2022.
This scene produced a meme (Ian saying London 1965!)
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
Look at the Daleks here, theyre beautiful.
Nonetheless the clear visual storytelling is what lingers in the mind.
and Hey, hey!
In case you werent sure, Tito is a very nuanced and sensitive depiction of an Italian male.
Anyway, hes dead.
The First Regeneration (The Tenth Planet, 1966)
This scene is whyDoctor Whois still on screen today.
In the end though, it was.
Bill Hartnell Attends Local Events in Character
FromWhos There?
Imagine youre a kid in the Sixties, and there is Doctor Who.
The Wizard of Oz meets Father Christmas.
This isDoctor Who… whether you like it or not.
Did They Search in Here?
(The Moonbase, 1967)
The first thing to note is that The Moonbase is incredibly silly.
The second thing to note is Patrick Troughton.
The third is the score, the eery ambience that brilliantly increases the tension, but mainly: Troughton.
His absolute conviction, the contrasts, the way he sells the ridiculous… its all wonderful.
Unironically, this is absolutely brilliant.
Victoria, orphaned in the last story, discusses the loss of her father.
The Doctors response is both kindly and unnerving.
I Imagine You Have Orders to Destroy Me?
(The Wheel in Space, 1968)
Another Cybermen: The Early Years clip.
Whos Going to Make the First Move?
Spearhead from Space is, after a slow start, a masterclass in freaking out small children.
He achieves this through dulcet tones and a little light hypnotism.
Altogether now:
Klokleda partha mennin kletch.Haroon, haroon, haroon.Klokleda sheena tirra nach.Haroon, haroon, haroon.
A whole mirror universe ofDoctor Whosprang up, with a significant impact on literacy in the UK.
Hes havingsucha good time.
See cuttingshere,hereandhere.
And the safe scares of the show remain a key part of its appeal.
Pyramids of Mars is another intense personal childhood memory.
As you know, it regenerates tissues.
But the Sisterhood control its only source.
Theyd kill you on the spot.DOCTOR: I must take that risk.
Sarah can stay here.
Just because its downplayed doesnt mean its not there.
However, the opening scene of The Masque of the Mandragora is something you cant not straightforwardly love.
Well doneDoctor Whoeffects people of yesteryear, you tried bloody hard and sometimes worked miracles.
Over the years these have been some of the most fun and interesting takes onDoctor Whoavailable.
the first anniversary special is based entirely on a comic from 1980).
Oh Look, Rocks (Destiny of the Daleks, 1979)
Speaks for itself.
The aliens in question are Cybermen.
They have no time travel capabilities.
Why and how would putting a lock on the navigational systems turn a space freighter into a time machine?
And so we have Alexei Sayle, playing a DJ who plays requests to people in suspended animation.
Him battlingthe Dalekswith music is ludicrously romantic for Season 22s extreme grimdark tendencies.
The moment he says Theres a mystery here is where the characters wanderlust overrides his attempts at emotional support.
That, right there, is the Doctor.
Is That The Guy From The Flying Pickets?
The Doctor immediately goes to comfort them.
He just said Lets make magic.
At their best, they expanded the range and possibilities ofDoctor Who.
The point of them was to try something new, and quite a lot of it stuck.
Alien Bodies works fine as a standalone novel for those unfamiliar with the Eighth Doctor Adventures.
For example:
The glass cracked.
The Doctor dropped out of the office and tumbled towards the ground, forty-six storeys below.
The General calmly folded his hands behind his back before stepping towards the empty windowframe.
The leader of the Tactical Security unit shuffled up to him, and respectfully raised his visor.
Its over forty storeys, Sir.
When he hits the ground -
He wont hit the ground, said Tchike.
He wont hit the ground.
Doctor Who Night (1999)
November 1999.
BBC Two was home to a night ofDoctor Whoprogramming.
Introduced by Tom Baker in, if not full flow then certainly without the edges smoothed off.
Documentaries, sketches, the last episode of the first Dalek story and the TV Movie.
They were scary because they tended to hide away and occasionally kill people.
Marc Platts script is extremely harrowing in places.
Which partly explains the next entry.
What Excuse Do You Have?
The stories of the Doctors intervention in that invasion have become commodified and trivialised, the horrors forgotten.
Its a stark reminder of what the Daleks are based on, what they grew out of.
Sadly this story has aged incredibly well.
The sense that that timebelongedtoDoctor Who.
Theres a bridge here between the mythic and every day that this series in particular was superb at doing.
Often companions were orphaned or at odds with their peers, there was already a disconnect present.
The show had considered the viewpoint of Aces Mum, but not had her voice it.
Wed just had our first David Tennant episode, but here were tantalising glimpses of more.
New monsters, new stories, old companions and the newCybermen.
The Second Coming of Dalekmania (2008)
Doctor Whowas back and more successful than anyone expected.
You could buy a remote control K9, or Dalek, or a Cyberman helmet.
This, though, was not the most incredible thing available.
You could, if you so chose, buy the Dalek Sec Hybrid Voice Changer Mask for your child.
If thats not a sign thatDoctor Whois surfing the zeitgeist I dont know what is.
No doubt about it.
Thats not why they work, though.
You Are Not Alone (Utopia, 2007)
I nearly fell off my seat.
The bit where Freema Agyeman grins at the camera.
The sheer joy of it all.
Still, its fun while it lasts isnt it?
There are unconfirmed reports that Chiwitel Ejiofor was offered the role.
A gif of him crying ended up as a punchline on social media, which seems appropriate.
Have I Impressed You Yet?
And, bluntly, its just really cool.
Children dont have access to spaceships, on the whole, but they can find hopefully trees.
Its okay to be scared.
Oh, you wantDoctor Whoto beplausiblesounding nonsense?
Well it isnt, so grow up.
So here we have a miracle.
Miracles, historically speaking, are not big on logic.
You try feeding 5000 people with a bloomer loaf and tin of sardines.
We also have Peter Capaldi giving a tantalising glimpse into how the Doctor sees the universe.
This includes the Doctors inspirational messages.
This two-parter is a huge Venn diagram of big characters, pointing out the interesting ways they overlap.
On a good day, he is The Doctor.
On a bad day?
Bookmakers and fans had talked about Ben Whishaw and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as possible candidates.
Everyone on Twitter seemed to be suggesting Richard Ayoade.
Forget the discourse, this moment itself was a big deal.
