Any fool can write a Top 60 Stories list, were breaking it down further.
The plan is be ranking single frames by 2063.
Very scientific process behind this list: theyre the 60 bestDoctor WhoTV episodes, listed in chronological order.
Not quite hostile abduction abrasive, but difficult nonetheless.
It works, though.
Ad content continues below
Its always worth stating how aggressively unsettlingDoctor Whohas been.
What is that noise?
Am I supposed to be this frightened?
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?)
and then theres the Doctor himself, shown here threatening his granddaughter and kidnapping two schoolteachers.
Youd be forgiven for being alarmed.
What could possibly go wrong?
And theyre dying of radiation sickness.
Thats what could go wrong.
All of which means Susan is about to embark on one of the most terrifying experiences of her life.
Then theres the reveal of the Dalek plan in all its gonzo pulpy glory.
Both are menaced by Koquillion, a bipedal creature with a face like an insectoid warthog.
The Doctor, Ian and Barbara arrive and promise to help Vicki escape.
Youve got the alluring part of the character there the casts family dynamic giving off real warmth.
And then youve got the Doctor confronting Koquillion.
A great shout if youre intent on introducing someone to the show with a bit of Hartnell drama.
Then they discover an exhibit that chills them to the bone: themselves.
Hartnell nails some of the Doctors best comic moments.
The fizz of the series invention here is quite something to see.
Outside, a flying saucer touches down.The Cybermenhave arrived.
They land on a human colony and discover they are trying to revive a crashed Dalek ship.
The Doctors warnings go unheeded astheDaleksmanipulate the colonists into reviving more of them.
The release of tension is unbelievable here, and the coldness of the many deaths almost overwhelming.
To cap it all, the new Doctor isnt a reassuring figure yet.
Some incredibly bold choices were made making this story.
In this episode, friends are kidnapped and possessed.
Soldiers are killed despite actually being good at their jobs, in action sequences directed with pace and clarity.
The deaths really land.
Where does the General keep disappearing to?
And why is there a Roman legion roaming around outside?
These arethe wargames, and they need to get hold of whoevers running them.
Can the Doctor find a peaceful solution to both sides increasing antagonism?
How, though, are the two places connected?
Unfortunately a Wirrn Queen/giant pregnant wasp has got on board and laid its eggs in one of the technicians.
EssentiallyAlienfor children, The Ark in Space embodies producer Philip Hinchcliffes wish to intensify the horror.
The Doctor nearly kills himself accessing the Queens memories while Wirrn grubs make a run at kill everyone.
This goes really badly.
Due to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, the Doctor is then arrested for assassinating the President.
In trying to clear his name he uncovers a plot amidst the festering complacency.
A battle of wills and a hunt for survival ensue, with the Doctor hunted and hunting.
Its unlike anything else in the shows history.
And then the murders start!
A grisly, intense, occasionally hilarious tale with one of the saddest instances of someones head exploding inDoctorWhohistory.
Part Three is where, after a few deaths and ominous forebodings, things start getting really bad.
He is sent Romana, a recent graduate from the Time Lord Academy, to help him.
Then she gets caught up in the Machiavellian schemes of Count Grendel of Gracht, asDoctorWhohomagesThe Prisoner of Zenda.
David Fishers script is relentlessly entertaining, and Peter Jeffreys performance as Count Grendel is incredible.
After a slightly choppy episode of set up, Part Two of City of Death may be utterly perfect.
Maybe thats why I never went there.
However, in this case evil has not shrivelled up and died, something has taken root.
The consuls of Traken are clearly bickering and complacent.
This is the story of the death of a fairy tale.
The officers seem distant and aloof, the sailors slightly confused about exactly what theyre doing there.
The one thing they agree on is theyre taking part in a race.
The strangeness of the officers is superbly acted, the characters chilling and enigmatic, tragic and powerful.
The red cloth was for soldiers you know exactly who this man is).
Its just pay-off after pay-off, making this one of the greatest ever stories.
Ballard and thought Wow, I wonder what this would look like as a CBBC production?
Well good news, because in 1987 someone did this (though no-one has tried it with Crash).
Big broad fun that sees the show changing in a significant way.
Setting up the storys characters and themes with aplomb, its also drily witty, action-packed and assuredly confident.
This episode also looks really cool.
GhostLight has a reputation for being hard to follow but I disagree.
A small force of Russian soldiers have arrived to steal it.
Another force is lurking nearby, waiting to be unleashed.
The Doctor never could resist a game of traps.
Rob Shearman had to overcome this perception of them.
The plunger is now deadly.
All in all, quite a successful rehabilitation of a public image.
The Doctor, infatuated with her, agrees to this even though its at best a risky move.
Pete Tyler is a bloke, trying his best, but flawed and aware of it.
This is essentially a zombie horror for children, which opts for the strange and unsettling rather than gore.
The repeated plaintive chime of Are you mymummy?
Despite all this, its home to a burst of pure joy for this most traumatised of Doctors.
Its intense, moving, and Ecclestons performances against the Daleks are unlikely to be bettered.
Which is then transported to the moon.
No-one writes tonal dissonance likeRussell T. Davies.
Smith and Jones introduces Martha to the show while juggling umpteen plates and makes it look absolutely effortless.
As well as emanating aMcCoyeracomic-book energy, Gridlock reflects the leads strained relationship at this point.
42 & 43.
In the book, the Seventh Doctor becomes human to better understand his companions grief.
Theres this mercurial rush of energy and charisma that takes people along with him before the bodies start cooling.
This story is the best depiction of this.
Its not an especially original observation to make, butRussellT.
Daviesis very good at writing TV characters.
Were introduced to an ensemble cast and know the basics of their relationships and personalities extremely quickly.
And so it proves.
A riveting and haunting episode, for what is essentially half a dozen people arguing in a space bus.
From the second Smith sticks his head out of the TARDIS door and chirps Can I have an apple?
we knew everything was going to be alright.
Meanwhile, a heavily metaphorical monster is hiding out in a nearby church.
A surprisingly sensitive script fromRichardCurtis, you’re able to feel his passion for the subject shining through.
There, they find the Pandorica, a legendary prison, and the Doctors enemies in wait.
Or at least, half of one.
At which point, lo and behold!
McGanns Doctor appeared once on screen in the 1996 TV Movie, which didnt result in an ongoing series.
The Doctor proceeds to both save the day and alienate nearly everyone on the train.
A great monster, and a great story hook, but what really stands out here is the characterisation.
Flatline is a consistently inventive horror story that takes something everyday and weaponises it.
In this case: two dimensional patterns.
Even the ground youre walking on.
The second half of Series Eight remains a really strong run of stories.
HopefullyYaznever watches this episode.
Can the Doctor get to the other end of the ship in time to save his friend?
On top of that, its also anincredibleCybermanstory.
And another Master story.
They find Yazs grandmother as a young woman, but shes engaged to someone Yaz has never heard of.
During Chibnalls time as showrunner,Doctor Wholooked for areas of history the show hadnt covered before.
That sense of conflict feels appropriate here, at least, the Doctors powerlessness clearly rankling.
