Getting published 2
Syntax corner
Getting published
The British Invasion
Salvador
The quality of sanity is not strained
Going round in circles
Where do you hide your money?
For film buffs
SteamboatsWhich was the best Doc and the best episode?
In an attempt to add gravitas to the late night slot, it’s time to rate three of the Doctors. Unfortunately, I’m not really the one to do it because I only saw the second half of Jon Pertwee, went through all of Tom Baker and saw the beginning of Peter Davison.
That’s why the post by The Appalling Strangeness was interesting because it filled me in on the others. Hartnell I never saw but I did see a bit of Troughton because of Zoe, the best Doctor’s girl ever in my book and though it was a quirky and irascible performance by Troughton, it was quite good and I read that Wendy Padbury admired him greatly.
TAS isn’t wrong in saying that Tom Baker was the definitive Doc – in a way, he was not unlike the Roger Moore Bond, with one difference – he had excellent scripts to work with and good offsiders. Both went for so long and almost redefined the role.
Don’t forget The Master as well.
If Connery was the one who originally defined Bond, then Pertwee was the one who defined the Doc in my book. What with the Brigadier and the dark overtones, missing from the Davison portrayal, there was a cold, windswept desolation to Pertwee’s Doc – maybe it was the nature of the stories. And why did they make Lis Sladen into such a moaning minnie?
This is one of the nicest takes on Jon Pertwee’s Doctor:
The 3rd Doctor took the best of the stoic patriarchal behavior of the 1st Doctor and the humor of the 2nd Doctor and blended them together to form a truly great vision of what the Doctor should be.
He introduced us to some of the truly great episodes of Doctor Who, along with some new villians and companions that have stayed with us to this day. He took us from black and white to color, and to Gallifrey and all over the galaxy.
He was the first one to bring his past incarnations together in one episode! He was also the first Doctor to get his own tricked out car, and to finally have some serious fashion sense! He truly made Doctor Who a great sci-fi show.
Having said that, Tom Baker was excellent and Pyramids of Mars had to have been the best of the lot and was not far off being acceptable as a good drama in its own right. The inability of Scarman’s brother to see that Scarman had been transformed was one of the great moments. Not to mention he who must not be named:
‘You pit your puny will against mine? In my presence, you are an ant, a termite. Abase yourself you grovelling insect!’ Pyramids of Mars features one of the series’ most chilling enemies. There is a fascinating discussion between the Doctor and Laurence about being able to ‘choose the future’, and a seeming explanation of the Doctor’s motivation: that he is a prisoner of moral obligation, unable to leave anywhere without attempting to ‘do his duty’.
Filed under: Arts & culture
I enjoyed all the incarnations up and to including Tom Baker!
It hard to believe now that some of the earlier episodes gave me nightmares!!!
I have fondness for Jon Pertwee as he was my ‘growing up’ Doctor and some of those episodes gave me the willies,
The Green Death with the giant maggots and Planet of the Spiders were watched from behind the sofa.
(But he sort of spoilt all those memories later with Worzel Gummidge, God I hated that show)
Another stsnd out later episode involved Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) stripping down to silk french knickers and camisole (can’t remenber why) Quite memorable for a teenage boy watching on a Saturday tea time.
But casting back, over it must be admitted are fragmented memories now and adding it all up.
I have to say that I think Christopher Eccelston has been the best Doctor so far.
a-ha, from the Wikipedia (what would we do without it) article on Sarah Sutton
“Her final full serial of Doctor Who was Terminus (1983, written by Stephen Gallagher and directed by Mary Ridge), in which she notoriously removed her skirt, effectively playing out the rest of the serial in her undergarments (the scripted reason for this was that she was feeling unwell and feverish; in an interview, Sutton described it as “a present for the fans”).
And thank you very much for it,
One of my all time favourites is ‘Inferno’ with Jon Pertwee as the good Doctor.
I drool over David Tennant. Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker I particulalry liked. K9 was the best though!
It’s either Paul McGann or Colin Baker for me!
David Tennant, about a zillion times better than the others, especially when he was on the road with Billy Piper. I can’t name a particular episode, so I’d say all of them with those two in.
Yes, I wanted to see the Billy Piper episodes. All I have is a soundbite of her saying, “If you are an alien, how come you sound like you’re from the north? He replies, “Lots of planets have a north.” He doesn’t sound very north to me but she sounds very Essex girl although she’s Wiltshire.
I liked Christopher Eccleston………..I liked the episode where he had to dodge the fans spinning around….cant remember the name of the episode but I found him to be the only doctor that pulled on the heart strings.
Looking forward to the new doctor!!!!
I have even enjoyed an episode of Sarah Jane with the kids……yes sad I know.
Tom Baker *is* the doctor for me. The others are OK but in my book Baker is the best.