The Doctor Who Companion is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, so we’re looking back at every single Doctor Who serial from the show’s TV history. To properly do them justice, we’re reviewing them all!
Ah, that seems like rather a lot. Okay, to properly do them justice… each serial is only allowed one sentence each. Yeah, that’s the way to do it. And now we’re onto the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison…
Castrovalva
In which Tegan Jovanka continues to show a shocking lack of concern for her auntie Vanessa and the Master keeps raising himself up to a captured Adric on the universe’s slowest lift platform.
Four to Doomsday
The new TARDIS team heads out for the stars, only to discover that the first spaceship they land on is simply a small version of the Notting Hill carnival; fortunately, the Doctor adds to the event with a fun, preposterous spacewalk, which sums up this whole thing rather nicely.
Kinda
Things get real and the performances are stunning (although Nyssa has a cold so skips this one — a cold, seriously).
The Visitation
Not given the credit it deserves, this is a rich and engaging story featuring an early role for John Savident, who went on to play Fred Elliot in Coronation Street (and bonus points if you can spot all the Terileptils gathering round a massive pot of Vic’s Vaporub in episode 4).
Black Orchid
There’s always time for a spot of cricket in the English countryside, as the Doctor finds out; the TARDIS team then runs into an exact doppelganger of Nyssa, which causes all sorts of problems.
Earthshock
The big one, talked about still to this day and with good reason: the casting of Beryl Reid — but the rest of the story is sublime.
Time-Flight
Love this story but the facetious reasoning that shoehorns the Master into prehistoric Earth (how and why?) is preposterous, even by lazy writing standards.
Arc Of Infinity
Omega’s big return to our universe, where he decides the best possible option is a 24-hour bender in Amsterdam before heading back home: not a bad choice, but perhaps small in scope for one of Gallifrey’s founders.
Snakedance
Things get even more real; performances are even more stunning; and even Nyssa decides not to miss the fun because of the common cold this time!
Mawdryn Undead
Two different versions of the Brigadier threaten the very fabric of the universe itself, and all because Ian Chesterton couldn’t make it.
Terminus
“We’re going back, further than I’ve ever been before”: the Doctor doesn’t say these words, but if he had, it would have made this entire production that little bit more dramatic.
Enlightenment
The rematch of the decade between the White and Black Guardian, given a slightly undramatic edge by having the actors dress like they did 10 years previously and not adjusting their look (but then the ’80s had a habit of doing this with returning characters in many franchises).
The King’s Demons
“You’re getting old, Doctor — your willy’s weak”: if you don’t have the subtitles on, that’s what the Master appears to say in part two of this fun little romp.
The Five Doctors
Every single version of this story is an absolute gem — even the overseas edit with four parts, which ends part three of this tale on the massive cliffhanger of the Master walking down some stairs; not dramatically, just your basic sauntering down the stairs (but it’s still fantastic).
Warriors of the Deep
Much maligned, but this story is actually really fun, and if you don’t agree, I’ll fight you (I learned my best moves from Solow in this very story so you’ve been warned).
The Awakening
Given the close nature of their lineage, at no point in this serial does Tegan’s grandfather ask her about what really happened to her Aunt Vanessa — this family just doesn’t give a monkeys.
Frontios
It’s taken me over 20 years to enjoy Frontios, but at long last I can say that it’s strong whilst being the Fifth Doctor’s weakest serial — largely as the story tries to depict the Tractators as this overwhelming group of deadly villains when, in reality, they have all the menace of a sales rep trying to sign you up to paintball sessions on the high street.
Resurrection of the Daleks
Here we have a wonderful example of good and bad: Terry Molloy as Davros is a joy, Lytton is a joy, the Daleks are a joy; the bafflingly slow action sequences with terrible reaction times are bad — as an example, go and watch Stein taking out two guards in episode 4 and then come back to me, and when you have, then, yes, I know, it’s badly-staged action, but it’s great fun!
Planet of Fire
I can’t help but wonder, if this didn’t have the Master, if it would be half as good; but it does, which makes it doubly as good, and surely we can all agree: won’t you show mercy to your own–
The Caves of Androzani
If you want to make a big power play and someone to be wary of you, try turning away from them and delivering your own monologue to an unseen audience, like Morgus does here: I tried it at the pub and now no one makes me buy a round of drinks (but yes, a masterpiece).
NEXT: The grinding engines of the universe and the crushing boredom of eternity (his words, not mine).
