This month the exciting news hit our screens that most of the Doctor Who classic back catalogue is coming to BBC iPlayer … apart from the introductory story, An Unearthly Child, because … reasons.
So, if you’re looking to dive head first into the classic era of Doctor Who, or you’re a lifelong fan wanting to introduce your friends to your favourite television obsession, here are five episodes that serve as potential launchpads into the wonderful world of the classic era Doctor and his TARDIS …
The final story of Season 2 may seem an odd launchpad for the Hartnell era, but has a number of points in its favour. As with many of the stories below, it features a companion travelling in the TARDIS for the first time. This makes it ideal for the first-time viewer as the new companion, in this space the dashing 21st century space pilot Steven Taylor, acts as a surrogate for the viewer. Far from being condescended to, the viewer is naturally brought up to speed as current companion Vicki explains all about the Doctor’s amazing machine.
The story itself also lends itself well to the modern audience, and is arguably the first time that the series took the historical format and tried to make it more sci-fi, through the involvement of renegade Time Lord, the Meddling Monk.
There are some drawbacks to this as a starting point, not least that most of the following Season 3 is entirely missing from the BBC archives. But as a starting point for the Hartnell era, it would not be at all strange to begin with the Season 2 Hartnell (not least with his rough edges rubbed off by this stage) as the precursor to returning to The Daleks.
I must acknowledge a personal bias; this story is my absolute favourite Doctor Who adventure and I’m always going to champion it. That said, there are good reasons it also serves well as a launchpad for someone considering Doctor Who for the first time. As with The Time Meddler, this story features a current companion in Jamie, introducing new companion Victoria to the TARDIS. It is the earliest Troughton adventure to survive in full, and features one of the series most iconic and recognisable villains in the Cybermen.
I could wax lyrical about how atmospheric the adventure is (or you could read this review!) but I have no doubt that this adventure would make a new generation of viewers fall in love with the show, just as I did 30 years ago when it was recovered.
Spot the recurring theme! A new companion has the TARDIS explained to them by the Doctor. In this case, the intrepid Sarah Jane Smith is perhaps a better analogue for the modern viewer, as she takes action first and seeks explanations later. This story also works so well as an introduction as it works superbly as a standalone story. Linx, the villainous Sontaran, is a credible alien threat, paired with the comedically dastardly Irongron. If you are seeking a story that gives flavour of classic Doctor Who, and could be a springboard to any era, this one will serve you well.
I found it incredibly hard to choose just one story from the Tom Baker era, but Ark in Space got the nod due to the recurring theme; a new companion in Harry Sullivan, having the TARDIS explained to him by existing companion Sarah Jane Smith. In some respects this adventure is the most analogous to An Unearthly Child in format, as the first episode features only the TARDIS crew, giving you the chance to get to know them well. It helps that the story is also one of the best ever written, not just good sci-fi, but good story telling full stop. Yes, you do have to ignore the special effects, which are of their time … but that again is something viewers must prepared themselves for!
Before we come to the last option, a few honourable mentions …
The War Machines is another entry point to the Hartnell era. It works well insomuch as it sees the worlds of new companions Ben and Polly collide with the Doctor. Against that, they don’t actually travel in the TARDIS until the conclusion of the adventure, and most of their time in the TARDIS is sadly missing.
Spearhead from Space is a superb adventure, and the natural launch point for the Jon Pertwee era. The problem is, it is not typical of classic Doctor Who, with the TARDIS earthbound and not functioning. It is a superb adventure, but not one to start a new viewer with.
Finally, Robots of Death fulfils the criteria of a new companion, Leela, having the TARDIS explained to them by the Doctor; including the famous scene in which he explains why the TARDIS is bigger inside than out. It was a very fine call between this and Ark in Space, and ultimately what swung it was that Ark in Space is a superb launchpad into Seasons 12, 13, and 14. Robots is followed by the controversial Talons of Weng Chi’ang, and then the patchy Season 15.
And so my last recommended launchpad is …
Perhaps not a shock, as many fans watch episode one of An Unearthly Child and skip straight to episode one of The Daleks. Yes, it is slightly overlong, but it does feature the iconic Doctor villains that everyone knows of even if they don’t watch the show, and they became household favourites for a very good reason. The show was still working itself out at this point, so there’s enough explanation to intrigue and include the first-time viewer. If you’re looking to start from the start, then take the rough with the smooth (not least the glaring gap where Marco Polo should be), then the Doctor’s first meeting with the Daleks is a sound bet.
What do you think? Comment below with which five adventures would show up in your five recommended launchpads for Doctor Who.
Dan Talks Doctor Who 