Doctor Who.....The Classic Series

[HammerAmicusFanatic]

I've just recently gotten into the original TV series and would really appreciate some recommendations from any fans.  I will eventually get to the newer series, but at this time, I'm more interested in the 'classic' series.  I have picked up some DVDs:

-Doctor Who: The Web Planet (William Hartnell Years)
-Doctor Who: Dalek Invasion of Earth (William Hartnell Years)
-Doctor Who: Tomb of the Cybermen (Patrick Troughton Years)
-Doctor Who: The Three Doctors (Jon Pertwee Years)
-Doctor Who: The Green Death (Jon Pertwee Years)
-Doctor Who: The Destiny of the Daleks (Tom Baker Years)
-Doctor Who: Planet of Evil (Tom Baker Years)
-Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars (Tom Baker Years)

I really enjoy Patrick Troughton, but if I understand correctly, most of his series has been lost...I do want to get anything else he's been part of in Doctor Who.  I have enjoyed the Jon Pertwee series, as well, but must admit, the character of Jo Grant drives me insane for some reason.  Actually, I've enjoyed Tom Baker, William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee, but I'm not sure where to go next.  Many years ago, I saw a few of the Peter Davison episodes, but never saw enough of any series/actor to really form a strong opinion one way or another.

Any recommendations from fans would be greatly appreciated.   

[JJ80]

Here we go:

- Hartnell - "An Unearthly Child", "The Daleks", "The Chase", "The War Machines";
-Troughton - "The Krotons", "The Mind Robber", "Invasion";
-Pertwee - "Spearhead From Space", "Day Of The Daleks", "Inferno", "The Sea Devils", "Claws Of Axos";
-T Baker - "Genesis Of The Daleks", "Terror OF The Zygons", "The Ark In Space", "Hand Of Fear"; Any "Key To Time", "Robots Of Death";
-Davison - ""Kinda", "Snakedance", "Frontios", "Warriors Of The Deep", "The Five Doctors", "The Awakening";
-C Baker - "Mark Of The Rani", "Trial Of A Timelord";
-McCoy - "Paradise Towers", "Dragonfire", "Remembrance Of The Daleks", "The Happiness Patrol", "Survival".

Avoid - "Earthshock", "Time And The Rani", "Dr Who: The Movie".
 

[ToyMan]

i don't want to limit your horizons on this front, so to speak, but for me, tom baker's doctor (the fourth) is where it's at.

84-the brain of morbius:

This is one of the creepiest and most gruesome Doctor Who stories of all time. I mean that in the most complimentary sense, though the violence is on occasion too grotesque (I found Condo's death by shooting in particularly bad taste), the gloomy mood of the story, one of the most intense over the show's entire run makes this much more than a silly adventure, elevating it to seriously creepy and effective SF horror. This is one of the most imaginative and interesting takes on the Frankenstein tale I've ever seen, mostly because it ties everything into Doctor Who mythology very effectively.

(imdb)

91-the talons of weng-chiang:

The Doctor brings Leela to Victorian London to see how her ancestors lived, but is rapidly drawn into a fiendish plot involving Chinese tongs, disappearing women, an Oriental stage magician, a murderous ventriloquist's dummy and giant rats in the sewers.

(wiki)

98 to 103, known as "the key to time", especially
ep 98, the ribos operation:

The Doctor is recruited by the White Guardian to seek the six segments of the Key to Time, and given a new assistant, the Time Lady Romana. The quest for the first segment takes them to Ribos, a medieval planet that galactic confidence trickster Garron is trying to sell to the Graff Vynda-K.

(wiki)
ep 99, the pirate planet:

The Doctor and Romana find that the second segment to the Key to Time is on the planet Calufrax. Yet they arrive on a planet called Zanak, which has been hollowed out and fitted with hyperspace engines, allowing its insane half-robot Captain to materialise it around other smaller planets and plunder their resources.

(wiki)
ep 100, the stones of blood:

Searching for the third segment to the Key to Time brings the Doctor and Romana to present-day Earth, where the travellers have to contend with stone circles, Druidic rituals, and a not-so-mythical goddess known as the Cailleach.

(wiki)

105- city of death:

From the beautiful opening scene of the alien spaceship and its occupant to the cliffhanger ending, episode one of "City of Death" is very satisfying television.

With an excellent cast including baddie Julian Glover, punch-thirsty Tom Chadbon and the beautiful Catherine Schell, this is a quality production. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are clearly having a blast making this Paris-based adventure and the fun is infectious.

With the script heavily influenced and written by a certain Douglas Adams (under the pseudonym of David Agnew), the episode is inventive and witty.

9 out of 10. Vintage "Who".

(imdb)

111- meglos

The Fourth Doctor and the second Romana become involved with the plans of Meglos, the sole and last inhabitant of Zolfa Thura. The cactoid needs the Doctor as a pawn in his struggle with the neighbouring planet of Tigella in order to recapture the lost Dodecahedron, which is the secret energy source that will make Meglos feared throughout the galaxy.

(wiki)

113 - state of decay

The Doctor and his companions arrive at a planet ruled by three Lords named Zargo, Camilla and Aukon, vampire servants to the last of the Great Vampires.

(wiki)

[HammerAmicusFanatic]

Thanks very much for the suggestions!  I'm putting them down and hope to be able to grab some of these in the coming months.  I've noticed not too many of the Doctor Who DVDs come cheap!   

[Shadow]

I've noticed not too many of the Doctor Who DVDs come cheap!

No, they don't. 
Still, they are usually crammed with extras.

[ToyMan]

the issue with the doctor who dvds is twofold, somewhat. first, the episodes are usually remastered, or even have entire missing segments replaced with animation. the other half of the problem is that the price of home video products in the UK is still high, and if they price the US versions much lower than the UK ones, people will just import them to save themselves cash.

[HammerAmicusFanatic]

I have been most impressed with the bonus features on these discs....does make me appreciate the cost and understand the reasons for the price-tags being slightly higher than  most discs.   

[ToyMan]

i agree, wholeheartedly. my cousin and i grew up watching these on public television, and she's always asking me if i want the hook-up, as it relates to torrents of episodes that aren't on official disc yet. i've repeatedly told her that i'd really rather wait, because the supplements are so awesome. even the production note subs are cool.

anyone who loves the classic series should call their local bookstore and secure a copy of the discontinuity guide by paul cornell, martin day, and keith topping. (isbn: 1-932265-09-0) it'll run you about $15.95, us. you can also get info about it at monkeybrainbooks.com.

[JJ80]

Judging by your alias, I can assume that you probably enjoy films starring Peter Cushing. If so try the two 1960's movies "Dr Who & The Daleks" and "Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D". They're based on the first two Dalek serials but are in colour. However they really aren't terribly good (too watered down by far) but have a certain kitsch appeal.

[ToyMan]

also, in those films, the doctor is a human who built his time machine himself.

[HammerAmicusFanatic]

Judging by your alias, I can assume that you probably enjoy films starring Peter Cushing. If so try the two 1960's movies "Dr Who & The Daleks" and "Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D". They're based on the first two Dalek serials but are in colour. However they really aren't terribly good (too watered down by far) but have a certain kitsch appeal.

I only picked up the films several years back, BECAUSE of Cushing starring as Doctor Who.  I know most fans of the series don't seem to care for the films, but I quite enjoyed them.   

[ER]

News to sicken the heart and soul of any serious Doctor Who fan....

I found out the other day that my father got rid of his VHS collection: movies, TV shows, home movies he'd converted to DVD, the works. He said he either had it on DVD, no longer cared about it, or had converted it to digital. Movies he gave to a thrift store, the home taped sort he discarded on garbage day.

Take a deep breath Whovians.

One of the things he threw away was THE ENTIRE existing Doctor Who series, Doctors one thru seven, Hartnell to McCoy!

Our local PBS affiliate broadcast the series from 1984 to about 1999, and my dad, being a fan, taped them as they came on back in the 1980's. He said he hadn't watched them in fifteen years, didn't figure anyone would want them, and tossed them out along with the rest of his VHS. Scores of episodes, complete and perfectly fine. I told him, man, even I'd have taken them. I can't believe he'd do that. All the fans of the series out there who would have given their best friend's eye teeth to own the complete (complete existing) Doctor Who? I was stunned to say the least.

"Dad," I said, "that was one of your mouth breather moments..."

[Sandra]

I'm so sorry to hear about that ER.  You must have been devastated!

Okay, how many want to get together with ER and start digging in the garbage dump?!!!!

[Newt]

Okay, how many want to get together with ER and start digging in the garbage dump?!!!!

Count me in.  Treasure indeed!

[ER]

 Doctor Who (before the Tardis)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7736130.stm

On (almost exactly) the forty-fifth anniversary of the show's premiere, this interesting article on the early days of the series, forming the ideas that became Dr. Who, and a look back across the evolution of its run.