I cannot get over the idea that The Doctor leaves The Worrier on a makeshift floating barge in the middle of the ocean with a small amount of food to eat, and the concept of “hope”. The whole planet is about to be consumed by the seas and The Doctor is not going to save the day. Sad!

The concept behind this stories’ alien menace and the wider planet are absolutely delightful. Crystal rock faces that hold the memory of a civilisation - that’s enough to fill a 16 page comic!

Once The Doctor realises that they are not real it gets a little more predictable and becomes a story we’ve all seen before. “It can’t hurt you, it doesn’t really exist!”

What an inspiring and inventive way to pull off a multi-Doctor and multi-companion story. With a lonely wandering Doctor encountering shapeshifting aliens who take on the form of his former companions and previous guises.

There is a sugary thrill to seeing the left field selection of companions they pick. You’d need a Doctor Who PhD in 1988 to know who Katarina, Sara Kingdom and Frobisher were. Top marks for the least obscure companions being Peri and Adric!!

You know where the story is going, but it’s got a lovely energy about it. One of the better multi-Doctor stories I’ve seen in expanded media.

It also made me realised how much I’m missing the Doctor having a companion on this run of comics. Something has felt missing. Surely Ace can come aboard soon?

I like the broad comedy between Keepsake and The Doctor, and the idea of an unwitting do-gooder who gets won round to a good cause.

I very much dislike the idea that Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor would describe any community as savages. The imagery summoned up in this strip makes it look he is dropping Napalm on little villages. Very peculiar. Oh and the “saucy lady” at the end. Ick.

Around the time of the first Out of Time multi-Doctor story I saw a fan coin the term “popcorn Who” which I think neatly fits the description of this audio. It’s a lot of fun, and more story led and substantial than some Big Finish throw-a-bunch-of-characters-together efforts.

Oddly its Bernice Summerfield who steals the show through the sheer force of Lisa Bowerman’s charismatic performance, and how she bounces off of the two Doctors, who have been pitted against each other.

The only thing I could have totally done without is the on the nose descriptions the Doctor’s give of each other: “capable of dark decisions”, “the one who has lost their memories”, “the one who has had a great lost”. I think given the audience’s familiarity with these characters they could have gone a bit further with building out their characters and how they interact with each other, which was pretty paint by numbers.

I like that it’s a very strange, high concept for a comic. An immune system calling out for The Doctor’s help. But there couldn’t be less drama as a result. A curio. More could have been done with this.

It starts with a pretty good focus, on cruel Victorian “freak shows” and leading scientists from the Enlightenment period. It unfortunately devolves into stand offs with random aliens who seem disconnected from these initial focal points.

It is notable that The Doctor never denounces the demonstrable practice of people with physical differences being kept in cages for other’s entertainment. He even delivers a previously caged individual back to the circus once they are saved. This does not feel like the Doctor we know and love.

There’s not a lot to this one. A neat idea of space collisions and a traffic mediator which could be fleshed out satisfyingly over the course of a comic. Unfortunately, it’s all quite faint and predictable.

I’m sincerely not sure why they would introduce Olla in the previous story to then immediately do this with her character. It does not feel planned out.

This comic feels more like fanfiction, but with offensive stereotypes and zero character motivation.

They pulled it off. The most incredible magic trick where everyone got what they wanted. Whether you have only watched a couple of Doctor Who episodes or have seen it all, you will feel something watching this. It isn’t just an anniversary episode. It is a robust, coherent story that is both fitting and one of the best bits of writing the show has ever seen.

If it is a runaround. If it is a runaround. It is the best runaround in the show’s history. It is not just content in celebrating The Doctor’s past, but also creates a new past, all while wrapping up the first 8 years of New Who.

It feels like this level of quality comes from nowhere because the series that proceeds it is so disjointed. This story makes me hopeful about the show’s future, and grateful for what we already have as fans. It is a major milestone, following the first 50 years, which makes me wish I could sit down with Verity Lambert, or Terry Nation, or Robert Holmes, or any of the many people involved in building this incredible show, and show them The Day of the Doctor. Show them the product of their vision and all of the parts of them that are within it.

John Hurt, David Tennent and Matt Smith are phenomenal. The supporting cast around them knock it out of the park. There is no doubt that this is the show at the peak of its popularity and these talented people are lapping that energy up and making beautiful, populist television out of it. Television that feels like a monumental movie. An anniversary episode that makes me proud to be a fan.

And it’s not even just The Day of the Doctor itself. It’s The Night of the Doctor; An Adventure in Space and Time; The Five(ish) Doctors; even the bloody Aftershow. All of that makes for the most overwhelmingly joyful 50th anniversary celebration. It was the most beautiful time to be a Doctor Who fan.

My first Frobisher comic and he’s already out the door! I’m looking forward to seeking more out.

I feel harsh giving this 6/10 because I love the nature and humour of this comic. I like Doctor Who when it’s a bit daft. A Cold Day in Hell is also bursting with ideas. The witch, the ice warriors, the converted holiday planet. I wouldn’t say they capitalise on all this creativity though - a lot of these ideas do not turn into anything.

The flow is interrupted a tad by the continual recapping at the start of each issue. I suppose they are looking out for new or infrequent readers.

I love the vibe of this comic though. It’s a promising start to this run.

Sharon does more in this one but I’d still say she is written as more of an observer of the story than a fully fledged companion who gets involved in events.

My main takeaway from this story is how similar the Time Witch’s journey is to Wanda’s in Wandavision!

The Dalek reveal halfway was a nice surprise, but this story will mostly be remembered by me as a big runaround. Nothing much happens beyond planetary invasions and action sequences including a massively overpowered K9.

The story is home to the first non-white companion of any format which is a big milestone for the show. Unfortunately she is horrendously underused / just there for the ride.

I love that The Doctor is still trying to get to Benidorm. It’s a small detail but proof that the team behind this series want to put their own stamp on Doctor Who.

The basic outline of this story and the aliens within it are perfect. The delicious moment clearly being when the cute Beep the Meep turns out to be an evil intergalactic villain who can possess its victims. The character design of Beep and the Wrath Warriors are most excellent. When you get beyond that the details don’t always deliver the same impact but the big beats are simply perfect. It's a great shame that the eventual TV adaptation did not include the backstory of the planet of the Meeps, that is truly exceptional.

The City of the Damned has ideas that are like catnip to me. A society where emotions are prohibited and bubbling under the surface. Where any show of individuality is a defect punishable by death. Again the comics are exhibiting how they can explore big ideas on a scale that would be difficult to handle on TV. It's a very well paced drama.

Discussions of “primitive transmat beams” and cables plugged into the back of people’s heads - you can see a straight line between this and stories that make it to the screen decades later. In and amongst these big emotions, and constantly developing plot, are some genuinely funny moments of humour. It’s quite different from the television show of any era, but it’s very much Doctor Who.

The Last Day fleshes out a key moment that is spoken about in snippets in first few years of the show’s return - then fall of Arcadia. It is a genuinely unsettling, low budget short which is perhaps a little too short for the breadth of the ideas they are trying to portray. We do not get enough time to invest in the characters, or build up the anticipation of the final demise. But we do get a good scare.

We got so lucky. At children’s magazine at this time could have afforded to aim for a far less mature approach. They are treating their audience with a lot of respect, not speaking down to children, instead filling their heads with ideas. Not just in the writing but the art style, which is at points chilling and psychedelic. How would a child of the 70s reacted to the sight of Tom Baker’s skeleton face?

While this story is a bit of a run around at points, the idea of a futuristic Roman legion in an alternate reality is a very elevated idea which is successfully explored. It points to a very promising run for the DWM comics. It also shows how much of a field of their own Pat Mills, John Wagner and Dave Gibbons are in. They are drawing from the TV show but in no means being limited by it.

The amount they are able to do with only 4-5 pages per issue is phenomenal. Setting the mould for everything that follows.

Oh. And now I know where the kronkburger originates from!

As a book this delivers the absolute bare minimum experience acceptable for a child audience. A barely coherent plot with no real stakes, choices or character development.

As a story to read / engage with daily alongside other tardis.guide forum users it’s a lot of fun!

The Doctor’s biggest nightmare, living the life of a coward who turns in his friends to the communist(?) ruling party. It’s a perfect summation of everything The Doctor is not in the surprising and evocative setting of a dystopian, highly controlled society.

This is a one shot that gets every panel right and doesn’t outstay its welcome. With anniversary appearances from some familiar faces (poor Harry!) I would love to see this concept explored on TV.

It’s only two scenes, but it’s perfect. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect slice of Doctor Who. When I first watched this, in November 2013, I had to keep pausing it to run around the house in excitement, before going back to the beginning, getting slightly further into the episode, then doing the same thing again.

I have such uncomplicated feelings towards this marvellous performance from a Doctor who has had far too little screen time. This was his defining moment, many year’s after his character’s conception. This is what we think about first, when we think about the Eighth Doctor.

There had been on a very strong run  of DWM comics for a very long time, there had to be a stinker eventually. It might be the art style? The imaginative cartoon characters look beautiful, but the rest of the world around them looks cheap and tired. The story is okay but not particularly layered. It’s all very one note. It did not need to be a two parter.

At points early on in the adventure the multi-faceted story comes together in a satisfying way, a lot of effort was put into world building and creating a history between the Time Lords and other protagonists.

I enjoyed The Sisterhood of Khan, the aesthetic of their lair and their rituals. The science guy was a little generic (very heavily drawing from Frankenstein) but his story beats worked well and I quite liked his villainous plot. Morbius himself however I found to be very poorly realised, both in terms of writing and execution. Once he starts to get more involved in the story it all starts to fall down.

As ever The Doctor and Sarah-Jane are a dream team and I particularly liked Tom Baker being sulky in episode one.

A Terry Nation script with an indistinct group of enemies with a somewhat interesting plan. Its a shame to not have Lethbridge-Stewart feature in this rare UNIT appearance and frankly Harry Sullivan (who it was nice to see) was grossly underused and given nothing to do.

So much of this tale was stuff we have seen before, most prominently being the cliche ridden "duplicates" plot device featured everything you'd expect - including a Doctor vs. android Doctor fight. Knowing that Terry Nation is capable of something as mind bogglingly brilliant as Genesis of the Daleks, why would he let this kind of material dribble out of his pen? The Androids at points are dressed like the Ambassadors of Death and they shoot out of their fingers like Autons... did Nation have no interest in trying to create something original and sparky?

Despite all this there are moments of fun and brilliance as you'd imagine there would be in a 4th Doctor/ Sarah-Jane adventure. I love them walking around the fake town and The Doctor's realisation that he is surrounded by Androids on a fake Earth on a never ending 6th July.

They hint that Sarah is leaving at the end of the episode. I can see that she's in the next story, I hope they do her final episodes justice.

How long has it been since we had a story set in the past? Too long! The beginning of this story set in the Egyptian tomb is wonderful, there is hardly a better way to kick off a story tone wise. The actual shots of Egypt look really striking in Doctor Who. In fact I loved the setting of all the first three episodes, the very convincing manner house gives this story a unique spooky feel.

There is a surprising amount of genuine horror in Pyramid of Mars, especially the close up of Sarah Jane's face as she stares up at a monster in pure terror. Sutekh is cruel with his use of language, which does more to frighten the viewer than the usual threats. The robot mummies themselves are visually striking and make for a great additional villain.

Sarah Jane is given plenty to do in this. I especially enjoyed The Doctor being stuck in a mummy costume whilst she gets to confidently fire a gun! Sladen carrying the show for a little was a real treat. The way that our two main actors interact continues to be the heart of the show, never has the companion/ Doctor relationship looked so genuine, natural or easy. Even when The Doctor is mean to Sarah Jane they pull it off, many Doctors have tried that since with less successful returns.

I did not enjoy part four nearly as much as the rest of the story, it feels disjointed. Firstly, it was a shame to be taken out of that fantastic manor house setting - I felt like they did an amazing job of building that world and then needlessly dumped it for the end of the story. Whenever a character travels to Mars they have the sarcophagus portal effect which is very long winded and gets tired quickly. Secondly, I never like "solve the puzzle" scenes in Doctor Who, every Doctor up to this point has had one and I'm not sure why. I think it takes all of the drama out of the story, making it pedestrian and not particularly engaging TV.

All in all a good story, but the ending means its not quite the all time classic that everyone makes it out to be.

I think it would be fair to say that based on Planet of Giants and Day of the Daleks that Louis Marks is not the show's finest writing talent, however I feel that under this mid-seventies production team he produced his best work with Planet of Evil. The story in the most part is reframes the core concepts behind the characters of Jekyll and Hyde, this can be seen in both the planet The Doctor and Sarah Jane land on and the scientist character Sorenson. The planet has something Sorenson wants, he takes it and then the planet wants it back.

This simple, effective story (thank God it's not stretched over six episodes!) is elevated considerably by the outstanding design work seen throughout the production, most production teams would have produced the same script to inferior effect. The planet looks as real as could be conceived with the budget they had and outstrips anything seen on Doctor Who up until this point. The sets and props are detailed and fully thought through, they build a believable world. By this I'm not just referring to the outstanding alien jungles, but also the machinery, weapons and living areas which have the most incredible attention to detail.

Tom and Elizabeth look ridiculously comfortable in the role as do the wider guest cast. David Maloney delivered some very talented direction making best use of the impressive sets and talented actors. The lighting in this era of the show continues to be brooding and moody - delightful!

This is all I have to say. Average script, amazing production, direction and cast.

Season 13 has a phenomenal start with this rather unique story. The show starts with a not entirely accurate Scottish character, the stereotypes in this story are are knowing (writer Robert Banks Stewart is Scottish). It is a welcome relief to have the show set somewhere other than England - this show reacts well to change.

After three consecutive adventures with returning monsters (Sontarans, Daleks and Cybermen) it is refreshing to watch a story with the most successfully realised new monster since Spearhead from Space (though not quite trumping the Autons' debut). The actors playing the human forms of the Zygons deliver perfect performances in this. Sister Lamont is terrifyingly portrayed, her stare is still seared into my mind now (a fortnight after watching Terror) and mirrors the kind of wicked grown up who happily petrifies children. The Duke of Forgill is very sly and only slightly "off" in terms of appearing human. I feel genuine danger for Harry and Sarah Jane when they are unknowingly in the company of these wicked monsters.

When Ian Marter gets converted he tops these performances with his memorable and frightening attack of Sarah Jane in the barn. They both act this impeccably - Harry is a true menace and Sarah Jane looks genuinely scared in these scenes. Here they back up the assertion I made in my last review that (for me) they are the ultimate companions to The Doctor. It is both awful and exhilarating to see our favourite characters fight in this way.

The true form of the Zygons is equally successful, a rare accolade in Doctor Who. 42 years after transmission they still look brand new due to their unique design. Imagine how much more enjoyable Revenge of the Cybermen would be if the Vogans looked this good! Their spaceship is perhaps even more inventive in its design, the organic panels, controls and doors add a significant visual variety to the modern day(ish) UK setting of the rest of the story. Combined - these features make Terror of the Zygons the most visually exciting story since The Claws of Axos (though not quite trumping that either). Much of the visual success of this story must been down to legendary director Douglas Camfield.

The scene where The Doctor frees all of the human hosts from the Zygon's ship is impressive. We get to see the real versions of those poor abducted humans and the difference is immediately obvious, ingeniously written and well played.

The Doctor continues to have lots of exciting character moments, such as the scene in the decompression chamber with Sarah Jane where he puts himself and his companion in a trance in an effort to save their lives. He plays all this lightly with no drama, instead it is playful and exciting - without being hammed up or insincere.

It's been a whole year since we last saw UNIT. Robot felt like a Pertwee story with Tom Baker in it, Terror of the Zygons however has a spooky quality which seems to sit very well with Baker's curious and impish Doctor. Baker is very comfortable in the show and gives UNIT a fresh dynamic. I especially adore seeing Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier alongside the fourth Doctor, the same character who worked with the previous two incarnations of the characters - tying together otherwise disparate eras of the show.

Once The Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry and UNIT solve the mystery of the oil rig (it was the Loch Ness Monster!) the story suddenly moves to London. This feels to a certain degree tacked on to the end of the adventure, although I found this forgivable as I wanted more and it helped keep up what was already a fast paced four parter. The ending might not be quite as good as the set up - but the journey was wonderful.

The big drawback of this adventure is that it marks the end of Harry's time as a companion to The Doctor. Whilst I know Harry will appear again later this season it does seem odd that he does not get written out in a brave, heroic or particularly interesting way. He simply chooses to stay behind at UNIT HQ. I will wait until the end of this season to determine whether I prefer the show with one or two companions.

At the end of this story I wondered which of the regular writing team wrote this excellent script. I was surprised to see that Robert Banks Stewart was new to the show (I wish he had more than one more remaining story lined up!)

We reach the end of season 12, Tom Baker's varied and very promising first season as The Doctor. I am finding (like with Pertwee's first season) that I am blasting through these. Unfortunately this excellent season does not end on a high, this is bog standard, unimaginative Doctor Who.

This story is the first to feature another returning monster - the Cybermen, last seen in The Invasion seven years ago.

I love that they are back on Space Station Nerva but thousands of years before The Ark in Space. Doctor Who is run on a budget, so visiting the same space station at a different point in time enables them to pour the money from two serials into one beautiful set as well as an opportunity to flesh out the mythos of human history in this particular place. It grounds the show and makes it feel like part of something bigger.

I wish I could say the same about Voga, the Vogons and their leader Vorus - which is all terribly bland. There are some interesting ideas there - the planet of gold, the last cyber-war, fighting Vogon factions - but it all hangs together very poorly. The Vogons are unrelatable, I did not feel that I had any reason to care about any of them.

The glowing veins induced by the plague looked cool, it reminded me of the kind of effect seen in Patrick Troughton's era.

The plot points surrounding planting bombs in various locations were similarly retro, but in a bad way. The "we're going to put a bomb here" stories have always been my least favourite unless they are backed up by something else, here they are not. I enjoyed the fact that the Cyberbombs were strapped to our hero's backs though. The moment that Harry (trying to be helpful) dangerously attempts to unbuckle The Doctor's bomb is thrilling. This is followed up with a hilarious moment of Harry being chastised by The Doctor calling him an imbecile!

The established and well acted main three characters really helped lift this story, preventing it from being totally bad. Sarah Jane and Harry's hilarious conversation about gold Harry's obsession with gold is very funny and builds on their brilliant dynamic.

I'm not really sure what the whole betrayal storyline was in this, why was that human helping out the Cybermen? I was tired when I watched this and didn’t want to go back and see if I could pinpoint a motive - maybe I missed it.

This quote from my review of The Invasion pretty much pinpoints my issue with Revenge of the Cybermen:

The Cybermen are a wonderfully visual enemy. Because we have seen them before and understand their motives we are able to focus on other elements of the story leaving the Cybermen to do what they do best by looking ominous and creepy.

In this story the Cybermen don't seem like a cyber conversion plague (the creature's main motive) instead they are looking to destroy this particular planet which doesn't sit well with me. They are also not given ample opportunity to lurk in the shadows/ they are too visible for too long. The Cybermen's strengths lie in the moments just before their invasions come to fruition, not the invasions themselves.

It was was delighted that The Doctor receive a message from the Brigadier at the end of the story - after only a four story absence I am already eagerly anticipating UNIT's return. I want to see how they are written under the new team!

This story is not only matches Terry Nation's initial two Doctor Who efforts, it outshines them and reinvigorates the Daleks, who in my opinion had become stale by this point.

This story has a real purpose and vision which Nation's work had lacked for quite some time. The outgoing Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks had placed higher expectations on Nation after being displeased with his initial same-y script for this 6 parter. Incoming Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes then helped further develop this into something dark, new and exciting. The efforts of all five of them can be felt here. I can't think of a better Doctor Who story up until this point.

Darkness is not a flavour which I believe is at the core of Doctor Who, but I think that one or two stories a season can be justifiably darker in tone than the rest. After the romps of Robot/The Sontaran Experiment and the comedic The Ark in Space - there is certainly room for discussions of pure evil and genocide. Moments of hope run through this story before being dashed each time, in a show where we are used to The Doctor always winning - this has a powerful effect on the viewer.

The pacing of this story is notably fast, which is very rare for a six part story. From the first scene we are thrown into the action - The Doctor is sent on a mission to Skaro by the Time Lords' only to find out that he is already on Skaro. Skaro is home to three races: Thals, Kaleds and (new to this story) Mutos which gives The Doctor and his companions a huge wealth of characters and cultures to explore.

One could dub this story "Doctor Who and the Nazis" as no effort is made to hide the influence of WWII on this story, it is very effective. Kaleds are presented as wartime Germans but pleasingly there is nuance to their race. Many of the Kaleds find Davros' rise in popularity worrying and his beliefs abhorrent. The fact that the Daleks win makes this a cautionary tale - if good people are unable to make enough of a difference evil can triumph. These themes could seem cliche, but the Nazi uniforms, salutes and ethos of the Kaled race make them a highly credible and relatable threat (even all these years after the war).

The simple idea to do a genesis story for the Daleks is inspired. Since The Three Doctors the show has been happy to explore its own mythology, but this takes it to a new level - filling in tantalising gaps and making the show's lore richer and more detailed.

Davros is the best new villain since the Daleks. He has a very definite personality distinguishing him from the likes of Mavec Chen, Tobias Vaughn or The Master. Davros not only has a thirst for power but a unique ideology. Over the course of his conversations with The Doctor we are given a detailed justification of why he would like to be responsible for the destruction of everything. It is to Nation's credit that Davros' logic does not come across as flimsy or cartoonish.

The Doctor: It's not the machines, it's the minds of the creatures inside them. Minds that you created. They are totally evil.

Davros: Evil? No. No, I will not accept that. They are conditioned simply to survive. They can survive only by becoming the dominant species. When all other life forms are suppressed, when the Daleks are the supreme rulers of the universe, then you will have peace. Wars will end. They are the power not of evil, but of good.

Davros is also set apart by his disconnection from the rest of his own Kaled race. He is happy to betray them to the Thals in order to destroy most life on Skaro in favour of his own new creations. Another astonishingly evil and memorable move Davros makes in this story is forcing The Doctor to describe all the Dalek's future defeats by torturing Sarah Jane and Harry, this is an ingenious concept fit for an arch villain.

At the same time Davros is presented as vain and arrogant, considering his word to always be correct and logical - even when most people think he is wrong. For example, he is confident in his belief that there is no life in the universe outside of Skaro. When the Daleks inevitably overthrow Davros he comes face to face with his own arrogance.

Tom Baker's "Have I the right?" scene might be the most celebrated in Doctor Who's history and it is worthy of this status. Sarah Jane is wonderful in this scene, telling The Doctor what any member of the audience would - that the Daleks must be wiped out. This scene highlights the very "weaknesses" of The Doctor that Davros mentions, he could never condone genocide of any kind, for any reason. I feel proud of The Doctor as a hero and role model here, his disgust of violence and willingness to give peace a chance is perhaps his most amiable and important trait.

Thank goodness that the production team decided to depict how the Daleks came to be, this could have been another run of the mill Dalek story but instead it changed the entire shape of the show.

This remarkable, groundbreaking and dark six-parter does not end with The Doctor stopping the Daleks, instead he hinders their development. I think that is only right given that this is canonically his greatest enemies' first adventure.

I love the playfulness between the show's main trio. This is playtime for adults. Whilst the characters are top notch and there is still plenty of momentum in this new series, this was a pretty average story and did feel like filler.

The Sontarans are excellent fun but I don't think they have quite had their stand out story yet. I'm hoping their fourth appearance will provide that. Whilst they are visually striking in The Sontaran Experiment it is notable that they actually look worse than in The Time Warrior. I wish they had the original detail around the eyes in particular. None of this is a huge shame as the final product is fine. The torture scenes were quite ingenious and not nearly as gruesome as they sound. I liked the idea of the Sontaran testing human's capabilities.

It was quite strange to see a story completely based on location, there is a lot of potential in this - but as it was set exclusively in a field this was a visually weak couple of episodes. One or two sets it would have added some variety alongside the grassy knolls. I don't imagine the visitors to Earth were just sleeping on the ground, they must have been staying somewhere off screen.

I complained about Sarah Jane being patronised in The Ark in Space and we get a little more of the same here, but in fairness to Robert Holmes I am finding she typically ends up being presented as being correct when her counterparts are wrongly dismissive.

There is some more brilliant dialogue, but given how exceptional these characters are it does feel like an odd placeholder story which wastes our casts great abilities. Its certainly not a bad one though!

The Hinchcliffe era has begun, and you can truly feel the difference. We are swept into space, but not the kind of spaceship we are used to. This ship is old and out of order, a menacing force has been meddling with its mechanics in the hope of using the remainder of humanity for their own breeding purposes. Humanity's future is presented as dark here - but there is plenty of lightness brought by our wonderful regular cast (surely the best line up the show has ever had!) and the fantastically witty dialogue (also - the best we've ever seen).

Homo sapiens! What an inventive, invincible species! It's only been a few million years since they crawled up out of the mud and learned to walk. Puny, defenseless bipeds. They've survived flood, famine and plague. They've survived cosmic wars and holocausts. And now, here they are, out among the stars, waiting to begin a new life. Ready to outsit eternity. They're indomitable... indomitable.

Doctor Who has always had witty and intriguing dialogue but this story something else. This sits alongside Robert Holmes' finest scripts Spearhead from Space and Carnival of Monsters.

Let's not ignore how well executed the scripts are - the sets are very impressive (again, the best the show has seen!!), the lighting is moody and suspenseful (which is so rare in Doctor Who). Even the often ridiculed bubble wrap is actually fairly well treated for the screen. Obviously I wish a better solution could have been found for Noah's monster prosthetics as it does make it more difficult to show to non-fans. But I don't want to overstate it as an issue, it does not spoil anything.

Harry, Sarah Jane and The Doctor’s roles are crystallised in this episode. The dynamic relationship between characters are as good as any of the characters themselves. I wish that Sarah Jane was less weak, confused and patronised throughout this story (something I praised Robot for) but Elisabeth Sladen plays it very well. Harry and The Doctor are a real treat - especially in Part One where they attempt various solutions for escaping an electrifying robot. "Logical puzzle" scenes in Doctor Who are usually a bit naff and unengaging, but again, the dialogue sells everything, the Fourth Doctor's random props are also hilarious. Myself and my friend fell over laughing when Tom Baker revealed a cricket ball out of his pocket!

Noah and Vira are excellent characters and play off each other very well as complete opposites. One is passionate and possessed, the other has a blank stare and a purely logical mind (at the expense of everything else).

I often say this when a truly special episode comes along (The Green Death may have been the most recent one) but it is stories like this that make me want to watch the show. This is Doctor Who almost at the top of its game. Whilst this is not perfect, its pretty damn close. I'm so excited about delving further into this era - what a treat!

Pertwee's debut story Spearhead From Space is arguably (and in my opinion) the finest of his whole era. With this in mind Tom Baker's opening story has big boots to fill.

Tom immediately looks so comfortable in the role, if you were not familiar with the show and had missed Part One you would be forgiven for thinking he had always been there. The Doctor's newfound playfulness and flippancy makes everything he does is consistently intriguing. Elisabeth Sladen fits magically into this new dynamic, it no longer feels like she is helping out her Dad. Whilst the Fourth Doctor clearly cares for Sarah Jane, any trace of his former slightly patronising relationship with her has disappeared. I hate to put Pertwee down, he made a good Doctor, but personally I find Tom Baker's move away from the lead character being an establishment figure, a posh Top Gear dad and a wine connoisseur. The new approach is more fun, more original in my opinion.

This script surprisingly does not put much focus on the fact there is a new Doctor which is a small shame. What there is is excellent - I love the dressing up and the madness. It great fun to see all the established UNIT characters take to a new Doctor like ducks to water. Sarah Jane is given a lot to do in this one. Any story where they stick to her characterisation as a journalist makes me happy - this is where her character really shines. Seeing her investigate and sneak into the compound to find the robot is excellent fun.

Part of me feels that the established UNIT characters and setting of the story dulls the transition between Doctors a little, as does the fact that it is Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks writing Tom's first story. Everything should be brand new and exciting but the old guard is still there and it feels wrong. I just want to pull The Doctor out of this situation and create a brand new world. UNIT is amazing, I love those guys, but they have been the predominant flavour for five years of Doctor Who and I'd like something new at this point. The majority of the changes between eras are still to come.

The characters are clearly the best element of Robot. Miss Winters is a very memorable villain, reminding us of how little we see women inhabit chunky guest roles in our favourite show. Only in Doctor Who could you have neo-Nazis harbouring a giant robot with the intention of overthrowing society.

There is also the absolutely amazing Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan. Whilst he does not have a great deal to do in this story he is played with subtlety and style, Doctor Who is lucky to have him.

The storyline itself is a pretty pedestrian, atypical Doctor Who. If it was not for the new Doctor elevating everyone's performances this would be considered mediocre story. In fairness in 1974/75 Robot K1 would probably have been a little less of a cliche. "Can robots feel love" is an idea that has been done to death in fiction and I don't feel Robot does anything new with the concept.

So! All in all a promising start to a new era in the Fourth Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane and a farewell to those behind the scenes who have made our wonderful show for so many years. Here's to the future!

When I started Jon Pertwee's era I wash full of energy and excitement towards this Doctor, after making my way through his five seasons I suppose I have a more measured opinion. I have certainly found his time in the TARDIS inherently more watchable than that of his 1960s counterparts, this is owing to higher production values, the completeness of the archive and for the most part (there are plenty of exceptions) the writing being a little more complex. Jon's Doctor has been energetic, emotional and very wise, but at the same time, five seasons of him I has left me yearning for Patrick Troughton's warmer and less "showy" interpretation of the character. Jon can be patronising and obnoxious to his companions - which is not a trait which I have ever warmed to.

Episode two of Planet of the Spiders (and this is the only episode I am going to slate) pretty much embodies everything I have found troubling about Pertwee's era. The self indulgent chase scene took up the entire episode, it seemed to be made for Pertwee himself rather than the audience. They could have cut it down to best five minutes, or added some narrative and it would have been thrilling - but instead they padded it out beyond belief and there was no real purpose to the chase. This is not a story without padding, each episode recap takes about two minutes for no good reason and the ending of part five doesn't fully recap until ten minutes(!) into part six.

Planet of the Spiders was certainly no failure though. There are bucket loads of redeeming and intriguing features which bring it up to "must watch" status. This is not solely because it is Pertwee's final outing, although he is on fine form throughout his more heroic and subtle moments. His Houdini inspired escape from the spider's web is a perfect example of the kind of playful humour he brought to this story.

This is potentially Mike Yates' best story. Initially I found it odd that Sarah Jane was chatting with him like a pal when her only other story with him he had turned out to be a misguided baddie. Once over this there was a lot of enjoyment to have and I felt that his character was well redeemed, the twist in the previous story having built him up and made him more interesting.

Tommy is a very well handled character. His "simple" nature could look embarrassing with modern eyes, it's certainly playing with fire, but it was very well written and acted. I found myself very invested in this one off character and was glad to see him take on a far greater intelligence. The transition (reading the book and correcting his language) was spine tingling.

There is no doubt that it is the writing and acting which shines best in this story. To get the most out of Planet of the Spiders you have to ignore the CSO, immobile monsters and lack of location filming. Pertwee deals with these challenges admirably - one of his best ever acting moments being when he faces the Great One.

I'm glad that this Doctor regenerated around Sarah Jane and the familiar UNIT crew. Even Jo got a lovely nod in the first episode which helped sign off the era nicely. The Time Lord Buddhist monk regenerating helped prepare The Doctor's age old friends with what was about to happen. The ending of this story could not have been more perfect. The Doctor has a new face again!

I obviously can't wait to see what happens next.

The Curse of Peladon is perhaps a surprising choice of story to write a sequel to – had another Pealdon story never been written I doubt fans would be clamouring for it, I am however glad that this story exists. Ever since The Three Doctors the show has felt more comfortable revisiting its own history and building on its mythos. In this case we get the rare treat of seeing the consequences of The Doctor's actions explored fifty years later.

It was a relief to see Sarah Jane's character enhabiting more of her original purpose in this story. She is a tough advocate of the women's liberation who wants to make a difference on Peladon (even if this is not handled particularly subtly). With modern eyes there is an interesting tension between the stories' mission statement to promote women's capabilities and the fact that The Doctor spends the story babying and talking over Sarah Jane, who pretty consistently accepts it with good nature. This isn't a major criticism, it is a huge improvement on Death to the Daleks, but when there are only a handful of women in a cast full of men it is difficult to not address the way women are represented in the show. Especially when the promotion of women's rights is a significant feature of the plot! Women's issues aren't the only problem here, it is a worry that most of the working class characters in this are complete idiots who don't know what's good for them!

I like the way the Ice Warriors are portrayed here, as an overbearing political force which puts minor colonies under extreme pressure. It furthers the 1970s EEC allegory from the initial Peladon story, looking at where political agreements can go wrong. This kind of real world evil makes them a more relatable and possibly more menacing threat to the audience.

Eckersley's reveal as a villain (or a character who doesn't care about Peladon either way) is nicely handled and was not entirely suspected. The aliens looked good with the exception of the new wooden faced creature in episode one (wonky eyes!). It would perhaps have been good to see some more new aliens as bar from the wooden faced man it was a partial selection of those seen in The Curse of Peladon.

The Doctor's (almost) death scene is wonderful. I really believe Sarah Jane's relationship with him, they have come a long way in four stories. This works as good foreshadowing for the next story - there are huge changes to come.

As with a lot of six partners this could lose a couple of episodes - but it was a good addition to the series.

Terry Nation has brilliance in him - but this is not brilliant. Whilst not without merit, this is pretty boring/ average Doctor Who in the shape of a boy's adventure tale. I loved The Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth but since then I've been disappointed with Nations' The Chase and The Daleks' Master Plan which seemed to wander aimlessly. Then The Planet of the Daleks and this, Death to the Daleks which have both have good moments but quite a plain generic flavour (to my tastes). I am still waiting for Nation's triumphant return.

I was particularly disappointed with Sarah Jane's depiction in this story. Her first two adventures introduce her as a professional journalist with a strong will, more of an equal to The Doctor than Jo Grant. Here she is a wet pushover, there to scream and ask questions - what a shame.

The unique aspect of the story which worked was the power drainage that was felt throughout the planet. The holidaymakers/ power cut scene in the TARDIS at the beginning of episode one was beautifully shot and refreshingly different - it was nice to see the lighting played around with so effectively. The Dalek guns as an alternative for their usual weapons was another brilliant consequence of this concept.

The Exxilons are dreadfully boring creatures without any defining features - they are bland and uninspiring. The "nice" one was embarrassingly overacted, mawkish and had bizarre movements making it impossible to get into the story. The "bad" ones left less of a negative impact - but they felt like they were just filling screen time chasing our heroes. Does anyone love these creatures? Also, side note, when the Exxilon is on fire and in that pond, why did it not extinguish the flames before dying? It decided to stay stood up and burn to death - completely bizarre.

I liked that the guest human characters had to make tough decisions and as a viewer we are left to decide how moral the individual's actions are. I wish this moral complexity was visible elsewhere in the script.

This was not the first story to include tasks which our heroes to navigate in order to get to the next stage. These tasks do not translate to TV well at all - they are disinteresting and as dull as dishwater.

I didn't hate this story, but I just cannot feel the passion in Nation's writing which was so clearly visible in his initial 1960s Dalek adventures.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs is thoroughly underrated and in many ways I'm glad, as its taken me twelve years of being a fan before I've seen it, and there is nothing better than watching a wonderful Doctor Who story for the first time.

This story had me on the edge of my seat, the deserted London streets were fantastically shot. The domestic scenes shot on film reminded me of Spearhead from Space (which made me happy). They built up the story with a pleasing, foreboding, dystopian view of a future London. I really enjoyed the first story simply being titled Invasion. I can imagine that this made the dinosaur reveal all the more pleasing to its original audience.

I'll address the dinosaurs "look", as I understand that this seems to be a fixation for most people reviewing it. Personally, I don't understand how you could be a fan of Doctor Who and rely on utterly convincing special effects in order to be able to enjoy it. Regardless, in all honestly I've seen worse and I commend the production team for delivering on a very difficult technical challenge.

Sarah Jane and The Doctor continue to be on fine form, thrown into the action with an attacking pterodactyl. For me, dinosaurs, looting and abandoned streets is real gritty drama! I enjoyed the UNIT soldiers treating The Doctor and Sarah Jane as thieves - Jon Pertwee particularly suits acting out these scenes with righteous indignation. I laughed hard at "so much about honour among thieves". This is the Third Doctor I really enjoy watching, as opposed to the boring "this wine is of an excellent vintage" persona we see plenty of in his third and fourth seasons.

I praised The Green Death for its inventive use of the UNIT regulars. Invasion of the Dinosaurs takes this a step further - after returning from a leave of absence Mike Yates chooses to betray UNIT and The Doctor whilst managing to not lose sight of the character that we are familiar with. The character always believes he is doing the right thing and acting in a way which will benefit his friends in the long run. This creates an interesting tension scenes such as where he had to interfere with The Doctor's plans undetected.

There were so many things going on in this story, when Sarah arrived on the fake spaceship travelling to new Earth I was struck by yet another brilliant element being thrown into the mix - admittedly it didn't keep up this pace for the latter half of the story.

Perhaps the most interesting element was the idea of left wing values being taken to an undesirable extreme. The misguided travelers find themselves part of a global conspiracy to stop pollution by any means possible - in this case removing nearly all of modern humanity from existence by moving the Earth back in time! Why they had to go all the way back to dinosaur times is not addressed - but it made for an interesting setting!

The show feels new again! New diamond shape logo, new companion and most different of all - our adventurer has travelled to the Middle Ages! Robert Holmes is an expert at making sure there is plenty of plot to go round in any given episode and The Time Warrior is certainly no exception - there is an awful lot going on.

Lets start with outstanding Sarah Jane Smith - she was delight from start to finish and was my favourite element of The Time Warrior. I really enjoyed the comedy that came from her simply refusing to believe that she had travelled in time and treating everyone she encountered as actors with costumes and props. She really played it for real and went through the same thoughts and emotions that any member of the audience would have in her same situation. Her forthright, feminist and proactive personality is a welcome addition to the show. Her chemistry with The Doctor grew nicely over the episode, inventively beginning with suspicion and ending with a sparky and joyful playfulness. I loved the character of Jo Grant (her and Jamie are for me the show's join best companions to date) but I definitely did not take to her as quickly as this - this is very promising.

This story acted as a lovely jumping on point for viewers. Pertwee properly re-introducing himself to Sarah in Part Three gave me a warm feeling, I loved him summing up his character in a single scene - and the first ever mention of Gallifrey was tantalising. The Third Doctor himself was on fine form here, perhaps a new companion was keeping him on his toes. The absolutely brilliant scene where he is dodging the inaccurate gunfire of Middle Ages first-time shooters was incredible fun - exactly the kind of bizarre high concept fun that the show thrives on. Pertwee plays that scene perfectly and teams up with Sarah in a way that feels warm and natural.

Time travel, especially heading backwards in history has been conspicuous in its absence in the Second and Third Doctor's eras, so it is a very welcome return bringing further variety to the show. I understand that the hesitance to delve into historical settings was due to a comparative lack of interest the audience showed for Hartnell stories of this kind. Having enjoyed Marco Polo and The Aztecs immensely, I feel like this was a vital component to remove from Doctor Who. The Time Warrior has certainly gone some way to make up for it here.

It was an excellent move to tamper with the historical formula by putting an alien, the brilliant Sontaran Linx into the mix. Irongron and his men vs. the mild nobleman would perhaps not have been as interesting if they were not interacting with the weird and wild time travel meddling that surrounded them. The Sontaran was a brilliant coming together of script, costume and acting. You got a real sense that for Linx, a mighty warrior, this whole situation was beneath him. His unique head emerging from under his helmet, followed by his tongue emerging from those disgusting lips is a wonderfully iconic visual moment. Maggots aside, I think the tactical war loving Sontaran is the best concept for a new alien since the Silurians, and in my opinion better executed.

I respect Holmes for really building up and bringing to life otherwise inconsequential characters like Professor Rubesh. Other writers would be pulling out their hair trying to stretch out a story across four parts, but Holmes skillfully inserts an entertaining character who only adds to the story. So, a wonderful start to season eleven - a delightful story which I had never seen before. I am very happy to have Sarah Jane on board.

We've not seen a story with this sense of scale since The Daemons, it did not surprise me when I found out that The Green Death was also penned by Robert Sloman who can now add a second excellent story to his name (lets not talk about The Time Monster).

Jo's ending is superbly handled, in an unprecedented and heartwarming exit. After years of unbelievable love stories - they finally achieved it here. As usual the relationship developed very quickly, but a lot more work was put into making it as believable as possible. She was ready to leave The Doctor before he even shoots off to Meteblis Three and was already gushing over Professor Cliff Jones before meeting him, but this relationship was marvelously built up over six episodes - he felt like a fitting substitute for The Doctor. It feels like another milestone for the show. Of course, the fact the actor was actually in a relationship with Katy Manning must have helped sell their onscreen romance.

The direction and editing was better than ever in this adventure - The Doctor and Jo say goodbye, he exits, she stays at the party. The two scenes are intercut with each other - Jo with her new fiance and friends, The Doctor - on his own, driving away. It was very sensitively handled, brave and emotional (though not over the top). Similar techniques are employed at the beginning of The Green Death when the gorgeous and mind bending Metebelis Three scenes are cut between the more ordinary but intriguing goings on Earth. The Metebelis Three scenes look like genuinely expensive film sequences, the giant bird, trademark Third Doctor tentacle and mysterious blue planet had a very memorable effect. It is rare to see this much pace and action in Doctor Who - but it was most welcome.

The maggots were an amazing concept for a menacing force - some of the ways of displaying giant maggots were more convincing than others, but it was a fantastic effort all round. The animatronic maggots on location in the slag heaps looked particularly good.

This was a story full to the brim with great characters. The return of UNIT was wonderful, it's brilliant to have that team back again. It was a superb story for Mike Yates who is interestingly given something quite different to do. UNIT are served better in this story through not having been in the show every week. The UNIT crew act as an interesting social middle ground between the lefties at the Nut Hutch and the seemingly malicious and cruel businessmen covering up malpractice at the plant. The writing that went into crafting these characters not only helped sell the social themes of the story - but could genuinely instill opinions in children that would last a lifetime.

I wasn't sure about Jo Grant when she first entered The Doctor's life. But her relationship with the Third Doctor has been absolutely marvelous. We've seen Jo grow as a character over three seasons and instill a sparky energy into the show. This was a fitting final episode for such an important character. I'm relieved that her era ended on a high. Jo Grant will be missed.

Planet of the Daleks is a proper Dalek adventure story. It is a fairly enjoyable serial and there are a couple of especially inspiring moments. It is not however the triumphant return it could have been for writer Terry Nation who had at this point not contributed to Doctor Who since 1965/66's The Dalek Master Plan. I imagine this story would have worked better in front of a general 1970s audience. However, from the perspective of a modern day fan with access to the whole of Doctor Who's back catalogue, it is difficult to get beyond the fact that we have seen all this before.

Jo Grant was brilliant in this story, especially in episode one where her scenes are almost entirely just her. She carries the show incredibly well - she has never looked more comfortable in the role. The way Nation writes these scenes is commendable and ambitious. I wish that the themes of her gathering information for The Doctor and looking after our sickly hero had carried on further through the story. Remarkably similar ideas are far better realised in Paul Cornell's Human Nature/ Family of Blood (which I'm sure was influenced by Nation's script).

On the other hand - the Thals are unbelievably boring in this story. I can't be the only person to have found it at times almost impossible to distinguish between the characterisation and look of each of the "non-Taron" male Thals. Rebec, the female Thal is written terribly and gets very poor treatment from her male counterparts, who seemingly blame her for being a woman on a number of occasions. It was not Rebec's place to be at war, she was a "distraction" for Taron which could jeopardise the mission. All of these ideas were delivered with bile-like dialog.

The Spiridons are fantastic as an invisible force, we have a beautiful scene with Jo being cared for by this intriguing un-seeable creature called Wester. Regrettably, once the purple rugs are thrown on them they just look stupid - it completely throws you out of the story. Why do the Spiridons not just throw off their rugs when the Dalek's are not looking? We know that some of them have the instincts to try and overthrow their evil leaders.

I was impressed with the number of Daleks that they managed to fit into this story, it was exciting. The miniature Dalek props looked great for the most part. I loved the jungles and the squirting poisonous plants. These elements gave this studio bound show a surprising visual flare. My favourite visual idea to come out of Planet of the Daleks is "molten ice", I thought it was a really neat concept from Nation and was very well realised on screen.

As is often the case with companions love interests, the buildup was rushed, unbelievable and a bit flimsy. Jo's star crossed lover apropos of nothing decides he wants Jo to come home with him, but of course it does not occur to either of them for him to go back to Earth instead of Skaro... Side note, but Skaro is portrayed as fairly neutral planet in this story, rather than a thing of terror in a constant raging war/ Dalek control - has that ever been the case before or since?

Perhaps my greatest problem with this adventure (which I really didn't hate, but just didn't love) was that it is all about placing bombs in various places, which even in Pertwee's "action era" is just not what I like about Doctor Who.

Malcolm Hulke is in part responsible for such favourites as The War Games and Ambassadors of Death. This story picks up on the recurring theme of political diplomacy with other lifeforms, which is present in Hulke's Silurian stories. The Draconians more successful than the Silurians (and certainly the Sea Devils) in terms of embodying a credible vision of an intelligent alien species, they also look very convincing - with fantastic masks. They speak and act in ways which are on par with human intelligence and the political tension between Draconians and Humans is enjoyable, at least at first.

Frontier in Space begins very well. The TARDIS excitingly almost collides with a 26th Century spaceship, The Doctor and Jo end up on board. Through a port window Jo spots another spaceship shimmering and it becomes what is described as a Draconian battle-cruiser - which begins to attack.

The audience soon finds out that it is not Draconians, but actually the Ogrons attacking. A hypnotic wave is being set off "by someone", tricking individuals into seeing something they fear, rather than what is actually there. When Ogrons attack Humans, the Humans see Draconians. Elsewhere Draconians are falsely perceiving their attackers as Human.

This causes an interesting diplomatic tension between the two long term allies and makes for an enjoyable first couple of episodes. But this is where the plot starts to run a little thin. This same scenario is stretched out over six episodes with little or no development. I find it unbelievable that by the beginning of episode 6 the Draconians and Humans have yet to work out what is going on. I became frustrated at the same situation and arguments being repetitively played out on screen. We see The Doctor explain what is actually happening, then the two opposing sides explain what they have perceived to have happened - again and again and again.

If this was not bad enough, we later learn that this hypnotic ray (set off by The Master) makes the individual see "what they fear the most". Unfortunately, this does not tally with the fact that Humans and Draconians have been long term allies. Even if there was some historic friction between the two sides - why would they find each other more frightening than any other force? Or surely, at least one Human or Draconian would find something else (like a Dalek) more frightening?

This is not even the worst thing about Frontier in Space. About 5 or 6 times an episode we see a character (usually The Doctor) imprisoned and then escaping that prison. Hulke is stuck in a loop where every time a protagonist is in trouble, they get sent to a prison and then within moments escape that prison. We see Jo sent to a prison and then escaping that prison. We see 26th Century humans sent a to prison then escaping that prison. We see an Ogron sent to a prison and then escaping that prison. I lost count of the number of prisons in this story, but it could have been half that number and it would have been too many prisons.

At one point The Doctor is sent to a prison moon(!) which seems to be included for no reason other than to add a bit of local colour and to use up an episode. It is extremely bizarre that the moon prison and its political "peace" prisoners are never mentioned after The Doctor escapes that prison. So many ideas are set up and never revisited on that moon - it seems so confused.

I finished Frontier in Space dissatisfied with the number of loose threads it presented. What on Earth was going on with the Ogron's green God creature? It looked cool - but was included so briefly within the story and seemingly for no reason - It did not tie up at all.

The story gets better again towards the very end, the presence of the Daleks (with restored authentic voices) got my attention back, but it was too late for the story as a whole. I hope that Planet of the Daleks picks up on some of these loose threads and delivers something which makes both stories more satisfying.

It is a crying shame that this is the last we will see of Delgado's Master - this is not a fitting end of a character and a performance I have eulogised since Pertwee's second season.

Robert Holmes has done it again! The Third Doctor's era looks shiny through his unique lense and season ten seems to be going from strength to strength. Carnival of Monsters has the a lot of the same scale and ambition as Frontier in Space due to the beautiful clash of multiple settings and cultures. Unlike Frontier however, this is backed up by an ingenious plot and rich characters which kept me intrigued and hooked throughout.

Wonderfully, Holmes had the confidence to put The Doctor and Jo into a sub-plot for most of the story. The pacing is perfect in virtue of the characters from both worlds being explored in great detail. The events on the SS Bernice are being manipulated, despite this every character is given a fully rounded personality, heart and believable relationships. These individuals contrast wildly with those on Inter Minor, giving this story a unique mixture of flavours. Seeing these credible characters 'forget and repeat' on an hourly basis is ingenious. It is easy to forget by the end of the story that this is the central mystery of episode one!

Its magical when you see the showman Vorg from outside the miniscope controlling the level of hostility among his subjects. The beauty is in seeing these two intricately built storylines interacting in a slight and novel way. A worse writer than Holmes would have had the two worlds collide more obviously - instead Vorg only affects their lives on a purely macro level.

The three bureaucratic and humourless pen pushers from Inter Minor are a perfect counterbalance to the bright and bubbly Vorg and Shina. We get to witness the historic moment where Inter Minor get their first alien visitors and see how poorly equipped they are to deal with this. This element of the story is wonderful political allegory for which a whole four parter could have been dedicated to - instead it is indulgently sewn into this beautiful adventure.

Jon Pertwee gets so much to do, including a proper fist fight! I loved his righteous indignation when he finds out that a banned miniscope is still functioning, though he thankfully softens when it is revealed that the sympathetic Vorg barely knows how to use it and won it without knowing of its illegality. I also loved The Doctor's battle of words with the Inter Minor elite, letting them know that he was not going to let them consider him an "insignificant form of life", even for a second. Pertwee absolutely laps up this script - perhaps he is relieved after a much poorer season nine.

By the time The Doctor and Jo begin to interact with the main plot-line we already know the characters they have yet to meet very well. The Doctor never even learns of the insubordination which has occurred between the three main Inter Minor characters, but does get to catch Vord save the day from the menacing Drashigs.

I love this kind of world building - we will never step on this planet again, or meet any of these characters again, but I was left wanting more. This was a truly fabulous piece of television. The Drashigs could have been realised better on screen, but if this is the strongest criticism that can be leveled at the story then I simply just don't care. Any disappointment there is more than made up for by brief glimpses of Cybermen and Ogrons.

Oh how I wish I could have watched this story as a child in 1973 - it must have been so exciting.

Remarkably, as season ten begins we are able to look back at Doctor Who's long legacy and celebrate the disparate elements that have made up its first ten years. The ten year landmark is a superb achievement and it is a great credit to Barry Letts that he wanted to do an anniversary story incorporating the first two Doctors.

The Three Doctors multi-Doctor led narrative is its USP and this is successful. It is a small shame that Hartnell was unable to get fully involved in the action, but lovely to see him onscreen nonetheless. Patrick Troughton is in his element and has to be the best aspect of this story. After a limp season nine it really made me really miss The Second Doctor. Season nine has possibly made me less excited to jump into Pertwee tales.

The Second and Third Doctor's rivalry is a wonderful invention. It helps what could otherwise be a very dull dynamic with both actors stepping on each others toes. There were moments where Pertwee genuinely look appalled at the idea of having to share screen time with Troughton, but that must have been acting (...surely!) It made me feel lucky to be a fan of a show with this many toys at its disposal.

The First Doctor's assessment of his successors being "a dandy and a clown" is an immortal line which will forever shape the way we see these two characters. Make no mistake, The Three Doctors is on the essential reading list for any new fan.

It is another small shame that Jamie McCrimmon was not involved in this story, throughout it felt like Sergeant Benton was filling in for his role, luckily he is an excellent understudy.

This is the first time that we've seen multiple Time Lords since The War Games (on what I presume is the newly named Gallifrey). These appearances combined with The Doctor being rewarded with renewed time travel capabilities makes this a very significant story indeed but, characters aside, is this story any good? Unfortunately not. The blobby monsters are rubbish, Omega is okay and the alien planet is dull and generic. Also, I swear this is the third time we've had those exact same farmer/wife couple in Doctor Who since Spearhead from Space.

A brief glimpse of Bob Baker and Dave Martin's trademark freaky visuals can be seen when Pertwee took on Omega in a "battle of minds". Whatever dimension that scene was set in was awesome. Its a shame that in the two sets of scripts they've written since The Claws of Axos they have not been able to quite stretch these great moments over a whole story.

None of this is particularly important though as The Three Doctors is meant to be a character led story focusing on bringing together our old favourites. It is easy to be jaded in retrospect, but at the time this would have been the first time that most fans had seen Hartnell's Doctor in seven years (if they were even old enough to remember). This story really helps consolidate the show as a single entity, which is vital especially when considering that Pertwee's era can sometimes feel disconnected to the 1960s show.

I love those first three Doctors.

I can't remember the last time I wrote a wholly negative review. It might have been years ago, so I am going to start by trying to say five nice things about The Time Monster:

1. The regular cast outstripped the quality of the script, we are unbelievably fortunate to have Pertwee, Manning, Delgardo and the UNIT team holding the whole show together. The Master faking the The Brigadier's voice was especially good. Sergeant Benton was very well served in this story.
2. I enjoyed the additions to Doctor Who lore this story presented, I am happy that the TARDIS is now considered a telepathic machine, more than "just" a time machine.
3. The scale of this story was glorious, we got to go back in time to a creatively represented culture and in contrast to this elements of it are brought into contemporary 1970s surroundings. This was not a story content with resting on its laurels.
4. The aging/getting younger element of the story was not original, but it was well handled and looked great.
5. The sets and costumes were excellent.

Episode one of The Time Monster was the first episode of Jon Pertwee's tenure which I have found entirely painful to watch. It makes me appreciative of quite how high quality most Doctor Who scripts are. Dr Ruth Ingram is an especially terribly written character, a feminist written by someone who clearly has no idea what feminism is, or worse is deliberately written as a "man hating" female character to serve a generally acknowledged, negative stereotype. I get that its the 1970s and we cannot judge this show by today's standards - but my God it must have been a nightmare being a feminist in this era. Liz Shaw's character suffered from a lesser version of this same treatment. I simply do not believe that a woman would ever write a female character to behave in this way. Some of Pertwee's writing team seem to struggle with the idea that a woman can be intelligent without being fusty!

It would be less frustrating if she wasn't one of the very few female guest stars in a show full to the brim with men. It would be less frustrating if Katy Manning wasn't given the shortest skirt you could possibly imagine, told to sit on a table and then filmed by a camera directed up straight up her legs. The Queen of Atlantis was also dressed in a needlessly sexual way.

It would be better if Dr Ingram's colleague (who is supposed to be a great friend and partner) wasn't consistently delivering poorly written, out of character quips made to arm viewers with a defense against women. There are few mitigating factors here. It is brutal. I don't quite understand how 1960s Doctor Who was so much better at representing women, there is even a fantastically interesting female scientist in The Web of Fear! What happened? Was there a backlash? I simply don't believe any of it, I can't invest in these guest characters.

The story meanders from one idea to another, at no point do you feel like one idea is fully explored, so it's all a bit of a mess. It was only when sitting down to write the review that I remembered that there was a Minotaur in this story - where did they go with that?! There are so many questions. Was the name TOMTIT supposed to be hilarious across all six parts?

They succeeded in making elements such as the bird God weird and the TARDIS inside a TARDIS different and weird which could have worked - but it needed to be grounded by a more successful story. It's annoying to have to lay into such a creative and different story - but this is terrible Doctor Who.

Pertwee's third season has not been nearly as good as his first or second - I am very much looking forward to getting on with season 10 of Doctor Who and leaving season 9 behind!

There is an interesting combination of location and menace in this story, as well as valuable educational detail on the life of the first woman to traverse the world by aeroplane. The relationship between her and Clara is very tender.

The flying insect alien species is a little piece of genius, with the renegade playing off well against the wider community on the planet Earth. DWM comics of this era are extremely well written with fully fledged worlds

I’m not sure I would have gone back and saved the adventurer from her tragic death though. Doctor Who re-writing a genuine tragic event from history is not in the best taste in my opinion.

Oh man, the boy / girl Strax joke is very tired at this point - we get it!

You’ve got to love the hype machine - you’d miss it if it wasn’t there! Dan Starkey is giving a good performance, but it’s a lot to ask of an actor to light up the screen with a straight to camera and some gently amusing dialogue.

All fans have to contend with the fact that the first episode of our favourite show is outstanding, but the first story as a whole is a bit limp. What this comic does excellently is wrap a new story around that old one which makes the overall tale substantially more satisfying.

This comic goes from decent to good when the hunters of the burning stone turn up - a stand out bone chilling set of villains. It then goes from good to great when Ian and Barbara are folded into events. A very rare crossover event for DWM! I like that they don’t immediately trust that it’s the same Doctor who left them in 1965, needing convincing before committing to this “young child”. Both eras fit together perfectly, it is most certainly one show.

The introduction of elements from previous stories from across the year has been done more elegantly than in the previous “season wrap up” style comic they did The Children of Time. Managing to present this alongside The Tribe of Gum is quite a feat. This is certainly a comic which you need to be pretty Doctor Who literate to fully appreciate. I am very impressed at the number of threads Scott Gray manages to keep in motion without overcomplicating or diluting the story. Even giving us flickers of what is to come in the 50th anniversary. If it sounds like this is just fan service, it’s really not, it’s an enhancement of the world of the show.

In a beautiful 50th anniversary tribute, Ian Chesterton and The Doctor, while stuck in the void of The Doctor’s memories, reflect on The Doctor’s life and provide a neat appraisal of the events so far. This is before events ramp up and become truly epic. It is a tough thing to keep the drama relatable once the entire human race is overtaken. But they manage it. You are on the edge of your seat going into the final part of this 6 part epic.

My one critique would be that the threat to humanity ends pretty much as soon as it’s started, but there is further peril so the momentum doesn’t falter. The tribe’s sacrifice is emotionally rewarding. Finishing things off with Ian and Barbara’s wedding and an explanation of the broken chameleon circuit within the same page is so beautiful. A perfect anniversary treat.

This is a cute send off for Rory and Amy, and a good opportunity to pair them up with Mels, who doesn't get enough onscreen exploration. Fans always love seeing familiar characters at less familiar stages of their lives, so its nice to get some insight into their childhood's without The Doctor about. Its Christmassy and camp and fun, but there's not a whole lot more to it than that.

I like it when Doctor Who stories choose imaginative historic settings. I now know a little more about Prague in the 80s than I did before reading this! The dominant political force waning at that time provides a brilliant antagonist which can sit comfortably alongside a lumbering alien.

The conspiracies and different sets of spies provide intrigue. This then goes up against Jewish folklore clashing with political upheaval. There’s a lot to digest! Perhaps too many interesting threads as all of this wraps up with two of the show’s most common trope endings - the power of a parent’s love overwhelming the enemy, and the power of hope. Still, it’s an interesting ride.

The cartels, and bureaucratic gangs are a treat, with their technical laws which allow outrageous behaviour. The world building in this story is immense. Our monkey gentleman thief makes for a great companion to Amy. Action culminates in a Scrooge McDuck’s money pile in a giant bank vault with the greedy aliens getting what they deserve - feels like Doctor Who!

Now this is truly brilliant. Shaking off the regular TARDIS team is always an opportunity to get loose and fun, and Alan Barnes is reveling in this opportunity to take the Brigadier out of time to lead the military might of an alien army. Great respect is paid to the character and I can’t fault a single choice they’ve made. But it isn’t just that they’ve brought back a character, they are genuinely doing something with him. His opining on a crazy alien battle, his conversing with a new Doctor, he is sleuthing the new doctor’s relationship with the situation. His mind is very busy.

Poor Mike Yates doesn’t quite get picked in the same way. A Faragean MP nightmare who shares the same name gets picked up in his stead adds an excellent flavour, showing us what a great and a useless leader looks like side by side. This isn’t a random flourish though, as the MP pompously talks to the aliens at dinner about his fight against the “PC Brigade” it’s made to sound like a war that they are very interested in. We are transported from this never ending battle ground - to Upper Wardleswick!

The sense of scale and imagination is immense, and even more unusually it all pays off by the end without any of the usual last minute convenience that often swoops in the latter moments of a Doctor Who story.

The central premise of The Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Jackie on an outer space, Trisha style TV show is inspired and slap bang in line with the initial RTD years. Taking something from low brow pop culture and turning it into science fantasy. Excellent.

Considering this is only 7 pages long, Morris manages to cram a lot of story in. Not enough though that it doesn’t start to feel like they are desperately cramming set up and character motivation towards the end. It’s another tally on the “overload the machine with X” endings which Doctor Who seems to specialise in. Though it certainly does show a lot of imagination. I just wish it was longer and better able to flex its muscles.

Anyone who has ever been in a band, or even just obsessed with bands will have a field day with this story from Jonathan Morris. There are so many neat in-jokes and well observed patterns of behaviour. The reanimated corps of an original band member and the manager who wants to kill the group to preserve the group’s reputation are particularly hilarious.

The time loop which takes you through the second half allows the audience to delve deeper and get to know the characters in a more meaningful way. More like this please!

The best element of this comic was the educational aspect about the futurist movement, and how it linked in with fascism. It was excellent historical context. However, the comic otherwise was quite dry. There was a lot of ideas that were explored but none of them were captivating. More could have been made of time zones colliding, without spinning off into alien worlds as well. There was a lot of technical detail that did not add up to a satisfying whole.

At its peak this is an imaginative and fun story, though I’d say the beginning and end are a little perfunctory.

The idea of a hormonal teenager having the power of a God to decide “what happens next” is compelling and leads to a series of entertaining and unlikely scenarios. There is some strong world building.

The alien at the end comes from nowhere and is especially silly. But that’s Doctor Who!

This latter day Matt Smith era of DWM comics is of very high quality. What an absolutely crazy concept from Scott Gray, in his second excellent script in a row. Monos, a killer alien graffiti artist rogue in contemporary London looking to destroy and make a statement! It is much simpler in some ways from the previous story but no less impressive. The weird and inventive baddie spreads through London replacing all language with his name, graffiti tagging landmarks Monos and eventually turning people into walking Monos, (you  have to see it to understand it). I love how the people and the logos and everything becomes Monos. Monos monos, monos monos monos. Monos monos, monos monos monos. MONOS. Monos monos. Monos.

It feels like the DWM comic is benefitting from a breath of fresh air and new investment with this story. Scott Gray is on writing duties for the first time in a while and has a lot of creative energy in him. Ancient Greece is ripe for a new Doctor Who story and it’s delightful to see Rory join the comic for the first time, even if Mr and Mrs Pond look nothing like their TV counterparts. The most compelling thing I suppose though is the multiple plot threads and the more down to ancient Greek setting (grounded) which is paired with plenty of Greek gods (epic). The combo fits like a glove but also provides a nice contrast.

Socrates as the star of this celebrity historical makes for a fantastic hero. The fact he is down and out gives the comic a similar flavour to Vincent and The Doctor. You get a sense that The Doctor is truly in awe of him and is blindsided by him not living up to the version Plato portrays in his writing. This provides the impetus for some healthy drama and really strong and often very funny dialogue between Socrates, Amy and The Doctor.

The idea of the gods as constructs of faith and a machine is something that’s not a million miles away from well worn Doctor Who territory, but it is done so beautifully and tied elegantly into Socratic teachings. I wish there were more Doctor Who comics like this one.

The culmination of many story threads which did not add up to much for me personally. Part 1 in particular was a vague mixing pot of different ideas.

Part 2 onwards I enjoyed seeing the robotic life forms, and how they fight alongside The Doctor, but save for the timey wimey going back in time bit, there was nothing too surprising plot-wise.

A storyline bringing together elements from all of Matt Smith’s comic book adventures so far sounds like a sweet idea, but in truth the general quality and memorability of these stories compared to the 9th and 10th Doctor’s equivalents is poor, so it’s a celebration of the mediocre.

The nuns are well done, neither goodies nor baddies but characters with an understandable motivation. The aging device was intriguing when applied at a small scale but a bit tiresome once Amy becomes an old lady - as you know she’s not going to age up significantly in the comics.

The idea of a time travelling space girl with the powers of the TARDIS is exciting and camp and fun. Looking forward to see where it goes next.

Very evocative. Especially for anyone who spent their teenage years visiting Brighton every weekend. That plus the 60s outfits makes for a fantastic visual setting. The John Lennon stand in, trippy visuals and nightmarish dream creatures all pack a punch. You feel a genuine sense of terror reading this.

The central premise is strong but they foreshadowed what was going on too heavily, which left little room for mystery.

Also, too many Doctor Who plots boil down to “alien war technology has gone wrong and is trying to ‘fix’ people in an unexpected way”.

Easily the best thing about this story is having some sign time with the Fugitive Doctor without having her overshadowed. I loved the intro, and seeing her flex her muscles, getting an insight into the Doctor’s early years.

But as her first mission with Division unravels and you see the wretched Time Lord plot (which she foils in a rather predictable way) it all becomes a little less special, a little more generic. The planets she visits are under-explored, so you don’t feel a weight of importance in their safety. Taslo is not interesting enough a character for the reader to feel anything when she lets The Doctor down. We never really get to know her.

I’m also opposed to using the TARDIS to transport planet-loads of people to safety en masse. Wouldn’t they just do this every week if it was an option??

Ultimately it winds up being a wasted opportunity to satisfyingly expand on this missing little bit of The Doctor’s life.

I have big hopes for the Fugitive Doctor’s audio adventures to right this wrong!

The story is passable, an interesting premise. There’s an interesting plot shift as you learn of the baddies’ backstory, motivation and abilities. But it never truly sings.

I have to give it to some of these artists, Amy Pond is dressed so nicely in her Victorian garb, better than anything she gets to wear in the show itself. But the characterisation of her and The Doctor are as dull as dishwater. This is partially why I was so impressed with the Majenta storyline, having a new character gave the comic somewhere to go. Amy and The Doctor are mostly just treading water in the comics for now.

A very entertaining little story, and easily the best of the 11th Doctor DWM comics at this point in the series. A Christmassy story which in some ways predicts The Doctor The Widow and The Wardrobe from the following year. A great example of how Doctor Who can be any genre.

Jody Houser writes with such freedom. Cherry picking what she likes from Doctor Who and then introducing new elements with charm and creativity. Nothing is too precious. Seeing Rose Tyler’s child and learning what happened to her next feels like forbidden territory, but it’s handled so breezily. This is a story that majors on fun: two Doctors, two Rose Tylers, and a whole load of fun. It manages to be both silly and substantial.

If I was to have one critique it would be that the Sontarans are a bit of a spare part in this story. They arrive en masse and disappear en masse at regular intervals without much emotional consequence. It's the only part of this story which didn’t feel thought through.

The artwork is phenomenal. The care and attention paid to Rose’s stunning purple empress robes is impressive and impactful.

Full disclosure, this is my first non-DWM Doctor Who comic in a long, long time and I’m struggling with how legit this story feels. It feels like the reins are taken off and the story can go anywhere. A crossover event is also a nice way to ease into the world of Titan comics. We can never have enough Paul McGann.

I wonder if the artist behind this comic had ever seen a picture of Karen Gillen before. The pigtails are something to behold.. with kitten heels and hold up stockings. What a strange choice.

There’s a good idea here somewhere. Children are being taken over en masse (similar to Children of Earth) via a friendly cartoon character and a promotional drink. It’s the Axons behind it, which is an interesting pick for a returning monster. But then there is a lot of The Doctor explaining a complicated plot in a really unnatural way. There’s a lot of epic jumping from scene to scene without a chance to settle as a reader.

Once you get beyond the Amy Pond design the best thing about the story is the art, which is vibrant and exciting. The Axons look fabulous, but the final fight between the giant Axon and the children's cartoon character is wonderful and weird. The story itself is not nearly as exciting. It’s your classic runaround.

Well, at least it’s a one shot. There’s not much plot to talk of and (in my opinion) the concept wears a bit thin on pages in. I’m not totally sure it would stand up to today’s cultural sensitivity standards - though Indian people may totally disagree with me on this celebration of their culture.

Tonally, it’s a weird comic. Seemingly written for a younger audience than most Doctor Who comics but then with some period accurate, Moffat era “sexy jokes” added in for good measure.

Once you see that Amy Pond is transforming you just know there is going to be a reset and any sense of peril is sapped out of the story. There’s not a lot of layers to this one.

This is excellent! A year’s worth of comics leading up to this gives it a series finale feel. We’re finally getting the answers we’ve been promised for a long time. And for all the epicness and outer space action that is featured in this story it feels grounded by the characters who we have been watching all this time, not just The Doctor and Majenta, but their pursuers. The fact that Majenta has never proven herself as reliable and totally trustworthy up to this point gives everything an edge and an exciting uncertainty.

I’d spotted the theme of The Crimson Hand hidden throughout the series. I like how the story moves throughout her hidden memories, integrating things we’ve seen before with the new and the old (events from before we were introduced to Majenta). The world building that has been put in place across the previous comics starts to really pay off now. There are stakes!

The cliffhanger at the end of part three, where the Crimson Hand have ripped through the Justice system and have de-atomised The Doctor is just plain cool. It’s epic without any of the “epic nothingness” you get from other comics.

Majenta’s world when she joins the Hand is a dystopian “utopia” which she is controlling with an all seeing eye and an iron fist. But she has a screw loose and is not enjoying a world without The Doctor. It’s reminiscent of what is done much later in Wandavision. A woman in total control of everything but herself. She has stored The Doctor in a pocket dimension ready to be unleashed to save the day.

The final part is a worthy send off for the tenth Doctor’s era in DWM, and for Majenta. She gets to be the hero which feels fitting, destroying one world to create another. Her whole era is justified by this story, a story which is my favourite of the lot and possibly one of the best DWM comics ever.

Ianto vs. The Giant Octopus is my personal title for this story. I was really impressed by Kate Orman’s writing. Taking Torchwood into an unfamiliar environment, making it feel fresh and new, rather than retreading well know story beats. It’s a shame more women didn’t write for Torchwood (I love Random Shoes).

The cheeky jokes work so well when pressed against grounded and novel ideas.

I probably wouldn’t have made the monsters able to communicate with the Torchwood team so directly. I also felt it wrapped up pretty quickly.

But honestly, I mostly just felt grateful that there was a Torchwood Magazine in 2009 paying talented people to write such exciting fiction, written at pace with tonnes of typos. It led to this fresh and exciting piece.

Evocative of series 2 Torchwood, which is a good and bad thing. It’s a bit “gritty crime drama” with a dash of simple sci-fi.

A random man in the tunnel of the Northern Line, looking up at the ceiling where ghosts are pouring down to kill him, stating, “I knew it. I knew this is how I would die.” Had me cackling. It’s a great gag.

This is the sort of setting I love to see Doctor Who in the most. For all the talk of it being a sci-do show it works best when it puts the otherworldly in thoroughly human settings. Anyone who has had the northern line as part of their regular commute will get a kick out of this story.

The concept behind how these “ghosts” are kept in the mortal world is very neat. I like the idea of the little alien who has been growing in the London Underground for all these years, waiting for revenge. And anyone who has ever died on the Northern Line being kept there eternally as a spirit.

It’s heating up for Majenta now. Bring on her final story!

This is a delightfully clever concept. A mostly “silent” comic, and one that ties up perfectly by the end. I would always prefer an experimental little story over this than a meandering epic.

I also have to express that Majenta is such a fashion icon. I don’t cosplay, but if I cosplayed, she would be my #1 (and possibly most obscure) choice.

I love that DWM leaves space for these one off sidesteps where the team get to be a little silly. There’s not enough intrigue or mystery in this story to move it from being “a bit of fun” to something more substantial. But it’s not bad for what it is.

It took me a little while to remember where I’d first seen the Skith - The First, as it turns out, a DWM comic I’d a read only a couple of weeks ago. They are a visually interesting creatures but I was surprised they got a second outing. The Skardis was a great idea.

The best thing about this was Majenta’s continuing story and her relationship with the Doctor. It shows a lot of promise and feels like it is leading somewhere. I like that they have made an active effort to build a world around this series of comics.

This story does suffer a little though from its need to be “epic”. I’d appreciate a little bit of a breather with something more down to earth.

10/10 for Majenta’s wedding dress. It’s interesting that the art style shifts so much from story to story but this wouldn’t be my favourite example. I like the 1950s futuristic holograms. I did feel in places that it lacked a clarity of “place” and storytelling, but it’s a fun read.

Harmless epic nothingness. A return to Stockbridge is exactly the sort of thing they should be doing, but it does that unfortunate sequel thing of being too self referential and focusing enough on telling a new story.

Having said that it’s done with plenty of flare, the art and writing style all comes together very beautifully. It’s an exciting, epic adventure.

The Magenta Price era is off to a cracking start. Because she’s a companion whose complete story is told via the comics, the writer’s have a much broader range of options in terms of character development. This era already feels looser, freer and deeper.

While the actual resolution of the story (The Doctor overloading a machine with its memories) has featured an unbelievable number of times in Doctor Who, it is done in an energising and interesting way. The environment of the prison in Thinktwice is evocative. The fate of its prisoners, continually having their minds wiped feels like The Prisoner. The menace of the aliens felt real and had me invested in all the characters involved. Looking forward to more!

This is a cute send off for Donna. She has featured in depressingly few comic strips, so I approve of stuffing this brief storyline into a mini adventure per page. The Doctor and Donna even meet The Beatles…!

It’s a fun concept for a villain (if you forgive the Fu Manchu moustache). I especially loved the idea of a living terra cotta army. I wonder though if the ambition of these ideas is a little large for such a short story.

The storybook comics are a little hampered by having to tilt younger than their DWM counterparts. Even when there are good ideas present, the degree to which they’re fleshed out is limited. They are often a little more shallow.

You can tell that the team behind this comic have a great love for The Walking Dead comic series. The loving homage to this in the art style is so spot on that it almost acts as a crossover event.

It’s very rare that a comic lives in your memory like this one. I read it back in 2008 and it stayed with me. It satisfyingly inserts itself into the cannon, acting as a sequel to The Christmas Invasion which betters the original. The male Sycorax die in part one, in TV, the female ones come for revenge in part two, in the comic. It takes an enemy that was somewhat interesting and perfects them.

I would love to see it adapted for the screen, given the female’s plan is more brilliant and compelling than their male counterparts. There is so much about it that if given a bit of budget it would do very well. Doctor Who has never properly done “zombies” before.

The Doctor and Donna are brilliant. I complained in my last comic review that there were too many “quips”, but happily the jokey comments in this story feel more in line with the TV series. It has a fun action adventure vibe without coming off as flippant.

This plot mixed with the original art style makes it a very unique piece of Doctor Who.

This is a fantastic way to kick off Magenta’s storyline. She is a compelling character, inhabiting a role somewhere between a likeable villain and a flawed companion. She gives the companion role some much needed bite after a run of DWM comic stories where The Doctor and Martha were a fairly toothless pair.

By unshackling itself a little from the TV show’s continuity it is able to open up an interesting patch in the 10th Doctor’s life that allowed for a bit of character development and intrigue.

Magenta’s business model was fantastic, it’s great to see characters other than The Doctor messing with time. I can’t wait to see where this time literate companion turns up next!

The Doctor is too quippy throughout this. The odd quip is good, but it overwhelms the dialogue. I enjoyed the twist to this story, that the villagers were the real monsters, but I didn’t enjoy The Doctor taking so much credit for fixing a problem he created. The art style was also not to my taste.

What a funny comic! I think Rick and Morty tried a similar concept about 10 years later. I like that every Doctor gets a cameo, but only as memories as part of each monster’s storytelling. They slowly turn on each other thinking The Doctor is among them, then The Tenth Doctor and Martha turn up once everyone is dead! The kooky cast of monsters works well.

A child friendly comic which, despite having some good ideas at the heart of it features a lot of hand waving. The commentary on Global warming wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny today. But it’s sweet.

The parallels between the arctic explorers and aliens, who both want to be “the first” to have discovered a landmass is beautifully done. It is a very visually striking story too, with the whites, blues and reds.

Another time loop minisode. Potentially a bit cruel to The Doctor’s poor victim, but it gives a little insight into how he goes underground at the beginning of the series.

It feels incredibly petty to say this is all too reminiscent of minisodes from previous 11th Doctor series, given their generous “extra” nature, but this really is. Timey Wimey flirty Moffat strikes again. The “we have to share a bed” line - yuck!

This one is so sweet! Some extra, hidden Neil Gaiman Doctor Who. Tonally different from the other minisodes and a lot of fun. It’s nice to see River given a bit more to do. Her and The Doctor make a sweet couple when it’s done right.

Well, it certainly explains how Clarence met the Whispermen.

There is a spectacular ending to this episode. John Hurt is The Doctor - despite his protests to the contrary. After Clara has jumped into the Doctor’s time stream and we see some delightful glimpses of the Doctor’s past lives. Great melodramatic sci-fi.

It’s not a perfect story though. There is a lot of speechifying, where you understand what’s going on but The Doctor keeps explaining in service of a big speech. It doesn’t help that so much drama hinges on the secret of The Doctor’s name which is not particularly compelling - we’re not given a reason as to why his name would matter. We know we’re not going to find it out and that if we did it would just be a name…

The Paternoster Gang are, as always, an absolute delight. I wish we got more of them. I loved the seance scene and Strax in a Glasgow brawl. River Song doesn’t get to do a great deal here. And is very one note.

Slightly more could have been made of The Great Intelligence’s plot. What he is trying to do is monumental, but for some reason we just see him grandstanding in different clips from The Doctor’s past, and it’s not as impactful as that first hit of seeing Clara interacting with the different Doctors.

It could have potentially been more interesting if Clara had entered the time stream and her and the great intelligence found themselves in an old episode of Doctor Who. It could have been from earlier in the same series. It could have been exciting seeing them interact with an episode that we were already familiar with. Instead we got more of a hint of that. We just get the same clips repeated a few times.

A good ending to a bad season.

A fantastic concept for a comic - a perfect one part comedic story meshing The Doctor’s exploits into a more down to earth setting (a London bus). I could do with more like this!

There a lot of ideas jostling for space in this comic: giant robots controlled by children destroying the local population; a charming elderly lesbian romance; benevolent dictatorships. It all hangs together in a sweet way.

The art style could have done with more pops of colour. I don’t always find, when Doctor Who comics do other worldly stories, that they have the vibrancy of stories set in the past or a contemporary setting. This is an example of that slight disconnect for me.

A bit of harmless preamble ahead of the main event. It was probably exciting at the time to have a bit of hype. It’s a recap / pair of soliloquies.

I’m not sure “The Doctor’s name” is the big tease it’s meant to be mind.

The expectation gap on watching this story for the first time was pretty monumental, as Neil Gaiman had done such a stellar job with his first story. The idea of this being anything other than spectacular didn’t feel likely, for this to be bad was very disappointing. In the context of this series it’s especially disappointing because there had not been many hits.

I understand there were issues behind the scenes, and this was not exactly what Gaiman wrote. In the first third there are some interesting Gaimanisms, but as soon as the Cyberman is running around at high speed it does feel as if the story has lost the plot. It feels odd to have these new speedy Cybermen debut just a few episodes following the speedy Ice Warriors. Why can’t monsters creek and lumber?

The Artie and Angie stuff is not paid off to a good enough extent to justify their presence. They were brought in last episode, so they could be in this episode, then they add very little.

It’s a strong cast, Porridge is good. Bless Matt Smith with the entire production on his shoulders - 20 solid minutes of screen time is him shouting at himself. There is no phoning it in, he is working his socks off.

The design of Hedgewicks World is uninspiring, it doesn’t hold a candle visually to The Doctor’s Wife.

A woefully underrated story and easily one of Mark Gatiss’ very best episodes, my favourite since The Unquiet Dead. He is playing to his strengths with the Victorian era setting, summoning a really beautiful story in a season which has lacked stories with this level of clarity of thought.

Diana Rigg and daughter provide the story excellent antagonists, giving it a unique flavour. When you add to this another outing for the fabulous Paternoster Gang and the horrific surprise that is Mr Sweet, you get an incredibly unique production.

The look of the story is stunning. Some victims in bell jars, others who are blood red. Empty factories with giant gramophones engineering fake noises. Blood sucking parasites. It’s a truly wild story. And a brilliant showcase of how to do a Doctor and companion lite story - by giving over the first 14 minutes to Strax, Jenny and Vastra. It makes Matt and Jenna’s reveal all the sweeter.

How could it be better? The villainous plan could be slightly tighter - it doesn’t share the same vision as the rest of the story. Also - the season arc truly gets in the way, with Artie and Angie randomly popping up at the end ahead of Nightmare in Silver. They are wielding unlikely photos of Clara throughout time that have come from… somewhere? An unwelcome distraction.

This starts very promising, with an intricate plot which is easy to follow. Acting wise everyone is on their A-game and there is a sense of occasion to giving life to this once “lost” story.

How satisfying you find the conclusion will depend on how interesting you find The Doctor outsmarting The Celestial Toymaker in logic games. That aspect was my least favourite element of this character’s debut story, and that is also the case here.

While I can see why this story is not so loved, it provides a gentle moment for us to explore the TARDIS, and does it with plenty of charm. Seeing The Time War book in the TARDIS library is delectable. The TARDIS’ reconfiguration room and its giant organic bulbs is also particularly charming, adding to the show’s lore by fully explaining things we already had an idea of. Despite all this, these scenes could have been pushed a bit further - why did we see so little other than corridors and slight glances?

When you move beyond the TARDIS’ corridors. It’s not as elegantly written. The three antagonists did not make much sense. Tricky believes he is an android because his brothers have tricked him as a “joke”, but he is in fact not an android. This revelation is neither believable nor a satisfying dramatic reveal. It’s not helped by the fact that Tricky is played by a bad actor - a rare thing in Doctor Who.

This combined with the convenient ending which ties up neatly by fudging the whole plot with a big button weakens any serious potential this plot had. It doesn’t take away from the story’s good bits though.

This is a much stronger entry into the trio of Dalek plays, and it’s not because it is darker or moodier. It’s simply because more effort has been put into the script, it’s a more carefully written play.

The absence of The Doctor does lend a little peril to proceedings, as does the mystery of who is behind the nefarious plot.

You can tell it was written by David Whittaker, it has the rare quality of being a Big Finish story which you could actually imagine a classic Doctor Who story on TV. I’m slightly jealous of anyone who got to see it in person.

And Neil Cross never wrote for Doctor Who again... and good! He had two cracks at it, both of which in my opinion simply did not work. I do not feel like Hide should not have led to Rings of Akhatan being commissioned.

Hide has frustratingly muddled storytelling. It is initially a brilliantly chilling ghost story, tapping into well loved 1970s horror tropes; then transitions into a generic adventure story, chucking the atmosphere out the window; then rushes awkwardly to the end as an even less focused love story. Its a mishmash of so many uncomplimentary flavours, after what had been initially a very pleasant ride.

​At points it feels like bits had been hacked out of the story in the edit. The ending is especially random and hurried. Its a shame as the cast is brilliant and the production looks phenomenal.

Series 7 does feel like the show is at a point where it has slightly lost its footing.

I’m hot and cold on Mark Gatiss' scripts but I think this is a pretty good one.

The return of the Ice Warriors is spine tingling. Big fan. Taking the Ice Warrior out of its shell is a nice way of moving it on and making it a bit different. The fully suited Ice Warrior is fantastic, the unsuited Ice Warrior seen in fleeting glimpses and seen just as its hands is also fantastic, but when you see the CGI head it’s a little less flattering.

I love the model shots of the submarine, even if it could have been done a little more elegantly with a bigger model or with a model with CGI touch ups. Regardless, it’s far more interesting than just using CGI which would be the standard of the era.

David Warner is a treat. There is real heart to his performance. It’s a star studded cast. You can see actors who go on to star in significant long running roles in The Crown and Happy Valley. Clara and The Doctor have insane chemistry.

The Russian language translation circuit workaround is handled well. Allowing you to have British actors convincingly deliver the dialogue.

The inclusion of 80s music is a nice reminder of the era it’s set in given there are so few other signifiers within the setting. The constant flowing water is another killer aspect.

For the first two thirds there is a beautifully moody atmosphere which builds and builds into something compelling. The wind gets let out of its sails in the last third and I’m not exactly sure why. The Ice Warrior ship turning up and picking up the commander feels neat but unsatisfying. The tension gets lost.

I choose to believe in a Whoniverse where this happened twice! It’s a beautiful two hander between The Doctor and Mickey, with the latter having to integrate this exceptional man into his ordinary life. The story is not as probing as it’s onscreen equivalent, but it is immensely sweet, dripping with humanity. Mickey gets what he wants in the end - a Sunday afternoon with Rose.

Starts well but then goes on a bit. DWM comics rooted in a futuristic or alien setting sometimes end up a little indistinct, lacking clarity in its execution.

Utterly heartwarming. The seed of what makes so much of Blink sing starts from here. It makes you wish Moffat wrote more children’s stories.

I love the core idea behind this, a jealous writer is overtaken my witches and attempts to kill Shakespeare to ensure his legacy does not overshadow his own. The story gets a bit muddled towards the end, but it’s an entertaining read. Perhaps more interesting is reading the seed to The Shakespeare Code. It’s crazy to look back and see how many comics and short stories used to get adapted for the main show.

Surprisingly grownup for an annual story aimed at kids. It’s a big burst of energy, sweetly folding The Doctor into an ordinary life and changing it forever.

Robert Shearman delivers something far reaching, psychedelic and truly demented here. There is an abundance of creativity and ambition which is missing from most Doctor Who comics. I appreciated seeing moments from the TV show folded into events, the evil versions of The Doctor and Rose, and Rose’s disappointing alternative realities.

There is real heart to this one. No grand scheme, no evil enemy. Just a lonely artist who wants to see their home. Very sweet.

There is something comforting in delving into a 9th Doctor comic which is contemporary to Eccleston’s time onscreen, even if the story is just okay. I liked seeing Eccleston’s Doctor being portrayed on the page a pt a point where we are still getting to know his character and things are flexible.

It feels savage to have a strongly negative reaction to such a sincere and emotionally pure episode of Doctor Who. It is such a heartfelt and earnest production, so I feel like a brute saying its one of the worst episodes of Doctor Who, but it is one of the worst episodes of Doctor Who. It is more boring than anything else. Not much happens.

There is tonnes of sitting around and singing with monsters very slowly walking towards the camera; or faraway monsters being menacing. There is a constant looming feeling of "nothing" happening.

In its defense, it is unlike anything else the show has turned out in its first 60 years. Its borderline subversive - story beats do not happen at the points they typically do. This story does not have the shape of a Doctor Who episode, which I suppose is to its credit. Though cliches are cliches for a reason.

Its a sweet idea, currency on Akhaten being "meaningful" objects. While the internal logic of this is a bit dodgy, it is a lovely unique thought. Less unique is the generic ending where the monster is destroyed by feeding too much on a power it cannot contain.

I genuinely believe this is a story that could put a new viewer off of the show. I was very surprised that there are fans out there.

I stopped re-watching new episodes multiple times around 2013 as I got more deeply into the classic series and Doctor Who's extended universe. As a result when watching the second half of series 7 I have the interesting experience of experiencing Doctor Who that I in many ways know the least about - episodes that I have had the longest gap since most recently watching. The last 10 years has meant that I even forgot that Richard E Grant's Great Intelligence was even a recurring character in this series - I thought he was dispensed with in The Snowmen!

​This story is a bit mid. The most interesting idea is the spoon headed baddies, which is a rip off of Silent in the Library. Otherwise this inner city thriller is a bit nondescript (chases, hackers, action!) The show looks good though and Clara and The Doctor's relationship gleams. Its the worst of Clara's three introductions, but it still leaves you feeling warm for her afterwards. A solid series opener.

From a fan’s perspective, a lot of “necessary”continuity is worked out in this minisode, but in the most perfunctory way possible. Other than letting us in on the fact that Strax didn’t die at Demons Run, it just reboils some jokes and character notes from The Snowmen.

This is monumentally heartwarming. The kind of 11th Doctor I can get onboard with. Who is essentially a big kid with a huge heart. This prequel adds a lovely extra flavour to the story of Clara and The Doctor, seeing their lives weave in and out of each others. This could have happily, quite nicely, featured in an episode.

How many pop culture references otherwise left to time did Moffat manage to squeeze into this one?

I suppose it’s an honour that Doctor Who was asked to provide shorts like these for award ceremonies, keeping it in the zeitgeist. This one is a piece of mildly amusing ephemera, the existence of which we cannot begrudge. It doesn’t deliver much in its one minute of screen time though!

If my enthusiasm was waning for this era of Doctor Who, it has absolutely been peaked again by this incredible story. It’s now my second favourite Christmas story after A Christmas Carol. It showcases how excellent Moffat can be when he focuses on just a couple of distinct ideas. He can be really clever when he is not trying to be clever.

It is a wonderful full length introduction for Clara, I know we’ve had a sneak preview with the Asylum of the Daleks, but it is here you get a real sense of her character. The two versions of the character were done marvelously. A really nice piece of storytelling, giving this companion something quite different to do. The show feels new again as a result.

The Doctor himself feels renewed. I love the costume and TARDIS, things that I was for some reason resistant to at the time of broadcast, I now feel as necessary and invigorating with this last half series, not settling for the same old same old and trying something new.

The Paternoster Gang is a wonderful team. I can’t get enough of them.

Only Doctor Who could make a sequel to what was at that point a missing story from 1967 without it being annoying or knocking you over the head with fan references. It will have gone over the heads of non-fans. Other eras could learn from this. The Great Intelligence was a character we weren’t expecting to see again and probably won’t see for another 50 years! Richard E Grant is excellent in what could be a thankless role, really bringing it alive.

The Christmas aspects, including the snowmen themselves felt fresh - it didn’t feel like the umpteenth Christmas special.

If I was to provide a critique it would be that the series is still a flirting overload, though it does generally make more sense on this outing. I’d also say that the “Doctor Who?” gag has now been done to death at this point.

This is the only certified hit from series 7 so far!

Imagine being blessed with not one but TWO minisodes ahead of a Christmas special nowadays. We didn’t know how lucky we were. Another fun little teaser for The Paternoster Gang, this one a little more workmanlike in its set up of who they are and what they do. Still - it’s all good hype!

This is a delightful minisode. A beautiful reintroduction of The Paternoster Gang and a scene setter for The Doctor’s mood post the Ponds. Made me feel fan glee for what is about to come up in my current watchthrough. Bring on Clara!

It’s going to sound harsh, but I’m glad that this didn’t get filmed. It’s sentimental claptrap, it’s derivative of Blink in the extreme. I don’t feel it adds anything. It wouldn’t act as an emotional bookend to The Angels Take Manhattan and it would undermine the next episode if it was put at the end of The Power of Three, so I totally agree with the production team not filming this one. A close shave!

There’s some great ideas in this one. But it’s a classic Moffat soup of too many jumbled up ideas with a lack of singular focus. The key concept of a hotel where Weeping Angels are generating time energy by sending people back in time within their rooms, making them live out their lives in this liminal space is spine tingling. You could make a whole story out of this.

You’ve then got New York. The production team are clearly uncomfortable filming somewhere where there is a bit of time pressure. They are then adding into the mix 1920s American pastiche, and trying to wring as much visual value out of the “New York!” visit as possible. The Statue of Liberty is in there for some reason. They are then trying to fold River Song in, but clearly Alex Kingston is not actually present in New York, just Cardiff so she’s not there in a scene and then suddenly she is. The story is a bit of a mess, and it looks a bit messy.

One final critique - Murray Gold’s music, especially the “oohing” while Amy and Rory are jumping off the ledge is too much. The execs needed to reign him in on this one.

But it’s not “quality free”; it wraps up Amy and The Doctor’s story nicely. Rory gets a big starring role. The cherubs are an incredible premise. If only Moffat could have taken the best of his ideas and fleshed them out there would be so much more to this. Maybe they felt that because of The God Complex that the whole “hotel thing” had already been done and that they couldn’t lean on it too hard.

It’s important we focus on the fact that the first 30 minutes of this show is blisteringly good. Taking a breath to spend some quality time with Rory, Amy, The Doctor and the brilliant addition of Brian, is exactly what the show needs at this point. It’s a coda before the end.

The introduction of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and reintroduction of UNIT is brilliantly done, and used skilfully to ramp up the tension and mystery. Chibnall absolutely smashed it, delivering a really strong first half hour in what has been a mixed series so far.

The key mystery gets a good payoff. It would only need a bit of nipping and tucking to be a perfect story. Though one cannot ignore how ridiculously bad the baddie is. I know that they are having to edit around an uncooperative and incredibly unprofessional actor. But once you understand that the cubes were there to stake out an alien invasion you don’t really need much more. You could almost sub in any villain and make this story sing - it’s such a shame it couldn’t stick the landing.

This doesn’t overshadow how brilliant most of this episode is. Getting a final chance to see Matt Smith’s Doctor in normal life, which despite Closing Time I don’t think we’ve seen effectively handled since The Lodger. That clash of an extraordinary man in ordinary contexts is still as wonderful as it was in series 5.

The Doctor back in time and setting up “a date” for Amy and Rory is so sweet. I love the costumes! And that it’s interrupted by an offscreen Zygon.

It’s a shot of energy after A Town Called Mercy.

There was no emotional heart to this story, despite its aim to be touching, pulling at heartstrings. It wasn’t The Curse of the Black Spot bad, but it was significantly more boring than that. Given that the production team went to all the effort to go out to Fort Bravo, it’s especially a shame that it falls emotionally flat.

Toby Whithouse cannot be relied upon to deliver a really interesting story, despite being a showrunner in his own right. The main issue is that we have no reason to invest in the antagonists' safety. The Doctor wants him to die, then is convinced to save him after the death of the marshal, he turns on a dime and then suddenly will do anything to save him. By the time the antagonist sacrifices himself you feel… fine about it?

A little bit of added colour which doesn’t outstay its welcome and makes you curious about The Gunslinger.

The pre-credits sequence is excellent, a bit more frenetic than we are used to from Chibnall. It's great seeing the Ponds at home, with Mark Williams as Rory’s dad; a fantastic piece of casting. At this late point in Amy and Rory’s time on the show they could just be looking to wrap everything up, so it's fantastic that they are still pushing their relationship somewhere new. This dynamic, building on Pond Life, and the character interactions lift what is otherwise a bog standard plot.

I love the dinosaurs, I love the spaceship, I hate the comedy robots. It is the only time Mitchell and Webb have been in Doctor Who and it feels like a waste of their talents to play unfunny robots. Poor Robot Webb’s unfunny robot barely even says anything. You only know who it is from context.

There is a huge ensemble cast. Solomon is an interesting enough baddy. Queen Nefatiti and the gamekeeper guy are very good. The show absolutely survives on the character moments. Although the cringey flirting which penetrates every part of this period of Doctor Who does not leave this episode untouched.

This is in the most part a more child friendly episode, with the major exception of the implied threat of assault (keeping it vague) from Soloman to Nefatiti. I’m not sure how I feel about little girls watching that exchange, even if she does get her comeuppance. The way the Doctor heartlessly kills Soloman at the end also feels a bit off; regardless of how bad he is.

At the start of the episode I was thinking this might have been Chibnall’s best pre-13th Doctor story but it quickly falls down. Mixed!

This is was an afternoon I will never forget! It was a rare opportunity to share my love for Doctor Who with fellow fans, including some familiar faces from the tardis.guide community. To witness Doctor Who live and in person is a rare treat!

The quality of the overall experience outweighed the quality of the story. I must admit to shedding a tear or two at points, feeling heightened emotions. Seeing The Doctor (the real Doctor!!) on stage alongside Charlie, The Master, and The Daleks is a memory I will cherish forever.

Plot-wise, for the first two-thirds the focus on The Doctor was well-executed. However, I felt the narrative faltered slightly towards the end (as is often the case with Doctor Who!). The Master's discovery of the Daleks' plan should have elicited a more compelling reaction, highlighting his unique villainy in contrast to their ruthless extermination policy. The second half could have benefited from showcasing The Master's perspective more prominently.

Performances were uniformly excellent. Paul McGann, India Fisher, Alex McQueen, Nicholas Briggs, Barnaby Edwards, and the entire cast were clearly enjoying themselves, their infectious energy radiating out into the audience. Their charm and enthusiasm elevated the entire production.

Story: 7/10
Experience: 9/10

I wish more Target books were like this. It does what this series of novelisations is supposed to: not just recreate the story but amplify it, add to and reimagine things we’ve seen on screen. Reframing the whole story as one the Toymaker is narrating is a stroke of genius, the incorporation of games, including the choose your own adventure, which James Goss folds throughout the story brings a sense of fun and unpredictability to the text.

It was a great story on television, but this is a rare case where the additional material and alterations to the story improve upon the original. More of these from James Goss please!

I remembered loving this episode on transmission and haven’t seen it since.

It’s a shame that the way the pre-titles sequence seeds drama is to pit Amy and Rory against each other. After having invested in their relationship and marriage all the way through series 5; and watching Rory endure so much unkindness from his wife; it is sad to see them in such disarray so close to their departure. Amy is still a model, but now even colder, cooler and more remote. I miss Amelia. Thank God they resolve this plot point before the end of the episode and everything is back to normal.

It feels like the relationship drama was so that there would be a contrast with the surprise new companion appearance. Jenna Louise Coleman’s unexpected entrance a few stories early is a monumental success. I could take or leave the cringey Moffat “flirty” dialogue which is as dated as rotten eggs. But the performance and all other aspects of the writing lands perfectly. Her turning out to be a Dalek by the end of the story is utterly heartbreaking.

I love the Dalek’s plan to put the Doctor on a suicide mission. It is a plan that all adds up perfectly in the end and includes what was billed as featuring “EVERY DALEK EVER”; which is kind of true if you squint. The idea of an asylum for Daleks is a little slice of Moffat genius.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of Coleman.

Another dramatic prequel ramping up hype ahead of the series opener. Unlike a lot of minisodes it feels comfortable flexing its muscles and going to relatively high effort with the visuals: you get Matt Smith in a tea room, spaceship and on a beach in the space of 2 minutes!

Chibnall did well plugging the gap between series 6 and 7. It feels like he understands Amy and Rory, and in five minutes he even manages to move forward their relationship in a troubling direction.

Throughout the Whoniverse, the Ood generally feel underused as a comedic device, so great to see them deployed to great use.

Definitely feels like it was written by children!!

I suppose my experience of watching this story is not untypical: spending the first 45 minutes wondering why fans are so hard on it, then the next 10 minutes remembering how clumsy the resolution is. Following series 6, which all too often resolved proceedings with “the power of a father’s love”, we are given one more limp, gender reversed effort at mining this trope.

This perceived failing leads a lot of people to unfairly dismiss this story though, a story that, while not matching A Christmas Carol in terms of quality, has a tonne of heart and an emotive, perfectly Christmassy quality to it.

Seeing the way The Doctor responds to Madge's act of kindness at the beginning of the episode, by being there in her family’s hour of need is a beautiful thing. The ways he “improves” the house and tries to provide the best Christmas ever is as heartwarming as it is iconic.

Phenomenal hype building. 0 to 60 in 90 seconds.

A big step up from the first stage play, feels a lot more like a Third Doctor television story thanks to Terrence Dicks. It has a nice energy to it, even if it’s ripping off other stories left right and centre. I love Trevor Martin’s portrayal as the Doctor. He captures something of Patrick Troughton’s performance in my opinion. I wish I could have seen it on stage!

Did anyone else think that The Doctor should have headed back to Gallifrey with the first 6 keys, seeing as the 7th seemed to have its own sufficient defence mechanism?

Camp fun? Maybe! It certainly has a “panto” energy to it that would have translated well to a stage show in a UK seaside town in the 1980s. I’m not convinced of the plot, or that there was a plot but I don’t think a convincing plot is what they set out to achieve with this story. More Dimensions in Time than Vengeance on Varos.

The thing that really niggled was the idea that the cybermen and daleks would give two hoots about what a galactic council would think!

I very much enjoyed Bob Baker and Dave Martin's The Claws of Axos. For their second outing we can see several significant social issues being explored. Solos has a three tier class system. Native Solonians are ruled by Earth "Overlords" who have controlled Solos for 500 years, there is also a persecuted underclass of Solonians who have become infected (seemingly by the destroyed environment) and are mutating into "mutts" or "mutants".

The Doctor and Jo have been sent to Solos to deliver a sphere that will only open for one person. They step into a fractured world where the old guard seem to be in their last throws of their reign. Solos is no longer of interest to the Earth Empire, in part because the environment has been wrecked by the Overlords. It is of course tragic that the Solonians were to be set free by The Administrator before being killed by the rebel Kai, a character which the audience should almost certainly side with. Kai is of course the individual who the sphere was meant for.

Jo now well and truly feels like the quintessential companion. She demands they head towards danger despite The Doctor's protests to protect her. Although why The Doctor continues to demand she stay away from danger after the adventures they have shared is beyond me!

Firestorms and the eerie, mysterious caves show off more of Baker and Martin's trademark trippy visuals. It is great seeing The Doctor struggling as the frame rate gets slower and the CSO becomes beautiful and captivating. The Doctor is brave in an interesting way here. I prefer watching the Third Doctor travel into this kind of danger rather than driving around in cars making pretentious quips. I am in love with Pertwee here. He is our first true hero Doctor, watching him carry the examiner from Earth over his shoulders is a game changer in what we expect from the character.

It is sad seeing Kai surrounded by mutants attacking him who he still refers to as "his people", it is of great credit to this character. I love that we are never sure which characters are on which sides. Solonians against Solonians, Overlords against Overlords. We are left to judge characters on their individual merits and gain a deeper understanding over why divisions exist in social groups, The Mutants is not shying away from being complex. At first I didn't think it quite worked that the Marshal's men betrayed him so easily, but once I witnessed the two of them be betrayed by him themselves it becomes obvious why this man has so few loyal followers.

A hole gets shot in the side of the spaceship, our heroes are being sucked out into space. This is a fantastic cliff hanger (the best one in a very, very long time). The reveal that the mutations are not unnatural, instead the next stage of a 500 year Solonian life-cycle is also among the most ingenious plot twists in the show so far.

The ending of The Mutants is of course complete nonsense. This story has been an allegory for race relations, apartheids and colonisation. So what are we meant to make of the benevolent super-race that the mutants transform into? It feels like The Mutants jumps the shark and loses touch with the social messages it begins with. Maybe the point is "don't colonise other races, or one day they will develop and overthrow you". Or maybe "don't colonise other races, this is will allow them to develop at a faster rate". Neither of these seem satisfying. Or maybe its just the last episode of a Doctor Who story and we're simply supposed to enjoy the ride.

I very much like this duo's writing style and I'm looking forward to their third outing; but this one's ending wasn't spot on for me.

The Sea Devils begins brilliantly with the Jo and Doctor on a boat, visiting a small island prison dedicated the imprisonment of one man: The Master. The build up to The Doctor's encounter with his arch nemesis is very well handled, once they are on land we pass heavy surveillance, armed guards and identity checks before being allowed anywhere near him. This suspenseful introduction reminded me of Hannibal Lecter, even more so when the excellent twist is revealed; the entire prison is under his control.

The introduction shows that the story's primarily purpose is not to be a sequel to the Silurians (Eocenes, Sea Devils, etc.) but to explore The Master's relationship with The Doctor. Whilst The Master steals the show (proving what a special treat he can be when not overused) the Sea Devils are a real flop when compared to their land dwelling cousins. Whilst they *can* speak, I can't recall many scenes in which they choose to do so. I criticised The Silurians for introducing the species as highly intelligent, but then failing to deliver this in terms of their presentation or speech. In The Sea Devils the problem is made worse, they are mostly mute villains without a trace of their supposed super-intelligence. Are they supposed to be considered intellectual compare to humans, or just all other Earth animals? Last week's The Curse of Peladon had seven races (Human, Peladon, Time Lord, Ice Warrior, Aggador, Alpha Centauri and Arcturus) only one of which I would consider to be less intelligent then the Sea Devils. This problem undermines the entire plot, it rids these creatures of one of their key distinguishing features.

The Silurian element of the plot is also hampered by the fact that we've already seen the same scenario played out two seasons ago. Swapping underground creatures to creatures from the sea adds no more than visual difference. This lack of substance means that their elements of episodes three to six drag terribly. It would have been preferable for them to see where The Silurian race was two years later, after being betrayed by UNIT. It would be amazing to see some righteous (and justified) ire directed at the human race.

The Navy's contribution to this story is highly significant, both The Master and The Doctor feel very at home in this hierarchical environment. Seeing The Master flit in and out of prison, then be saluted by a large group of naval officers makes him by far the coolest man in the show, his escape via hovercraft at the end of episode six is just as ostentatious. It is wonderful to see how this villain has grown. The Master does not just want to cause havoc, he wants to cause it in style.

They have made a conscious decision to not include UNIT in this story, it would have been nice to have a cameo appearance - especially as we were shown so many Navel equivalents to our favourite characters. For all my talk of loving variety, I must say that I've missed UNIT over the last couple of stories!

As time has gone on I have felt more and more attached to Jo, she is a truly excellent and versatile companion. In the previous story she was glamorously scaling buildings and here, I am also in love with Pertwee's Doctor, even if his attempts to make lofty, pretentious James Bond-like statements sometimes gets under my skin. Together these two make the best and most natural duo the show has seen so far.

The first half is very distinct and stands out well against the other stories in series 2 companion chronicles. There is an interesting clash between the Edwardian and the alien that makes for a satisfying listen. As this aspect fades away in the second half things become a little more generic. Although there is a thoughtful, meaningful ending where Leela looks back towards the end of her life.

Louise Jameson does a marvellous job, but I don’t think subs in for Tom Baker particularly well when it comes to portraying The Doctor.

This series has been a bit mid. Hopefully this range improves in future series?

Another gentle companion chronicle, this time with Nicholas Courtney’s dulcet tones. He is a marvellous performer. Any extra Brigadier is a treat. The plot is initially intriguing but becomes less distinct the further into the story you get. But after an hour of listening to Courtney you’ll be so relaxed I doubt you’ll care.

THIS is what an alien planet looks like. Those castle model shots and beautiful adrenaline filled mountaintop/ windowsill scenes with Jo have almost made me able to scrub the drab Colony in Space from my brain. The Curse of Peladon is far from a masterpiece but it has a hell of a lot going for it and is a mission statement in terms of where the current producers of Doctor Who would like to take the show.

Talking of those vertigo inducing adventure scenes; it was wonderful to see the TARDIS out and about. It even got the chance to fall from a great height and go missing. Whilst the Third Doctor's time is in so many ways more varied in tone and feel than the show ever was in the 1960s, my excitement over seeing the TARDIS in these well-crafted action scenes revealed how limited the machine's role has been in the show over the last two and a half years. The initial moments on the mountainside may be my favourite moments of the entire story.

The menagerie of monsters is also a unique aspect to this story. There really are not many Doctor Who stories that have this many non-humanoid aliens: Aggador; the Ice Warriors; Blinky Eye Thing; and Proto-Davros. It gives the show an exciting look and feel.

The union's discussion over whether to accept Peladon into their ranks is an interesting political allegory. The fact that this idea is not popular among all Peladon citizens makes it a brilliant basis for the plot and one that feels particularly relevant in post-Brexit Britain. The Ice Warriors come off particularly well from this pseudo-EEC, feeling more fleshed out than their Troughton incarnations (but not quite as exciting as their debut episode). It is an enjoyable running theme of Pertwee's tenure so far (we are almost half way) that aliens can have complex and developed societies, more importantly, we should not presume them to be evil.

Surprising then that the half human character, the young King did not feel as well served. There was not enough character development, this is combined with what I felt was a wet and mawkish portrayal. I was not sure why I was supposed to find him interesting. I would have enjoyed seeing him more easily swayed by his advisors, then realising over time what he felt was right. In fact, I think it would have been intriguing if his opposing advisor had not died so early in the story. I would have enjoyed seeing the tension of this played out over all four parts.

Most jarring of all for the young King was the romance he builds with Jo throughout the story. I loved the idea (it helped shake off some of the stories' more formal feel) but the actual scenes themselves felt very forced to me. The whole relationship begins, turns sour and then lifts again in as little four scenes. The final scenes of Peladon begging Jo to stay would have made sense if they had dedicated a little more screen time to this.

I don't think it would be hugely unfair to compare this story to The Phantom Menace. Whilst the initial idea surrounding these alien's politics and religion and had some intrigue, it is always hard to relay this kind of otherworldly administration to a mostly human audience. What makes The Curse of Peladon a more enjoyable piece of fiction is that it is only a four part story in a series that has a huge amount of variety, this story is a different genre from what immediately has come before it and keeps the show fresh.

More than any of the fifty-nine stories before Day of the Daleks this is quite obviously meant to be a treat for long time viewers of the show. The Daleks had not been on our screens for five years (unimaginable nowadays). The audience will have been wondering how they would fare against the new Doctor. I must admit it was a bit of a thrill to hear the Doctor's oldest foe exclaim that "The Doctor is an enemy of the Daleks."

To further celebrate the history of the show as we revel in this long awaited return, we see images of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton's Doctors projected over Pertwee as he lies strapped down against his will. This is possibly the most self-referential moment of the show so far and it feels well deserved.

The basic plot for this story is a good one; some time travelling renegades travel back in order to kill Sir Reginald Styles, a man who's ancestor wreaks havoc in their own timeline. Unknown to them, by travelling back in time they help create the series of events which they wish to prevent (World War III). The Doctor works this out and uses it to make sure the future is returned to a desirable state.

Anat is another fantastic female leading character for the show, as with Miss Hawthorne from the previous story it really helps lift the show which otherwise suffers from too many male guest actors. I like that she and her co-conspirators are initially portrayed as menacing, but are then shown to have noble reasons behind their actions. I also loved the very funny cheese and wine "rank has its privileges" scene between Jo Grant, Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton. It is character moments and journeys like these that are missing from stories such as The Dominators.

I really enjoyed the moment that The Doctor cleverly began to explain to Jo the reason he often cannot go back in time and meddle with established events, a question which has often boggled the mind of a first time viewer. Jo is told that this is due to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, of course The Doctor is cut off before being able to explain this any further, which is an inspiring moment. I do hope they come back to that!

Despite all of the positives to be taken from this story, I am not sure that it really requires the Daleks. Whilst watching I felt like they were a little tacked on. It annoyed me when I later I found out that the original script did not feature the creatures. I feel that they should have been more central to their comeback story. Whilst it was lovely to have some respite from The Master, the Daleks needlessly take on his role as puppet master, a role which was already covered by The Controller. Considering that Day of the Daleks features the brilliant henchmen Ogrons, it is not clear that another alien life form is totally needed. Perhaps their superfluous inclusion would have felt more satisfying if the voices sounded more authentically like their 1960s counterparts. Instead they sound a little weak and silly - an embarrassing approximation which reveals a lack of notes from former production teams indicating the right settings to use on the ring modulator..

Unfortunately, the location filming for this story is particularly bland, contributing to a lack of excitement in the story. The big fight scenes in both the 20th and 22nd Centuries often looked a little boring and cheap as a result. They go in and out of a dull little alley near a river too many times for my liking. If the Daleks have discovered time travel and have all of time and space to go - why would they choose here?

Also, this story marked the first time that Pertwee's Doctor seriously grated on me in certain moments. How many times do we have to hear him pompously bore on about this or that wine's vintage?

Whilst this review is a little negativity heavy. I must say what a pleasure it is that one of the Third Doctor's worst stories still managed to entertain me throughout.

Stories like this are why we watch the show. There is so much quality on display in The Dæmons with some of the most inventive moments featured in Doctor Who so far. There is so much for the actors to get their teeth into after the terrible flop of Colony in Space.

The heat force field surrounding Devil's end is typical of this stories' creativity and inventiveness. It is ambitious, novel and successfully pulled off. It keeps UNIT away from the centre of the action until the moment is perfect, but also gives them something entertaining to play with in the meantime.

Miss Hawthorne is another novel and exciting element of this story, a wonderful character. Having such an interesting woman on the show is a blessed relief (can she be in this every week?) If Big Finish did not have her back then that was a missed opportunity. To have a fascinating, morally strong and credibly portrayed white witch in one of the most sceptical eras of the show brings an much needed dynamic tension to the show.

The unusually high amount of location filming makes this show feel expensive (again, can we keep this up?!) Out of all the stuff shot on film I am in love with the documentary style cold open - this is a genius move which puts you straight into the world this story is set and makes this Doctor Who especially stand out. The television reports make the story flow nicely from one location to another giving the narrative a very natural and large scale feel.

Motorbikes! Morris dancers! The devil! There is no shortage of visual stimuli in this adventure. Visually speaking, if Colony in Space was 2% The Dæmons is 99%. There are almost too many wonderful ideas to mention (BBC Three!)

This story plays to all of The Master's strengths, never has his hypnotism and willingness to dabble with the dark side of reality ever sat so well in the show. The clandestine and shadowy individuals The Master leads in the cavern has a wonderful spirit to it. If only he had not appeared so frequently this season, this would have been yet another satisfying and surprising element of the show.

The build up to Azal's reveal is fantastic, instantly the footprints seen from the helicopter spring to mind, this moment had me very giddy with excitement. It is a small shame that the footprints are so much smaller once we hit the ground (although as we find out Azal can grow and shrink!) I feel his reveal well handled, especially when considering that the main villain of this story is more of a concept than a creature - Azal is far better a monster than we necessarily needed here.

The 'small spaceship' thing was a little strange, I'm not sure that this added too much to the script. However, the only slightly disappointing element of this story is the ending. Azal collapses and dies in a confused rage due to witnessing an act of unselfishness and self sacrifice. This a somewhat illogical ending. It is slightly irksome seeing as going into Episode Five I was expecting this to be my favourite Pertwee story so far. Alas, that accolade still lies with his debut.

I did not like any of the characters that I was supposed to route for in this story. They are colonialists. They have arrived a planet with other dominant, intelligent lifeforms and have decided that it is suitable for their own needs.

We've waited a long time for The Doctor to leave the comfort of Earth, it is a shame that Pertwee's first unearthly run resulted in this particular story. Its uncommon that I mostly dislike a Doctor Who story, but Colony in Space is going to be a rare victim.

I fully expected this story to follow an anti-colonialist narrative, a critique on the evils of the British empire. Instead we have 'primitives' (which the DVD extras informed me were intended to look like Aborigines or Native Americans) who are portrayed as if they should be grateful for the presence of these humans. The Doctor is keen to fight these creatures, rather than explore the possibility that they might wish to defend their right to their land. When the minors start making havoc, he doesn't care about its impact on the creatures who have lived on this planet for generations. I longed for The Doctor of Doctor Who and The Silurians who almost cried when the Silurians were wiped out on their indigenous planet.

This is not the only element which Colony in Space falls down on. Firstly, the setting looks dreadful, muddy and grey. Its generally boring looking story - where have all those wonderful sets gone? Surely Doctor Who's first alien planet in colour would be a prime opportunity to show how beautiful they could make the show. The future of the planet Earth must be grim for any human to feel an incentive to live on this planet.

Secondly, once you get past the time/ space travel element, the script shows a serious lack of invention. Another evil mining company, ran by nefarious business leaders led solely by the profit motive. Have we been here before? The Doctor is sent in to investigate, not by UNIT, instead by the Time Lords. Why does the show have to stick so vigorously to type?

To top it all off (and this is the first time its bothered me this season) The Master shows up AGAIN! They don't even leave his initial appearance in episode three a surprise, the Time Lords let us know he will be on the planet at the beginning of episode one! I felt The Master added nothing to the story, his presence in this new setting felt more contrived than ever.

I did like Jo Grant's realisation that The Doctor could really travel in space and time. It was a brilliant idea that after the best part of a year in his company, she might doubt his truthfulness over how the TARDIS is supposed to function. The fact that as far as the Brigadier is concerned the whole story lasted less than ten seconds is hilarious. The primitives taking away The Doctor's TARDIS was also pretty funny.

We finish the story and The Doctor is once again trapped on Earth, which feels like a bit of a shame.

The Enemy of the World was great, but that ending really could have done with Patrick Troughton fighting his alter ego for longer, in what was ultimately a rushed ending. The Claws of Axos (four years later) makes up for this with a prolonged and visually successful scene where American agent Bill Filer fights an evil copy of himself. Bill is a wonderful character (it's a shame that we'll never get to see him again) and this scene is one of many visually brilliant psychedelic moments in this story.

The direction and of visual flair of this story is superb. Due to its uniqueness in look and feel, it is still impressive by today's standards, it's not often that you see trippy effects and it most certainly suits Doctor Who. The wonderful overlay of the melding, turning axon heads is especially good. Jo Grant's aging is also really effective. It is presented as well as Spearhead from Space, which had advantage of being shot on film.

From the moment that we see those excellent spaceship doors (which they get their money's worth out of) we know there is something a little different about this story: Aliens! Real, proper aliens! The Axons are the most alien-y aliens we've had in the Third Doctor's time so far, and it feels good. After a season and a half of mostly 'believable' creatures, we are treated to something a little bit more comic book-y. I love the both their tendril/ spaghetti and their Ancient Greek/ Apollonian forms.

Once again we have pompous officials (this time from the MoD) demanding that aliens be blown up with a casual disregard for life. Pertwee's Doctor surprised me by being shown to be left wing, criticizing the man's isolationist "England for the English&" approach to his work. We tend to see this Doctor as being more of a establishment figure, but it is not true! Its satisfying that The Claws of Axos is used to explore some interesting different real world issues, whilst simultaneously scaring children out of their wits!

Of course, The Master is back involving himself in events once again. I am delighted to say that I am still not bored of him. He can come back next week - this series continues to surprise and delight me.

The first half of The Mind of Evil is fantastic, the second half is mostly good. There are three plots which are woven together: the prison and the machine; the missile and the master; then the peace conference. These are very well woven together. The initial theme of mind control as a replacement for capital punishment is an original one. This and the prison setting is surprisingly dark, but perhaps I should stop being surprised at the show's now generally dark tone, its not a children's show any more.

The Master in disguise, then bugging phones and looking suave is fantastic. He so easily could be played in a boorish, pantomime way, but isn't. The performance is masterful. Its a shame that I knew that The Master was in this one before he appeared, it would have been a lovely surprise. On a side note, I love that The Master fixes his TARDIS after only one story, our poor Doctor has been stuck for over a year!

The Master is revealed as being frightened of The Doctor's ridicule. That is a surprisingly profound revelation in only the character's second story, are we meant to draw anything from that? Are his feelings towards The Doctor a contributing factor to his madness?

The Doctor is hilarious in the scene making smart remarks in front of the pompous official. I also loved watching Pertwee wave at the security camera. The casting and acting in the serial is flawless all round. A man who can believably be a thug is then brainwashed and left with the mind of a child, but he manages both roles very well. Captain Chin Lee is a another clear star of this show. The 'Chinese' aspect is slightly overplayed, but as far as 1970s television goes we have seen much worse. Thank God they chose a genuinely Chinese actor to play her, this contributes towards the international feel of this story. Perhaps the most surprising element of Chin Lee's role is that the plot relies on there only being one Chinese girl in the South of England.

The interplay between the different UNIT soldiers is wonderful, it has become a real family. Along with the rest of the family, Jo Grant is excellent, a quintessential Doctor Who companion.

The direction is terrific, the shots of when Chin Lee is about to kill the American ambassador are especially great. The large scale fight scenes in the castle-like prison are fantastic - they look great.

Once the Master loses control of the Keller Machine, I began to disengage with this element of the story to a large extent. The largest fault with this story is that the big baddie for the last few episodes is a prop, not a human or a monster. If this single element was improved, it would be in contention for the best Pertwee story so far. However, the sedate and dull nature of fighting against a prop genuinely damages the story as a whole.

The Doctor saving the world is fairly commonplace in Doctor Who now, they do not shy away from a global story (even if we never see Geneva).

"What's wrong with being childish, I like being childish." As is often the case, this Sequel is not as good as the original, but there is so much to enjoy here. There is plenty that is familiar to the start of season eight, with yet another factory / headquarter setting for this story, but it has to be acknowledged that the tone has changed significantly. The 1971 show is less serious and more playful than in 1970 and the return of a four part story is a godsend.

The Master's performance is a fantastic contrast to Pertwee's Doctor, especially in this story where he is a little more acerbic. The Master can seem normal, composed, regular, then suddenly turn by doing something completely mad, murderous and evil. "The bomb is a kind of greetings card." The Doctor is being hunted by one of his own people, an equal which adds another wonderful recurring character to the show, along with a brand new member of UNIT and Jo Grant. Its becoming quite the ensamble.

Liz Shaw is unceremoniously dumped without so much as a goodbye, which is a great shame. Katy Manning is great but it has to be said that she acts far more naively than Caroline John, which does not sit well with me. There is a childlike quality to her performance which has weakened the only female role in the show, simply because (in my eyes) the team were unable to write for a strong woman. Having said that, there is an infectious excitement in Katy's performance, she feels like more of a 'Doctor Who companion' which makes for great TV. I much prefer her despite myself.

When the Brigadier says "sure you can fire her, but I think you should tell her yourself" we get some fantastic character moments. I like it when a little bit of Pertwee's tenderness comes out, you get to see an impressive emotional range from The Doctor in this story.

The Autons completely deserved a return, they are a really tangible threat; believable, frightening and down to Earth. They are ideal for stories like these, which are clearly centered around introducing characters rather than plot. The moment these creatures become manipulative, rather than being used as pawns by the Master I lose a little interest. I like them less when they are dressed up in giant heads and handing out dangerous plastic flowers, they seem a little too knowing at that point.

Some of the best and worst aspects of Terror of the Autons come from its lack of focus and structure. I love the Time Lord in a bowler hat popping out of nowhere, never to be seen again - it's an exciting moment even if it is just for some gratuitous CSO use! The hilariously disguised TARDIS that we see The Master arrive in comes from the same mindset. On the other hand, does a circus need to be in this story? What does it add? I feel like it must have had a more central role in an earlier draft, because it is a random and underdeveloped element of the story. This scatterbrain approach produces the best cliffhangers we have ever seen (an Auton disguised as a police officer!) and another terrible cliffhanger involving a phone wire and Pertwee ripping off his tentacle acting from Spearhead from Space.

Back when I reviewed Tomb of the Cybermen I was highly critical of the character of Toberman, but Toby (played by the same man) is far worse. After having a couple of interesting roles for black men in the previous series, here is a stereotypical strong man being used as a prop. At least Toberman was useful for the plot, this was a cheap gag.

Perhaps the most unsatisfying element to the story is that The Master is convinced he is completely wrong with just one line, it is a rushed convenient ending. I would like to have seen The Master having more faith in his plans. The ending ties the confused plot together poorly, there was such a mixture of mad schemes from the The Master and the Autons.

The most satisfying element to this story is the general feel of the show. It feels new (again!) and exciting and I am loving the chemistry between the very much established Doctor and his new companion, despite my misgivings. The Master is now trapped on Earth, just like his adversary and there are a lot of adventures to come!

After only four stories we have reached the end of The Third Doctor's first series - it continues to be a delight.

Inferno could have very easily been overly similar to The Ambassadors of Death, and indeed it began that way. If one criticism can be put towards Pertwee's first season, it is that they spend too much time inside corporate headquarters talking to business leaders / heads of projects. The key differentiating feature of Inferno is of course the parallel universe feature revealed at the beginning of Part Three which changes everything.

Variety is the essential nature of Doctor Who. What has worked with the back to basics approach to season seven is its stark contrast to what went before. However, in this story the audience is offered here is a journey into another dimension - a long awaited TARDIS trip which throws everything into the air. Once again, the change feels good, seeing the new Doctor in other worldly surroundings (even if they are parallel!) is an exciting novelty.

The regular cast appearing as evil versions of themselves is a brilliant concept. Brigade Leader Lethbridge-Stewart is running an alternate version of UNIT and expects answers from suddenly present Doctor. Section Leader Elizabeth Shaw is perhaps 10% more fierce than the character we are familiar with (joking).

The creatures in this story are spread by infection and rather than the familiar foam of Troughton's time, this is spread by a green goo. The infection idea is another very distinct concept for a monster, something this season has excelled at. In terms of the monsters themselves its half and half. As the initial stages of the Primord infection begin to take hold, they look brilliant, uncanny and dangerous. However, when the Primords go 'full werewolf' they look a little more dodgy (I was longing for a return of those Silurian masks). The consistent use of conveniently placed fire extinguishers to deter them is also tiring, but this is the plague of having to fill a seven part story. Shout out to plagued Benton though!

Once The Doctor has convinced the alternate versions of the various characters that they are doomed he somehow gets them to stop thinking about their impending death and begin preserving this newly introduced 'other version' of their universe. It is interesting to see The Doctor vacate a version of events in which everyone present is destroyed. Nicholas Courtney is wonderful as the cowardly Brigade Leader here, he is relishing this opportunity.

One of the preferable things about our version of events is the wonderful character of Sir Keith Gold who unlike his parallel self has survived. Its rare to get a bit part in Doctor Who which stands out like that. He of course helps The Doctor save his version of events.

The Doctor unsuccessfully attempts to leave in his TARDIS, so we are still on Earth for a while yet. Inferno has given me a taste for what is to come. I want more of Pertwee is space.

I'm still not sure what to make of Liz Shaw. I love the actor, but I feel like the character has been positioned somewhere in between Benton and the Brigadier. She is more of a UNIT member than a companion, which is odd. I don't feel like I have ever properly felt that spark between her and The Doctor, which is a shame as there are so many intriguing aspects to her performance. She is certainly not bland and we have had much worse! This feeling of liking but not loving makes this a difficult final outing. I feel like I want to see more, I want to see her character develop.

As we make our way into the second half of season seven, UNIT and The Doctor investigate vanishing astronauts who have lost contact with Earth from Mars Probe 7.

Liz Shaw is fantastic in this story. She laps up this much more active role and looks really comfortable on screen. It struck me that her moody approach suits this more conspiratorial vibe - everything about her performance clicks into place in this one. Perhaps the problem with the Silurian seven-parter is that an apathetic response to ancient monsters beneath the Earth's crust is ludicrous to the point that it alienates the audience, whereas here it works.

I'm still adjusting to the new and improved pace of the show. Make no mistake, the general quality of Doctor Who has risen significantly and my expectations have risen with it. With the exception of Part Four of our last adventure, each episode of the 1970s so far are comparably exceptional when compared to its 1960s counterpart (my love for which, I have written about at length!!)

Was I wrong for being dubious over whether the decision to strand The Doctor on Earth was a good idea. Maybe this back to basics approach was what it needed, it is a program reevaluating itself.

Even though the idea behind this story is not as strong as Doctor Who and The Silurians I prefer The Ambassadors of Death. In this new, more "realistic" Doctor Who, old school looking monsters like the Silurians just don't look the part any more, they look unsophisticated. The Ambassadors however could not be more suitable - unnerving, slow moving, radiation reliant monsters in spacesuits. Monsters that can kill you just by touching you, who are silent and deadly. The concept and design is not just full of great ideas, but is achievable and translates well to the screen.

For the second story in a row we have to question who the real bad guys are. Just as the audience is confronted with good Silurians, it is revealed in this story that the aliens are being manipulated and used as weapons by terrible humans against their will. For the third story in a row we have corrupt officials abusing their position of power, surely a theme for this season.

The Doctor volunteering to pilot a rocket into the orbit of Mars is brilliant, ridiculous and about the most Third Doctor-ish thing I have ever heard of. Pertwee continues to be my favourite Doctor so far, he has many of the same serious / silly nuances that Troughton established but is an even more theatrical and entertaining hero.

Carrington is shown to have carried out his plan after being mentally disturbed after meeting the aliens on Mars Probe 6. Mental disturbance is becoming yet another theme of this season. In keeping with this it has been quite a dark series, so I am pleased that The Doctor finds the Spacemen unharmed, rather than dying they are mentally conditioned, in a more inventive and interesting punishment than death.

The alien being that reveals itself could have looked better but the fact that it is only demanding their alien ambassadors be returned makes the human villains so deliciously despicable. Especially considering that they had been sent to Earth to begin peaceful communication with humankind. The Doctor once again proves his upstanding morals by guaranteeing to return the ambassadors safely. The alien commander then becomes overzealous threatening to destroy the world if the ambassadors are harmed.

Another great and memorable monster for this story - a superb start to Pertwee's tenure. The show continues to move at wildly faster pace than ever before. It is obvious that they have decided to revamp and relaunch the show entirely, it is aimed at a new action loving audience. Jon Pertwee is undoubtedly my favourite incarnation of The Doctor so far and his energetic initial 11 episodes could not have been more of a gift for him. He looks like he is having the time of his life playing this role, I feel really invested in his portrayal.

I am loving the regular cast of UNIT, the Brigadier is a wonder, and I am comfortable with the new form of the show. Perhaps Doctor Who can be set just on Earth after all. I believe that it is because of these features that the first two stories of season seven have been able to enter a more adult and thoughtful territory. The display of workers being driven insane by mysterious circumstances and a woman dying of fright are unprecedentedly dark themes. The deaths in this season feel "more real" than before.

The concept behind the Silurians is my favourite for any monster in the show so far. The idea that they have always been inhabitants of Earth and that they are a highly developed race is really subversive and is a great starting point for this story. The writing also allows for the monsters to be seen with greater nuance - some of them are good, some of them are bad. I particularly enjoyed being able to see the world through their eyes, the "three eye camera" moment helps make them a terrifying creeping menace (and is some great direction!) The Silurian caves, with their human prisons look brilliant and give you an other worldly sense that I was worried this Earth bound season would be missing.

Where the Silurians start to become less impressive is when they are revealed and speak for long periods of time. They are unfortunately written to sound like children ("now I am the leader!") when we are told that they are a highly developed race. On top of this I feel that no effort has been put into their movement, which is clunky throughout these scenes. In terms of their costumes, the way they are realised is fine and they work well when they are not on screen for too much time but when their screen time increases mid-way through the story their long conversations with rubber mouths look terrible and do not help sell the plot. It is for this reason that Part Four is much worse than the surrounding six episodes.

My only other criticism of this otherwise excellent story is that Liz Shaw is still too stern and pensive, she just seems slightly annoyed all the time. I am delighted that the writers have decided to write an outwardly feminist character, reflecting its diverse audience - but I don't feel that they are particularly great at writing for women. Its as if they think that women who are not damsels in distress must be resistant to fun!! Perhaps its down to the fact that we are moving into an action based "James Bond" territory that her characterisation simply doesn't suit this testosterone fuelled environment. The caveat I would like to add to this is that I truly believe that Caroline John is doing very well considering the part she is given. I bet she could be great fun given the chance.

The ending of this story is excellently handled. The Brigadier destroys the Silurians underground base against The Doctor's instructions.
This pits our two favourites against each other in a dramatic twist. The Doctor's dream of a peaceful unity between the two races is destroyed. The Doctor, quite rightly is horrified at this act of genocide.

Easily the best thing about this is hearing Frazer Hines perform as Patrick Troughton’s Doctor - it is a stunningly accurate portrayal.

I lost my thread with the plot somewhere towards the denouement, may be my fault but didn’t find this one the easiest to follow.

Its 1970 and this ninety minutes split over four episodes is a perfect length for the show, I'm not sure why it takes the producers so long to establish that as a trend. Along with some cracking cliffhangers, the pacing of this story is perfect. This is aided by our brand new more 'action led' Doctor, who I'd add is  underrated in terms of his comedic performance (maybe because The Second Doctor is seen as the 'funny one'). His post-regeneration confusion is a wonderful introduction and fills you with optimism for the series. It is a small shame however that we do not get to see that all important scene depicting the moment of regeneration, it must have not occurred to them as a vital element of the show.

Perhaps the most immediately striking thing about Spearhead from Space is the drastic shift in visual style following on from the previous year's The War Games. With the possible exception of The TV Movie I don't believe there has ever been two episodes side by side which has displayed more visual development (and there was a six year gap for that one!). This is not just because of the use of colour, it is also due to being uniquely shot entirely on film which gives it an exciting big budget feel, it looks astonishing (if only the other major industrial strike had effected Shada in this way!)

It is wonderful however to see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart on the scene. He does not simply provide a comforting link to the past, his return is justified by being central to the form of the new show. If The Doctor has to be on Earth permanently (I'm not sure why he does) then thank goodness its with one of the very best recurring characters from the first six years of the show. Even with all the changes that are about to take place, there is no doubt that this is the same show.

Liz Shaw is an interesting sort of companion, she provides a sceptical equal to The Doctor. It is a brave move which I am enjoying. As with all companions, the question is whether they continue to skillfully develop the character in the same vein. During the 1960s we've had brilliant introductions for characters which have immediately gone limp and completely changed course by their second story.

The Nestenes and Autons show a level of sparky imagination that we have not seen in a brand new monster for years. Plastic window shop dummies sit alongside the untouchable elite of Daleks (1963), Cybermen (1966) and Yetis (1967). They have a frightening presence which the audience will want to see again. They are the perfect choice of monster for a Doctor's introduction too. Their motives and story are simple enough to be intelligently fleshed out over a few engaging beats. Whilst this is happening we can get to know our new regular cast.

I am not convinced about The Doctor being stranded on one planet though I do appreciate that a key essence to the show is change.

This is by far my most watched classic Doctor Who story and is one that I cherish. I think it is a highly promising debut for the Third Doctor, if not quite as excellent as Troughton's first story The Power of the Daleks.

The War Games marks the end of black and white 1960s Doctor Who and the end of Patrick Troughton's superb reign as The Second Doctor. These aren't the only seismic changes which can be found within these mammoth 10 episodes. It features the introduction of the term 'Time Lord', The Doctor's home planet (not yet named) and an explanation as to why he left. It was a brave and brilliant move to confirm that The Doctor does not necessarily see eye to eye with the rest of his race, disapproving with their 'hands off' approach to the universe. This story also features the first re-occurrence of the sonic screwdriver since its introduction in Fury from the Deep. Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke are working hard to consolidate and extrapolate on the show's lore - which we should be grateful for. Not only does this story establish so much of what becomes vital to Doctor Who in the future, but it also has one of the most ingenious plots at the centre of it that the show has ever seen.

The Doctor, Zoe and Jamie uncover a plot to conquer the universe. Brainwashed soldiers are being taken out of their time and tricked into believing that they are fighting their own wars in simulated environments. The aim is to create an unbeatable army which can be used for plotter's own purposes. Luckily, there are rebels who have managed to overcome these brainwashing efforts. They group together with The Doctor and his companions to overthrow this corrupt prison.

The War Lord, the malevolent Time Lord in this story acts as yet another 'proto-Master' villain. This character is just one of many enemies The Doctor faces in The War Games. It needs these extra elements due to its outrageous length. The quality of episodes 8-10 is difficult to rival, which is what makes it my third favourite Second Doctor story. However, I believe it would be fair to say that the first seven episodes could easily be cut down to four. Once you are introduced to the strong concept behind this story, it takes a little too long for the mystery to unfold.

As the adventure draws to a close, it is clear that it is the most epic tale The Doctor has ever had to face, so dangerous in fact that he has to bite the bullet and inform the authorities on his home planet. He knows that this move will consign him to a trial himself, as he regularly breaks the conventions of his people. The consequences of handing himself in were so much greater then he ever could have guessed.

The Doctor's defence of his actions is powerful, he demands that the Time Lords see snippets of the enemies he has defeated (including the Quarks!) He makes a spirited justification of regularly interfering with events to put a stop to evil. The Time Lords accept that this is a difficult moral quandary for them, but after careful consideration simply believe it is unforgivable for him to interfere to the extent that he does.

The War Lord and his assistants are dematerialised as punishment, which marks The Doctor's victory. However, he has to lose Zoe and Jamie, who's memories of almost all of their time with The Doctor are tragically removed as punishment. This, especially for the longest running companion Jamie is drastic, he finds himself back in The Highlands where he began. The Doctor's own punishment is a banishment to Earth and a loss of his Space and Time travel capabilities. Again, we can see the writers shaping the form of the show to come - it could barely be more exciting. The Doctor is defiant as he is forced into a regeneration, it is a wonderful closing chapter to a version of the character which has undoubtedly changed the essential nature of the show forever.

I cannot wait to begin the show's third leg and am delighted to see Doctor Who more fleshed out than ever. Patrick Troughton has out shined William Hartnell's excellent efforts and has finished his time on a definite high. This is a story I will always hold dear - top stuff!

The Space Pirates are plundering space beacons owned by the Issigri Mining Corporation for valuable argonite, blowing them up in the process. Both of these sides have distinctive and interesting characters with believable motives you can invest in. As with much of this season, there is a "spy thriller" feel running through some of the plot - can we trust Milo Clancey? Should The Doctor and co. be trusted by anyone?

The scenes where the space beacons are pilfered and destroyed are especially good, full of drive which keeps you hooked in the moment. This is helped by the fantastic model scenes - alongside the fantastic sets in The Web of Fear this is some of the best production we have seen in the series so far (lets hope they keep this up into the 1970s!)

This is a story which I would especially like to see returned in its entirety to the archives.

1969: the year of space travel. But in Doctor Who they are marking the end of the space age, with rockets being replaced by "T-Mat", a teleportation technology. To mark this contrast, The Doctor, Zoe and Jamie land in a space travel museum at the start of this story (The Doctor's comfort zone). When the T-Mat route to the moon breaks down, Commander Radnor and his assistant Gia Kelly (who are responsible for the T-Mat system) turn to Professor Eldred who runs the museum and is an expert in antiquated technology. It of course turns out that a menacing force behind this breakdown.

The Seeds of Death is quintessential Patrick Troughton, no other Doctor has stories quite like this. Like many Second Doctor stories the ominous foam makes another appearance (how many times is that now?!).

The Ice Warriors are back. Whilst there is nothing quite as satisfying as the excellent reveal in their debut story, there are some intriguing elements. The monsters are trying to change the atmosphere of Earth through transporting these inventive (and brilliant) exploding seedpods around the planet as well as intercepting weather control centres.

Whilst I loved the seedpods and the satisfying set up, it really annoyed me that these were able to be destroyed by water - this was a weak and easy get out. On watching the extras of this DVD I learnt that the ending has a re-write; which makes sense.

There are plenty of good elements to this though. Fewsham's story arc is satisfying; the coward who ends up almost destroying the Earth to save his skin, but who then redeems himself through actions of selflessness. Whilst this story can be a little pedestrian in places, it is bright concepts like these that make it a hell of a lot better than The Krotons.

We've reached 1969 and this mixed series continues (thank God for The Invasion). This is another story with great potential which ultimately doesn't work.

The first episode and a half is mostly entertaining, if a bit slow. I enjoyed the concept of the most intelligent members of the community on this (unnamed) planet being taken away on a regular basis (we are never told how often - every day, every month?) as part of a "self-perpetuating slavery". I also enjoyed The Doctor's explanation of the human race coming from a kind of "genetic soup" in the sea and inferring that these aliens had developed on this planet from "a different kind of soup".

Before the Krotons are revealed we see different disembodied alien features throughout the episodes, this was effective and gave the enemies an individual feel. If they had kept this up of the four episodes I think I would have a very different view of this story.

Once revealed in their entirety the Krotons are disappointing generic "robot baddies" with no real character or substance. Doctor Who is at its worst when it tries to summon a robot enemy without putting any thought into what makes these creatures different or interesting. In all honesty I can't tell you what separates these creatures from Quarks or War Machines - why should I care about them? What makes them tick?

Similarly, I don't care much about any of the stories' characters. In that respect it is a world away from The Invasion and unbearably similar to The Dominators (how did they end up in the same series?!). Just like The Dominators there is a race of almost annoyingly placid individuals with the exception of one man who is not afraid to speak out (in both cases a relation to a high ranking official - yawn). The population seem uninterested in taking any kind of action to stop themselves from being completely controlled by an unseen force. In fairness, there is greater explanation surrounding the Kroton's power over the Gonds actions than in this other season six story (general mind control).

By the time we got to the point in the story where the Krotons reveal their entire plan in full to The Doctor I'd lost interest. This exposition didn't feature anything that wasn't immediately obvious from watching the previous three episodes.

Thank God this wasn't an 8 part story, eh?

This is the best Doctor Who so far, an impeccable eight episodes. It is very from what has come before.

Its exciting to see The Doctor return a setting which was used so successfully in The Web of Fear. We are treated to a return of Lethbridge-Stewart (now promoted to Brigadier). The invention of UNIT is absolutely genius, rather than using generic army characters we can get to know a specific group of soldier specialists who are accustomed to The Doctor and have a great rapport with him and his fellow travelers. The frequent mentions of Professor Edward Travers (from The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear) rewards long term viewers who are highly invested in the show.

The story is driven by a suspicion of electronics, which The Doctor apparently hates. Note the word "suspicion", which pretty much sums up the tone of this action spy thriller. This feeling of distrust is focused on International Electromatics, the world's largest and most advanced electronics manufacturer.

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe's search for Travers leads them to the outstanding character Isobel Watkins. I desperately wish this wasn't her only story. Watkins' uncle has gone missing which instigates an investigation.

Zoe and Isobel have a wonderful story together. Their chemistry on screen is that of best friends, they look like they are really enjoying acting against each other. I love how intelligent Zoe is throughout, especially when destroying the hilarious answer-phone computer and the not so hilarious Cybermen ships with logic.

I felt an effort was being made throughout The Invasion to show that women can be clever, ambitious and witty whilst still being women. This kind of proto-feminism would come across a little patronising today, but in the context on 1960s children's television I felt it mostly worked. There were other elements of the gender politics in this story which didn't work so well - but hey, at least they were trying to tackle the issue!

Tobias Vaughn is proof that you can make a character totally unreasonable and insane yet give them a believable characterisation and clear motives. From the very start the audience know that Vaughn will be betrayed by the Cybermen, but we are given plenty enough explanation as to why he wanted to help them. This makes the inevitable ending to this relationship far more satisfying to watch - his logic was proven to be wrong. "Is this what you wanted? To be the ruler of a dead world?" I love the Doctor...

The Cybermen are a wonderfully visual enemy. Because we have seen them before and understand their motives we are able to focus on other elements of the story leaving the Cybermen to do what they do best by looking ominous and creepy.

With the benefit of hindsight I can see why the show will end up heading in the direction it does during the third Doctor's era. The Web of Fear and The Invasion are so credible, enjoyable and well realised. The writers of Doctor Who have found a way to make the show thrive in this modern day action environment. This is not to say that this is the only setting in which Doctor Who thrives (far from it) but I can see why they would want to capitalise on these kinds of stories when the more sci-fi stories of this series were failing to reach the same levels of quality.

The Doctor is forced to take the TARDIS out of reality itself in order to escape the lava explosions we saw at the end of The Dominators. As a result, the team end up in a white void called "The Land of Fiction" which is presided over by an evil force which acts much like The Great Intelligence, who turns them into stories (motivation unclear). I'm not sure why any of this was happening, but it was an entertaining ride which certainly trumps the first story of this season.

This will not be the last trippy, dream-like "fighting against imaginary forces" story we ever see in Doctor Who, but I think its the first to take this concept quite as far as it does (angry unicorns). In hindsight the plan does come across as the sort of thing The Master would concoct. The fact that the character in this story also happens to be called "The Master" is an odd coincidence, it would be interesting to find out whether this story had any bearing on the creation of The Doctor's greatest Time Lord nemesis.

There is lots of imagination, fun and intrigue at work in this story, although it could be said to be slightly overlong as a whole and repetitive in places. There is only so many times that you want to see The Doctor and his companions realise that the way to destroy their enemy is to loudly declare that "it doesn't exist!" The problem with this common story device is that any peril a character faces can be undone by wishing things out loud, which makes all the peril pretty pointless.

Much like The Celestial Toymaker, The Doctor faces riddles in order to get to the next stage, whilst riddles work well in books and video games I'm not sure that television is their most suitable medium. They are either tediously obvious or unsolvable in the time you are given on screen. Watching The Doctor work them out is not fun. A far better realised task leads to The Doctor accidentally creating a fake Jamie, this is hilarious (and a good cover to allow Frasier Hines to go on holiday).

It is a fun, but very flawed story.

I didn't initially get the hate for this story after watching episode one. Its very silly but I got the impression that it was a fun story for young children, with lots of exciting little touches. The Quarks for example are they are little boxes of joy and sets like the travel pods are superb.

Ultimately, my problems with this story came later. One note characters kept on beating their single note to infuriatingly unlikely levels. The Dominators themselves (Rago and Toba) are possibly the greatest victims of this. Whilst I can suspend my disbelief to the point where two men can believably dominate an entire planet, the idea that one could consistently undermine the other in the dullest and stupidest of ways and keep being let off is beyond ridiculous. I know a lot of humour was supposed to derive from this, but I would have loved Rago to destroy Toba after the first or second betrayal of trust (or vice versa). The only accolade that it could be given at this point is one of the "so bad its good" variety.

I have never known any piece of television to have such little character development; no-one changes or goes on "a journey". Perhaps this would be less of a problem if these characters had much nuance to them in the first place, but they don't. "Good guys" are almost soul-crushingly naïve and kindhearted; to the point where (despite Cully) they would almost lie down and take any invasion willingly, or make out that they are without option. "Bad guys" are pointlessly evil, seemingly without real motivation; they seem to revel in being evil.

But hey! Those Quarks are fun right?!

II'm still none the wiser as to why any of The Wheel's crew trust The Doctor and co. Especially after Jamie's act of sabotage. The fact that they are not locked up on the spot as people opposed to the space program is perhaps the most surprising element of this story. Once you get beyond this there is a somewhat enjoyable, if a bit mixed end to Troughton's second season.

I'm really glad that Jamie and The Doctor are phased by Victoria's absence at the start of the episode and that we get a shot of Victoria looking towards the TARDIS. I';m always delighted when these early companions get treated with the reverence they deserve. "Doctor what do you think Victoria is doing now?" The Doctor gives some sage advice as always.

Jamie and The Doctor continue to be wonderful together. I don't know if there has ever been a more natural and pally Doctor/companion relationship before or since. You truly believe that they trust each other with their lives.

The quick setting plastic is a strong device. I especially like when The Doctor x-rays it to reveal a cybermat! I'm also a huge fan of the on-board lava lamps - an essential for any future spaceship.

The Cybermen are wonderful enemies; I can only imagine the young audience's excitement at the time to see these monsters return. This is the first time they have felt like part of the furniture. Thank God this show managed to create another alien force (almost) as iconic as the Daleks.

Zoe is a dream of a new companion and a lovely contrast to Victoria. Victoria was lovely but Zoe definitely takes a more active role in this adventure. Its great that she is so determined to join the team that she stows away in the TARDIS and takes images of the Daleks in her stride.

I think my overriding memory of this story will always be the sheer creepiness of Mr Quill and Mr Oak. Even with only the brief Australian censorship cuttings available, they are very effective! They are very well spoken, they manage to talk simultaneously in a theatrical and clinical way. This is a story I would treasure if it came back.

The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver for the first time when investigating the gas pipe at the beginning of the episode. It was heartening to see it actually being used to unscrew screws. There is indeed something to investigate - The Doctor detects a creature in the pipeline. We meet a ruthless drilling company and the man in charge will not stop drilling for anything, ignoring The Doctor's worries. Classic.

A side note. We have living seaweed breaking its way through the pipes multiplying and spreading a horrifying sickness which controls people. But once again; it looks like foaming washing up liquid, like the fungus in The Web of Fear - why?!

The overall feel of this story is very dark; its quite a brutal and scary story (which I enjoyed I should add). For example, we have an employee of the gas company whose wife is seriously ill who has to fight to leave work... this wife then goes on to walk into the sea and appear to drown herself. Meanwhile our friend Victoria is making it clear that she is not enjoying her time in the TARDIS she "just wants some peace and quiet". So much so that she would rather stay in a future time she has nothing in common with than go home, citing her lack of living family in her own time as a disincentive to go back. I hope she enjoys her life with the Harris's. It was a nice touch that Jamie and The Doctor stayed for another day in case she changed her mind. It did feel a tad sudden though and its odd that the Harris's would accept a relative stranger into their home so casually.

There were fun moments to be had too though - great seeing The Doctor fly a helicopter and a swim in the same story. Ha!

The Abominable Snowmen had a huge amount of sequel potential - great monsters and a fantastic guest actor/character. The Web of Fear goes into very different territory and is definitely a more successful and complete story.

I think one of the main reasons that this has been held up as one of Doctor Who's best stories is that the first episode is absolutely outstanding. Its one of the best first episodes of anything I have ever seen; and for a very long time this was the only episode that existed. The fact that the rest of the story does not live up to this extremely high standard is okay - it is still a brilliant story.

The prelude scenes set in the London private collection have an excellent tension between the now elderly Professor Travers and the collector. The shock of the sphere ominously breaking through the window is very well realised.

This story comes hot off the heels of The Enemy of the World, with Jamie struggling to close the door of the TARDIS behind Salamander. This injects the beginning of this story with a bit of energy and more of an episodic feel.

On this subject (and I know it sounds like a churlish criticism) but I wish The Great Intelligence's fungus was consistently web like throughout the story, rather than being foamy in large parts. I wonder why this (vaguely) annoys me as I'm the first to jump to the defense of other aspects of the 1960s production qualities. What is above criticism is those gorgeous abandoned tube stations - they couldn't look more like the real thing!

One of the big firsts for this story is the use of the pro-UNIT army team, including the wonderful Lethbridge-Stewart's debut Doctor Who appearance. After the worldwide epic feel of Enemy, the army holding down an enemy in such claustrophobic settings is the perfect set up.

Anne Travers is a wonderful character, full of warm charm and real intelligence. It brings to mind the sort of thing we will come to expect from Zoe in a few stories time. The coward soldier, the older soldier and the journalist are great characters too. Its great to have several characters who could believably be in league with (or controlled by) the Intelligence, all introduced to the story at an early stage, adding a "who-dunnit" flavour.

The fact that Jamie ruins The Doctor's carefully laid out plans by saving him is an interesting and brave ending to the story. It shows The Doctor to have more control and cunning than we initially thought. It also has the effect of resolving the situation, but leaving The Great Intelligence with the capacity to return. Its a long wait!

Do I think this story is great? Yes. Is it as good as most people think? Probably not. I remember waiting up all night to watch this and Enemy of the World with a couple of friends when they were released on iTunes. I loved both stories but it was Enemy which came out on top for me.

This 1968 / 2018 epic is one of my favourites. The idea behind Salamander may be a blindingly obvious one, the ruthless, powerful megalomaniac who happens to have the exact appearance of our main protagonist, but they really pull this off. They evil high concept villainous plan has a logic to it and an epic sense of scale which we haven't seen since the dreadful The Dalek's Master Plan.

The volcano, blackmail and poison scenes, all in quick succession do a great job of showing off Salamander's evil credentials. I love the idea of someone controlling the world through manipulating weather and natural disasters. Jamie works so well as a character in this scenario, infiltrating the compound by "saving" Salamander's life. He is one of the best character's the show has ever seen.

The secret bunker has to be my favourite element of this story. The radiation suit and secret life is genuinely exciting, you wonder where Salamander could be off to. The fact he has a bunch of scientists locked up through trickery, unwittingly doing his evil dirty work - this is the factor that makes this story genius. You really feel for this band of "survivors" that believe a previous war has left the earth above radiated and ruined.

When the newspaper clipping is found by one of the underground scientists Salamander's lies begin to unravel. Salamander tries to do away with him, but he is discovered by another one of this story's heroes Astrid (who has a brilliant electric flirty moment with The Doctor in episode one that really has to be seen to be believed). She successfully convinces the underground people of Salamander's deceit which sets the dictator's downfall in motion.

Its great to see Patrick Troughton's two characters finally meet in the TARDIS at the end of the final episode. This is an exciting fight to witness, but it is perhaps the only part of the story which feels rushed, if this had been a little longer then the ending could be a little more satisfying.

Lots to love in this story ultimately mixed story.

There is a fantastic setting. You get a real "other worldly" feel, despite this being a future version of Earth. The sets and direction look outstanding, especially the fantastic scenes of Victoria running from the Ice Warriors in the caves.

Leader Clint is one of several fantastic great one off characters and is very well played. They perhaps repeat the for/against computers argument too many times, but it does contribute towards a good plot point (and you have to take into consideration that this would have been watched over 6 weeks).

This story is seminal in its ambition, huge scale and adds another great monster (second story in a row!) to the Doctor Who cannon..

Jamie asking Victoria whether she fancied dressing like the other women in the base and her retort is another hilarious, memorable and light moment. I love this kind of character building.

The story has a great set up, but a weak ending. After 6 episodes you shouldn't feel like the ending is being rushed.

This is a story with a classic set up. Within moments of The Doctor arriving in a place, he finds two men brutally murdered and is then accused by the locals of committing the crime. Sound familiar? Despite this, there is plenty that sets this story apart from the rest of Doctor Who.

Firstly, Victoria and Jamie have turned out to be a fantastic companion combination. The writers have yet to drop the ball with them. The setting of a Tibetan monastery is interesting and from what I can see, the sets look great. Within the first episode you are introduced to a whole host of interesting characters with credible motives. Stealing the show here is Travers, a man ridiculed in his own country, setting out to prove the existence of the Yeti. Tomney is also a stand out performer in this story, I have to say that the man who plays the abbot is not the best actor in the world, there is never any change in the expressions on his face (though I appreciate that he is playing a man whose mind has been exposed to consistent bouts of amnesia - a difficult role to play).

The Yeti are undoubtedly the most interesting aspect of this story, the first new enemies that we've been introduced to with a high level of impact since the Cybermen. They attain truly 'classic' status. Hilariously Travers mistakes The Doctor for them in his woolly coat.

The locations here are great, mountaintops and prisons. The Great Intelligence is fantastic in this story, I like that throughout the six episode we find out that each villain is being controlled by an even greater villain!

Victoria: "You probably can't remember your family."
The Doctor: "I can when I want to... and that's the point really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes, the rest of the time they sleep in my mind and I forget. And so will you - you'll find there is so much else to remember. Our lives are different to anybody else's. That's the exciting thing; nobody in the universe can do what we are doing."

And that's my favourite speech in Doctor Who so far. An old and wise Doctor comforting Victoria, who is only just coming to terms with the loss of her father. Victoria is very much a return to classic "vulnerable" female companion who is told not to do anything, with The Doctor becoming a father figure. While I'll miss Polly's strength, it does allow for spine tingling and touching scenes like the one above.

I have always loved Tomb of the Cybermen and on this watch through I still thought it was fantastic. The Cybermen are back and their heartlessness comes across well on screen. They are very well realised monsters. This, coupled with the traps laid throughout the base, means that there is a real sense of peril in this story.

The fact it is a four part story really works in its favour. There are a few 6 part stories I can think of that wouldn't be improved by lopping off a couple of episodes. Episode 2 was the only one to drag at all, other than that the story romped along at a very enjoyable pace.

I was particularly taken by the tomb is discovered by blowing a hole in the side of a mountain; the shooting range Cyberman freaking out our heroes; the initial appearance of the Cybermen breaking the film and coming out of their pods (that set is SO tall!)

If I had a couple of nitpicks it would be that several people very obviously pretended to be asleep or knocked out throughout the story, often in order to deceive the team with what came across as wafer thin or unbelievable motivations. The hatch opened and closed so many times, our heroes deciding to get out of there, and then deciding to jump right back in, and then deciding to get out of there again! The constant appeal to so called "symbolic logic" was also a bit silly.

The cast however are excellent. I liked the multicultural vibe they were trying to establish, but this is partly where another area story starts to fall down a little for me. It is the second story in a row (and not the second in total) where a black man was portrayed as strong and simple, in this case he was also a slave, which is uncomfortable. Women in the far flung future were also portrayed as having very little power.

I hate to criticise this story though. I love it. One of the most engaging in the whole run.

Why is it that Dalek stories in the classic series are so often the best ones? This is the last one for a long time and a lot happens!

The Doctor reveals that he isn't human - a rare piece of character development. I loved the Victoriana feel of the story, with Daleks reaching across time to manipulate events and fully utilising time travel - another rare thing.

The friendly Daleks - Alpha, Beta and Omega were great fun (and not in a silly The Chase way) against the ruthless Daleks, supposedly searching for 'the human factor', this gave the enemies a great send off. There aren't more than a handful of moments in Doctor Who I would like to see returned more than those.

We then get another new companion. II prefer having two companions to three, feeling this dynamic is easier to write for. However, its a shame that they have gone from two gritty and interesting characters like Polly and Ben, who are rarely victims, to someone to another companion who's main purpose is to be vulnerable. We'll see though! Too early to judge.

Good end to the series!

I remember reading an excellent article in DWM about Malcolm Hulke, it is clear that his real life experiences impacted the writing of this story. It's drenched in superstition, hidden motives and spies, fantastic stuff.

From the moment our heroes materialise on Gatwick runway in the path of an oncoming plane, this story sets itself out as a lot of fun. Having spent my first 18 years in Crawley, the fact that this episode was that it was all filmed and set so close to home was marvellous for me.

Jamie being given a love interest was the first hints of romance we have had since Susan in Dalek Invasion of Earth. Samantha Briggs, the Liverpudlian girl is a great character in and of herself, she gives a wider scope to the story and sells the idea that teenagers from across the country are going missing - plus it's nice to have two characters with ordinary accents talking in classic who!

Lots of great ideas here, from the falsified passports to disfigured aliens - it feels like Doctor Who has really succeeded with re-inventing itself with this Doctor, yet somehow staying very much the same show.

The most lasting consequence of this story is the departure of Ben and Polly, who have been a fantastic team. Ben was a complete departure from Ian and Steven who were made in similar heroic, stoic moulds. A cockney with a cheeky attitude worked perfectly alongside Jamie, who is less forthright and confident. Polly is really hip, the moment she was first onscreen it was difficult to remember Dodo was even in that story. Its a crying shame that she wasn't present throughout the whole of her final story. Having said all this, whilst they were brilliant companions, everything I love about them was there to be seen in The War Machines, after that there were more there to support the fantastic new Doctor. It would have been nice to see these two develop further in their own right. Perhaps I would rate them higher if their entire time wasn't so cruelly missing.

Another great story - can't wait to see what happens next!

I found the story engaging and easy to follow even without visuals. I was engrossed in the mundane and highly detailed dystopian world building. It is so perfectly summed up by mindless civilians singing "we are, we are all happy to work!"

The Macra go from being portrayed as these huge crab monsters hidden away from society to super intelligent parasites which burrowed into the control centre of the entire civilisation, keeping themselves hidden through a mixture of mind control and intimidation. This works extremely well... In fact I'd go as far to say that this has shot right up my list of stories I am most desperate to see return - one day perhaps.

It taps into a kind of political nightmare, the natural feeling that we could somehow become boxed in by our society and controlled by vitriolic powerful figures to live out their bidding.

We get some nice moments for our companion dynamics in this story. I love how Ben is tricked into doing the Macra's bidding and how Jamie and Polly handle this.

It is taking me a long time to make my way from season to season in this marathon - but stories like this is what it’s all about, rejuvenating my enthusiasm with the project. It is total classic.

The suspense. The music is quiet, eerie and gets the viewer in the right frame of mind for the show ahead. There is a small base of scientists in 2070 controlling Earth weather - and an infection picking off staff one by one. Yes, another base under siege - and I love it. They aren't sent a relief rocket as hoped and left to fend for themselves against this mystery illness. The Doctor has a challenge on his hands - which becomes far more considerable when we realise that the Cybermen are back, and are in control.

The use of the Cyberman’s shadows is frightening and very effective. They are strong and fierce, impossible to reason with and feel like a genuine threat.

Kit Pedler clearly knows our four main characters inside out. Though I was gobsmacked that Polly was once again reduced to making tea for everyone.

I loved the little strand about Jamie's "Phantom Piper" and Polly and The Doctor's varying reactions to it. I was delighted to see Polly discovering a way to defeat the Cybermen using the scientific tools at her disposal. Even more delighted when she headed out with Jamie and Ben to defeat the Cybermen.

It was nice to see a grittier side to the 2nd Doctor in this story, following the silliness of The Underwater Menace.

It turns out that there is a mad scientist under the sea in Atlantis barbarically turning people into fish-people so they are able to breathe in their new habitat. This man promises to raise Atlantis to the surface in order to blow up the world, for the sheer achievement of it; which is the most ridiculous set up for a story ever.

Then The Doctor gets dressed up... again! This time he looks like a cross between Bob Dylan and a member of Def Leopard. An insane chase begins between The Doctor and Zaroff, Troughton is clearly trying to differentiate himself from Hartnell's Doctor, he is more agile, less serious, more fun.

Perhaps the funniest moment of Part Three is the Irish guy trying to convince the fish-people to go on strike, and not getting very far at all, at least initially riling them up instead.

Zaroff kills the priest in another gruesome scene... it's odd it flits between comedy to horror. After yet another fight, Zaroff kills the emperor after being challenged by him, then we have the famous quote, "Nothing in the world can stop me now!!" Which actually comes across much better within the context of the episode than it is ever portrayed within fandom.

Part Four definitely feels like the end of an action film, the underwater base being flooded and an evil mastermind intent on completing his work would rather die trying than give up; our heroes have to get out of there before the place is completely flooded, or worse - blown up! It is fantastically realised (even without visuals).

There is an interesting anti-superstition element to the ending, no more temples, no more worshiping Goddesses; today this would be read as an anti-religious story, I wonder if that was in the mind of the writer.

No-one comments on the fact that a whole group of mutated humans have been left to fend for themselves in the water. I demand a Big Finish sequel!