Doctor Who - Each Doctor's First (full) Episode RANKED!
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- It's important to get off on the right foot. Thirteen times fans of Doctor Who have been presented with the first episode where they are they lead and the audience gets to know them. So, let's put them head to head and see which Doctor got the best start to their tenure.
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"Trying to have fun but you can sense the damage just below the surface" - the best summary of Eccleston's portrayal I've yet heard.
Right? I just love how his Doctor is so profoundly damaged, yet can still enjoy life and see the best in things. In a lot of ways, it's actually a very respectful and sensitive portrayal of life with PTSD (which, since I have PTSD myself, I tend to notice more). The pain is there, always right beneath the surface, and it may define him, but he doesn't let it control his life. To me, that is beautiful.
Kat K given that at that point he had (or thought he had) blown up his planet, I can understand why 9 was the way he was.
@@dubbingsync Oh, definitely. The pain, guilt, and anger he carried would have overwhelmed a lesser soul. He consistently did his best to channel it into a more positive way of being and he did succeed despite a few angry outbursts. To me, it was really refreshing to see a character whose tragic past wasn't just a plot device but actually had a significant bearing on who he was CONSTANTLY (instead of just when the plot demanded). Nine was a well-crafted character, amazingly portrayed.
Trivia: "Time and the Rani" was actually *improved* by being a regeneration story. As you know, the decision to axe Colin Baker was very last-minute. Originally, this was just going to be another sixth-Doctor story. As it is now, the Rani's disguise works because the Doctor's still loopy from regenerating. In the original script, the Rani's disguise fools the Doctor FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
FUN FACT: Time And The Rani was originally going to be called "Strange Matter"
Having followed the show since I was a kid back in '63, I guess my attachment to the classic series is pretty sentimental... I actually found myself weeping as you discussed your number one choice!
I would agree with most of your rankings (as always you justified your opinions really fairly) EXCEPT that personally I would have upvoted Spearhead From Space. Having watched this story on its first broadcast, I remember how creepy those Autons seemed at the time. They were closely modelled on actual shop window dummies used here in the UK, and for an imaginative child it was pretty freaky to go into town on a Saturday and walk down the High Street seeing all these potential "Autons" staring out from behind the plate glass.
Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble, BUT... I read an interesting fan theory somewhere once that the autons actually symbolized technical progress and advancement (in an era where things made of plastic instead of natural substances were just starting to be seen everywhere -- and the autons weren't made of wood or anything else. they were made of plastic and that's what allowed them to be exploited against humans). In that light, it makes a lot of sense that the whole concept would be way more unnerving in the early 60s than it is today. The Cold War was raging, people still remembered what it looked like when you dropped an A-Bomb on an inhabited area, and no one was quite sure if all this progress and change, solely for the sake of progress and change, were good things or not. People's attitudes and expectations have changed so much since then that I feel like the unspoken threat of your own technology turning against you is kind of lost on most of the younger generations, if only because most people don't even see plastic as any kind of "tech" any more (these days, it needs to be AI or nanobots or similar to drive that point home).
I’m not much older than you (54) do we have the time left to write such long comments 😱😱😱
@@Katherine_The_Okay I only started watching Doctor Who a few years ago, and I watched Classic and New Who at pretty much the same time. That said, I was born in 1963, the year that Doctor Who premiered, and many of the shows I grew up with weren't all that different from Classic Who in terms of production value.
My point being: I love Classic Who, and my favourite Doctors of that era are 3 and 4. Spearhead from Space is a very fun episode for me, and I still find the original Autons just as creepy as, say, New Who's Weeping Angels. (The New Who Autons in "Rose" are creepy, too!)
For me at least, the Autons weren't scary because of any technology they represented, but simply because shop window dummies were, and still are, part of our daily lives, yet suddenly gain the power to destroy us. Both the Autons and the Weeping Angels showcase Doctor Who's forte for taking everyday objects and somehow twisting them around so that you can never look at them the same way again. The fear of our technology turning against us is much more evident in the Daleks and the Cybermen, in my opinion. All of them are great Who villians.
On another note, I still remember when some of my favourite shows switched from b&w to colour, and how amazing that was at the time. That said, b&w does tend to be more forgiving of bad effects, as well as lending a sort of gothic atmosphere that harsh colour destroys.
@@shibolinemress8913 I think you're right, that there's something more terrifying about things that are commonplace and just EVERYWHERE. The Daleks and Cybermen are definitely frightening in a whole different way. Now I need to sit down and rethink myself on the whole issue (yay, an excuse to geek out on Doctor Who during the off-season!!!).
You're right about black and white vs color. Even today, directors and producers sometimes use black and white (or sepia etc) to convey an older, most sinister or gothic feel to a show or movie. I'm no expert, but I really appreciate that kind of use of color when I see it.
As a someone whose first episode EVER was Rose when it aired in 2005, the Autons implanted themselves into my psyche and still terrify me.
When I was a kid I always imagined mannequins coming alive and that if I touched them, I'd become just like them and whatever posses them goes into my body and I'm stuck in plastic... Watching rose and the autrons was great because it picked up this childhood fear and I finally felt like I wasn't alone in that belief 😂
Eccleston was my first doctor as well and The Empty Child (not a first outing but prob my favorite episode of his/any of the modern era) is an episode I always revisit after I see a new doc. That *Everybody lives!* speech strikes a chord harder and harder with each passing year - with each added death to the scoreboard. That one good day will stay with me forever. It hits hard on your first viewing, but every single time you go back to it it's even better.
The ending of "Deep Breath" is not ambiguous. The Doctor threw the robot out.
Clues:
-The robot says that suicide is against its basic programming to which the Doctor replies, "And murder is against mine."
-Later in the exchange the Doctor says to the robot, "Of course, one of us is lying about their basic programming."
We don't have to guess whether it's the Doctor or the robot that lied about their "basic programming". We know the Doctor lies frequently, and we know for a fact the Doctor is capable of and willing to kill because we've seen him do it. We have seen the Doctor kill before.
So the notion that "Deep Breath" has an ambiguous ending is silly. And this is even easier to see with the hindsight of future episodes that revealed more about the 12th Doctor's personality. The 12th Doctor was particularly prone to taking extreme measures to get the job done. He displayed a greater willingness than other regenerations to hold a sort of utilitarian moral viewpoint where it's ok to be immoral to stop greater immorality. There is zero doubt whatsoever that the 12th Doctor threw that robot to its death.
I'll add that possibly, though, the robot might have resigned and allowed the Doctor to throw it out.
I personally love The Christmas Invasion BECAUSE of the Doctor's absence. It increases the tension and when Harriet Jones is left begging for the Doctor to come and help it really raises the stakes. Newer fans had to have a Doctor-lite episode to fully comprehend how vital our hero is.
I do get that from a story structure standpoint. Unfortunately (for me) the material without the Doctor just... isn't nearly as good.
I suppose the idea of the Christmas Invasion, is that it was the first modern regeneration aftermath. New fans who came on with Christopher Eccleston would have probably freaked when he changed so we spend time with Rose and Jackie and Harriet Jones who the audience can relate to until shit starts to go down then we can say "okay can we get the Doctor now?"
Castrovalva has got a special place in my heart for introducing me to Peter Davison's Doctor, who is now one of my favourite.
I love it.
Putting Spearhead from Space so low on the list is a travesty of justice
Jackson Gurney agreed
@@stayforthepeelpronpls4774 I like Spearhead from Space more than Terror of the Autons.
The Nestenes are a great concept - feels like they could have had their own movie franchise. The problem is that every time they've been used they've been sidelined (Spearhead because of a new Doctor, Terror because of the Master's debut, Rose because they had to introduce the Doctor & the TARDIS to a new generation, and in the series 5 finale because of all the chaotic Moffat stuff going on). I feel like we've never had an Auton / Nestene story where they are the primary focus.
The Spearhead from Space and The Eleventh Hour are my favorite.
Agreed. Those are my top two easily.
I'll go
13. The Twin Dilema
12. Time and the Rani
11. Doctor Who (The Movie)
10. Castrovolva
9. Rose
8. An Unearthly Child (full story, the first part is great, the rest let's it down)
7. Robot
6. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
5. Spearhead from Space
4. Deep Breath
3. The Christmas Invasion
2. Power of the Daleks
1. The Eleventh Hour
Nice list. Pretty similar to mine.
It unfair to lump An Unearthly Child in with the cameman story as it wasn't really connected to it.
@@Jeremyparker all of it is Hartnell’s first story not just ‘An Unearthly Child’
Liz Shaw is excellent in Inferno, she should've had another season to grow a bit.
Yh but I think she might have grown if she had said to the doctor in inferno that she was leaving
Alex Stilgoe I would agree if I didn't like Jo Grant so much
When I re-watched the third Doctor's run a couple of years ago, Liz Shaw was a revelation for me. She instantly became one of my favorite companions ever, making me wonder why she hadn't stayed in my memory since childhood. There was such a brilliant relationship with Pertwee and his Doctor. She wasn't a quirky unexpected kind of brilliant, like Ace or Bill. Just a straightforward professional genius with a lot of personality and great sense of humor, a great foil for that Doctor. As much respect as I have for Katy Manning, the re-watch made the transition to adventures with Jo hard for me to take. Jo worked better as kind of viewer-surrogate figure in that she was nice and relatable, but didn't really know what was going on or what to do.
She plays a completely different character in Inferno though! I felt she was hard done by not getting a second series but really her character was a bad replacement for Zoe Herriot anyway! It's such a pity Wendy Padbury chose not to return after The War Games!
@@HereComesPopoBawa truth be told. Jo is more popular than Liz
Episodes written by Mark Gatiss ranked.
Yes
I know this comment was written four years ago, but that’s still a good idea
Putting the first episode as the best one was the perfect call! Great list that brought back a lot of good memories to me:)
Good rankings sir! I also thought 11th hour was pretty amazing - and the Amy Pond's life being essentially destroyed by the Doctor and dissapearing for years, and her having to see therapists etc. I hated the opening with him flying through London, so was worried, but as you say, the second he landed - a classic incarnation was made!
Matt Smiths one for me too. And his walk thru the faces of the Drs at the end, with the "Run..." line. Epic. Loved his run.
1. The Eleventh Hour (9/10)
2. Rose (8.5/10)
3. Deep Breath (8/10)
4. The Christmas Invasion (7/10)
5. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (5/10)
I've never watched anything before the 2005 reboot, so this is all I can rank
go look at an unearthly child at least, its a good story and the very first. Its NOT that hard to find!!
I'm so happy you ranked "Castrovalva" high in the list: it was my first transformation episode, after living with Dr. Number 4 for so many years. It was a very difficult transition, and they succeeded, in my view. And it gave me a lovely moment, when discombulated Davison looks at a small bottle labelled "The Solution" and sighs: "Oh, my friend. If only you were."
I think Castrovalva deserves so much more love than it gets. I would honestly watch Nyssa and Tegan watch paint dry, and that scene where they steal an ambulance made me lose my mind. People aren't awfully fond of the season 19 TARDIS team but I adore the sheer clownery they get up to when left to their own devices
Completely agree, love 5, Nyssa and especially Tegan as well
like you in Eleventh Hour i love the moment when The Doctor is on the roof and hes basically telling the aliens off for threatening earth and he asks them is this planet defended and you see all the previous faces on the hologram and then stepping forward all suited up in he tweed and his bow tie he says "hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically Run" i was like Yaaas you are the doctor my friends. good to meet you sir. and like you i love that he is already developed from the beginning. trying all the foods and being manic. i also like this episode because its kind of a back to basics one for the doctor. he has the be smart to find a solution because he has no TARDIS and no Sonic. I really love that episode and i think Smith is one of my fave doctors of Modern Era Who.
No TARDIS and no Sonic is a good reminder of how brilliant the Doctor is, even without his tools at hand.
Am I the only one that thinks that The Woman Who Fell to Earth is kinda freaking fantastic? It may even be my fave of Series 11.
I think it's one of the better episodes of s11 and one of the better opening story for a new who doctor.
@@Ben-vf5gk I agree I think for a first episode it was quite solid.
I'd have placed it much higher. I liked it better than Capaldi's first. Same with Christmas Invasion. I liked it better than #8.
The entire series was written for a 'generic' doctor. After Jodie was cast they did not go back and edit them for whatever her character would be.
You’re not alone! Jodie keeps getting a bad wrap, but this episode made me fall in love with her as the doctor even if the rest of the series was kind of lack-luster. I think she could be an amazing doctor if they gave her some good material to work with!
I had no doubt what your favorite 2 would be. Think you nailed the entire list actually. Makes me wanna go re-watch the entire lot.
1. The Eleventh Hour (10/10)
2. Spearhead from Space (9/10)
3. The Power of the Daleks (9/10)
4. Rose (8/10)
5. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (8/10)
6. An Unearthly Child [Parts 1-4] (7.5/10)
7. Catrovalva (7.5/10)
8. Robot (7/10)
9. The Christmas Invasion (7/10)
10. Deep Breath (7/10)
11. Doctor Who TV Movie (6/10)
12. Time and the Rani (2/10)
13. The Twin Dilemma (1.5/10)
Interested to hear your thoughts, please, on why Deep Breath ranks fairly low on the list.
paisleyflowers I didn’t think it was a bad episode, but against the other post-regeneration episodes, it lacks quality. It took me most of Series 8 to really warm to Capaldi’s Doctor, and even though his overall arc is fantastic-his opening episodes doesn’t give any hints on what would be to come. I also found Clara annoying in that episode, as well as the story wasn’t that exciting in my opinion.
@@maxeyre2024 fair cop
I haven't seen Time and the Rani or The Power of the Daleks and I last saw Spearhead when I was a kid, so I can't comment on how you placed them, but otherwise, I like your list. I'd probably switch Rose and An Unearthly Child, but besides that, bang on for me.
Downton 654 agreed
The whole confrontation between the Twelfth Doctor and half faced man is one of his best scenes that doesn’t get enough attention.
For me it goes like this:
13). The Twin Dilemma
12). Time & The Rani
11). The T.V Movie
10). The Women Who Fell To Earth
9). Deep Breath
8). Rose
7). The Christmas Invasion
6). Castrovalva
5). An Unearthly Child
4). Robot
2 & 3). Power of the Daleks/The Eleventh Hour (I CAN'T CHOOSE BETWEEN THESE TWO)
1). Spearhead from Space
I know you aren't a fan of the Autons...BUT THE LOOK OF THEM IN THIS STORY WAS BLOODY TERRIFYING!!! Literally, I am not lying. As a little kid, my family only had about 10 Classic Doctor Who DVDs and I remember being utterly petrified by the DVD cover alone. I remember walking in to the living room at the age of 4 while my dad and my sister had just put in the DVD and just looking at the menu terrified my. The Shot of the Auton walking towards the camera with it's plastic glossy head and their empty, black eye sockets, the shot of all the doll heads being dropped in a box, the shot of the Auton looking down on the dead UNIT soldier in the car, Dudley Simpson's creepy music, all of these scared me as a kid more then the Cybermen, the Daleks, the Ood and even The Weeping Angels. I watched it for the first time when looking through my DVDs and finding it wedged at the back which is where my mother hid it to stop my dad and sister teasing me and when I watched it, I loved it. If you see other peoples reviews and reactions, they make a point of how creepy the Autons look. This story, along with The Silurians, The Ambassadors of Death & Inferno, is the reason why i think Season 7 of the Classic series is the best Season.
Shows you it can last the gap between the number 2 and 1 spots is almost 47 years.
When you said there was one exception, I immediately thought of Time and the Rani (Sylvester McCoy in a Colin Baker wig regenerating into himself without a wig). Then I thought about it a little more and remembered the movie. So, really, there are two exceptions.
Oh yeah I forget about that.
I am DELIGHTED to see Castrovalva so high up!
If anyone reading this likes that story a lot too I HIGHLY recommend The Fifth Doctor Box Set from Big Finish. The first story on it (Psychodrome) is a bit of an homage to Castrovalva specifically, while also being a really clever commentary on that TARDIS Team. The box set in general is a huge love letter to Season 19, one of my faves from Big Finish.
Ok, I'll have a go:
13. Time and the Rani
12. The Twin Dilemma
11. The TV Movie
10. The Christmas Invasion
9. Deep Breath
8. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
7. Robot
6. Rose
5. Power of the Daleks
4. Spearhead from Space
3. Castrovalva
2. An Unearthly Child
1. The Eleventh Hour
Great ranking. I’m a bigger fan of the Classic era but Capaldi and Smith completely nailed it from the get go. 11th Hour being my favourite story for a freshly regenerated Doctor.
Rose was my first ever episode of Doctor Who, I found it to be pretty good, I actually found the Autons to be an alright enemy, although, based on the Slitheen episode with the Government commentary, I surprised they didn't want to do any kind of commentary on pollution, just something that I thought would improve the episode.
13) Spearhead from Space
12) Time and the Rani
11) Castrovalva
10) The Christmas Invasion
9) Rose
8) The Twin Dilemma
7) The Woman Who Fell to Earth
6) An Unearthly Child
5) Doctor Who
4) Robot
3) The Power of the Daleks
2) Deep Breath
1) The Eleventh Hour
1 - An Unearthly Child
2 - Rose
3 - Spearhead from Space
4 - Robot
5 - Christmas Invasion
6 - Power of the Daleks
7 - The Eleventh Hour
8 - Deep Breath
9 - Time and the Rani
10 - Castrovalva
11 - Dr Who Movie
12 - The Woman Who Fell to Earth
13 - The Twin Dilemma
Excellent, well thought out list, Nathaniel. I expected you to rank The Eleventh Hour over An Unearthly Child based on your previous fanboy rapture, but you are right that AUC excels in its concise nature and how well it established the long running series we so adore.
My list would look something like this:
13. Time and the Rani
12. The Twin Dilemma
11. Doctor Who (TV Movie)
10. The Christmas Invasion (Tennant should have come in earlier)
9. Robot
8. Spearhead from Space (Pertwee is commanding)
7. The Woman Who Fell To Earth (love the spoons!)
6. Rose
5. Castrovalva (trippy and thoughtful)
4. Power of the Daleks
3. Deep Breath (Attack eyebrows! I'm SCOTTISH! I can be cross at people! Why did I choose this face; and how that came full circle in The Girl Who Died)
2. An Unearthly Child
1. The Eleventh Hour
Great to see Castrovalva so high on the list. I don't hear many people talk about it. But I really love it.
13. Time and the Rani
12. Castrovalva
11. Deep Breath
10. The Twin Dilemma
9. The Christmas Invasion
8. The Movie (admittedly, this one is high is because of the well thought out consequences that are put out in the EDA books and it introducing my favourite Doctor)
7. Rose
6. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
5. Robot
4. An Unearthly Child (yes I love the other three parts as much as the first part)
3. Power of the Daleks
2/1. Spearhead from Space/The Eleventh Hour (Love both equally, can't choose between the two)
I have never seen An Unearthly Child ranked this high on one of these lists (number one is usually The Power of the Daleks or The Eleventh Hour), but after hearing your reasoning, I can see why you'd put it there. Anyway, here's my personal list:
13. Time and the Rani
12. The Twin Dilemma
11. Doctor Who
10. Castrovalva
9. Rose
8. Robot
7. The Christmas Invasion
6. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
5. An Unearthly Child
4. Spearhead from Space
3. Deep Breath
2. The Eleventh Hour
1. The Power of the Daleks
I would swap 8 and 6 but I can respect your list, I always found a dementing Baker a hoot!
Given first stories are so important for engaging the wider public, it’s surprising just how many are clunkers. On the other hand, final stories...
There have been awful final stories too {in my opinion}
Pertwee's Planet of the Spiders
Tom Baker's Logopolis
Completely agree! Maybe the unicorn Doctors are those that have excellent first AND last stories... Hartnell, Troughton...?
@@ii237 Matt Smith too - Pity about so many of those in-between his first and last though :)
@Graham Inglis Davison had Castrovalva and Caves of Androzani - Now Castrovalva's nowhere near as good as Caves but as first stories go it's really pretty good.
@@franohmsford7548 I thought Matt Smith's final story was poorly executed apart from the last few minutes.
@Council of Geeks in the classic era writers would stay on for the 1st ep. Which is why Robot looks strange. It is basically a 3rd doctor story instead of a 4th doctor story but with a different doctor. It is why I give new doctors a pass for a few eps, the actors and creative team have not found their feet yet. [Side note: I guessed Jodi would be #10 .... yep.]
13. The twin dilemma
12. Time and the rani
11. Tv movie
10. Deep breath
9. The woman who fell to earth
8. Christmas invasion
7. Rose
6. An unearthly child
5. Castrovalva
4. Robot
3. The 11th hour
2. Spearhead from space
1. The power of the daleks
My List:
15. The Time And The Rani
14. The Twin Dilemma
13. Doctor Who: The Movie
12. The Christmas Invasion
11. The Woman Who Fell To Earth
10. The Star Beast
9. Rose
8. An Unearthly Child
7. The Church On Ruby Road
6. The Eleventh Hour
5. Robot
4. Spearhead From Space
3. Castrovalva
2. Deep Breath
1. Power Of The Daleks
You'll probably not be aware of McCoy's work in BBC children's programmes before being cast as the Doctor - my sense is they wrote his first series based on his characters in "Vision On" and other kids shows. Later the portrayal developed into maybe the darkest version of the Doctor there's been.
Yea, he started off as the very worst doctor in season 24 and by the end, season 25 and 26 redeemed his doctor, but if he had a few more good seasons he could have been one of the best classic doctors. Ironic isn't it, season 26 which was his best season, the best season of the 1980s and one of the best seasons of doctor who led to its cancellation.
My favourite is Spearhead From Space, or The Eleventh Hour
Eleventh hour is probably my favourite opener episode
IO, for the most part called it right on most of your rankings. I thought Robot and Spearhead would have been the other way around and that Deep Breath and Rose would be the other way round but apart from that no surprises there.
I went in assuming The Eleventh Hour would top the list, but once you started talking about An Unearthly Child, I actually paused the video, went back and watched it, and realized... *wow* did that ep accomplish so much more than I ever gave it credit for. Since I tend to watch the original serializations in one sitting per story arc, it never really occurred to me that all that groundwork was being crammed into the first 20-some minutes of screen-time ever. That is some darned impressive writing.
Also, damn you, Nathaniel, now that I've watched the first ep, I'm suddenly fighting the urge to go back and watch all the available original series stories...
The woman who fell to earth was the first doctor who episode I have ever seen, and while I liked it, it didn't grab me; watching NuWho from beginning in Netflix with series 1 however got be in the first few minutes and I finally understood who the doctor was meant to be
I was listening until you brought arm sleeve into frame and I got distracted. Those are amazing!!
(Applauds the obv top slot) Did you see the Auton story where toys were coming to life and one literally crawled down a young lads throat and killed him? Oh right they cut thst scene. Its in the Dvds though.
What's miraclas is Unearthly Child and the first Daleks story survive in tact, given so many of the early stories no longer exist.
It was nearly lost. Unearthly Child was found in an incorrectly named film can years later after broadcast xD
I’m hoping that 11th hour is high up on this
I think you saw Rose and Spearhead in the wrong order. The autons in Rose are pretty poor. But in Spearhead, this was our introduction to them. It's like watching Blink after you've watched The Angels Take Manhattan and Flesh and Stone - of course it will lose its impact.
Best to worst(that I've seen)
Tv movie
Rose
Christmas invasion
An unearthly child
Deep breath
Power of the daleks
Castrovalva
Time and the rani
Woman who fell to earth
@@HOTD108_ 1. Paul mcgann is my favourite doctor and is just brilliant
2. The camerawork is the best doctor who ever gets
3. Has some great scenes like Grace, the doctor and the master in the ambulance
4. It's just so unique
Admittedly the plot is sub par but I can live with that
@@zakjaggs9761 I love the ambulance scene so, so much. Re: Camerawork, I love the scene between Lee and the Master when they first meet in the TARDIS, and circle the console room talking, ending putting their faces through the holes in one of the support beams. That shot is amazing, and that bit of acting from Eric Roberts feels like the Master so much. The TV Movie is underrated, IMO.
An Unearthly Child is technically not an adventure.
Lovely review.
Lovely review, but I would have swapped the top 2 and put Eleventh Hour first. It was one of those rare things I would consider a perfect story (BttF trilogy turned out to be one, Buster Keaton's The Cameraman another), both as an episode and as the launch for a perfect series arc. This one brought me in after knowing of Doctor Who since the 70s.
I haven’t watched this list before but here are my guesses for what your favourite are and least favourite are:
Favourite: eleventh hour
Least favourite: twin dilema
We all have our preferences. Mine, from best to least favorite, 11, 1 (like you, only 'An Unearthly Child,' the next episodes would drop it to near the bottom), 9, 3 (I like the Auton stories), 2, 13, 10, 5, 4, 12, 8, 7, 6.
I can think of one good Auton story: The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang.
I mean... That wasn't JUST an Auton story, though. That was just one of the many foes that were involved.
Yeah, but the Aston parts of the story were a good Auton story.
@@StarManta I don't think it would have been as good as it was without the specific plot thread of them centering this trap around Amy's life and Rory being an Auton. It is good, but not because of the Autons.
The unaired pilot of 'An Unearthly Child', while similar, is equally good if not even stranger, with some seemingly sinister elements of the Doctor keeping the viewers in suspense.
I LOVE Castrovalva! The concept feels far ahead of its time! And 11th Hour is awesome! And thank you, thank you, thank you for loving on An Unearthly Child! It's still amazing even today! 😁👍
My favorites are easily the Eleventh Hour followed by Power of the Daleks.
Same here, followed The Unearthly Child and then Castrovalva.
good choices, I'm not sure people understand just how important Power was, if this didnt work, the whole show would not not have continued!
I think overall your list is good. Though I disagree with divorcing "An Unearthly Child" from the rest of its episodes. During the first doctor's era, each part of a serial had a unique title. The ones for the very first serial are "An Unearthly Child", "The Cave of Skulls", "The Forest of Fear" and "The Firemaker". But all four are considered "An Unearthly Child" and as one continuous narrative both within the BBC and by fans. This practice lasted until Hartnell's last stories during Season 4 in 1966. So I feel it's a bit unfair to allow only 1 part of a 4 part serial to decide a placement when the same isn't done for others on the list. I agree part 1 is great, but it's still only part 1 of 4. The whole serial shows the Doctor starting to learn a bit from his new unwilling companions, setting up some of the dynamics and fleshing out the characters bit by bit that we'd get to know over the next year or more. While the overall story isn't great, it does have moments that are important both within the first part and beyond it.
That being said, I would place the first stories a bit differently. (Best to Worst)
1: The Eleventh Hour
2: Power of the Daleks
3: Rose
4: Castrovalva
5: Breath
6: Spearhead From Space
7: Robot
8: An Unearthly Child
9: The Christmas Invasion
10: The Woman Who Fell To Earth
11: Doctor Who TV Movie
12: The Twin Dilemma
13: Time and the Rani
I think the list was pretty spot on in most aspects, just a few i felt were ranked higher or lower than i personally felt they should be. While others I feel you and I agree wholeheartedly on.
The Christmas invasion is one of my absolute favourite episodes as well as The Eleventh Hour lol
My top 5:
5) Robot
4) The Eleventh Hour
3) Deep Breath
2) Power of the Daleks
1) An Unearthly Child
Have you ever considered ranking the final (regeneration) stories for each doctor?
8:56 Nice Clock sound
I watched Castrovavlva yesterday, I think it's genuinely spectacular
My list would be thus (from best to worst):
1. An Unearthly Child - episode 1 only, the other 3, meh.
2. Spearhead From Space - Liz Shaw is great and it's got the Brig. What more do you need? Channing is genuinely creepy.
3. The Eleventh Hour - oddly, the food bit I found stupid, but other than that.
4. The Power of the Daleks - Whitaker wrote a cracking story.
5. Rose - it has it's faults but a strong return. Davies did a splendid job.
6. Castrovalva - we need a bit more weirdness in modern Who.
7. Robot - feels more like a Pertwee story but Baker, Sladen & Marter make a good team + UNIT.
8. The TV Movie - McGann is charming as the Dr. It has it's moments.
9. The Twin Dilemma - some suspect acting, but I quite liked Baker.
10. The Christmas Invasion - a bit too much silliness, but had a few nice moments.
11. Deep Breath - Capaldi was great. Greatly dislike the Paternoster Gang and Clara.
12. The Woman Who Fell To Earth - just dull. Neither good nor bad. Meh.
13. Time and the Rani - I can think of nothing good to say about this episode.
A much better listing. I got the same list as you precisely!
I honestly cant argue with this, though i might swap Rose and Robot, but then I'm unashamably a 4th doctor fan!
Spearhead From Space was actually shot entirely on film and on location.
That's why, compared to other stories of the era, it has such a high resolution, and how we can get a proper blu ray.
Reflecting on my initial comments, I am far more interested in the portrayal of the Doctor on their first outing, and weight the story less. Unfortunately I can't really credit the Christmas Invasion as a good episode as all I can think about is how much better it would have been had Tennant been around with that regeneration swagger for the full hour.
1. An Unearthly Child (without equal)
2. Eleventh Hour (10/10)
3. Power of the Daleks (10/10)
4. Spearhead from Space (8/10)
5. Rose (7.5/10)
6. Deep Breath (7/10)
7. Castrovalva (6/10)
8. Robot (5.5/10)
9. The Woman Who Fell To Earth (5/10)
10. Doctor Who (4.5/10)
11. The Christmas Invasion (4/10)
12. The Twin Dilemma (2/10)
13. Time and the Rani (2/10)
nah no issues lol u put the 11th hour almost first and that's all i needed from this tbh lol. to me its #1 but i cant even argue w ur #1 pick
Who else thinks that the old Autons are terrifying? They're appearance anyway.
I completely agree with you for your top 2 choices. An Unearthly Child was the first episode I ever saw, and it blew me away. Saw it on PBS during a pledge drive, so I didn't see the cavemen story that was attached till years later (love that, too), just this first bit, and it is what hooked me on Doctor Who. Eleventh Hour was an amazing regeneration story, and definitely let viewers know what they'd be in for with Matt Smith's Doctor.
I'm surprised that Castrovalva ranked as highly as it did, given how little the Doctor is actually in the episode (then again, he's barely in An Unearthly Child as well), and how much filler is in it (Tegan and Nyssa carrying the Zero Coffin through the woods and up the hills to get to Castrovalva). I'd seen it on its own well before I saw Logopolis, but I've found, for me, Castrovalva works better if you watch the two in tandem, since there is so much direct follow-through from one to the other, especially with the Master.
For me, The Woman who Fell to Earth is one of the top five. Jodie WAS the Doctor the moment she popped up on the train at the beginning. I think I imprinted on her like a baby duck. I can see it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I was watching with happy tears the whole way through, and on a recent rewatch to show my brother, months after the first few viewings, it still holds up for me. I also think I'd rank the TVM a little higher, but I'm not sure. How do you choose among your favorite things?
I appreciate the discussion you have about why you've ranked each where it is. I have trouble being analytical when it comes to Doctor Who - I found it as a 14 year old and what I saw resonated with me so hard that I have a very strong emotional attachment to it, even 25 years later. I watch certain things, like the TVM and I am right back in that mindset, sitting in front of the television, finger ready to hit pause on the remote so I wouldn't have commercials on my tape when I recorded it, transfixed by the ideas and characters and just in awe that there was Doctor Who on TV and I could watch it new with every one else. That feeling is why I'd put it higher up if I had to rank the first episodes of each Doctor.
Hardly seen early doctor stuff to put these into context to the story. May try hunting the stuff down after I finish uni for the year
from the 3rd doctor onwards ALL of the stories are intact. There are now 5 stories missing from 2nd and 10 from first, but if you find the Aztecs dvd it has Galaxy4 on it, so 9 missing!
am i the only one who likes the autons? i just need to know, they are not my favs but they're still cool
From only the nu series (because i haven't seen classic who)
5. The Christmas Invasion
4. Rose
3. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
2. Deep Breath
1. The Eleventh Hour
from a new who only veiw point, good choices
I would have Spearheaded from Space at number 5 and moved everything else down one slot. But that's just me.
Nnnnngh Spearhead From Space includes one of my earliest memories, and Pertwee is MY Doctor... but seeing that it's you, I'll let that slide. Don't make a habit of it, y'hear?
1. The Eleventh Hour (Matt Smith knocks it out of the park from the beginning, making it clear who his Doctor is, Amy gets a brilliant introduction and the whole episode is just awesome and wastes no time introducing you to an exciting new chapter of the show)
2. An Unearthly Child (basically just the first episode but what you get is amazing. Hartnell is really intriguing and Susan, Ian and Barbara are really great companions to start with. You can see why the show became so successful to begin with. Endless possibilities)
3. Power of the Daleks (actually watched it for the first time yesterday and it's a pretty great Dalek story and Troughton is great too even though you can see that he's clearly holding back compared to his later appearances)
4. Rose (Eccleston is amazing from the very beginning and it got many of us to continue watching the show so it deserves its spot)
5. Deep Breath (maybe I'm a bit biased because Capaldi is my favorite Doctor but I just freaking love Deep Breath)
6. Spearhead from Space (Jon Pertwee is great from the beginning and I really love Liz and the Brigadier but a slightly overrated episode even though it is quite good)
7. Robot (everyone knows Tom Baker and his companions are just incredible, the episode is nothing special tho)
8. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (actually really liked Whittaker's introduction even though I'm not a big fan of her Doctor)
9. TV Movie (I love McGann to death but the Master is very weird and the story itself is kinda meh)
10. Christmas Invasion (I love Tennant's introduction even though he's far from being my favorite but the episode is mostly just lots of stuff without the Doctor even in it)
I haven't seen Castrovalva, The Twin Dilemma and Time and the Rani yet so I can't rank them
Now I love the Second Doctor, but I think it took him about half a season to hit his stride, so I would put that a bit lower. I'd put Castrovalva way lower, as it's a bit of a mess I thought. Robot a bit higher, because Baker really hits the ground running (especially after Pertwee's last season was lifeless). Maybe bump Spearhead up too. I was thinking Eleventh Hour at #1, but you might be right about Unearthly Child being better.
My top 5:
11th hour
Spearhead
Deep breath
Robot
Castrovalva
I like this liat, but I thought Deep Breath should have been way higher. I think it’s one of the best for establishing the Doctor for dedicated fans, but not necessarily newcomers. I think The Eleventh Hour is the best story for newcomers (though I HATE IT when people tell newcomers to start with this episode). I think An Unearthly Child is great for both!
I doubt Christopher Eccleston will return to the television series Doctor Who, but I hear he's doing Big Finish. No pun intended haha. I would love to see more of him in a future tv anniversary special like the 60th anniversary coming up in a couple of years. Even though I love David Tennant, I wished that I saw more of Chris. He really was fantastic!
Woo some love for Power of the Daleks. That episode really got me excited for the show and instantly love the second doctor
I can't do a ranking, because I haven't seen all of them, but Castrovalva is one of my favourite Doctor Who stories ever.
I agree with you 100% on Spearhead from Space, glad somebody finally also has this opinion. Maybe I didn't love it because the pacing and tone are kind of dated, but it's just alright in my opinion. Terror of the Autons was better
The Eleventh Hour is my favorite, though admittedly I've not really seen much Classic Who, so for all I know watching the ones I haven't seen could change my mind, but seeing as you put it second on the list, I sort of doubt it. Eleven is my favorite Doctor, seeing clips of Tennant online made me go "Oh yeah, I can see why this show is really popular" but didn't make me want to watch as I didn't consider myself much of a sci-fi fan. Seeing some of Smith's Doctor however convinced me to give the show a try, and I'm so glad I did.
5. The Christmas Invasion
4. Deep Breath
3. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
2. Rose
1. The Eleventh Hour
I may be wrong, but I believe doctor 2s first episode was The Macra Terror. I also don’t know if any copies of that episode actually exists.
Macra Terror was his fifth outing.
Thank you for informing me. I’m not familiar with as much of classic who, especially the early ones, but I’m grateful for any opportunity to increase my knowledge.
There is an animated version of The Macra Terror, it's really good, however you're right that there's no video copies of the episode, there's only audio
The Macra Terror isn't the first, but in my opinion it was the best. You might be thinking if the theme song, as that first appeared in The Macra Terror
Love this opening gag
I think just how good Eleventh Hour is might be what is really wrong with Smith’s run. It was just so good that as season by season the writing for Eleven got worse and worse it really felt like his first episode was the highlight. There were great highlights but he never had anything close to a great season. It just felt like a promise that wasn’t kept.
Emilio Valdovinos Not his best maybe but there was very little uphill momentum that followed. While I loved most of Eleven’s run he only had maybe five or six episodes that were better than it.
My list:
1. Robot
2. Spearhead From Space
3. The Eleventh Hour
4. The Power of the Daleks
5. Castrovalva
6. The Television Movie
7. An Unearthly Child
8. The Christmas Invasion
9. Rose
10. The Twin Dilemma
11. Time And The Rani
12. The Woman Who Fell To Earth
13. Deep Breath
I think your rankings and reasons are great, very well supported. Here's my own rankings:
13. The Twin Dilemma - Yeah, the writers did Colin no favors, I wanted to like him so bad, he seemed so into it and excited about the role, but the writing is just soooo bad.
12. Time and the Rani - The whole thing was just bad, but McCoy was not terrible
11. Doctor Who (1996) - Great visuals, bad script
10. The Woman Who Fell to Earth - Really really boring
9. The Christmas Invasion - Everything up until the last 20 minutes is really bad, but Tennant saves it
8. An Unearthly Child - First episode is amazing, the other three are legitimately terrible
7. Rose - Great performance by Eccleston, otherwise boring episode
6. Deep Breath - Capaldi is great as usual, but some stuff was a little off. Very good episode though
5. Castrovalva - Very good story, I only wish there would have been more character development for the 5th Doctor
4. Robot - Tom Baker absolutely makes this story, I love it
3. Power of the Daleks - Great Dalek story, great character development for the Second Doctor
2. The Eleventh Hour - No words for how great the writing and Smith's performance are
1. Spearhead from Space - Absolute classic, looks great, great script, great performances
Great list, Nathaniel. My list would be almost identical, except I think "Spearhead From Space" is a better story than "Robot", so I'd swap them around. I find the latter rather generic and, though Tom Baker, Lis Sladen and Ian Marter are excellent in this story, the guest cast aren't as strong as the one we get in Spearhead - Hugh Burden as the icy Channing is a memorable one-off villain, and even the minor characters (e.g. Mullins the hospital porter, Sam Seely the poacher) are nicely observed. Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier is also on screen for longer in Spearhead than he is in Robot, and that's always a bonus. As to the monsters... well, give me a possessed shop-window dummy over a metal King Kong any day, and that scene of mannequins mowing down the shoppers on Ealing High Street is as iconic as the Dalek emerging from the Thames, or the Cybermen marching down the steps outside St Paul's Cathedral.
Same here. The best thing about Robot is it was basically another 3rd doctor episode before 7 years of agony.
@@Sisu_Kara what do you mean by agony?
Personally The Eleventh Hour is my favourite opener
Mine is a bit controversial:
13. Twin Dilemma
12. Time and the Rani
11. Woman Who Fell To Earth
10. Castrovalva
9. An Unearthly Child
8. Rose
7. Deep Breath
6. Spearhead From Space
5. TV Movie
4. Christmas Invasion
3. Robot
2. Power of the Daleks
1. Eleventh Hour
I'd swap 9 and 4 but other wise good list
To be fair to the Twin Dilemma sure the Sixth Doctor was a bit of a jerk but he did mellow out a little bit about halfway through season 22 and he mellowed a lot (and became one of my favourite doctors) in season 23
Twin Dilemma is fun. I like 6. I like Peri. I think all three are underrated. I also really like Mel as well.
A very nice list and an interesting subject. As much as I love the 7th doctor, I must agree that it was a poor story. My ranking from best to worst:
11, 4, 12, 9, 13, 5, 2, 10, 1, 3, 8, 6, 7.
nice choices but i would swap 1 and 13, respect to the very first story please! Other wise, you bet!!!
Actually I couldn't agree with you more except for Castrovalva(but then again where else would you put it)
The first Doctor Who episode I actually saw completely was the power of the Daleks in England as a child. The previous week I had seen the last 5 minutes of Doctor Who with the number one transformation into Patrick Trouton.
I have always regarded 11th doctor's intro as one of the best in the series so it's nice to see you agree too
And of course the very first episode deserves everything you say
Best to worst for me:
1. The Eleventh Hour
2. Spearhead from Space
3. An Unearthly Child
4. The Power of the Daleks
5. Rose
6. Robot
7. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
8. Deep Breath
9. The Christmas Invasion
10. Doctor Who (1996)
11. Castrovalva
12. The Twin Dilemma
13. Time and the Rani
when are you doing final stories