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I\'d call that a spoiler. Not sure whether it should be deleted outright, or just put in a tag.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. A fantastic political thriller set on Gallifrey. Whilst this story was reviled when it came out, it is now considered a classic for a variety of reasons, not least because it was the first story that took an extended look into Time Lord society and set the limit for Time Lords only having 12 [[TheNthDoctor regenerations]] each. The story is also notable for bringing The Master back for the first time since his previous actor's death, and introducing the Time Lords' co-founder Rassilon, who would be brought back as a major character 35 years later in the 2009 specials. Written by RobertHolmes.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. A fantastic political thriller set on Gallifrey. Whilst this story was reviled when it came out, it is now considered a classic for a variety of reasons, not least because it was the first story that took an extended look into Time Lord society and set the limit for Time Lords only having 12 [[TheNthDoctor regenerations]] each. The story is also notable for bringing The Master back for the first time since his previous actor's death, and introducing the Time Lords' co-founder Rassilon, who would be brought back as a major character 35 years later in the 2009 specials.Rassilon. Written by RobertHolmes.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. A fantastic political thriller set on Gallifrey. Whilst this story was reviled when it came out, it is now considered a classic for a variety of reasons, not least because it was the first story that took an extended look into Time Lord society and set the limit for Time Lords only having 12 [[TheNthDoctor regenerations]] each. The story is also notable for bringing The Master back for the first time since his previous actor's death, and introducing the Time Lords' co-founder Rassilon, who would be brought back as a major character 35 years later in the 2009 specials. Written by RobertHolmes.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin]]''' '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. A fantastic political thriller set on Gallifrey. Whilst this story was reviled when it came out, it is now considered a classic for a variety of reasons, not least because it was the first story that took an extended look into Time Lord society and set the limit for Time Lords only having 12 [[TheNthDoctor regenerations]] each. The story is also notable for bringing The Master back for the first time since his previous actor's death, and introducing the Time Lords' co-founder Rassilon, who would be brought back as a major character 35 years later in the 2009 specials. Written by RobertHolmes.
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Just tossing this out there. Since it\'s a vital part of Doctor Who canon, I think The Deadly Assassin deserves a spot on the list, but feel free to correct me.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]''' - TomBaker, 1975. Quite a padded serial in places (six-parters can be like that), but the character of Davros is introduced here to great effect in a good story about Nazism and scientific progress. The scenes with the Doctor debating Davros about the moral implications of engineering a race bent on genocide, and then later agonising over touching two pieces of wire together to commit genocide himself are still the series finest moments.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]''' - TomBaker, 1975. Quite a padded serial in places (six-parters can be like that), but the character of Davros is introduced here to great effect in a good story about Nazism and scientific progress. The scenes with the Doctor debating Davros about the moral implications of engineering a race bent on genocide, and then later agonising over touching two pieces of wire together to commit genocide himself are still the series series' finest moments.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. A fantastic political thriller set on Gallifrey. Whilst this story was reviled when it came out, it is now considered a classic for a variety of reasons, not least because it was the first story that took an extended look into Time Lord society and set the limit for Time Lords only having 12 [[TheNthDoctor regenerations]] each. The story is also notable for bringing The Master back for the first time since his previous actor's death, and introducing the Time Lords' co-founder Rassilon, who would be brought back as a major character 35 years later in the 2009 specials. Written by RobertHolmes.
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* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (Elizabeth Sladen, 1973-1976; 2006; 2008): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1981, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and '''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2007, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models.
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* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (Elizabeth Sladen, 1973-1976; 2006; 2008): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1981, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and '''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2007, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth and twenty-first century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models.
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* '''Ace''' (Sophie Aldred, 1987-1989); As mentioned above, Ace single-handedly inspired the entire CrowningMomentOfAwesome list; not bad. She's a key influence for the modern-style companion, precisely because she's a complete break from the 'screamer' cliche; she's a tough, savvy, snarky kid. However, she's also one of the few companions in the classic series who was given any real sort of character depth and CharacterDevelopment beyond a fairly shallow backstory; the 1989 series is essentially all about the Doctor helping Ace resolve her childhood issues as much as it is about fighting monsters, which was quite novel for the series at the time.
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* '''Ace''' (Sophie Aldred, 1987-1989); As mentioned above, Ace single-handedly inspired the entire CrowningMomentOfAwesome list; not bad. [[hottip:*:Summary - she once went to town on a Dalek with a superpowered-baseball bat]] She's a key influence for the modern-style companion, precisely because she's a complete break from the 'screamer' cliche; she's a tough, savvy, snarky kid. However, she's also one of the few companions in the classic series who was given any real sort of character depth and CharacterDevelopment beyond a fairly shallow backstory; the 1989 series is essentially all about the Doctor helping Ace resolve her childhood issues as much as it is about fighting monsters, which was quite novel for the series at the time.
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Wrong years of spinoffs, and being pedantic.
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* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (Elizabeth Sladen, 1973-1976): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1983, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and '''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2006, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models.
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* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (Elizabeth Sladen, 1973-1976): 1973-1976; 2006; 2008): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1983, 1981, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and '''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2006, 2007, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models.
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* '''Rose Tyler''' (Billie Piper, 2005-2006): Rose was the first companion for the new series, and in many ways combines the best of both the 'Sarah Jane Smith' style companion and the 'Ace' style companion. She's something of an everygirl, with an interesting backstory giving her plenty of room for character development, who's spunky and intelligent. She's also probably the first companion to have overt romantic tension with the Doctor
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* '''Rose Tyler''' (Billie Piper, 2005-2006): 2005-2006; 2008): Rose was the first companion for the new series, and in many ways combines the best of both the 'Sarah Jane Smith' style companion and the 'Ace' style companion. She's something of an everygirl, with an interesting backstory giving her plenty of room for character development, who's spunky and intelligent. She's also probably the first companion to have overt romantic tension with the Doctor
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We've talked a lot about the Doctor so far, but what about those he travels with? They're important as well:
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We've talked a lot about the Doctor so far, but what about those he travels with? They're just as important to get right as well:the Doctor, and perhaps more so:
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I obviously haven\'t included every companion that\'s loved by fans -- we\'d be here for eternity -- but I\'ve tried to distill them down the key ones. There\'s probably a few more we can include as well. Same with unpopular ones.
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* In the past, the companion's relationship with the Doctor has tended be more a close friendship or a teacher / student-style connection, with little over romantic tension. The new series companions have generally introduced more romantic subtext between the Doctor and the companion. This also impacts on the male companion / female companion dynamic as well; the male companions in these cases are often the female companion's 'everyman' boyfriend, and is less than pleased at both the female companion's obvious interest in the daring, charismatic and heroic Doctor, which often expresses itself in hostility towards the Doctor.
When creating a companion, you could do worse than consider the companions of the past, and in particular who's worked and who hasn't. Ask a fan who their favourite companion is, and popular answers tend to be:
* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (Elizabeth Sladen, 1973-1976): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1983, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and '''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2006, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models.
* '''Ace''' (Sophie Aldred, 1987-1989); As mentioned above, Ace single-handedly inspired the entire CrowningMomentOfAwesome list; not bad. She's a key influence for the modern-style companion, precisely because she's a complete break from the 'screamer' cliche; she's a tough, savvy, snarky kid. However, she's also one of the few companions in the classic series who was given any real sort of character depth and CharacterDevelopment beyond a fairly shallow backstory; the 1989 series is essentially all about the Doctor helping Ace resolve her childhood issues as much as it is about fighting monsters, which was quite novel for the series at the time.
* '''Rose Tyler''' (Billie Piper, 2005-2006): Rose was the first companion for the new series, and in many ways combines the best of both the 'Sarah Jane Smith' style companion and the 'Ace' style companion. She's something of an everygirl, with an interesting backstory giving her plenty of room for character development, who's spunky and intelligent. She's also probably the first companion to have overt romantic tension with the Doctor
** You should be careful when basing your companion off Rose, however; Rose is very much a 'love her or hate her' companion, being quite popular but also having a quite committed {{Hatedom}}. Accusations of being [[SpotlightStealingSquad a spotlight-stealer]] are quite common, with Rose's story, issues and family life tending to take up time that many feel would be better served on adventures, and it's also argued that Rose benefited from a lot of ShillingTheWesley on the part of the writers in order to place her on a pedestal over others.
Some companions, however, tend to act as and be considered more examples of what ''not'' to do by fans:
* '''Adric''': (Matthew Waterhouse, 1981-1982): The idea behind Adric -- a maths genius big on intellectual knowledge but low on practical skills -- is an interesting one, but most fans tend to consider him a failure at best, and a hated [[TheLoad Load]] at worst. The way he's written tends to make him come across as unlikable, arrogant, petulant and snotty, later episodes which stress his gullibility and incompetence tend to make his supposed genius something of an InformedAttribute, and -- perhaps most damaging -- the actor who played him was a PromotedFanboy with very little acting experience who, to put it mildly, failed to distinguish himself in the role. His HeroicSacrifice at the end of the story "Earthshock" does tend to be raised as a RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap moment for him, but it's arguably a case of too little, too late for many.
When creating a companion, you could do worse than consider the companions of the past, and in particular who's worked and who hasn't. Ask a fan who their favourite companion is, and popular answers tend to be:
* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (Elizabeth Sladen, 1973-1976): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1983, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and '''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2006, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models.
* '''Ace''' (Sophie Aldred, 1987-1989); As mentioned above, Ace single-handedly inspired the entire CrowningMomentOfAwesome list; not bad. She's a key influence for the modern-style companion, precisely because she's a complete break from the 'screamer' cliche; she's a tough, savvy, snarky kid. However, she's also one of the few companions in the classic series who was given any real sort of character depth and CharacterDevelopment beyond a fairly shallow backstory; the 1989 series is essentially all about the Doctor helping Ace resolve her childhood issues as much as it is about fighting monsters, which was quite novel for the series at the time.
* '''Rose Tyler''' (Billie Piper, 2005-2006): Rose was the first companion for the new series, and in many ways combines the best of both the 'Sarah Jane Smith' style companion and the 'Ace' style companion. She's something of an everygirl, with an interesting backstory giving her plenty of room for character development, who's spunky and intelligent. She's also probably the first companion to have overt romantic tension with the Doctor
** You should be careful when basing your companion off Rose, however; Rose is very much a 'love her or hate her' companion, being quite popular but also having a quite committed {{Hatedom}}. Accusations of being [[SpotlightStealingSquad a spotlight-stealer]] are quite common, with Rose's story, issues and family life tending to take up time that many feel would be better served on adventures, and it's also argued that Rose benefited from a lot of ShillingTheWesley on the part of the writers in order to place her on a pedestal over others.
Some companions, however, tend to act as and be considered more examples of what ''not'' to do by fans:
* '''Adric''': (Matthew Waterhouse, 1981-1982): The idea behind Adric -- a maths genius big on intellectual knowledge but low on practical skills -- is an interesting one, but most fans tend to consider him a failure at best, and a hated [[TheLoad Load]] at worst. The way he's written tends to make him come across as unlikable, arrogant, petulant and snotty, later episodes which stress his gullibility and incompetence tend to make his supposed genius something of an InformedAttribute, and -- perhaps most damaging -- the actor who played him was a PromotedFanboy with very little acting experience who, to put it mildly, failed to distinguish himself in the role. His HeroicSacrifice at the end of the story "Earthshock" does tend to be raised as a RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap moment for him, but it's arguably a case of too little, too late for many.
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* Although not exclusively, the companion is generally female. The Doctor has travelled with male companions before, but male companions are greatly outnumbered by female ones, and the Doctor has rarely travelled with ''just'' a male companion; the few occasions there has been a male companion on board, there's usually been a female companion as well. This has the effect of establishing a clear male-female dynamic to the Doctor-companion relationship which, while not exclusive, provides a handy template to work from.
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* Although not exclusively, the companion is generally female. The Doctor has travelled with male companions before, but male companions are greatly outnumbered by female ones, and the Doctor has rarely travelled with ''just'' a male companion; companion (and not for long at that); the few occasions there has been a male companion on board, there's usually been a female companion as well. This has the effect of establishing a clear male-female dynamic to the Doctor-companion relationship which, while not exclusive, provides a handy template to work from.
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* In keeping with the above two points, the Doctor generally doesn't go around picking fights or looking for trouble (he does, however, look for ''excitement'' or something interesting, which generally leads to trouble); he usually just wanders across a problem, and his first instinct when faced with someone planning on starting something is to ask -- or warn -- them to change their course of action. When they (inevitably) refuse, although he didn't start the fight he is perfectly willing to end it by any means necessary.
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!!The companion as a character
We've talked a lot about the Doctor so far, but what about those he travels with? They're important as well:
* Although not exclusively, the companion is generally female. The Doctor has travelled with male companions before, but male companions are greatly outnumbered by female ones, and the Doctor has rarely travelled with ''just'' a male companion; the few occasions there has been a male companion on board, there's usually been a female companion as well. This has the effect of establishing a clear male-female dynamic to the Doctor-companion relationship which, while not exclusive, provides a handy template to work from.
* The Doctor also usually seems to travel with one or two people at a time; certainly no more than three. Having more than one companion around tends to be tricky for writers to handle, in terms of giving everyone enough to do story-wise; two companions on as well as the Doctor seems manageable, but having three or more seems to be a bit of a struggle. Something to keep in mind.
* So, who is the companion? Generally, they're:
** Human. The Doctor seems to like having humans around, often vocally considering them his favourite species. This is obviously a matter of practicality (it saves on make-up costs for a start, budget considerations being something the ''DoctorWho'' production team cannot afford to sniff at). This also enables the audience to engage with what's happening easily. He has travelled with non-humans before, to great success -- Romana, a fellow Gallifreyian, was quite popular with the audience, as was the robot dog K9 (although due to his tendency to break down, K9 was ''not'' popular with the production team) -- but they're clearly outnumbered. it also creates the traditional dynamic of the alien Doctor being counterposed with the human companion.
** From the twentieth / twenty-first century. Again, the companion is usually intended as an audience identification figure, and it's often easier to do this if the companion comes from a time which roughly coincides with that of the viewer. This tends to mean the recent past or the near future at most. Of course, there are exceptions (and the fans will often clamour for exceptions from time to time), but these are generally outnumbered. Something else to keep in mind.
** Less 'intelligent' / more naive than the Doctor. This enables them to again act as an audience stand-in by asking all the questions the audience will have (where are we? What's going on? What's that?!), enabling the Doctor to act as Mr. Exposition. Even Romana, who was established at times as more intellectually gifted than the Doctor, was still less experienced than him, requiring her to fill this role at times.
*** '''Important note''': 'Less intelligent' does not equal 'stupid'. Companions who have clung on too tightly to the IdiotBall in the past have generally not gone down well.
** Curious. They have an interest in the universe around them and the wonders the Doctor shows them. In their introductory / early episodes, they're often directly compared with more jaded, less intellectually curious or more timid people around them to demonstrate how they stand out, and consequently why they appeal to the Doctor.
** Moral and ethical. The companion generally supports the Doctor in his battles against evil. However, particularly in the new series, the companion has often acted as the Doctor's moral guide; even when he's not being an AntiHero, the Doctor is still an alien, and therefore does not often operate according to human morality. The companion has often acted to guide the Doctor into doing what is right, express outrage when he does go too far and steer in him the right direction once again. Much has been made in the new series about how the Doctor needs someone around him to 'stop him' from going too far.
*** Trustworthy. The companion usually functions as the Doctor's best friend, and unscrupulous types rarely get invited aboard. Although mileage has and can be made from making the companion an untrustworthy sort who may even be acting against the Doctor (such as Turlough in the classic series, and Adam in the new series), these generally don't tend to last long; Turlough eventually did a FaceHeelTurn and became a genuine companion, and Adam was booted out of the TARDIS after one adventure because he betrayed the Doctor's trust and lied about it.
** Able to be frightened. It's a big, bad, scary universe the Doctor inhabits, and it's often been the companion's job to get scared by it when necessary (such as when the MonsterOfTheWeek is baring down on them). Be careful with this one, however; in the past, this has translated to the typical cliche of the companion standing around doing a lot of screaming. Keeping in mind that the companion is generally female, and this can lead to some quite outdated gender roles and UnfortunateImplications very quickly (it also tends to make the companion look rather useless and come off as rather irritating). Consequently, this means that more modern roles for the companion have made them more:
** Capable. Although they are usually still not as competent as the Doctor, these days the companion should be able to hold their own to at least a limited extent. A good role model here is Ace; not for no reason was the fact that she once beat up a Dalek with a baseball bat the first suggestion for what would be the CrowningMomentOfAwesome list. You don't have to make the companion [[{{Alien}} Ellen Ripley]] (although you could do worse), but modern audiences will find the timid, screaming, near-useless cliche of the ''DoctorWho'' companion unacceptable these days.
We've talked a lot about the Doctor so far, but what about those he travels with? They're important as well:
* Although not exclusively, the companion is generally female. The Doctor has travelled with male companions before, but male companions are greatly outnumbered by female ones, and the Doctor has rarely travelled with ''just'' a male companion; the few occasions there has been a male companion on board, there's usually been a female companion as well. This has the effect of establishing a clear male-female dynamic to the Doctor-companion relationship which, while not exclusive, provides a handy template to work from.
* The Doctor also usually seems to travel with one or two people at a time; certainly no more than three. Having more than one companion around tends to be tricky for writers to handle, in terms of giving everyone enough to do story-wise; two companions on as well as the Doctor seems manageable, but having three or more seems to be a bit of a struggle. Something to keep in mind.
* So, who is the companion? Generally, they're:
** Human. The Doctor seems to like having humans around, often vocally considering them his favourite species. This is obviously a matter of practicality (it saves on make-up costs for a start, budget considerations being something the ''DoctorWho'' production team cannot afford to sniff at). This also enables the audience to engage with what's happening easily. He has travelled with non-humans before, to great success -- Romana, a fellow Gallifreyian, was quite popular with the audience, as was the robot dog K9 (although due to his tendency to break down, K9 was ''not'' popular with the production team) -- but they're clearly outnumbered. it also creates the traditional dynamic of the alien Doctor being counterposed with the human companion.
** From the twentieth / twenty-first century. Again, the companion is usually intended as an audience identification figure, and it's often easier to do this if the companion comes from a time which roughly coincides with that of the viewer. This tends to mean the recent past or the near future at most. Of course, there are exceptions (and the fans will often clamour for exceptions from time to time), but these are generally outnumbered. Something else to keep in mind.
** Less 'intelligent' / more naive than the Doctor. This enables them to again act as an audience stand-in by asking all the questions the audience will have (where are we? What's going on? What's that?!), enabling the Doctor to act as Mr. Exposition. Even Romana, who was established at times as more intellectually gifted than the Doctor, was still less experienced than him, requiring her to fill this role at times.
*** '''Important note''': 'Less intelligent' does not equal 'stupid'. Companions who have clung on too tightly to the IdiotBall in the past have generally not gone down well.
** Curious. They have an interest in the universe around them and the wonders the Doctor shows them. In their introductory / early episodes, they're often directly compared with more jaded, less intellectually curious or more timid people around them to demonstrate how they stand out, and consequently why they appeal to the Doctor.
** Moral and ethical. The companion generally supports the Doctor in his battles against evil. However, particularly in the new series, the companion has often acted as the Doctor's moral guide; even when he's not being an AntiHero, the Doctor is still an alien, and therefore does not often operate according to human morality. The companion has often acted to guide the Doctor into doing what is right, express outrage when he does go too far and steer in him the right direction once again. Much has been made in the new series about how the Doctor needs someone around him to 'stop him' from going too far.
*** Trustworthy. The companion usually functions as the Doctor's best friend, and unscrupulous types rarely get invited aboard. Although mileage has and can be made from making the companion an untrustworthy sort who may even be acting against the Doctor (such as Turlough in the classic series, and Adam in the new series), these generally don't tend to last long; Turlough eventually did a FaceHeelTurn and became a genuine companion, and Adam was booted out of the TARDIS after one adventure because he betrayed the Doctor's trust and lied about it.
** Able to be frightened. It's a big, bad, scary universe the Doctor inhabits, and it's often been the companion's job to get scared by it when necessary (such as when the MonsterOfTheWeek is baring down on them). Be careful with this one, however; in the past, this has translated to the typical cliche of the companion standing around doing a lot of screaming. Keeping in mind that the companion is generally female, and this can lead to some quite outdated gender roles and UnfortunateImplications very quickly (it also tends to make the companion look rather useless and come off as rather irritating). Consequently, this means that more modern roles for the companion have made them more:
** Capable. Although they are usually still not as competent as the Doctor, these days the companion should be able to hold their own to at least a limited extent. A good role model here is Ace; not for no reason was the fact that she once beat up a Dalek with a baseball bat the first suggestion for what would be the CrowningMomentOfAwesome list. You don't have to make the companion [[{{Alien}} Ellen Ripley]] (although you could do worse), but modern audiences will find the timid, screaming, near-useless cliche of the ''DoctorWho'' companion unacceptable these days.
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Many fans, especially fans of the classic series, ''enjoy'' the slightly cheesy aspect to the show's special effects. The old series made extensive use of models and matte shots; the new series uses CGI as well. The sets aren't nearly as wobbly, but the show is still a BBC production and doesn't have a gigantic budget. You still have more leeway before you hit SpecialEffectsFailure than you would making a commercial American series.
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Many fans, especially fans of the classic series, ''enjoy'' the slightly cheesy aspect to the show's special effects. The old series made extensive use of models and matte shots; the new series uses CGI as well. The sets aren't nearly as wobbly, but the show is still a BBC production and doesn't have a gigantic budget. You still have more leeway before you hit SpecialEffectsFailure than you would making a commercial American series.
series. That said, if you get sloppy, you will get called out on it
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With regard to the Doctor's costume a wide spectrum of outfits have been used through his current eleven lives, from Nine's simple leather jacket to Six's eye-searing Technicolor dreamcoat. Striking a balance between ordinary and odd is key, but since no one really seems to notice what the Doctor wears wherever/whenever he is, this balance can shift. [[AwesomeAnachronisticApparel Period clothes]] seem to be a favorite among the costume designers, but this has been kept within recent parts of history (19th to early 20th Centuries). The Doctor's outfit also gives chances to lampshade how strange it is sometimes (e.g. Four's scarf, Five's celery stick, etc.) ''No'' incarnation of the Doctor has been particularly self-conscious about the eccentricity of his sartorial choices -- if someone asks why he's dressed so strangely, he usually replies along the lines of "What's ''wrong'' with my outfit? I ''like'' my outfit."
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With regard to the Doctor's costume a wide spectrum of outfits have been used through his current eleven lives, from Nine's simple leather jacket to Six's eye-searing Technicolor dreamcoat. Striking a balance between ordinary and odd is key, but since no one really seems to notice what the Doctor wears wherever/whenever he is, this balance can shift. [[AwesomeAnachronisticApparel Period clothes]] seem to be a favorite among the costume designers, but this has been kept within recent parts of history (19th to early 20th Centuries). The Doctor's outfit also gives chances to lampshade how strange it is sometimes (e.g. Four's scarf, Five's celery stick, etc.) ''No'' incarnation of the Doctor has been particularly self-conscious about the eccentricity of his sartorial choices -- if someone asks why he's dressed so strangely, he usually replies along the lines of "What's ''wrong'' with my outfit? I ''like'' my outfit."
outfit," or, in more humourous cases, he will express apparently genuine surprise that anyone could ''possibly'' think what he's wearing could look out of place.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E2TheHappinessPatrol The Happiness Patrol]]''' - Sylvester [=McCoy=], 1988. Fascinating political allegory with Thatcher-substitute villain and subtle Gay Pride message, or showcase for most embarrassing monster of all time, the "Not actually Bertie Bassett" Kandyman?
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E2TheHappinessPatrol The Happiness Patrol]]''' - Sylvester [=McCoy=], 1988. Fascinating political allegory with Thatcher-substitute villain and subtle Gay Pride message, or {{Anvilicious}}-yet-muddled showcase for most embarrassing monster of all time, the "Not actually Bertie Bassett" Kandyman?
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* He usually obeys a sort of temporal PrimeDirective, in that he doesn't trust a society -- or even an individual person -- that gets hold of technology too far ahead of its time. (This is the primary reason why he doesn't like the {{Torchwood}} Institute, whose whole purpose is to get hold of alien technologies and develop them for human users.)
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* He usually obeys a sort of temporal PrimeDirective, in that he doesn't trust a society -- or even an individual person -- that gets hold of technology too far ahead of its time. (This is the primary reason why he doesn't like the {{Torchwood}} Institute, whose whole purpose is to get hold of alien technologies and develop them for human users.)) However, unlike most, this Directive does allow for him to intervene in history in order to combat a particular injustice or wrong. It does mean that he finds himself faced with the problem of certain events he can change and others he cannot; the new series usually phrases this as the Doctor being 'part of events', meaning he cannot go back and change something which he is already involved in.
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** Unless it's the [[TheChessmaster Seventh Doctor]]. And even then, [[SpannerInTheWorks extenuating circumstances]] usually force him to [[XanatosSpeedChess improvise on the fly]].
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RaisedByWolves is a human with animal parents, now. It used to refer to NoSocialSkills. This link never made sense -- best we can do is something like ProudWarriorRaceGuy to get that sense of Leela\'s savage tendencies.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. The Doctor and his [[RaisedByWolves slightly feral]] companion Leela land in VictorianLondon and are promptly swept up in a supernatural murder mystery right out of a Hammer-horror flick, featuring giant rats, Chinese mysticism, and a bloodthirsty ventriloquist's dummy. Another terrifying six-parter by RobertHolmes, praised by RussellTDavies, declared the ''best story in the show's history'' by a fansite poll in 2003.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. The Doctor and his [[RaisedByWolves [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy slightly feral]] companion Leela land in VictorianLondon and are promptly swept up in a supernatural murder mystery right out of a Hammer-horror flick, featuring giant rats, Chinese mysticism, and a bloodthirsty ventriloquist's dummy. Another terrifying six-parter by RobertHolmes, praised by RussellTDavies, declared the ''best story in the show's history'' by a fansite poll in 2003.
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Age, Aliens, Androids, Ambassadors, Apocalypse, Apotheosis, Arc, Attack, Autons, Blood, Brain, Carnival, Caves, Child, City, Claws, Code, Curse, Day, Dalek Invasion, Death, Destiny, Edge, End, Evil, Evolution, Face, Family, Fires, Forest, Genesis, Hand, Horns, Horror, Invasion, Image, Infinite, Keeper, Keys, Last, Mark, Masque, Menace, Monster, Mind, Nightmare, Origin, Parting, Planet, Power, Prison, Pyramids, Remembrance, Resurrection, Revenge, Revelation, Rise, Robots, Seeds, Sound, State, Stones, Talons, Terror, Time, Tomb, Vampires, Victory, Voyage, War, Warriors, Waters, Web
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Age, Aliens, Androids, Ambassadors, Apocalypse, Apotheosis, Arc, Ark, Attack, Autons, Blood, Brain, Carnival, Caves, Child, City, Claws, Code, Curse, Day, Dalek Invasion, Death, Destiny, Edge, End, Evil, Evolution, Face, Family, Fires, Forest, Genesis, Hand, Horns, Horror, Invasion, Image, Infinite, Keeper, Keys, Last, Mark, Masque, Menace, Monster, Mind, Nightmare, Origin, Parting, Planet, Power, Prison, Pyramids, Remembrance, Resurrection, Revenge, Revelation, Rise, Robots, Seeds, Sound, State, Stones, Talons, Terror, Time, Tomb, Vampires, Victory, Voyage, War, Warriors, Waters, Web
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Androids, Androzani, Angels, Assassins, Axos, Blood, Chaos, Cybermen, Daleks, Damned, Dead, Decay, Death, Demons, Destruction, Dinosaurs, Doctor, Doom, Doomed, Drums, Earth, Eden, Evil, Fang Rock, Fear, Fenric, Fire, Fendahl, Forsaken, Ghosts, Impossible, Infinite, Infinity, Kroll, London, Lost, Mandragora, Master, Monsters, Morbius, Nightmares, Nimon, Ood, Peladon, Pompeii, Rani, Robots, Space, Spiders, Steel, Terror, Tara, Time, Time Lords, Traken, Venice, Vervoids, Vortex, Ways, World, Weng-Chiang, Zygons
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Androids, Androzani, Angels, Assassins, Axos, Blood, Chaos, Cybermen, Daleks, Damned, Dead, Decay, Death, Demons, Destruction, Dinosaurs, Doctor, Doom, Doomed, Drums, Earth, Eden, Evil, Fang Rock, Fear, Fenric, Fire, Fendahl, Forsaken, Ghosts, Impossible, Infinite, Infinity, Kroll, London, Lost, Mandragora, Master, Monsters, Morbius, Nightmares, Nimon, Ood, Peladon, Pompeii, Rani, Robots, Sontarans, Space, Spiders, Steel, Terror, Tara, Time, Time Lords, Traken, Venice, Vervoids, Vortex, Ways, World, Weng-Chiang, Zygons
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(innocent whistle)
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Since 1963, entire generations have grown up with ''DoctorWho'', and have been thrilled - and terrified - by the Doctor's adventures against some of the greatest evils in the galaxy, including the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Doctor's arch-nemesis, the Master. The show has been brought back to TV twice since its cancellation in 1989 (the first time, in 1996, being something of a non-starter; the second time in 2005 proving more durable) and has seen [[DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse a complex and intertwining expanded universe]] of [[VirginNewAdventures novels]], [[BigFinishDoctorWho audio plays]], [[DoctorWhoMagazine comics]] and even a set of AlternateUniverse movies. So ''someone'' obviously did ''something'' right.
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Since 1963, entire generations have grown up with ''DoctorWho'', and have been thrilled - and terrified - by the Doctor's adventures against some of the greatest evils in the galaxy, including the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Doctor's arch-nemesis, the Master. The show has been brought back to TV twice since its cancellation in 1989 (the first time, in 1996, being something of a non-starter; the second time in 2005 proving more durable) and has seen [[DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse a complex and intertwining expanded universe]] of [[VirginNewAdventures novels]], [[BigFinishDoctorWho audio plays]], [[DoctorWhoMagazine comics]] and even a set of AlternateUniverse AlternateContinuity movies. So ''someone'' obviously did ''something'' right.
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I don't think the school teacher John Smith is ever titled as a doctor. Expanding a bit on The Empty Child. May need cleanup from someone who's seen it more recently.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E9TheEmptyChild The Empty Child]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E10TheDoctorDances The Doctor Dances]]''' - ChristopherEccleston, 2005. The first ''really scary'' episodes of the new series. Children in gas masks asking "are you my mummy" like a stuck record.... brrr. These were the first episodes written by StevenMoffat.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E9TheEmptyChild The Empty Child]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E10TheDoctorDances The Doctor Dances]]''' - ChristopherEccleston, 2005. The first ''really scary'' episodes of the new series. Children in gas masks asking "are you my mummy" like An ostensibly empty spaceship crashes into Blitz-era London and unleashes a stuck record.... brrr. These plague of gasmark zombies. Meanwhile, the Doctor faces off with a member of Time Agency, played by JohnBarrowman. Equal measures witty, scary and atmospheric, these were the first episodes written by StevenMoffat.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E8HumanNature Human Nature]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E9TheFamilyOfBlood The Family of Blood]]''' - DavidTennant, 2007. The Doctor literally becomes human and loses his memories to throw off pursuit. Very good on several levels, but most remembered for two scenes: The moment "Doctor John Smith" realizes that for the Doctor to return, he must "die", and the Doctor's vicious (but chillingly still in character) [[LaserGuidedKarma Karmic Revenge]] on the beings that put him in that situation. (See also its source material, the popular VirginNewAdventures novel ''Human Nature'', which was about the Seventh Doctor - its author, Paul Cornell, adapted it for TV.)
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E8HumanNature Human Nature]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E9TheFamilyOfBlood The Family of Blood]]''' - DavidTennant, 2007. The Doctor literally becomes human and loses his memories to throw off pursuit. Very good on several levels, but most remembered for two scenes: The moment "Doctor John "John Smith" realizes that for the Doctor to return, he must "die", and the Doctor's vicious (but chillingly still in character) [[LaserGuidedKarma Karmic Revenge]] on the beings that put him in that situation. (See also its source material, the popular VirginNewAdventures novel ''Human Nature'', which was about the Seventh Doctor - its author, Paul Cornell, adapted it for TV.)
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I have no skepticism towards Douglas Adams' talents, but this needs serious expanding on as to why it's an all-time great, rather than "a quite funny episode". I haven't seen it myself.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. The Doctor and his [[RaisedByWolves slightly feral]] companion Leela land in VictorianLondon and are promptly swept up in a supernatural murder mystery right out of a Hammer-horror flick, featuring giant rats, Chinese mysticism, and a bloodthirsty ventriloquist's dummy. Another terrifying six-parter by RobertHolmes, praised by RussellTDavies, declared the ''best story in the show's history'' by a fansite poll in 2003.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]''' - TomBaker, 1979. Written by DouglasAdams, this is playful, fun, filmed in Paris and stars Julian Glover as the villain. One of those times when everything just came together perfectly.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]''' - TomBaker, 1979. Written by DouglasAdams, this is playful, fun, filmed in Paris and stars Julian Glover as the villain. One of those times when everything just came together perfectly.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. The Doctor and his [[RaisedByWolves slightly feral]] companion Leela land in VictorianLondon and are promptly swept up in a supernatural murder mystery right out of a Hammer-horror flick, featuring giant rats, Chinese mysticism, and a bloodthirsty ventriloquist's dummy. Another terrifying six-parter by RobertHolmes, praised by RussellTDavies, declared the ''best story in the show's history'' by a fansite poll in 2003.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]''' - TomBaker, 1979. Written by DouglasAdams, this is playful, fun, filmed in Paris and stars Julian Glover as the villain. One of those times when everything just came together perfectly.2003.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]''' - TomBaker, 1979. Written by DouglasAdams, this is playful, fun, filmed in Paris and stars Julian Glover as the villain. One of those times when everything just came together perfectly.
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It's a parody, and really has no bearing on the show proper.
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Casting the Doctor is one of the hardest jobs. Whoever comes next will have many previous incumbents of the role to follow, all of them generally well thought-of. Your actor will need to be commanding when required, but always remain likeable; have the acting chops to pull off high drama and the timing for high comedy; and something to set him apart from the previous incarnations. Casting rumours surrounding the Eleventh Doctor in 2008 suggested he would be played by a black actor (either Paterson Joseph or Chiwetel Ejiofor), and although the casting was eventually that of white actor MattSmith, it is notable that the prospect of a black Doctor was met with little to no resistance. (The Doctor has regenerated into a woman once, but that was for a Comic Relief benefit -- about as far from Canon as one can possibly get.)
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Casting the Doctor is one of the hardest jobs. Whoever comes next will have many previous incumbents of the role to follow, all of them generally well thought-of. Your actor will need to be commanding when required, but always remain likeable; have the acting chops to pull off high drama and the timing for high comedy; and something to set him apart from the previous incarnations. Casting rumours surrounding the Eleventh Doctor in 2008 suggested he would be played by a black actor (either Paterson Joseph or Chiwetel Ejiofor), and although the casting was eventually that of white actor MattSmith, it is notable that the prospect of a black Doctor was met with little to no resistance. (The Doctor has regenerated into a woman once, but that was for a Comic Relief benefit -- about as far from Canon as one can possibly get.)
resistance.
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Currently, ''DoctorWho'' is filmed in Wales. Filming outside of Wales is relatively rare. That said, there's the occasional story filmed outside of Britain such as "The Fires of Pompeii" (Rome), "Planet of the Dead" (Dubai) and "The Vampires of Venice" (Trogir, Croatia).
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Currently, ''DoctorWho'' is filmed in Wales. Filming outside of Wales is relatively rare. That said, there's the occasional story filmed in England like "Rose" (London, in part) and "The Shakespeare Code" (London, Coventry and Warwick), as well as outside of Britain such as "The Fires of Pompeii" (Rome), "Planet of the Dead" (Dubai) and "The Vampires of Venice" (Trogir, Croatia).
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There is something so uncomfortable about this. I really don't see the point other than "we still have homophobia in the 21st century".
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The 2005 ReTool of the series has attempted to bring more LGBT characters into the mainstream (not unconnected to the fact that the then-showrunner, RussellTDavies is himself gay). Be aware that many saw this not as a positive and progressive move but as part of a "Gay Agenda" to corrupt its young fanbase.[[hottip:*: Which proves that a) homophobes will crop up anywhere, and b) these people have evidently never seen a classic episode containing TheMaster]]
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This goes for the sonic screwdriver, too: Yes, it is essentially a magic wand; no, it shouldn't solve ''all'' the Doctor's problems; and no, it is emphatically ''not'' a gun. Beware of BoringInvincibleHero.
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This goes for the sonic screwdriver, too: Yes, it is essentially a magic wand; no, it shouldn't solve ''all'' the Doctor's problems; and no, it is emphatically ''not'' a gun. Beware of BoringInvincibleHero.
InvincibleHero.
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First and foremost, ''Doctor Who'' is a WalkingTheEarth story, at least in its televisual incarnation. While the Expanded Universe has had more freedom to explore ideas, the TV series young target audience means a MonsterOfTheWeek (or other villain-of-the-week) format has proved most successful. The best monsters are firmly in the NightmareFuelUnleaded camp. Also important is the element of {{Nakama}} between the Doctor and his companion, who usually functions as TheWatson. Different characters will relate differently to the Doctor, of course, and there have been one or two less-than-lovable companions, but ultimately, both Doctor and companion will rescue the other, if it comes to that.
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First and foremost, ''Doctor Who'' is a WalkingTheEarth story, at least in its televisual incarnation. While the Expanded Universe has had more freedom to explore ideas, the TV series young target audience means a MonsterOfTheWeek (or other villain-of-the-week) format has proved most successful. The best monsters are firmly in the NightmareFuelUnleaded camp.stuff of nightmares. Also important is the element of {{Nakama}} between the Doctor and his companion, who usually functions as TheWatson. Different characters will relate differently to the Doctor, of course, and there have been one or two less-than-lovable companions, but ultimately, both Doctor and companion will rescue the other, if it comes to that.
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Plot Hook-wise, having the TARDIS answer a DistressCall is a fine old cliché that probably has plenty of milage left. You could do worse, anyway. But here's [[http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=russell_t_davies_and_the some advice]] from [[RussellTDavies Uncle Rusty]]:
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Plot Hook-wise, having the TARDIS answer a DistressCall is a fine old cliché that probably has plenty of milage left. You could do worse, anyway. But here's [[http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=russell_t_davies_and_the uk/2009/12/07/russell_t_davies_and_the_line_that_must_never_be_uttered/ some advice]] from [[RussellTDavies Uncle Rusty]]:
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Since 1963, entire generations have grown up with ''DoctorWho'', and have been thrilled - and terrified - by the Doctor's adventures against some of the greatest evils in the galaxy, including the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Doctor's arch-nemesis, the Master. Although the original run was effectively cancelled in 1989, the loyalty of its fan-base and the fondness with which it was remembered by those who grew up with it were enough to ensure that this was only an ultimately temporary hiatus, not a permanent cancellation; it was brought back to TV twice (the first time, in 1996, being something of a non-starter; the second time in 2005 proving more durable), and has seen a complex and intertwining ExpandedUniverse of novels, audio plays, comics and even a movie or two. So ''someone'' obviously did ''something'' right.
Needless to say, following in the footsteps of ''DoctorWho'' is a daunting task indeed. Fortunately for you, there's plenty of ''Doctor Who'' fans around here who can steer you straight.
You can also take heart in the fact that ''Doctor Who'' is in fact really just a framing device for whatever story the writer wants to tell - there's no ''StarTrek'' style continuity bible, no fixed limits to TheVerse and an almost infinite variety of narrative styles, settings and devices.
Needless to say, following in the footsteps of ''DoctorWho'' is a daunting task indeed. Fortunately for you, there's plenty of ''Doctor Who'' fans around here who can steer you straight.
You can also take heart in the fact that ''Doctor Who'' is in fact really just a framing device for whatever story the writer wants to tell - there's no ''StarTrek'' style continuity bible, no fixed limits to TheVerse and an almost infinite variety of narrative styles, settings and devices.
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Since 1963, entire generations have grown up with ''DoctorWho'', and have been thrilled - and terrified - by the Doctor's adventures against some of the greatest evils in the galaxy, including the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Doctor's arch-nemesis, the Master. Although the original run was effectively cancelled in 1989, the loyalty of its fan-base and the fondness with which it was remembered by those who grew up with it were enough to ensure that this was only an ultimately temporary hiatus, not a permanent cancellation; it was The show has been brought back to TV twice since its cancellation in 1989 (the first time, in 1996, being something of a non-starter; the second time in 2005 proving more durable), durable) and has seen [[DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse a complex and intertwining ExpandedUniverse expanded universe]] of novels, [[VirginNewAdventures novels]], [[BigFinishDoctorWho audio plays, comics plays]], [[DoctorWhoMagazine comics]] and even a movie or two.set of AlternateUniverse movies. So ''someone'' obviously did ''something'' right.
Needless to say, following in the footsteps of''DoctorWho'' ''Doctor Who'' is a daunting task indeed. Fortunately for you, there's plenty of ''Doctor Who'' fans around here who can steer you straight.
You can also take heart in the fact that ''Doctor Who'' is in fact really just a framing device for whatever story the writer wants to tell - there's no ''StarTrek'' style [[UniverseBible continuitybible, bible]], no fixed limits to TheVerse and an almost infinite variety of narrative styles, settings and devices.
Needless to say, following in the footsteps of
You can also take heart in the fact that ''Doctor Who'' is in fact really just a framing device for whatever story the writer wants to tell - there's no ''StarTrek'' style [[UniverseBible continuity
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]''' (1987) - Likewise, Sylvester [=McCoy=] would not have an easy time of it, as again reflected in his debut; things were chaotic behind the scenes in preparing for this story, which is reflected in the frantic, jumbled and nonsensical plot which involves the Rani kidnapping geniuses from all around the universe for reasons which are never made entirely clear, coupled with a lot of running about and shouting. [=McCoy=]'s Doctor fails to make a good first impression, lumbered with a sense of humour which, consisting as it does mainly of a tendency towards annoying malapropisms and pratfalls, can't help but fall flat. The Lakertyans, the race the Rani has enslaved, are also widely criticised as being a dull, uninteresting and unconvincing lot, and the Tetraps, her slaves, continue the ignoble tradition of poorly realized ''DoctorWho'' monsters. The music and special effects (also widely regarded as being a nadir for the series on this front) also date the story firmly in the 1980s, much to it's detriment.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]''' (1987) - Likewise, Sylvester [=McCoy=] would not have an easy time of it, as again reflected in his debut; things were chaotic behind the scenes in preparing for this story, which is reflected in the frantic, jumbled and nonsensical plot which involves the Rani kidnapping geniuses from all around the universe for reasons which are never made entirely clear, coupled with a lot of running about and shouting. [=McCoy=]'s Doctor fails to make a good first impression, lumbered with a sense of humour which, consisting as it does mainly of a tendency towards annoying malapropisms and pratfalls, can't help but fall flat. The Lakertyans, the race the Rani has enslaved, are also widely criticised as being a dull, uninteresting and unconvincing lot, and the Tetraps, her slaves, continue the ignoble tradition of poorly realized ''DoctorWho'' monsters. The music and special effects (also widely regarded as being a nadir for the series on this front) also date dates the story firmly in the 1980s, much to it's detriment.
*'''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - Seriously, ask anyone in the Who fandom; they will tell you that Fear Her is simply awful. The general consensus seems to be that the writer wanted to tell a story that simply wouldn't fit inside the 45 minute time limit, leaving behind the shreds of... something. It contains, in no particular order, a girl making things disappear by drawing them, a picture of that girl's father in her closet, aliens who live on warmth and love, the Doctor running down the street with the Olympic Torch (in what is clearly late winter, no less) screaming "Feel the love!" and some really, really awful line delivery. And then it ends with the Doctor going all serious for a second, completely at odds with the rest of the story I might add, leading into the finale.
*'''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - Seriously, ask anyone in the Who fandom; they will tell you that Fear Her is simply awful. The general consensus seems to be that the writer wanted to tell a story that simply wouldn't fit inside the 45 minute time limit, leaving behind the shreds of... something. It contains, in no particular order, a girl making things disappear by drawing them, a picture of that girl's father in her closet, aliens who live on warmth and love, the Doctor running down the street with the Olympic Torch (in what is clearly late winter, no less) screaming "Feel the love!" and some really, really awful line delivery. And then it ends with the Doctor going all serious for a second, completely at odds with the rest of the story I might add, leading into the finale.
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Have tried to elaborate on these points a bit, but let's be honest; if we can't have these two at least, what can we have? The others fair enough, but these two are almost universally fan-reviled and have been for decades now.
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In certain cases, entire serials have become a fan-byword for poor writing.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma The Twin Dilemma]]''' (1984) - Colin Baker was to have a rough time as Doctor, and his introductory story did not bode well. Although based on an interesting idea -- have the Doctor be emotionally unstable post-regeneration and turn violent and unpredictable, with a resulting spiky edge that would colour his character later -- but thanks to some poor writing, he instead just comes off as an unlikeable {{Jerkass}}, in many ways antithetical with what most believe the Doctor should stand for. This culminates in a wildly out-of-character scene in which the Doctor attempts to throttle his companion Peri; while this is intended to demonstrate the Doctor's irrationality, it still left a poor taste in the mouth for many and the fact that this portrayal ended up colouring Baker's entire tenure (to the extent that to this day people judge his entire character on this scene) just makes things worse. Even by the standards of ''DoctorWho'' monsters the Gastropods, the slug-like bad guys, look painfully silly, and the titular twins who form two of the story's central characters are usually ranked among the worst-acted and least likeable characters ever to appear in the series. And they decided to clothe the Doctor in the notorious multicoloured coat, which many fans argue increased the increasing perception of the time that the show simply couldn't be taken seriously.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]''' (1987) - Likewise, Sylvester [=McCoy=] would not have an easy time of it, as again reflected in his debut; things were chaotic behind the scenes in preparing for this story, which is reflected in the frantic, jumbled and nonsensical plot which involves the Rani kidnapping geniuses from all around the universe for reasons which are never made entirely clear, coupled with a lot of running about and shouting. [=McCoy=]'s Doctor fails to make a good first impression, lumbered with a sense of humour which, consisting as it does mainly of a tendency towards annoying malapropisms and pratfalls, can't help but fall flat. The Lakertyans, the race the Rani has enslaved, are also widely criticised as being a dull, uninteresting and unconvincing lot, and the Tetraps, her slaves, continue the ignoble tradition of poorly realized ''DoctorWho'' monsters. The music and special effects (also widely regarded as being a nadir for the series on this front) also date the story firmly in the 1980s, much to it's detriment.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma The Twin Dilemma]]''' (1984) - Colin Baker was to have a rough time as Doctor, and his introductory story did not bode well. Although based on an interesting idea -- have the Doctor be emotionally unstable post-regeneration and turn violent and unpredictable, with a resulting spiky edge that would colour his character later -- but thanks to some poor writing, he instead just comes off as an unlikeable {{Jerkass}}, in many ways antithetical with what most believe the Doctor should stand for. This culminates in a wildly out-of-character scene in which the Doctor attempts to throttle his companion Peri; while this is intended to demonstrate the Doctor's irrationality, it still left a poor taste in the mouth for many and the fact that this portrayal ended up colouring Baker's entire tenure (to the extent that to this day people judge his entire character on this scene) just makes things worse. Even by the standards of ''DoctorWho'' monsters the Gastropods, the slug-like bad guys, look painfully silly, and the titular twins who form two of the story's central characters are usually ranked among the worst-acted and least likeable characters ever to appear in the series. And they decided to clothe the Doctor in the notorious multicoloured coat, which many fans argue increased the increasing perception of the time that the show simply couldn't be taken seriously.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]''' (1987) - Likewise, Sylvester [=McCoy=] would not have an easy time of it, as again reflected in his debut; things were chaotic behind the scenes in preparing for this story, which is reflected in the frantic, jumbled and nonsensical plot which involves the Rani kidnapping geniuses from all around the universe for reasons which are never made entirely clear, coupled with a lot of running about and shouting. [=McCoy=]'s Doctor fails to make a good first impression, lumbered with a sense of humour which, consisting as it does mainly of a tendency towards annoying malapropisms and pratfalls, can't help but fall flat. The Lakertyans, the race the Rani has enslaved, are also widely criticised as being a dull, uninteresting and unconvincing lot, and the Tetraps, her slaves, continue the ignoble tradition of poorly realized ''DoctorWho'' monsters. The music and special effects (also widely regarded as being a nadir for the series on this front) also date the story firmly in the 1980s, much to it's detriment.
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Sorry, but these need to go into more detail than "poorly written and acted". Fear Her is my least favourite episode of the new series, but its entry adds absolutely nothing. The only halfway elaborated one is MAYBE The Twin Dilemma. I am not whitewashing, I am asking for a better description, and asked over a month ago in the discussion page.
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!!!While some entire serials are bywords for BadWriting:
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E5TheHornsOfNimon The Horns of Nimon]]''' - TomBaker, 1979-80. Hard to believe this shows up in the same series as "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]" above. This is lazily-written, badly-acted nonsense full of embarrassing gaffes (an extra splits his trousers when falling down dead - the camera kept rolling). Rescued into the SoBadItsGood pile by the extraordinary performance of Graham Crowden as the villain, hamming for Britain.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma The Twin Dilemma]]''' (1984) - Colin Baker was to have a rough time as Doctor, and his introductory story did not bode well. The idea was interesting: have the Doctor be emotionally unstable post-regeneration and turn violent and unpredictable, but he just came off as a {{Jerkass}} and it coloured his entire tenure. Also it's badly plotted and written and appallingly acted.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]''' (1987) - And then they did it again to Sylvester [=McCoy=], who made his debut in this trite nonsense; this time the writers decided that post-regeneration Doctors should be clumsy and forgetful. Again, colouring his whole tenure.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - A story about a girl who makes things disappear by drawing them. Yes, even worse than it sounds. Appallingly written and not very well acted, many fans are completely astonished that this was even considered for broadcast, let alone actually shown on television. Many would also have preferred a black screen for 45 minutes than this.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E5TheHornsOfNimon The Horns of Nimon]]''' - TomBaker, 1979-80. Hard to believe this shows up in the same series as "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]" above. This is lazily-written, badly-acted nonsense full of embarrassing gaffes (an extra splits his trousers when falling down dead - the camera kept rolling). Rescued into the SoBadItsGood pile by the extraordinary performance of Graham Crowden as the villain, hamming for Britain.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma The Twin Dilemma]]''' (1984) - Colin Baker was to have a rough time as Doctor, and his introductory story did not bode well. The idea was interesting: have the Doctor be emotionally unstable post-regeneration and turn violent and unpredictable, but he just came off as a {{Jerkass}} and it coloured his entire tenure. Also it's badly plotted and written and appallingly acted.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]''' (1987) - And then they did it again to Sylvester [=McCoy=], who made his debut in this trite nonsense; this time the writers decided that post-regeneration Doctors should be clumsy and forgetful. Again, colouring his whole tenure.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - A story about a girl who makes things disappear by drawing them. Yes, even worse than it sounds. Appallingly written and not very well acted, many fans are completely astonished that this was even considered for broadcast, let alone actually shown on television. Many would also have preferred a black screen for 45 minutes than this.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - A story about a girl who makes things disappear by drawing them. Yes, even worse than it sounds. Appallingly written and not very well acted, many fans are completely astonished that this was even considered for broadcast, let alone actually shown on television. Many would also have preferred a black screen for 45 minutes than this.
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* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E11FearHer '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - A story about a girl who makes things disappear by drawing them. Yes, even worse than it sounds. Appallingly written and not very well acted, many fans are completely astonished that this was even considered for broadcast, let alone actually shown on television. Many would also have preferred a black screen for 45 minutes than this.
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*'''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E11FearHer Fear Her]]''' (2006) - A story about a girl who makes things disappear by drawing them. Yes, even worse than it sounds. Appallingly written and not very well acted, many fans are completely astonished that this was even considered for broadcast, let alone actually shown on television. Many would also have preferred a black screen for 45 minutes than this.
