But after that season, every single story for the remainder of Classic Who is either a 2-, 3-, 4- or 6-parter, so the age of long serials is behind you!
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6 parter IS long 
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The Trial of a Time Lord - Part 14 wants a serious word 
/hj
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But itās 25 minutes shorter than a six-parter 
and they cease to exist after Season 16 as well (or 17, if weāre being pedantic).
I knew someone would point that out. And thatās technically correct, but then again, that entire arc is arguably split into shorter stories anyway that could be watched separately, so it doesnāt reeeeeally count
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Whilst Iād agree that some stories do overstay their welcome, I love many 6 parters and Pertweeās three 7 partners all delight me. They were written to be watched one episode at a time, with a week long break in between, and it does change the viewing experience. Personally, I limit myself to 2 eps at a time. Still love these stories!
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Iāve always felt Inferno was the perfect length. It never drags thanks to the parallel universe plotline.
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We are Doctor Who fansā¦
Come on, of course weāre pedanticā¦
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I know he was a very active fellow & Iāve heard of throuples etc. But three 7 partners! 
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Thereās a structural beauty to long stories that know precisely how to keep things moving and interesting when stretched over 6, 7 or even 10 weeks (The War Games for the win). Whilst Iām a huge fan of The Daleksā Master Plan, even I can see that it loses itās way and sags a little in the third quarter. That said, when itās good it is extraordinary!
Yes, fully in agreement with you @deltaandthebannermen. Inferno uses itās 7 weeks very well indeed. Thereās no other story quite like it (and no other season it would quite fit in other than season 7).
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Oops! 
Ah well, those three 7 parters are a high point for me. Great stuff!
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Reverse the polygamy of the neutron flow 
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I find a lot of stories with more than 4 parts to drag, but I also have to admire the way they handled 6-parters in Tomās era. The Seeds of Doom is quite clever, in having essentially a self-contained 2-parter linking to a 4-parter, and The Invasion of Time follows suit with a 4 part story followed by a 2 part tag-on story. Whether or not we think theyāre good is another matter, but itās a clever structure when it comes to building a 6-parter IMO.
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Thereās a influence on Moffatās approach to modern two parters, isnāt there? Moffat follows the same dramatic shift or change of context that can be traced right back to the likes of The Seeds of Doom (long a favourite of mine). Thereās also evidence that RTD enjoys that change in focus/context, although he employs it slightly differently to Moffat.
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Considering influence, itās striking to me how much Spearhead continues to influence RTD to this day. Obviously, there are the very strong links with Rose but, beyond that, the cosiness of the UNIT era really starts here, along with that sense of a wider cast of regular and semi-regular actors and significant steps towards a more consistent and coherent universe. Spearhead was very much a trailblazer and it still casts a shadow on DW to this day. I feel that the Letts/Dicks era (frequent contemporary focus, larger regular/semi-regular cast, a sense of the cosy/homely that contrasts so well with intergalactic threats) and Graham Williams era (campy colour and wit, very diverse and creative stories) both serve as strong inspiration for RTD.
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Liz Shaw also feels much more of an equal to the Doctor than most before her (Zoe would often be shown to be intelligent, but she was also still portrayed as a bit of a damsel in distress alongside Jamie), and I think Liz set a template that future Who would pick up on. The classic series defaulted back to the Jo Grant-type somewhat, but the idea of someone as equal as the Doctor fed through Romana and some new series companions too.
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Terror of the Suburbs is a great little doc, & not just because I know Ealing quite well.
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Clip from Terror of the Suburbs. They showed this clip at the BFI screening.
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Am I the only one who sees BFI and thinks āBig Finishā before āBritish Film?ā
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Behind the Sofa - Behind the Scenes preview from Toby Hadokeās patreon.
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