I’m currently making my way through classic Who from the very beginning, and I’m well-aware that many serials (including massive amounts of the Second Doctor’s run) are partially or completely inaccessible in their original mediums. I do plan to watch all of them in whatever form they’re available in, but for now I’ve been skipping them to focus on whatever’s still around in the standard format.
However, especially with Troughton’s era in mind, I have a question: Are there any unskippable lost serials? Ones that involve some major change to the cast, introduce someone or something important, or are just too good to put off? I’d love some input from people who have watched the first few seasons of the show.
First one that comes to mind for me based in your criteria is Patrick Troughton’s The Invasion. I found it to be an enjoyable serial, and only two of eight parts are missing, so I think it would be easier for you. I also recall liking the narrated audio of The Massacre (Hartnell), and enjoying the atmosphere. I also enjoyed the animated versions of both Power of the Daleks (Troughton’s first serial) and Evil of the Daleks (introduction to companion Victoria)
I love both Eras, so I am glad to help, technically if my Memory serves me there aren’t that many Serials with heavy Implications for future Stories, which are lost. Classic Who went a very special Route, where most of its Stories while progressing the Characters can be quite Standalone. I do think there is a lot to be made of watching it in Order but don’t worry too much about it.
Thankfully with Throughton if you are fine with Animation, you will be covered, almost all of his missing Stories have been animated, only the Highlanders (Jamies first Story), Wheel in Space (Zoes first) & Space Pirates (penultimate Story) are left. I do say watch the Animations before and see if they are for you (they change Artstyle, Art Direction and Look very often) and maybe after that jump into one of those if you want more 2.
As for Hartnell, there are way less Animations out there. Marco Polo, Daleks Masterplan & The Massacre are all great superb Stories that I highly recommend and their Chance to be animated is pretty small as of current. I do recommend the Massacre first the other two are Beasts and only recommendable after you get used to Telesnaps (and maybe even longer Stories around 6-7, sometimes over 10 Parts!).
Either way, I hope you enjoy your Journey, if you have any further questions, I am only happy to answer them! Hope my Answer is somewhat helpful!
I’d suggest that The Web of Fear has Lethbridge-Stewart’s first appearance in it, so that in addition to Invasion for the first of UNIT. In theory, the Abominable Snowmen should probably come before the Web of Fear… but you could probably skip it.
The Power of the Dalek’s is a bit of a must see, both as a great Dalek story and the first 2nd Doctor story. I’d also suggest watching The Macra Terror, as it’s great.
I have to bring up Power of the Daleks again, simply because it’s Troughton’s first serial, the first post-regeneration story and simply a marvellous Dalek story. Fortunately, it’s viewable in two different animations, so it’s not too much of a hassle.
As for stories with no animated episodes yet, one good choice would be The Web of Fear (I pretend that the terribly snimated Part 3 doesn’t exist). It’s a base under siege that introduced the Brigadier, before he was the Brigadier - and that happens in the only missing episode, Part 3. You could watch the other five parts as normal and then watch a telesnap reconstruction of Part 3.
Then we have The Invasion, which in turn introduced UNIT and the Brigadier as the Brigadier. It has had its missing episodes animated.
Edit: I didn’t think about Hartnell at all! But I’d say that The Daleks’ Master Plan is quite the phenomenon. Sadly, it’s 12 episodes long and only has two existing episodes, so while I recommend you watch it to see how DW tackled epic space opera that goes from serious, silly to devastating, you probably shouldn’t start with it.
I would also throw in The Highlanders (Jamie’s introduction) and The Faceless Ones (Ben and Polly leave, although it’s not the focus of the whole serial). The former story is a little more inaccessible though, whereas the latter has been animated.
Certainly for Troughton you should watch Power of the Daleks. Everyone seems to be steering you towards The Web of Fear and The Invasion but I’d also suggest The Evil of the Daleks. It introduces Victoria as a companion and also does interesting things with the Daleks.
For Hartnell I think that, although it’s not well-loved nowadays, it would be a shame to skip The Celestial Toymaker especially in light of the current series focus on the Pantheon. The animation for that story is quite experimental.
I would also like to add that some of the animations make some stories really good, and I would recommend them even if they don’t have any plot points that make them “Must-Watch”. I would put stuff like The Macra Terror, The Faceless Ones, and Fury from the Deep in this category.
This is very true, although I find Marco Polo to be particularly effective, even in recon form. It’s a story surrounded by such hype that I fully expected to be disappointed when I managed to track down the recon. To my delight, I was not disappointed at all! For me, at least, it more than lived up to all that hype.
As for The Daleks’ Master Plan, what to say? It’s phenomenal, especially the first three episodes and the last two. The rest of it rattles along pretty well too, though it does slump a little. The story suffers more than Marco Polo for the absence of footage however (particularly in the middle episodes). That said, at its best it is just superb. It is, however, MASSIVE!
Well, in terms of cast changes, The Myth Makers, The Daleks’ Master Plan, The Massacre, The Savages, The Tenth Planet, The Power of the Daleks, The Highlanders, The Faceless Ones, The Evil of the Daleks, Fury from the Deep, and The Wheel in Space all apply.
As for just being really good, I’d suggest Marco Polo, The Crusade, Mission to the Unknown all the way through The Massacre, The Tenth Planet, The Power of the Daleks, The Macra Terror through The Evil of the Daleks, The Web of Fear, Fury From the Deep, and The Invasion.
