- The War Machines
- The Time Meddler
- The Tenth Planet
- The Crusade
- The Gunfighters
3 Likes
I very much found this when I watched a month or so ago. It’s very repetitive.
1 Like
I actually watched the First Doctor Era all the way through a while back so I have a top five already made. The era as a whole I don’t think was fully settled into its premise yet so its one of my least favourites in the show, but it’s by no means bad and easily one of the most charming, filled with all that wonderful 60s whimsy early Who excelled in.
(Ranked in ascending order)
-
S3E4 - The Daleks’ Master Plan:
A gargantuan episode that truly feels epic in scale, it dips massively in quality around the middle (at least for me) but the beginning and especially the end are peak Who and Sara is a companion I wish we got more of. -
S3E6 - The Ark
Shaky moral values aside, the Ark is an incredibly imaginative story that’s joyously bursting with ideas, fully utilising the show’s unique time travel mechanic. One of the most undeniably sci-fi episodes of the era. -
S2E9 - The Time Meddler
So unbelievably ahead of its time in plot and tone, The Time Meddler is a landmark story in the show with an entertaining cast, antagonist and setting that moves like lightning with every character at their best. -
S2E4 - The Romans
Probably the funniest episode of classic who, The Romans is an incredibly fun story that has the characters, for once, actually having fun on their adventures through time and space and it was actually an educational experience, unlike most historicals that meant to do the same thing. -
S1E6 - The Aztecs
Absolutely insane for the very first season, the first episode to truly to ahold of the premise and use it well. A fascinating moral dilemma, incredible character work and a setting that really does envelop you, even on a 60s budget. Smart, quick and brilliant.
5 Likes
Though I don’t agree with all these points (I think the Sensorites is one of the worst stories of the 60s), it’s nice to see the Gunfighters so high up on a list. Incredibly underrated story.
1 Like
Big Finish has done a lot with Sara Kingdom. Of particular note is anything by Simon Guerrier, especially the Home Truths trilogy (Home Truths, The Drowned World and The Guardian of the Solar System).
2 Likes
I got and listened to Home Truths a while back (just after finishing Daleks’ Master Plan to be exact). I did enjoy it quite a lot and should probably get around to buying the other two at some point, especially since Simon Guerrier is one of my favourite writers.
2 Likes
The Anachronauts is another good one (with Steven and Sara), as is The Suffering with Steven and Vicki.
3 Likes
They both look really interesting, thanks for the recommendations.
2 Likes
One thing I will point out on the Sensorites is that while it’s not really one of my favorites (I liked the first half rather better than the second), it actually was specifically a good story for Susan.
When I was trying to help flesh out quotes from Susan on the site, it was one of the better sources…
(And just as a note, in the quotes section, there’s a “Add Quotes” link where anyone can submit quotes for approval on the site.)
5 Likes
Great list! We have quite a few in common.
- The Aztecs
- The Myth Makers
- The Massacre
- The Romans
- The Dalek Invasion of Earth
2 Likes
In my experience, it seems to be one people either can’t stand or absolutely love 
4 Likes
I think my top five (in no particular order) are:
The Aztecs
The Time Meddler
The War Machines
The Massacre
The Romans or The Savages
3 Likes
Top 5:
The Romans
The Aztecs
The Daleks’ Master Plan (include Mission in there for simplicity)
The Massacre
The War Machines
Runners Up:
The Myth Makers
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Crusade
The Tenth Planet
The Rescue
There are only really 3 Hartnell era ones I’d say I dislike.
5 Likes
Oh, which ones?
1 Like
Celestial Toymaker, Web Planet, Chase (except for the last few minutes with Ian and Barbara)
3 Likes
I hope Toymaker is the Bottom Spot! 
Jokes aside, those are very understandable bottom 3s to have, Toymaker is for me the only one that I outright dislike for this Era. The other two just rank pretty low for me, but I wouldn’t say I didn’t like them at all
2 Likes
Toymaker is indeed the bottom spot. TWP I like the ambition if not the execution, Chase has a few bits I like. The Ark and Galaxy 4 are the next ones up, a bit mid, but I don’t dislike them particularly. Even with Toymaker I like the titular character and Gough’s performance.
2 Likes