Was just watching a video on YouTube, and it reminded me of my most modern (possibly) controversial take: I liked the little pre-titles bit on The Star Beast 
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I like the 13th Doctor and her era (especially the Timeless Child). There are bad episodes but I enjoy most of them. Series 7 isnât as bland as everyone says. Itâs one of my favorite 11th Doctor series.
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I agree with both of these comments. Is it really controversial to like the 13th Doctorâs era? Thereâs a lot of love for it on TARDIS Guide. I guess itâs controversial for a certain sector of fandom (thankfully not noticed this on TARDIS Guide), but there are a great many people who enjoyed the era (rightly so, in my opinion). 
Series 7? I freely admit to enjoying greatly. Highlights wise, Iâd say:
7A:
âAsylum of the Daleksâ is one of those rare Dalek stories that dares to do something genuinely different. Itâs creepy, atmospheric and clever in a typically Moffat way. A genuinely great episode!
âThe Power of Threeâ contains some lovely ideas, is an original concept and is, once again, rather atmospheric in places. The idea of the slow invasion is, I think, excellent! OK, so the end is a bit of a mess (but the reasons go beyond the script and lay much at the feet of Steven Berkoff) but I still very much enjoy this one.
âThe Angels Take Manhattenâ Ignoring the deeply frustrating inclusion of the Statue of Liberty Angel, the rest of the story is interesting, the cherubs are excellent, the period setting is fun, River is a blast and the end packs emotional punch. Overall, flawed but admirable. Itâs bold in the kind of way that only Doctor Who can be.
7B
âThe Bells of Saint Johnâ is a funny, fast paced, inventive opener. Itâs possibly the most RTD of Moffatâs opening episodes and keeps me entertained throughout.
âCold Warâ is straightforward and uses a good number of tropes, but for that reason it feels very classic, which is fitting for the story that brought the Ice Warriors back after so long. Itâs also pacy, scary, makes creative use of Skaldak and features a fun turn from David Warner. Love it!
âHideâ is⊠wonderful! Whatâs not to love? Itâs beautifully filmed, creepy and clever. It has heart, wonderful creature design, a genuine sense of threat and all round fantastic performances. Itâs great!
âJourney to the Centre of the TARDISâ I really enjoy. Never really understood why this doesnât have more love. I always enjoy stories that delve deeper into the TARDIS (yes, even âThe Invasion of Timeâ has its moments). The âtime zombieâ creatures are disturbing (probably really scary for small children), the plot is different to the norm, the visuals are strong. Itâs atmospheric and it just makes me smile!
âThe Crimson Horrorâ is fantastic! One of my all time favourites from the Eleventh Doctorâs era. Itâs bold in picking up half way through the Doctor and Claraâs involvement in the story. I love the aesthetic. The Victorian period setting, as so often, effortlessly evokes that Doctor Who vibe. Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs Gillyflower? Yes PLEASE! Sheâs an utter delight (as to be expected really). Add to that, the lovely touch of having Rachel Stirling playing Mrs Gillyflowerâs daughter. Mother and daughter, together on screen as mother and daughter. It just adds an extra layer. Oh, and the red leech, Mr Sweet, is a brilliant Doctor Who monster.
Those are my highlights. Add to that the introduction of John Hurtâs War Doctor at the end of âThe Name of the Doctorâ (I admit to having some issues with this story but that reveal and cliffhanger? Utter genius!
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I really like The Crimson Horror too. Iâd say itâs Gatissâs best story for the series.
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Absolutely! It goes to new and unexpected places narratively, benefits from Gatissâs love of the classic and penchant for the creepy and is blessed with both great directing and acting. Itâs a gem!
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To me, Heaven Sent - you know the Peter Capaldi solo episode - is a huge, ludicrously plotted bore. Everyone seems to love this, but to me, itâs just ⊠bleh.
Equally, not everyone loves Series 18 story Meglos - and I think itâs absolutely wonderful. Silly, wonderfully acted, with a fascinating villain. All grounded by a truly frightening performance from ⊠Tom Baker.
âBut thatâs ⊠impossible!â
âYes. The ultimate impossibility!â
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I realized I have some weird opinions due to having joined the fandom through my little pony, and that otherwise I wouldnât have joined the fandom.
1: I donât really care about whatâs actually happening. Like, if thing x happens, I donât care at all and I act like it might never have happened. So I tend to multiship Nyssa and Iâve shipped her with even and expecially Luvic: to me Traken isnât necessarily destroyed, because there could have come someone who would have done it differently than Bidmead.
2: I tend to notice the actorsâ looks more, not because I see color more or am more of a bigot, but because the MLP fandom is all about the visuals.
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- The Cybermen are boring. They really are superior in only one respect.
- I understand why Nicola hates it, but Timelash is my favorite story of s22.
- City of Death, while a good jumping-on point, is nothing special. Itâs just fine.
- Eleven is my least favorite doctor, and in fact the only one I actively dislike.
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I agree with almost all of your takes on episodes. I disagree with Crimson Horror. Iâm not a fan of the episode. Itâs a bit weird.
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I quite agree that âThe Crimson Horrorâ is weird. Thatâs part of what I love about it! 
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The Talons were boring, thatâs true. I myself barely remember the episode.
But I decided to give Jago & Litefoot a listen just to feed my curiosity. And it turned out to be an actually good series with very charismatic characters
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Iâll start with the big one:
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There is too much Doctor Who! With audios, books, comics and games, thereâs more than I can possibly absorb. This is a good problem to have, but I canât keep up. That said, thereâs not nearly enough episodes in each current TV series.
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Doctor Who is a childrenâs show. This is a good thing. The best childrenâs stuff intrigues adults because itâs well-made and doesnât talk down to its audience. Anyone who thinks adults shouldnât like childrenâs stories is a joyless bore.
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Multi-camera, studio based drama had atmosphere and Iâd love to see some modern episodes made in this way.
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The current team should consider getting Big Finish to make audios with the current TARDIS team to play on BBC radio to extend the current season length with additional audios.
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RTDâs non Doctor Who work is much better than his Who stuff.
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Heaven Sent is overrated (ok, not so controversial, given others also agree). Itâs also self indulgent and a little smug.
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Hartnellâs best performances were in the historicals and they were abandoned far too soon.
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Peter Davison left a season too soon and this began the collapse in public standing of the show in general.
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Doctor Whoâs cancellation in 1989 was based on a personal grudge and handled in such an underhand manner that itâs no wonder that many fans harbour paranoid conspiracy theories or worry so much about viewing figures.
Iâm not sure that Iâm willing to die on any of these hills, but Iâm sure theyâre reasonably controversial.
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I agree about pure historicals. We need to bring them back
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I know Colin was the only Doctor who actually got âfiredâ, but Iâve never understood why he is the sole face of DWâs cancellation. Technically, Sylvester was the ultimate Doctor who couldnât turn things around after they got rid of Six, but I never see anyone ask him questions or talk about him in relation to the show ending.
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I would have thought this would be Colin Baker for you
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Sylvester is the ultimate Doctor in terms of being. The last Classic Doctor. But the controversy was often with the Sixth Doctor and his era.
Theyâre both Ultimate Doctors but in different ways!
I donât have an Ultimate Doctor or an Ultimate Companion, right now itâs mostly about Luvic actually. But even he is going away!
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They are all of them the Ultimate Doctor in one way or another 
I just saw the opportunity to make a silly joke and took it 
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Yes bc theyâre after all the same person who âregeneratesâ⊠or in human terms⊠its a botched reconstructive plastic surgeryâŠ
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This isnât what I said! Colin Baker is a fine actor and was/is a great Doctor. He delivered to his brief and against the odds, but he was cannon fodder in a wider war. The personal grudge wasnât against him (despite what Gary Downie alleged in his final DWM interview; that it was between Grade and Baker), rather it was between Jonathan Powell and JNT. At the time, it was very difficult to fire a producer and much easier to fire a star. Instead, Powell instigated what would appear to be a campaign of constructive dismissal against JNT. Thereâs far too much to go into in full here, but if you havenât yet read Richard Marsonâs fantastic book: Totally Tasteless: The Life of John Nathan-Turner, I can highly recommend it. Itâs just about to go into another reprint and you can get it from Ten Acre Films
Putting that together with some of what James Cooray-Smith has written in his excellent Psychic Paper and his Black Archive on The Ultimate Foe, the picture becomes clearer. Hereâs a link to Psychic Paper, well worth subscribing to.
Not only did Powell try to cancel Doctor Who after it had been renewed for the 1986 season, he then backtracked on this decision and commissioned a curtailed season. After this, he provided no feedback on how to improve the show. It was then scheduled in graveyard slots against Coronation Street. Finally, he put it on indefinite hiatus, telling fans that there would be a slightly bigger gap between seasons, when heâs actually cancelled the show and rendered JNT effectively redundant. No doubt there were many sides to the story, but I do believe that this was a grudge act that affected a wide number of people and really wasnât professional behaviour.
Apart from a newspaper interview when he was understandably very hurt, Colin Baker has conducted himself professionally and with dignity throughout, and heâs been keen to support and encourage fans. Heâs not only a good actor, but a genuinely lovely guy! Neither he nor Sylvester McCoy carry responsibility for the end of Classic Who. It was a decision taken by management that was deliberately obscured from the public to prevent a backlash, and, I allege in my controversial opinion, that it was taken on personal and not professional grounds.
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I wasnât talking about you. Your post only reminded me of something I donât understand about the fandom. What I was asking about has nothing to do with Colin or Sylvester or anyone involved with the BBC, but how the fandom makes the cancellation out to be something solely attributed to Colinâs era despite Sylvester being the actual last Doctor before the show ended.
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