Classic Who for Discussion

talking of Random I love the episodes with Martha when they meet Shakespeare and the episodes with Rose when they meet Dickens. fab. that is what I would do too when we get Daves carrot powered Tardis ready, but hopefully without the spooks.

With the Doctor you got to get used to the spooks! (I blame the TARDIS-her fault).
Yeah I didnt think they did enough of the historical stuff and settings during Eccleston and Tennants stints- and when they do, The Empty Child (WW2), Madame Pompadeur (Renaissance France), The Idiot Lantern (Dickens) they are always good.

Doctor Who documentary made for the last anniversary. So only covers the first 7 Doctors. eWell worth a watch for any WHo fan however.

Ok in a last ditch attempt to get some classic Who viewing I give yyou Genesis of the Daleks- Tom Baker is the Doctor, the era is the 70's.
And if you want your Whovian badge you have to have seen this stroy- origin of the Daleks, intriduction of Davros, and the begining of the Time War. And its just a cracking well told stroy.
6 episodes of 25 minutes. I will put up an episode every couple of days- if you are a Who fan please do watch, you wo't regret it- if you are not a Who fan (are you ill?) its a great place to start becoming one. Your thoughts on the episodes as we watch would be interesting.

Noone given Genesis a go? Come one its a classic folks!

'Terry Nation’s script is his best accomplishment for Doctor Who, a whirlwind mix of drama, violence, humour (“No tea, Harry”) and intelligent moral dilemma. It’s well matched by David Maloney, who also puts in some of his best work for the show. Maloney manages to bring a sense of pace and urgency to the serial, delivering some memorable set-pieces in the process. Aside from the memorable cliffhangers (the freeze-frame of part two, the close-up shot of The Doctor’s agony in parts three and four), there are several well-executed set-pieces dotted throughout, such as the opening massacre, Davros’ talk with The Doctor, and the closing crescendo. Every shot is carefully considered. Every sequence is filmed to get the most dramatic impact. Every actor is chosen to deliver a convincing performance. And even though the screams are a bit hammy, James Garbutt as Ronson and Dennis Chinnery as Gharman are superb.
On the other side of the tracks, Stephen Yardley as Sevrin the Friendly Muto and Harriet Philpin as Bettan are just as good. And of course, Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter are excellent throughout. This is probably the last proper instance of The Doctor/Harry double act, and both Baker and Marter really pull it off...it’s that sort of intelligent reasoning that makes Genesis Of The Daleks so special. It doesn’t debate issues in clear-cut black and white, it goes a lot deeper, looking at both sides of the argument and leaving the viewer to assess who’s right and who’s wrong. Moral complexities aside, Genesis Of The Daleks completely deserves its classic status. The script, acting, direction and even the effects come together to create a seamless vein of quality. Sheer genius.-shadowlocked

While the Doctor's ponderings in part six brings glorious resolution to the story, we can't ignore the previous five parts. It turns out that the entire story is a tight and gripping adventure. Normally when you have a story going beyond the "normal" four parts, you'll find some padding and unnecessary filler. In "Genesis," there is no filler. From beginning to end, there's action and necessary exposition. So many details come bubbling forth, so much history is detailed, and so many characters play pivotal roles that you never have a dull moment. (Of course it wouldn't be Who without at least one silly moment, which in this case would be Harry versus the killer polystyrene clam!).
I have not seen every story of Doctor Who (and I refer to the ones spared from the archive purge), but I do consider myself a Whovian. Because I have not seen every story, this gives me the wonderful opportunity to see some outstanding tales from the past. I had such an opportunity with this disc and in watching "Genesis," only one word came to mind: Brilliant! The story, the acting, and the drama all combine to form not only an outstanding Doctor Who story but simply a thrilling story no matter the setting.- DVD Review

The serial is described as "one of the most popular of all time" by the Outpost Gallifrey episode guide, and as "a gem of a story" by David Howe and Stephen James Walker in their Doctor Who Television Companion, and in a 1998 poll of readers by Doctor Who Magazine, over 2500 voters placed Genesis at the top of a poll to find the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, and it has regularly featured in the top-tens of other similar polls down the years.- wiki

Genesis of the Daleks was a controversial story which didn't shy from a rather brutal depiction of the horrors of war. Certainly there is little attempt made to disguise the Kaleds' Nazi influences. Indeed, under newly-appointed Producer Philip Hinchcliffe, the series was becoming increasingly more violent, incurring the wrath of self-appointed moral guardians like Mary Whitehouse

It's true that there's a bit too much running up and down corridors, or crawling through air vents, in the six-part story, but in most other respects Genesis of the Daleks is a remarkable story, with a strong moral core, well-developed ideas, and some of the best production values of the entire series.
The story is superbly directed by David Maloney, one of the series' most talented contributors. He has a flair for the dramatic, and a very good eye for composition. He manages to keep the story rattling along at a breathless pace, even when Terry Nation's often routine plotting is working against him. One of the key strengths of this story is highlighted several times on the DVD, during the documentaries, and in passing during the commentary: Duncan Brown's magnificent lighting.
The story is one of the very best Doctor Who stories, and it has the Daleks and Tom Baker in it. What more do you want!-Zeta minor reviews

8.9- imdb rating

The regular cast here is Tom Baker as the Doctor, Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane Smith and Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan. The three characters all play very well off each other, as they do in most of the stories when they were together. The contrast between Sladens exuberance, Toms enigmatic persona and Marters quiet sarcasm truly is a delight to behold. The guest cast is also very good here. Micheal Wisher gives probably the definitive performance as Davros, Peter Miles is excellent as Nyder and Dennis Chinnerys portrayal as Gharman are real highlights.
Overall, Genesis of the Daleks is a wonderful story in the best traditions of Doctor Who. It possibly suffers a little from being a six part story, but is still a delight, and one I can watch again and again without being even the slightest bit bored.-Paradise Towers

The story rates quite simply as one of the very best Dalek stories of all time.-Gallifrey Base

Right if that lot doesn't convince you to give it a go then I doubt anything I can add will either.

No-one got 25 minutes of their life spare for some classic 70's tv?
I was planning to put part 2 up today.

60's era Doctor set to the Beatles. Perfect really.

So no one at all watch Genesis of the Daleks?
Hopeless shower the lot of you!!!

Well I shall carry on regardless- with a new series in a couple of weeks time and the 50th anniversary seems a good time to put up (again!) the first ever episode of Doctor Who- An Unearthly Child.



And as the opening is Asylum of the Daleks, Genesis is an approprite watch but failing that here is the 1st Doctor classic Dalek story Dalek Invasion of Earth.

Can't believe I didn't think of this before- its perfect for Forumshire!

Sylvestor Mccoy as Doctor (and he even does his whistling thing that I am sure PJ will not be able to resist making use of - a lot- for Radagast).
And it has a Fjordian theme (no Orwell not THOSE themes ).






I'll put up the rest if anyone shows an interest.

edit add- probably best for full aprecciation of this episode if I give you a bit of Bio on Ace- the companion.
I always liked her and her character had a lot of potential that the canning of the show stopped before it got really going.
The Curse of Fenric is one of the main stories (along with Ghost Light) to touch on Ace's troubled past.

'Ace first appears in the 1987 serial Dragonfire, where she is working as a waitress in the frozen food retail complex of Iceworld on the planet Svartos. She had been a troubled teen on Earth, having been expelled from school for blowing up the art room as a "creative statement". Gifted in chemistry (despite failing it for her A-levels), she was in her room experimenting with the extraction of nitroglycerin from gelignite when a time storm swept her up and transported her to Iceworld, and far in her future. There, she meets the Doctor and his companion Mel. When Mel leaves the Doctor at the conclusion of the serial, he offers to take Ace with him in the TARDIS, and she happily accepts.
Ace suffered traumatic events in her childhood, including a bad relationship with her mother Audrey
and the racist firebombing of her friend Manisha's flat when she was 13. Following the latter event, needing to lash out, she burnt down a local abandoned Victorian house named Gabriel Chase after sensing an evil aura there and was put on probation. Consequently, Ace covered up her own fears and insecurities with a streetwise, tough exterior. Her weapon of choice, disapproved of by the Doctor (who nonetheless found it useful on occasion), was a powerful explosive she called "Nitro-9", which she mixed up in canisters and carried around in her backpack.
Affectionately giving the Doctor the nickname of "Professor", she is convinced that the Doctor needs her to watch his back.
In turn, the Doctor seems to take a special interest in Ace's education, taking her across the universe and often prompting her to figure out explanations for herself rather than giving her all the answers. However, the Seventh Doctor's increasing tendency to manipulate events and people (including her) results in several difficult moments in their relationship.'

Svartos?

Svartos! Yup- very cold there and with a dragon, sort of.

No takers for Mccoy's Who? Not even curious to see if he is any good?

your gif is putting me off.

Better?

I weep for the classic Who thread! Great episodes of a great show going unseen and uncommented on. Woe is me! What is an old Whovian to do?
Bloody well plough on regardless, thats what!

Here a trailer for a pretty good Dalek story and one of the better McCoy era stories. (For a complete and full appreciation of this episode you might want to watch the very first episode of Who the Unearthly Child and the Tennant two part episode (or at least the last fifteen minutes of) The End of Time (so you at least have a vague idea of the Hand of Omega). Offhand I cant remember which classic episode the Hand is first mentioned in (I'll get back to you on that!).
You dont need to see those episodes to watch this one, but it just makes it a little bit richer an experience if you have.

Anyway, here's the trailer for the 7th Doctor story- Remembrence of the Daleks

OK ive decided to dig this thread back out becuase its the 50th Anniversary.

So what I have decided to do is to go through Classic WHo from start to finish and pick out major events and moments in the Doctors televised life.
The reason for doing so is that the 50th show is full of nods and refrences backwards to the shows histroy and knowledge of these, although ot at all essential, will enrich some moments perhaps.

I will also put each one in spoilers incase people want to track down and watch the episode first (most classic Who is on Dailymotion somewhere)

The Unearthly Child.

Spoiler:

The Cave of Skulls

Spoiler:

The Daleks

Spoiler: