Classic Doctor Who For A Newbie ...
Jan. 7th, 2010 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrasteSo, I have a friend who's recently finished watching the entire new series of Doctor Who and is curious about the earlier Doctors. She doesn't have a VCR, which limits the episodes I can lend her to what I have available on DVD. I've picked out half a dozen so she can try out the different eras, but I keep second guessing myself. (There are spoilers below the cut through to the end of the 2008 season, incidentally.)
The First Doctor
My instinct is to go with The Time Meddler here - it's the first psuedohistorical in series history and the first time we meet another member of the Doctor's species, which makes it historically interesting. It's also a fun, solid story.
I also have The Dalek Invasion of Earth, which is important since it's Susan's last story, but I think it's a bit long for a first black and white story. I also have The Rescue and The Romans box set, but I don't think The Rescue is a particularly good place to start. The Romans is possible, but I worry that a new series fan would spend the whole time waiting for the aliens to turn up.
The Second Doctor
I keep vacillating between The Mind Robber and Tomb of the Cybermen. The Mind Robber is wonderful and gloriously weird, but there's nothing else like it in the history of the show so I'm not sure it's a good place to begin. Tomb of the Cybermen epitomises everything about the Troughton 'base under siege' stories in good and bad ways. On the plus side it has awesome original universe Cybermen in it.
I also own The War Games, but while it's my favourite Troughton of all, it's clearly out of the question for a new fan.
The Third Doctor
This is the easy one - Spearhead From Space it is. I will give her The Time Warrior sooner or later since it has familiar elements - Sarah Jane, the Sontarans - but its so atypical of the Third Doctor I think I'll start her out with a classic UNIT story instead.
I know what you're all thinking, but I do not actually own anything with Delgardo in it on DVD. (I'm waiting for The Mind of Evil!) The Autons will just have to do for now.
The Fourth Doctor
Oh, dear, so much to choose from! I'm hopeless when it comes to picking Tom Baker stories; he's my favourite so I always want to give people EVERYTHING. Ultimately I'm inclined to go with Genesis of the Daleks first, so she can see the backstory for The Stolen Earth. And any newbie guide to Doctor Who is surely obligated to include at least one Dalek story.
On the other hand, there's always Robots of Death. Or City of Death. Or Pyramids of Mars. Or Image of the Fendahl. Or ... um. See, I am bad at this.
The Fifth Doctor
I think Black Orchid would be a good introduction to the Fifth Doctor, except that it's so unlike anything anywhere else in his era (or any other Doctor's era, really) that it may give her a very odd impression of what to expect later. It does have cricket in it, though.
The only other Fifth Doctor DVDs I own are The Black Guardian Trilogy - not appropriate for someone who has no idea who the Brig is yet - and The Caves of Androzani. On the one hand, almost everyone loves it. On the other, do I really want to introduce her to Five with his swansong?
The Sixth Doctor
... I think we will just be skipping quietly past Six for now. I adore Colin Baker's Doctor beyond the telling of, but he's definitely an acquired taste. Most of his TV scripts were rubbish or are incomprehensible to a new fan. The only DVDs I have are Revelation of the Daleks and The Two Doctors, neither of which is likely to make a whole lot of sense to someone not steeped in the mythology.
If she really wants to know about Six, I'll show her a picture of the terrible coat for reference purposes and lend her The Marian Conspiracy or The Holy Terror instead.
The Seventh Doctor
Here is where I get annoyed that The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is not out on DVD yet. Sure, the meta elements would go flying over the head of someone who doesn't know about classic series fandom, but it's still a cracking story if you don't get those bits. I will just have to give her The Curse of Fenric instead - a better story, but not necessarily as good as an introduction. I don't know how it comes across if you're not already attached to Ace as a character.
I also have Ghost Light, but I don't want her head to explode prematurely.
The First Doctor
My instinct is to go with The Time Meddler here - it's the first psuedohistorical in series history and the first time we meet another member of the Doctor's species, which makes it historically interesting. It's also a fun, solid story.
I also have The Dalek Invasion of Earth, which is important since it's Susan's last story, but I think it's a bit long for a first black and white story. I also have The Rescue and The Romans box set, but I don't think The Rescue is a particularly good place to start. The Romans is possible, but I worry that a new series fan would spend the whole time waiting for the aliens to turn up.
The Second Doctor
I keep vacillating between The Mind Robber and Tomb of the Cybermen. The Mind Robber is wonderful and gloriously weird, but there's nothing else like it in the history of the show so I'm not sure it's a good place to begin. Tomb of the Cybermen epitomises everything about the Troughton 'base under siege' stories in good and bad ways. On the plus side it has awesome original universe Cybermen in it.
I also own The War Games, but while it's my favourite Troughton of all, it's clearly out of the question for a new fan.
The Third Doctor
This is the easy one - Spearhead From Space it is. I will give her The Time Warrior sooner or later since it has familiar elements - Sarah Jane, the Sontarans - but its so atypical of the Third Doctor I think I'll start her out with a classic UNIT story instead.
I know what you're all thinking, but I do not actually own anything with Delgardo in it on DVD. (I'm waiting for The Mind of Evil!) The Autons will just have to do for now.
The Fourth Doctor
Oh, dear, so much to choose from! I'm hopeless when it comes to picking Tom Baker stories; he's my favourite so I always want to give people EVERYTHING. Ultimately I'm inclined to go with Genesis of the Daleks first, so she can see the backstory for The Stolen Earth. And any newbie guide to Doctor Who is surely obligated to include at least one Dalek story.
On the other hand, there's always Robots of Death. Or City of Death. Or Pyramids of Mars. Or Image of the Fendahl. Or ... um. See, I am bad at this.
The Fifth Doctor
I think Black Orchid would be a good introduction to the Fifth Doctor, except that it's so unlike anything anywhere else in his era (or any other Doctor's era, really) that it may give her a very odd impression of what to expect later. It does have cricket in it, though.
The only other Fifth Doctor DVDs I own are The Black Guardian Trilogy - not appropriate for someone who has no idea who the Brig is yet - and The Caves of Androzani. On the one hand, almost everyone loves it. On the other, do I really want to introduce her to Five with his swansong?
The Sixth Doctor
... I think we will just be skipping quietly past Six for now. I adore Colin Baker's Doctor beyond the telling of, but he's definitely an acquired taste. Most of his TV scripts were rubbish or are incomprehensible to a new fan. The only DVDs I have are Revelation of the Daleks and The Two Doctors, neither of which is likely to make a whole lot of sense to someone not steeped in the mythology.
If she really wants to know about Six, I'll show her a picture of the terrible coat for reference purposes and lend her The Marian Conspiracy or The Holy Terror instead.
The Seventh Doctor
Here is where I get annoyed that The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is not out on DVD yet. Sure, the meta elements would go flying over the head of someone who doesn't know about classic series fandom, but it's still a cracking story if you don't get those bits. I will just have to give her The Curse of Fenric instead - a better story, but not necessarily as good as an introduction. I don't know how it comes across if you're not already attached to Ace as a character.
I also have Ghost Light, but I don't want her head to explode prematurely.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-07 01:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-07 07:08 pm (UTC)Re: Curse of Fenric - I tried it as an introduction to Ace and Seven for two different people, and it worked beautifully for
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-08 01:36 am (UTC)Curse of Fenric is such a good story, and Ace is just awesome. I can't see how they couldn't love her, watching Fenric. (Though Ghostlight would make for fun times!)