When it comes to British television, there are always a few shows that will come to mind. For most people, they include Monty Python, Downton Abbey, and Doctor Who. The adventures of an alien traveling across space and time in a police box that’s bigger on the inside have become a British institution, going strong since 1963. While many viewers will be more familiar with the modern version that began in 2005, especially since those episodes are the easiest to track down and watch, nobody can deny the impact of the classic era from 1963 to 1989.
While not exactly running with ‘episodes’ in the conventional sense, usually with multiple episodes to tell a narrative (and in Colin Baker’s case, entire seasons), the serials as a whole usually functioned as a complete story. The special effects may be notoriously cheap, the plot lines sometimes get convoluted and strange, and tragically, many of the earliest episodes have been lost to time. But at their best, they serve as great sci-fi stories that can deal with real human drama and give off a sense that anything could happen.
Doctor Who
Release Date March 17, 2006
Main Genre Sci-Fi
Seasons 14
Studio BBC America
Streaming Service(s) Disney+
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10 “Robot” (1974)
Written by Terrance Dicks
Image via BBC
Following his latest regeneration, the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) is desperate to get back to the TARDIS and fly away, only stopping to give a hand with one more investigation. As the Doctor finds his new wardrobe and regains his mental bearings, members of a research institute begin plans for a robot known as K1 (Michael Kilgarriff) to kill British cabinet members, steal government secrets, and threaten other countries.
“Robot” may not always be regarded as one of the best stories by fans, being something of an epilogue to Patrick Troughton’s more spy-oriented stories. Still, it served as a perfect introduction to the man who would become the most iconic of the classic, and some will argue all, Doctors – Tom Baker. His wily performance as the Doctor is a perfect beginner for his take on the character as a man who never lets you forget he was an alien in a human body. While the plot of “Robot” isn’t always the strongest, Baker more than makes up for it by putting his stamp on the character and tone almost immediately.
9 “An Unearthly Child” (1963)
Written by Anthony Coburn
Image via BBC
“An Unearthly Child” is the very first serial/episode of the entirety of Doctor Who, and while it is radically different from the rest of the series, it nonetheless established most of the series’ trademarks. In 1963 London, schoolteachers Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jaqueline Hill) have become fascinated with one of their students – Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), who seems to possess knowledge that exceeds her classmates. Wanting to investigate, they seek her home address, only to find a junkyard with a police telephone box and a cranky old man (William Hartnell) refusing to let them in.
Once they barge their way inside, Ian and Barbara are whisked away on an adventure to the Stone Age with their strange new guides. It’s a story that wisely has enough sci-fi plotting to get general audiences on board (traveling back to prehistoric Earth) while saving the more intricate, high-concept ideas the show would operate on for later adventures. This Doctor may have a grumpier attitude and no sonic screwdriver, but he still has his tenacity for adventure firmly established.
8 “Terror of the Autons” (1971)
Written by Robert Holmes
Image via BBC
While the Daleks may be the Doctor’s most popular foes, there is only one cosmic threat who can be considered the Doctor’s equal – The Master (Roger Delgado), a criminal Time Lord who seeks nothing less than total universal domination. In his debut appearance, “Terror of the Autons,” he takes control of the titular cybernetic threat to invade the Earth, and only the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) and new companion Jo Grant (Katy Manning) can stop him.
Roger Delgado makes a grand impression as the first incarnation of The Master, behaving as a suave yet unhinged man who enjoys the thrill of his plans. Beyond just being a maniacal schemer, he shows a begrudging yet genuine respect for the Doctor – but has no problem trying to kill him if it benefits his evil plans. “Terror of the Autons” revels in the campy yet genuine threat that both enemies bring, behaving in a somewhat campy manner while still serving as a genuine menace to humanity.
7 “City of Death” (1979)
Written by David Fisher, Douglas Adams, & Graham Williams
Image via BBC
The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companion Romana (Lalla Ward) travel to then-modern-day Paris, witnessing a pair of aliens disguised as Counts seeking to steal the Mona Lisa. Why do these aliens want to steal the Mona Lisa? To make copies of it to finance experiments in time travel to prevent the extinction of life on their home planet, while threatening to destroy Paris if anyone interferes.
While not initially regarded at the time of it’s release as one of the series’ high points, “City of Death” has nonetheless gone down in history as the funniest episode of the classic run. This is in large part due to one of the co-writers – the acclaimed author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams. His penchant for cosmic humor shines brightly in the plot, which is essentially an alien equivalent of Art ransom and fraud. It’s a plot that is as ridiculous as it sounds, even with surprisingly sympathetic motivation. All in all, it is a hilarious episode that meshes both Adams and Doctor Who’s sci-fi tones perfectly.
6 “Horror of Fang Rock” (1977)
Written by Terrance Dicks
Image via BBC
In this classic chiller, the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companion Leela (Louise Jameson) arrive at the island of Fang Rock in the early 20th century. They encounter a pair of lighthouse keepers who speak of a mythical beast said to lurk on the island. Soon, fish in the surrounding waters turn up dead. A luxury yacht crashes onto shore, and the survivors are not behaving like themselves. And something seems to be feeding on the light and electricity from the surrounding objects.
Throughout Doctor Who’s entire run, many audiences claimed to watch it “behind the couch” as children, due to many adventures featuring frightening content. While some may call the scares tame nowadays, many of those stories, especially those in the Tom Baker era, still leave a great impression. With an intimate setting, gothic atmosphere, and a suspenseful tone, “Horror of Fang Rock” serves as a great showcase for Classic Who’s mix of multiple genres.
5 “Genesis of the Daleks” (1975)
Written by Terry Nation
Image via BBC
Since their debut in the First Doctor’s second adventure, the Daleks have become the Doctor’s most enduring and most popular foes. For many years, fans wondered and speculated on their history, but this episode puts it all straight, showcasing their creation on the planet Skaro and revealing their creator, Davros (Michael Wisher). All the while, The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) is ordered by the Time Lords to prevent the Daleks from ever existing and prevent all the death and destruction they have ever brought. But the Doctor questions if, of all beings, he has the right to do so.
“Genesis of the Daleks” is a seminal piece of Doctor Who’s history as a whole, showcasing the origin of one of sci-fi’s most enduring alien menaces. It examines the consequences that fall out from war, creators falling victim to their own creation, and the philosophical question of whether destroying an evil force before it exists is truly the right thing to do.
4 “Earthshock” (1982)
Written by Eric Saward
Image via BBC
One of the most tragic of all Doctor Who stories, Earthshock served as the final appearance of one of the Fifth Doctor’s (Peter Davison) most-discussed companions, Adric (Matthew Waterhouse). Adric was a teenage native of an alternate universe, who took an impatient and cocky attitude along with him during the Doctor’s adventures. In “Earthshock,” The Doctor, Adric, and fellow companions Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) arrive at Earth in the far-off future of 2526. They uncover a plot by a group of Cybermen to wipe out humanity and destroy the Earth.
While it seems like a standard adventure for the Doctor and his crew right up to the eleventh hour, one impulsive decision will lead to tragic and deadly consequences. Companions leave and often return because it’s part of what keeps Doctor Who fresh. But for a companion to be outright killed off in one of the most tragic moments in the series was unheard of for a family show such as this.
3 “Spearhead from Space” (1970)
Written by Robert Holmes
Image via BBC
Forcibly regenerated and banished to Earth by the Time Lords for breaking the laws of time, The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) reunites with his friends from UNIT – Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) and Dr. Liz Shaw (Caroline John). Thankfully, he’s arrived in record time, as Earth is now under threat from evil mechanical threats called the Autons that take the form of plastic figures and mannequins.
By this point in the show’s history, budget cuts from the BBC led to Doctor Who becoming a radically different series than what came before. The beginning of Jon Pertwee’s tenure became one defined by adventures more like a James Bond story – albeit a James Bond story that still featured aliens and sci-fi influences. The Doctor now wasn’t a grouchy old man or a cosmic hobo, but a man of action who aided UNIT in protecting the Earth from cosmic threats. “Spearhead from Space” is a good introduction to this era, with genuinely creepy villains and a fun showcase for Pertwee’s cavalier, dapper demeanor.
2 “The Three Doctors” (1972)
Written by Bob Baker & Dave Martin
Image via BBC
“The Three Doctors” is the first special involving multiple doctors, and it’s easily the best of the classic era. When the Time Lords face a cosmic threat too big for them to handle, they decide to break one of their own laws and not only contact the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) but also recruit his First (William Hartnell) and Second (Patrick Troughton) incarnations to help. Together, the three Doctors investigate, eventually discovering the threat has been caused by Omega (Stephen Thorne), an ancient figure in Time Lord history who’s been driven mad by years in accidental exile.
“The Three Doctors” is a fun and engaging story, with Troughton and Pertwee having great chemistry as their personalities and methods clash with one another. While Hartnell was too physically ill to join his “replacements” on screen together, his pre-recorded video cameo that guides the other two doctors is still awesome to witness for any fan of Classic Who.
1 “Remembrance of the Daleks” (1988)
Written by Ben Aaronovitch
Image via BBC
While “Genesis of the Daleks” was a great origin story for the Doctor’s greatest enemies, “Remembrance of the Daleks” is perhaps the most thematically impactful of all Dalek and Classic Who stories. The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and his rebellious teenage companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) have landed in Shorditch, 1963. They witness two Dalek factions seeking to obtain a Time Lord artifact called the Hand of Omega, both seeking to use it for evil means.
As the first serial of Classic Who’s 25th season, “Remembrance of the Daleks” contains several references to the show’s first episode, right down to the Doctor and Ace arriving at the date of the show’s premiere. But it also does not shy away from the historical reality of the period, with references to racism among humans and the Dalek factions themselves at war with one another. Not to mention, one of the scariest moments for any long-time viewer of Doctor Who – witnessing a Dalek floating for the very first time.
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