The Dalek Invasion of Earth

(Series 2, Episodes 4-9)

Summary: Back on Earth again, but this time in a future menaced by the Daleks, their robo-men slaves and strange pet reptile. Not even a fleet of Daleks can stand in the way of Barbara’s rampage, Ian’s crotch takes centre stage and Susan loses a shoe, but gains a man.  The Doctor says his first goodbye, via speakerphone, after locking his granddaughter out of the TARDIS.  Harsh.

Watch it because: The Daleks on Westminster Bridge.

Original Air Date: 21 November – 26 December 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Terry Nation.

Director: Richard Martin.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

Planet of Giants

(Series 2, Episodes 1-3)

Summary: The TARDIS lands on Earth.  Hurrah!  Ian and Barbara are home!  Unfortunately, they’re only an inch tall.  Whilst in this miniaturised state (due to spacey-wacey reasons) they contend with a giant cat, deadly insecticide, Bunsen burners and plugholes.  This time it’s Barbara’s turn to soldier on, whilst the others foil a plot to wipe out all insectoid life on Earth by confusing a telephone operator and starting a tiny fire.

Watch it because: Ian in a matchbox.

Original Air Date: 31 October – 14 November 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Louis Marks.

Director: Mervyn Pinfield (Ep 1-2) & Douglas Camfield (Ep 3).

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Reign of Terror

(Series 1, Ep 37-42)

Summary: Landing in revolutionary France, our leads immediately raid the dressing up box, but are quickly arrested and sentenced to death.  Barbara attempts to crowbar her way out of a cell whilst Susan screams about rats and succumbs to a headache so bad she cannot possibly take a chance to do a runner and escape the guillotine.  Ian is a recruited to a distracting cloak and dagger side plot and the Doctor struts about with a dead bird on his head.  And then Napoleon shows up.

Watch it because: The BBC knows how to do period drama.

Original Air Date: 8 August – 12 September 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Dennis Spooner.

Director: Henric Hersch.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes, although the missing Episodes 4 and 5 are animated to the original soundtrack.

The Sensorites

(Series 1, Episodes 31-36)

Summary: Second-cousins-twice-removed of the Ood, the telepathic Sensorites, are being exploited by human colonisers.  The Doctor stops by to help, Barbara does very little, Susan reads minds with the help of a stethoscope and Ian is poisoned but soldiers on.  Stay alert, because the whole plot hangs on some key clothing switches.

Watch it because: The Sensorite at the window...

Original Air Date: 20 June – 1 August 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Peter R Newman.

Director: Mervyn Pinfield (Ep 1-4) & Frank Cox (Ep 5-6).

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Aztecs

(Series 1, Episodes 27-30)

Summary: Whilst grave robbing, resident TARDIS historian Barbara is mistaken for the resurrected form of an Aztec god.  Never one to miss an opportunity to change the course of history, she proceeds with an attempt to outlaw human sacrifice whilst making some horribly imperialistic judgments about the nature of Aztec culture.  Elsewhere, Ian can’t catch a break, Susan is defiant in the face of forced marriage and the Doctor accidentally gets engaged.

Watch it because: Barbara is the first companion to learn their lesson about fixed points in time.

Original Air Date: 23 May – 13 June 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: John Lucarotti.

Director: John Crockett.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Keys of Marinus

(Series 1, Episodes 21-26)

Summary: Team TARDIS are blackmailed into setting off on a quest to retrieve the keys to a mind-controlling machine. Over the course of their quest, our team are variously: groped by a statue, attacked by plants, threatened with rape (did you just go there in a teatime show, Doctor Who?), chased by ice knights and framed for murder.  The Doctor transforms himself into a dramatic if ineffectual lawyer whilst Barbara and Susan turn their hand to amateur sleuthing.  The baddy attempts to maintain his highly plausible disguise by inventing a deadly disease, but Ian ain’t fooled.

Watch it because: It features the original TARDIS team at their companionable best.

Original Air Date: 11 April – 16 May 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Terry Nation.

Director: John Gorrie.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

Marco Polo

(Series 1, Episodes 14-20)

Summary: The Doctor & Co land in 13^th century Cathay and encounter none other than Marco Polo, on his way to meet Kublai Khan.  The TARDIS is taken hostage, Susan makes a new BFF, the Doctor gets a little saddle sore, Ian sucks at chess and Barbara is the space mum we all wish we had.

Watch it because: Well, you can’t.  It’s missing, sadly.

Original Air Date: 22 February – 4 April 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: John Lucarotti.

Director: Waris Hussein (Ep 1-3,5-7) & John Crockett (Ep 4).

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Only reconstructions are available.

The Edge of Destruction

(Series 1, Episodes 12-13)

Summary: Everyone is acting a little strangely, except the Doctor, who is crotchety and suspicious.  Susan takes a dislike to the TARDIS furnishings, Ian shows some leg and Barbara confronts the Doctor about his unpleasant behaviour.  In a ground-breaking moment of character development, he apologises.  Time goes a bit wibbly, but it turns out it’s because a switch was stuck.  Happens on my kettle all the time.

Watch it because: “We’re at the very beginning, the start of a new solar system.  Outside, the atoms are rushing towards each other.  Fusing, coagulating, until minute little collections of matter are created.  And so the process goes on and on until dust is formed.  Dust then becomes solid entity.  A new birth, of a sun and its planets.”

Original Air Date: 8 – 15 February 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: David Whitaker.

Director: Richard Martin (Ep 1) & Frank Cox (Ep 2).

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Daleks

(Series 1, Episodes 5-11)

Summary: The Doctor lies about a broken part in order to explore an alien world devastated by nuclear war; like any good teacher, Ian confiscates it.  Meanwhile, Barbara is menaced by a sink plunger and nabs herself some hot alien totty.  Crisis is averted by the application of physics and some handy anti-radiation gloves and/or drugs.  Ian encourages a pacifist race to commit genocide, possibly due to Nazi analogies or possibly because he’s jealous of Barbara’s new man.

Watch it because: Debut of the Daleks. ‘Nuff said.

Original Air Date: 21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Terry Nation.

Director: Christopher Barry (Ep 1,2,4,5) & Richard Martin (Ep 3,6,7).

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

100,000 BC

(Series 1, Episodes 2-4)

Summary: In a bout of early-instalment-weirdness, the Doctor is a kidnapper, a would-be-murderer and a pipe smoker.  Barbara freaks out, Ian displays worrying signs of sexism, ageism and scepticism, and Susan delights in balancing human skulls on flaming torches.

Watch it because: Things can only get better…

Original Air Date: 30 November – 14 December 1963.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Writer: Anthony Coburn.

Director: Waris Hussein.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.