The Gunfighters

(Series 3, 34-37)

Summary: The Doctor, despite being a highly skilled scientist from another planet and time, with all the dentistry there ever was or will be available to him, decides the best place to sort out his toothache is the American Wild West.  (Time Lords get toothache – who knew?)  Dodo and Steven dress as Disney cowboys and, quite fortuitously, turn out to be remarkably skilled musicians.  A lot of people get shot and a woman sings the plot for us, in case we weren’t paying attention.

Watch it because: Don’t.  Unless you keep it on mute.

Original Air Date: 30 April – 21 May 1966.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) and Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane).

Writer: Donald Cotton.

Director: Rex Tucker.

Producer: Innes Lloyd.

Available on DVD? Yes. Though I’d happily exchange it for the safe return of Marco Polo.

Lost Episodes II

The Celestial Toymaker

(Series 3, Episodes 30-33)

Significant for: The Doctor and his companions are forced to play a series of bizarre games in order to return safely to the TARDIS.

The Ark

(Series 3, Episodes 26-29)

Summary: Completely inexplicable new travelling companion, Dodo, is convinced that the spaceship carrying all that remains of humanity on which they’ve landed is Whipsnade Zoo, and promptly sneezes all over the occupants who have long since lost their immunity to the common cold.  In Act Two, the Doctor and his friends return to find the Monoids, previously enslaved by the humans, have now turned the tables.  Steven leads a rebellion, Dodo is outraged to find that she is not, in fact, at Whipsnade Zoo, and the Doctor convinces everyone to live in peace.  Except the Monoids, who rather spectacularly wipe themselves out in a bloodbath reminiscent of the final scene of Hamlet.

Watch it because: The Monoid’s space mop hairstyle.

Original Air Date: 5 – 26 March 1966.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) and Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane).

Writer: Paul Erickson & Lesley Scott.

Director: Michael Imison.

Producer: John Wiles.

Available on DVD? Yes.

Lost Episodes

Unfortunately, due to a BBC policy of ‘junking’ TV episodes during the 1960s, many First and Second Doctor stories are missing.  They are being hunted down and recovered and we live in hope that they will one day reappear in someone’s garage, but for now they remain officially lost.  Thanks to fan recordings and stills, these lost episodes have been recreated as ‘reconstructions’.  I’ve watched some, but even my nerdy fan heart can’t quite bear sitting through an entire story as reconstruction, so for those episodes (with the exception of Marco Polo, because it’s brilliant) I have relied on the Target novelisations, internet summaries and Doctor Who Magazine.  I will henceforth present them in the format below.

Mission to the Unknown

(Series 3, Episode 5)

Significant for: Being one of the few episodes of early Doctor Who not to feature the Doctor or his regular companions.  It is also the last episode produced by Verity Lambert.

The Myth Makers

(Series 3, Episodes 6-9)

Significant for: Vicki’s departure, to marry Troilus in Ancient Greece.  And change her name to Cressida…  The Doctor also gains a companion – Katarina (Adrienne Hill).

The Daleks’ Master Plan

(Series 3, Episodes 10-21)

Significant for: The reappearance of the Daleks and the first companion death (Katarina).  One-off companion Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) arrives and leaves within the same story.

The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve

(Series 3, Episodes 22-25)

Significant for: William Hartnell playing a dual role.  Steven is so disgusted that the Doctor, in order not to change established events, leaves his new friend Anne Chaplet die, that he storms out of the TARDIS onto Wimbledon Common in 1966.  However, he shortly returns when a young girl named Dodo Chaplet wanders into the TARDIS to report an accident to the police…

Galaxy 4

(Series 3, Episodes 1-4)

Summary: The TARDIS lands on a planet just hours away from its fiery demise.  Steven flirts with some attractive female droids who proceed to trap him in an air lock and drain the oxygen for his troubles.  Vicki takes a liking to some spherical robots that she names “chumblies” and out-sasses the Doctor.  The two of them help a silken-voiced peace-loving alien fish race escape and everyone lives happily ever after.  Except the droids.  Who die.

Watch it because: You can’t watch most of it, but Vicki’s intrepidness is worth sitting through the reconstructions.

Original Air Date: 11 September – 2 October 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) and Steven Taylor (Peter Purves).

Writer: William Emms.

Director: Derek Martinus.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Only Episode 3 is still in existence – the others are all reconstructions.  The story is included with The Aztecs Special Edition DVD.

The Time Meddler

(Series 2, Episodes 36-39)

Summary: The TARDIS lands in 1066, but stowaway Steven refuses to believe they’ve travelled in time (He rescued the panda, in case you were worried).  The Doctor leaves Vicki to convince him and sets off to explore, encountering some frightfully well-spoken Saxons and Vikings and a meddling monk with a gramophone and a toaster. Something ain’t right with history…

Watch it because: It’s the first time we meet another of the Doctor’s people.

Original Air Date: 3 – 24 July 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) and Steven Taylor (Peter Purves).

Writer: Dennis Spooner.

Director: Douglas Camfield.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Chase

(Series 2, Episodes 30-35)

Summary: Doctor Who on LSD.  A bunch of vengeful Daleks chase the Doctor and his friends through time and space, where they encounter the crew of the Mary Celeste, a haunted house of horror clichés and a wildly imbecilic American tourist.  Ian dad-dances to the Beatles and destroys yet another of Barbara’s cardigans, the Doctor gains a suspiciously dissimilar lookalike and we meet Steven Taylor, an astronaut from the future, who has been sent so crazy by his years of isolation that he rushes back into a burning building to save a toy panda.  Most importantly, Barbara and Ian finally find a way back home - to 1965, but what’s two years between friends?

Watch it because: “I shall miss them. Yes, I shall miss them. Silly old fusspots.”

Original Air Date: 22 May – 26 June 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) and Steven Taylor (Peter Purves).

Writer: Terry Nation.

Director: Richard Martin.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Space Museum

(Series 2, Episodes 26-29)

Summary: The TARDIS materialises on a mysterious dusty planet, where the gang find themselves invisible guests at a museum in which they are also exhibits.  They conclude that in order to avoid ending up stuffed in a glass case, they must change time.  Ian destroys Barbara’s cardigan, the Doctor fools a mind-reading device into thinking he’s a walrus and Vicki incites revolution amongst a group of overly-eyebrowed teenagers.

Watch it because: The Doctor hiding in a Dalek.

Original Air Date: 24 April – 15 May 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Vicki (Maureen O’Brien).

Writer: Glyn Jones.

Director: Mervyn Pinfield.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Crusade

(Series 2, Episodes 22-25)

Summary: Yet again, Barbara is kidnapped and sold into slavery, this time by the Saracens.  Yet again, Ian freaks out and sets off to rescue her, after first being knighted by Richard the Lionheart.  By the time he arrives, Barbara has rescued herself.  The Doctor and Vicki stay behind and giggle a lot.

Watch it because: Barbara is so done with being the victim.

Original Air Date: 27 March – 17 April 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Vicki (Maureen O’Brien).

Writer: David Whitaker.

Director: Douglas Camfield.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes, although Episodes 2 and 4 are missing and are only available as reconstructions, which is a shame, as it means we don’t get to see Ian spread-eagled and covered in honey. If that, y’know, floats your boat…

The Web Planet

(Series 2, Episodes 16-21)

Summary: The TARDIS lands on a planet where everything is a trifle smeary and very echoey.  Barbara, because it’s the 1960s and she’s a woman, tidies the TARDIS, and Ian mourns the demise of his tie.  The winged Menoptra are trying to reclaim their planet from the warbling Zarbis, who are being controlled by the Animus, a mutant spider that communicates with the Doctor via a hairdryer.  Vicki thinks it’s all terribly good fun; Barbara coordinates the invasion force and defeats the Animus single-handedly as everyone else has passed out.

Watch it because: Roslyn de Winter – Insect Movement.

Original Air Date: 13 February – 20 March 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Vicki (Maureen O’Brien).

Writer: Bill Strutton.

Director: Richard Martin.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Romans

(Series 2, Episodes 12-15)

Summary: The Doctor & Co take a holiday in ancient Rome.  Whilst the Doctor and Vicki are off exploring Rome, Ian and Barbara’s Palpable Sexual Tension is rudely interrupted when they are captured and sold as slaves.  As the title of the second episode postulates, all roads do indeed lead to Rome, via a dead lyre player-slash-assassin, a Gladiator arena and some Carry on Nero antics in the Caesar’s palace.  As Rome burns and the Doctor giggles hysterically about his hand in it, the four companions are eventually reunited, with much heart-warming grape eating and toga wearing.

Watch it because: Ian and Barbara.  Even the coldest of hearts will melt.

Original Air Date: 16 January – 6 February 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Vicki (Maureen O’Brien).

Writer: Dennis Spooner.

Director: Christopher Barry.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Rescue

(Series 2, Episodes 10-11)

Summary: The newly-depleted Team TARDIS discover a crashed ship on the planet Dido where adorable space orphan Vicki and injured Bennett, the only two crash survivors, are being menaced by the bug-eyed Koquillion.  Hello?  Is it me you’re looking for?

Watch it because: The Doctor adopts Vicki and it’s beautiful.

Original Air Date: 2 – 9 January 1965.

Doctor: William Hartnell.

Companions: Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Vicki (Maureen O’Brien).

Writer: David Whitaker.

Director: Christopher Barry.

Producer: Verity Lambert.

Available on DVD? Yes.