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.

An Unearthly Child

(Series 1, Episode 1)

Summary: Demonstrating a flagrant disregard for safeguarding policy, two school teachers follow a pupil home because she seems a little bit odd.  Arriving at a junkyard, they meet a dodgy old man whom they suspect of locking said pupil inside a police telephone box.  When they attempt to investigate, they are swiftly abducted through time and space.

Watch it because: This is where it all began…

Original Air Date: 23 November 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.

An Adventure in Time and Space...

No new Doctor Who in 2016?  What an excellent opportunity to go back and fill in the gaps in my Classic Who knowledge.  So, let's start at the very beginning, as that's a very good place to start...