Planet of Evil

(Series 13, Episodes 5-8)

Summary: At the edge of the universe, Doctor Who plays fast and loose with theoretical physics, as the Doctor and Sarah are menaced by a pencil scribble.  An investigative team in low-cut spacesuits with a penchant for orderly interrogations, arrive to rescue obsessive scientist Sorensen, only to find that anti-matter causes excess hair growth.  Commander Salamar must be terribly fit, what with all the conclusions he keeps jumping to, and the model work is excellent.

Watch it because: Reassuringly reasonable Vishinksy.

Original Air Date: 27 September – 18 October 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen).

Writer: Louis Marks.

Director: David Maloney.

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe.

Terror of the Zygons

(Series 13, Episodes 1-4)

Summary: The Doctor & Co take a trip to the strangely flat Scottish Highlands, where there’s something a wee bit fishy in Loch Ness (which has alarmingly shrunk to the size of a small pond).  The imperialistic, sucker-suited Zygons want to take over the Earth, although they probably should have picked another planet as they need to melt the ice caps to make it habitable.  Lessons to take away from this episode: never leave a journalist investigating alone in the room with the secret door to your spaceship.  Also, you’ll never look at a nurse the same way again…

Watch it because: Goodbye Harry.  Fun while you lasted.

Original Air Date: 30 August – 20 September 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter).

Writer: Gerry Davis.

Director: Michael E. Briant.

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe.

Revenge of the Cybermen

(Series 12, Episodes 17-20)

Summary: Curiously, the Cybermen can be found here displaying the distinctly human need for revenge, in a story of Vogan infighting and the lust for gold.  The TARDIS crew discover that travel by time ring is not so reliable and deadly diseases can be cured by a transmat.  Essentially, everybody wants gold for one reason or another (just whose side is Kellman on?), but the Doctor manages to escape the buckle of doom and spoil the Cyber fun.

Watch it because: Harry the Buffoon.

Original Air Date: 19 April – 10 May 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter).

Writer: Gerry Davis.

Director: Michael E. Briant.

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe.

Genesis of the Daleks

(Series 12, Episodes 11-16)

Summary: The Time Lords hypocritically send the Doctor back into the history of Skaro to try and prevent the creation of the Daleks.  On Skaro, the Kaleds are jackbooted and sinister and even the Thals aren’t quite as nice as they were when they had hexagons in their trousers.  Sarah befriends a mutant, Harry continues to be posh and the Doctor is given fancy jewellery by the Time Lords, only to promptly lose it and spend the whole serial looking for it.  The story is creepy, atmospheric and multi-layered, the high point being the Doctor's mesmerising "Do I have the right?" speech.  In the end, Davros shoots himself in the foot (well, if he had a foot, he would have) and amoral sidekick Nyder gets his well-deserved comeuppance.

Watch it because: Davros Begins.

Original Air Date: 8 March – 12 April 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter).

Writer: Terry Nation.

Director: David Maloney.

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe.

The Sontaran Experiment

(Series 12, Episodes 9-10)

Summary: Interestingly, Earth devastated by solar flares looks an awful lot like Dartmoor, where some astronauts have gone native and are sharing the wilderness with a particularly nasty Sontaran, who implements some rather disturbing torture for a teatime show.  Sarah makes an interesting wardrobe choice and the Doctor misses several opportunities to whop Styre on the probic vent.  Styre has to be careful, though, to avoid Harry bally well knocking his head off.

Watch it because: Dartmoor National Park: Bringing atmosphere to stories since 1901.

Original Air Date: 22 February – 1 March 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter).

Writer: Bob Baker and Dave Martin.

Director: Rodney Bennett.

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe.

The Ark in Space

(Series 12, Episodes 5-8)

Summary: Harry ‘Sideburns’ Sullivan is posh and a tiny bit sexist, the Doctor starts a habit of offering jelly babies and Sarah gets stuck in a ventilation shaft.  It’s the 30^th century, solar flares have destroyed the Earth and people in green sleeping bags are menacing a colony ship, but it’s good to see humanity are still using microfilm to store records. The fashion, however, is spot on as everyone wears rather lovely white suits.  In other news, yet more newly-awoken bug eyed monsters try to re-claim the Earth.

Watch it because: Noah’s transformation of Shakespearean intensity.

Original Air Date: 25 January – 15 February 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter).

Writer: Robert Holmes, from a story by John Lucarotti.

Director: Rodney Bennett.

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe.

Robot

(Series 12, Episodes 1-4)

Summary: Tom Baker makes his debut in an episode featuring a robot with daddy issues.  The special effects department outdo themselves with bubble wrap on the camera lens, Benton is sergeant no longer and for some reason Sarah is dressed like a character from an Agatha Christie adaptation.  Dr Sullivan finally makes an appearance and is promptly kidnapped in the TARDIS in a throwback to the Doctor’s preferred method of acquiring human companions.

Watch it because: Debut of an iconic Doctor.

Original Air Date: 28 December 1974 – 18 January 1975.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter).

Writer: Terrence Dicks.

Director: Christopher Barry.

Producer: Barry Letts.