The Peter Davison Era
daveyboy7472
Posts: 16,395 Forum Member
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Starting this a tad earlier than normal as I'm not about much in the morning and I was itching to get it started! 
But yes, here it is, the one I've been looking forward to the most, my fave Doctor and the first Doctor I properly ever watched!
Why do I like Davison so much? Well, he was just an all-round nice chappy, who could in fact just be reckless and get himself into all sorts of scrapes. He also had a little of Troughton's Doctor in him in that because he was so nice, people sometimes did underestimate him and like Hartnell's Doctor, he could get a bit grumpy at times as well. And he was great at running, down corridors, through streets, wherever!
It isn't just Davison himself that make for a great era. There are only two stories from his era I dislike. As I've mentioned before, Terminus, because it's as dull as ditchwater and Frontios because it's a bit bleak and just not as good as the others! Aside from those two, I adore every single story in Davison's Era, yes, I even like Time-Flight!
And in his last adventure, we had The Caves Of Androzani, voted top story in the last DWM poll! Saying that though, I'm voting Season 19 as my favourite Season because Androzani aside, some of the other top-rated Davison stories are in this Season, like The Visitation, Kinda, Earthshock and I love Black Orchid too. Season 20 I love too because of all the 20th anniversary stuff. Season 21, I like it but it has that end of era feel about it, the last two stories he featured in were the best in that Season.(For two very obvious reasons!;) )
Then there was my fave Master in Anthony Ainley, all the old monsters coming back, some good companions(well, nearly!:D) and at the end of the era, the two things that I loved to bits.....The Fifth Doctor and Peri in their one and only proper adventure together, a dream team I wish had gone on for longer!
Anyway, I could gush on all evening but feel the need to pass over to others before I write an essay!
Just one point I'd like to make. This thread, as with the previous ones, is not just about what Season you like best. It's anything goes, discuss what you like or didn't like about it, the Doctor, companions, monsters, episodes, JNT, absolutely anything as long as it stay on topic, within reason.
But yes, here it is, the one I've been looking forward to the most, my fave Doctor and the first Doctor I properly ever watched!
Why do I like Davison so much? Well, he was just an all-round nice chappy, who could in fact just be reckless and get himself into all sorts of scrapes. He also had a little of Troughton's Doctor in him in that because he was so nice, people sometimes did underestimate him and like Hartnell's Doctor, he could get a bit grumpy at times as well. And he was great at running, down corridors, through streets, wherever!
It isn't just Davison himself that make for a great era. There are only two stories from his era I dislike. As I've mentioned before, Terminus, because it's as dull as ditchwater and Frontios because it's a bit bleak and just not as good as the others! Aside from those two, I adore every single story in Davison's Era, yes, I even like Time-Flight!
And in his last adventure, we had The Caves Of Androzani, voted top story in the last DWM poll! Saying that though, I'm voting Season 19 as my favourite Season because Androzani aside, some of the other top-rated Davison stories are in this Season, like The Visitation, Kinda, Earthshock and I love Black Orchid too. Season 20 I love too because of all the 20th anniversary stuff. Season 21, I like it but it has that end of era feel about it, the last two stories he featured in were the best in that Season.(For two very obvious reasons!;) )
Then there was my fave Master in Anthony Ainley, all the old monsters coming back, some good companions(well, nearly!:D) and at the end of the era, the two things that I loved to bits.....The Fifth Doctor and Peri in their one and only proper adventure together, a dream team I wish had gone on for longer!
Anyway, I could gush on all evening but feel the need to pass over to others before I write an essay!
Just one point I'd like to make. This thread, as with the previous ones, is not just about what Season you like best. It's anything goes, discuss what you like or didn't like about it, the Doctor, companions, monsters, episodes, JNT, absolutely anything as long as it stay on topic, within reason.
Which Davison Season was best? 73 votes
Season 19
53%
39 votes
Season 20
23%
17 votes
Season 21
23%
17 votes
0
Comments
Peter Davison was my childhood hero....:)
And he kind of still is my hero now!:D
Muttley! This thread would not have been complete without you!
And I agree totally!
Castrovalva is a great introductory story, I think the concept is clever and it has some sparking dialogue ("that's democracy for you"
My favorite story of the Davison era, of course, is the brilliant Caves of Androzani, but overall for me season 21 is a bit of a damp squib. For all that it's rather patchy, season 20 is much stronger for me, benefiting a lot from the evil Turloguh period...:D
Yup, agree with everything. A pleasure to read.
I voted for season 19 because it felt like the dawning of an exciting new era for Who. It felt more polished and a bit darker and uncertain. It had my favourite crew of the show. Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan all bounced off eachother brilliantly, and despite some nitpicks here and there, they just about managed to maintain focus on each of them to keep them interesting. Davison was original in his portrayal of the Doctor and we've not seen another incarnation quite like him since.
Well said Muttley.
Absolutely loved 19, so much anticipation after a long 18 month break. Earthshock was my favourite for this season by a mile with Visitation coming in second. I will never ever forget that school playground morning buzz after the Cybermen shocker...it has never been bettered imo. I agree with you Mutts that Time Flight was the runt of the season, not completely useless but far from good.
Re Black Orchid, I loved it! It was one of those stories I could get on a C60 cassette set up recording in front of the telly while telling my little bro to shut the f*ck up, just for 25 minutes. As with the Kings Demons and the Awakening, I listened to it until it wore out!
The whole Tegan, Nyssa and Adric thing to me was a good team! They all squabbled together! (Bit like the old days with Ian, Barbara and susan)
I liked season 20 too - when Turlough was introduced. I think that Mawdryn Undead was brilliant!
I liked season 21 as well! Oh heck, let's face it - I liked ALL THREE series of PD!! Apart from - Warriors of the Deep, and.....wait for it - Caves of Androzani!!
I personally did not like that last story. It was a bit 'meh' to me - but each to their own. I quite liked Black Orchid - but a lot of people hated it , fair enough.
If we all liked the same thing - how boring it would be on here:)
I also liked the fact that the Tardis was featured a lot in Davison's era....and we saw their living quarters etc. It was a cosy atmosphere in those episodes, and you felt that the Tardis was their home. It wasn't just a time machine to get out of tricky storylines :rolleyes:
That was a clincher for me too!
I went for nineteen, as one it's the one I've watched the most of (so a totally fair veiw
However, I would rather watch Turlough over Adric anyday
Excellent post Muttley, aside from The Visitation I agree with most of it.
What I liked most about Season 19 was it's freshness. I think after Tom Baker had been in the role for 7 years and how he looked and seemed in Season 18, Davison was a blast of fresh air for the Series and it was truly invigorated.
The Visitation was for me a truly traditional Doctor Who story which could have slotted into any of the previous Doctor's Era. The Doctor was very Doctory in it, interfering, getting captured, being clever, the monsters trying to kill him and so forth. And as with Earthshock, I liked the twist on historical events. In fact, watching Planet Dinosaur last night with the asteroid hitting Earth, I couldn't help but think of Earthshock!
Four to Doomsday I don't think is as bad as it's made out to be. Perhaps Davison wasn't at his best in this one, it was his first recorded story and he was still finding his feet. Time-Flight I think was a good story let down by production values.
I also liked the fact there were lots of TARDIS scenes, and the Season really did feel as if had gone back to the days of Ian and Barbara with Tegan's attempts to try and get back to Heathrow the same as the former's attempts to get back to 1960's Earth.
Season 20, as I've said previously, loved all the anniversary elements in each story. Was great to see The Brigadier back, though I remember The Black Guardian scaring the crap out of me! I liked the trilogy with Turlough trying to kill The Doctor.
Season 21. Well, I liked Warriors Of The Deep but it's probably one of my less favoured stories. I've said about Frontios. Resurrection Of The Daleks was awesome, Planet Of Fire I liked but it was here the rot really set in with Anthony Ainley's Master, in this he was totally OTT. Thankfully Peri in that bikini makes me overlook that performance!
Just looking at The Davison Era overall, it was quite unique really. It's the only Era to be shown twice weekly, the only Era to contain two parters that finished in the same week. It was also the only era where you only had to wait one day for a cliffhanger resolution!
Definitely agree. And I think thats one of the things thats great about Castrovalva - it just feels like a moment of rejuvenation of the show, right down to the unwinding of Four's scarf!
I think Season 19 stands out for me as one of the best in the shows history.
Yeah, I liked the whole scarf thing, was truly a metaphor for the departure of the Fourth Doctor!
One thing I also forgot to mention was how young Davison's Doctor was at the time, the youngest to date at that point. I think that was also what made an interesting contrast because Tom Baker was looking older in that last Season of his. In some ways, it reminds me of Baker himself when he took over as The Doctor and how much fresher and younger he was than Pertwee at the time.
I suppose series 21 is my choice in the end. Caves of Androzani is second only to Kinda as my favourite Davison story, and there's no Davison story in this series I really dislike (The Twin Dilemma is Colin Baker, so we'll overlook it for now)
I wonder whether having a Tardis heavy, at least first season for 5, was a way to retain familiarity with the character?
I completely agree with you comments regarding Tegan's similarity to Ian and Barbara. I have thought, for quite some time now, that we could do with a 'reluctant' main companion and a Tardis that is eratic in its flight plans!:)
A brand new (young) Doctor, THREE companions and an almost sopa opera like element to the (on-going) story telling. I know this final element wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I loved the interaction of the Doctor and his companions - the squabbles, the countless failed attempts to get Tegan home, the tragedy each companion carried with them. Just superb!
This also includes Earthshock - one of my top five stories of the classic era.
over all I voted for season 19 , like the other seasons it's got it's bad stories . Four to Doomsday, is one of the dullest stories and the constant bickering between the companions only made things worse. . , Time Flight - cheap and a ridiculous plot . But Earthshock, is IMO possibably the best Cybermen story of both classic and new series it is one of the few stories where you really do get the feeling that the Cybermen are a n unstoppable force - and Matthew Waterhouse, give the lad credit it was his best performance.
I would vote Season 19 also. I have rewatched the whole Davison era and have yet to finish any of the other Classic Doctor's stories. I do agree that of course it is a new era new doctor, but the writing team and production values are not too dissimilar to Season 18. As for the stories, Castrovalva is interesting and shows Davison's range of acting well. Four to Doomsday, is just dull which is a shame as again there is interesting ideas just not executed onto screen well. Kinda I love, it is crammed full of allsorts of themes and is fantastic to watch. The Visitation and Black Orchid are entertaining period romps. Then Earthshock, the best Cybermen story ever, I don't agree it is a slow burner it has a ripping pace and tempo. I do like the first episode with the Androids and of course the big reveal. I even like Time-Flight.
Season 20 is okay, but does not have the quality of 19. Season 21 has Caves my favourite story and yes I wanted to see much more of 5 and Peri in tandem. What a great matchup. Not too keen on The Awakening and Planet of Fire but there not too bad. Nothing in this era is for me.
Companions, Peri is great, I always liked Nyssa. Adric is okay for me, I like him in Earthshock and he never really irritated me like he seems to others. Tegan I do like for her punchiness and she and 5 really seem to entertain me when they are together. Turlough was quite good, I just think he got overshadowed by Tegan. He was a good character initially but lost some of his uniqueness in the later stories. As for Kamelion, cringeworthy.
Love this era, my second favourite I think after TB's.
I'm not a 100% sure what you mean by that, but if you mean having lots of companions for the Fifth Doctor initially, I think it was done deliberately to introduce them in Series 18 so the audience could identify with them come the regeneration. I think it may have been a decision of JNT's to copy the initial three companion set-up from Hartnell's Era as well, hence the big influences on Season 19 from Season 1 that we have already mentioned.
And as for your second point, I agree, it was great to see the TARDIS going back to erratically not going where it should. Wish there were more of it now.
They were either on the RIGHT planet (usually Earth) at the WRONG time or vice - versa
So boring now that it works perfectly(ish) - as and when suits the story!
I know what you mean, going on specific trips to specific places at specific times is a bit yawny...I loved the randomizer, bring it back I say!
Yeah, I loved that too, was a brilliant idea which I was really glad to see reused in the TV Movie in '96.
It was also great there were loads of TARDIS scenes in the Davison era, I loved the first two episodes of Castrovalva because it was almost set entirely inside it and you got to see more of the TARDIS than had ever been seen before.
I also wondered -if it was so big - why did Tegan and Nyssa have to share a bedroom?
They probably just grew close enough to share a room, like sisters, that and the tardis is so big that they most likely worried they'd get lost again.