Which story from all of the Doctor Who history would you say is the best? Has there been a story that just had it all???

personally I loved War Games with PT. I think that would make a great movie

The Mind Robber. Imaginative, whimsical, sometimes creepy, it's like a particularly weird dream after eating a three cheese pizza with several different extra types of cheese added. I love that story. It's like a distillation of the essence of Doctor Who.

Doomsday followed exceedingly close by The Caves Of Androzani.

Caves of Andronzani would have to be up there too

Robots of Death. Great performances, believable and creepy adversaries, the wooden Tardis console and more!

Pyramids of Mars. Or Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone. And the under appreciated Visitation.

City of Death

Hard to pick a single story, but obvious choices are City of Death, Talons of Weng Chiang, Spearhead from Space, The Mind Robber, Caves of Androzani, The Sea Devils, The Deadly Assassin. But probably, given that Tv techniques have improved so much, the best of NuWho represents the very best the show has ever offered, and from that, the outstanding number one, for its script, performances, direction and sheer overall quality, would be Family of Blood / Human Nature.

Daleks' Masterplan.

Classics.

The usual top five/10 stuff give or take though beyond that I hardly call the rest classics, more retro curios. But at a push probably 'Genesis' or 'Dalek Invasion' Obvious choices I know but there you go.

Hard to pick a New Who as there are for me quite a few to choose from and it changes all the time but at the moment it is Parting Of The Ways.

It's always hard to pick a best story, has there even been a completely perfect Doctor Who story/episode?

Classic Series: Ark in Space, City of Death, Pyramids of Mars (well episodes 1 to 3 anyway!).

2005 onwards:
The Doctor Dances is IMHO the most perfect single episode so far. Though I do love The Big Bang as it's my favourite episode at the moment

The Dalek Invasion of Earth has it all. It even has a downbeat ending, which almost-never happens. It's epic in scale, is full of different locations and characters, and has many great ideas. Terry Nation's finest scripts.

Not quite! Epic in scale, full of different locations and characters, many great ideas and Terry Nation's finest scripts - sounds like you're describing Daleks' Masterplan! And as for a downbeat ending - DM's is way more downbeat than anything else! (Rose being trapped in an alternative universe, Donna having her memory wiped - pah! Rose or Donna being aged to death and turning into a skeleton and then dust - now that's downbeat!)

Fully agree, I do enjoy the 'scope' of the epsiodes and how it gets from a to z

One of the few classics Ive viewed more than a couple times. It could stand up as a one off serial/play in it's own right.

I've always had a soft spot for Destiny of the Daleks - but that's it's clouded since it's one of the first I remember through the eyes of a child. (Although I do remember being told off by my parents as I attempted to wipe out the Daleks after Genesis, by sparking the 2 wires of the battery from my train set together)

For greatest ever, I'm going with Dalek, Father's Day or School Reunion - I never tire of watching these episodes.

From Nu-Who I'd narrow it down to The Parting of the Ways, School Reunion, The Family of Blood and The Stolen Earth (the last of which only works if you have watched all of Series 1-4, Torchwood and Sarah Jane)

From new Who - the story that affected me the most without a doubt was School Reunion. I have also watched it more times than any other episode.

From classic Who - very difficult. But Earthshock left me in a state of shock for weeks when it was first broadcast. So based purely on its impact on me as a viewer, I'd have to go with that.

Classic series: Genises, runner's up Talons, Robots of Death, Pyramids, Wed of Fear.
Nu Who:Midnight, runner's up Turn Left, Human Nature,Gridlock, Utopia.

Marvellous-all fo them

Despite reading many novels and listening to quite a few audios, and believing these spin-offs to definitely be (can of worms!) canon, I have restricted the following choices to TV stories only.

Overall
Classic Who - City of Death
New Who - Blink

Per Doctor:-
WH - The Dalek Masterplan
PT - The Mind Robber
JP - Carnival of Monsters
TB - City of Death
PD - Earthshock
CB - Revelation of the Daleks
SM - Rememberance of the Daleks
PM - The TV Movie (default)
CE - The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances
DT - Blink
MS - The Pandorica Opens & The Big Bang

Per Doctor is probably easier, unless it's Tom of course

Wow, that's the closest I've ever come to someone having the same choices as me! Agree 100% with your WH, PD, CB, SM, PM (obviously!) and CE and though I'd choose others for PT, JP, TB and DT the ones you've chosen are right up there with the best. The only one I'd strongly disagree with is MS, where I would go for Amy's Choice.

Interesting how some have choosen to divide from Classic and Nu-Who. Although If I'm honest I've probably watched Parting of the waves more often than any other from the new series. Oh now I'm thinking of Tomb of the Cybermen and I'm not sure but a Good bad story that I've watched a number times is Planet of the Spiders. oh now The talons of wieng Chiang has just popped in my head.....too much

I think it's just very hard to compare Nu and classic Who like-for-like. As great as so many classic stories are, few are not marred at some point by the constraints of budget, most fans can suspend their belief when viewing these, but it's hard when you look at NuWho, with its (usually) completely believable visuals, great acting etc, not to feel that they are better works of art simply because the tools they are made with are that much better today. So, we all like to compare stories bearing in mind when they were made etc, but it really is quite a difficult thing to do. I always thought the daemons was an absolute classic, and indeed it has some lovely moments, but when viewed today it really hasn't aged well, and there would be very many examples like this. So generally, it's easier and probably more accurate to seperate the two eras in terms of ultimate favourite. As I've said, i think Human nature / Family of Blood may well be technically the very best Who ever made, and certainly to my mind the best single performance in the lead role (though of course Tennant spent most of the story NOT playing the Dr). But again, you could argue the logic of the Scarecrows, the all-powerful Dr-as-some-kind-of-God ending (which I personally loved), it will always be down to how it makes you feel, and I felt emotionally drained (in a very good way) at the end of this story in a way I've never been before or since with the show.

I see what your saying. Personally I always like to think of it like Gangster films. I love James Cagney in Angels with dirty faces and I also like good fellas. But Just because the modern version can be technically superior and tastes have changed so it can be more graphic or realistic doesn't necessarily make it a better story. But I suppose if you asked people under a certain age how many would watch a black and white gangster film many wouldn't be interested. Because new is perceived as better. My point being I think classic and Nu-who can be compared on story, for me its about good tale told

Half of Dalek Masterplan's scripts aren't Terry Nation's! Also, the Christmas episode is a bit rubbish. The story wanders around a bit too much, although it;s better than The Chase. Dalek Invasion is far more focussed and really gets under the skin of life under occupation. The final scene has it all: funereal music as Susan is left behind, while the Doctor, Barbara and Ian struggle to keep stiff upper lips.

I don't recall the final scene of DM, but Sara has already died by that point. Is the final scene " oh what a tragedy that Sara died?" or is it "right, we're off to new adventures now, my boy!"

Dalek Invasion of Earth gets inside an epic story, while Dalek Masterplan gives new characters and new locations week after week. DM's great, but DIOE is greater.