Supposedly they did it because they were unpopular but of course they would be unpopular if the producers didn't like them and didn't make them good.

I love the historicals. I think all of my top 5 Hartnell's would be historicals except for maybe 'The Dalek's Masterplan'.

100,000 BC
Marco Polo
The Aztecs
The Romans
The Mythmakers
The Massacre
The Time Meddler

All excellent for me. Then the second tier stories like 'The Gunfighters' still smash stories like 'The Sensorites' or 'The Space Museum'.

You know you said we hardly agree on anything? Well, the three stories I've highlighted are my three least favourite historicals!

At least you have The Time Meddler in there so at least we agree on something !

And I think you've said 'Reign of Terror' is your favourite historical too (that's from memory; I could be wrong), which is one of the few I don't really care for. It would be interesting if we did a ranking of every Doctor Who story. I imagine our lists would be more or less mirror images of the other's (ie. total opposites) :P

It's all good though.

The Ark. Not even Dodo can spoil this for me.

It's not quite my fave historical. Discounting The Time Meddler as it's a Pseudo-Sci-fi story, my fave pure historical is actually The Crusade, which I enthuse endlessly about on here and am not ashamed to do it as I believe good writing and dialogue/acting should always be highlighted.

I do like The Reign Of Terror though. It's mainly because of Hartnell that I enjoy it. Like Colin Baker, people have this perception he was grumpy the whole time, but it simply isn't true. In this story, he really played up the comedy element and you can see he was having fun with the role he was given.

Yes, we'll have to devise a list between us and see which stories we mutually like. I have feeling it won't be many!

"The Celestial Toymaker" for me. Even though I admit that the story itself isn't the most thrilling, I just love the idea of these omnipotent beings going around and playing game with mortals. I really love the interactions between the Doctor and the Toymaker.

Though, I give a shout out to "The War Machines" for giving us what is perhaps the greats hero shot the Doctor has ever had.

You know the one.

http://stuartreviewsstuff.files.word.../08/srswm2.jpg

That is a wonderful Hartnell moment!

Looking at your poll choices, Mrfipp, we have very similar tastes in Who. Well played for doubling the Greatest Show in the Galaxy vote.

None of my choices won for Doctors 1 to 3, but 3 cracking stories did so that's

I agree that it's a great concept rather boringly realized.

A similar idea, with much better realization, was done in the 5th Doctor serial 'Enlightenment'; a really underrated story and one of my favourite of the era (indeed of the 80s).

I'm actually surprised at the result of this poll. I don't rate either of the first two Dalek stories that much and The Dalek Invasion of Earth I thought was okay but not great.

I think the other two Dalek stories in Hartnell's Era were much better. To be honest, I didn't know what was going to win this one, just wasn't expecting that!

But hey, this is a democracy and I respect the result, though thoroughly wrong in my opinion of course!

Really? That is exactly what I expected. IMO 'The Daleks' is very boring but 'Invasion of Earth' is highly enjoyable.


I have just read a similar comment at Den of Geek "That thing you like? You are wrong to like it because I don't!"

What about Terry Walsh and Richard Hurndall?!