Bottom 5 Episodes/Serials

[Starkers]

The Twin Dilemma
The Gunfighters
Love and Monsters
Time and the Rani
Horror of Fang Rock

IMO, The Girl Who Waited is fantastic.

I don't think I've seen anyone hate Fang Rock before, I love it, but that's what's so great about Who, there really is something for everyone.

I haven't seen every Who story ever made (still in existance anyway) and even those I have seen with some it's been a while (so while I have seen The Twin Dilemma it's probably a good 15 years (at least) since I have so I can't in all concience put it in a bottom 5.

Classic Who wise I'd say Claws of Axos, The Leisure Hive, The Two Doctors (such a waste) Dragonfire and Ghostlight.

Nu Who; Fear Her, New Earth (notwithstanding the phenomanal bit where Cassandra dies in her own arms which almost redeems it) 42 (yawn inducing) Curse of the Black Spot and maybe last week.

Trouble is, especially in Nu Who, there's usually something to redeem most episodes, take last weeks, overall a bit meh yet still had a lump in my throat near the end

 

[Saga]

The Twin Dilemma
The Gunfighters
Love and Monsters
Time and the Rani
Horror of Fang Rock

IMO, The Girl Who Waited is fantastic.

I don't think I've seen anyone hate Fang Rock before, I love it, but that's what's so great about Who, there really is something for everyone.

I haven't seen every Who story ever made (still in existance anyway) and even those I have seen with some it's been a while (so while I have seen The Twin Dilemma it's probably a good 15 years (at least) since I have so I can't in all concience put it in a bottom 5.

Classic Who wise I'd say Claws of Axos, The Leisure Hive, The Two Doctors (such a waste) Dragonfire and Ghostlight.

Nu Who; Fear Her, New Earth (notwithstanding the phenomanal bit where Cassandra dies in her own arms which almost redeems it) 42 (yawn inducing) Curse of the Black Spot and maybe last week.

Trouble is, especially in Nu Who, there's usually something to redeem most episodes, take last weeks, overall a bit meh yet still had a lump in my throat near the end

i don't viciously hate Horror of Fang Rock or anything. i think more than anything it was just disappointing. most of the stories from Tom's last year were pretty meh, but its been so long since i've seen them i couldn't justify putting any in my bottom list.

 

[Starkers]

This is my trouble too, there are stories it's just been so long since I've seen, or I haven't seen at all (A lot of Hartnell)

 

[Zeppster]

Honorable mention to the Hartnell Historicals (other than The Aztecs [which I thnk is awesome] and The Romans [which is hilarious])

Ah, what else survives? Oh, Gunfighters, of course. Pretty dreadful, but after that they're missing or incomplete...

Reign of Terror is now animated Ep 4 and 5
The Crusade has half it's episodes and the other two have been fan reconstructed
The Masacre and Marco Polo can also be found as Fan Reconstructions

Though I confess, I haven't bothered trying to watch the Marco Polo reconstruction yet because it's so long. I do not to watch the Fan Reconstructions of all of Hartnell at some point, I've tried the Historicals aside from Marco Polo, but, there are still many of the SciFi oriented Hartnell Reconstructions I need to watch, so, I'll probably give Marco Polo a shot when I go through Hartnell again

Marco Polo is actually worth watching. Kinda drags near the end and is anticlimactic but it actually has some good conflict for the first half of that story. But then again the format for the show led a ton of the stories to drag with 10-12 parts sometimes. The modern era sometimes has the opposite problem though.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Purely as an experiment, since I think there was nothing wrong with them in the first place, I think it would be interesting if someone took an old Doctor Who serial and edited it into one 45-minute show, trimming the fat and adding some Murray Gold music or a similarly contemporary soundtrack. I think it would be interesting.

 

[Zeppster]

Purely as an experiment, since I think there was nothing wrong with them in the first place, I think it would be interesting if someone took an old Doctor Who serial and edited it into one 45-minute show, trimming the fat and adding some Murray Gold music or a similarly contemporary soundtrack. I think it would be interesting.

Just all comes down to how well written the stories are. There have been a fair share of badly written modern era stories in the 45 minute format.

 

[Sindatur]

Purely as an experiment, since I think there was nothing wrong with them in the first place, I think it would be interesting if someone took an old Doctor Who serial and edited it into one 45-minute show, trimming the fat and adding some Murray Gold music or a similarly contemporary soundtrack. I think it would be interesting.

That would work for many of the 4 episode stories, but, Pertwee and erlier are mostly stories with more than 4 episodes, so, although I think some of them could be shortened a bit, I think many of them if you crammed them into a single 45 minute episode, you would butcher than

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Just all comes down to how well written the stories are. There have been a fair share of badly written modern era stories in the 45 minute format.

No doubt about that. And in fact, the reverse experiment would be interesting too, but it's easier to edit an episode than to expand it.

That would work for many of the 4 episode stories, but, Pertwee and erlier are mostly stories with more than 4 episodes, so, although I think some of them could be shortened a bit, I think many of them if you crammed them into a single 45 minute episode, you would butcher than

Of course, you'd have to select the right story for that. For most of them, it wouldn't work. But even a long Pertwee serial like, say, Frontier in Space, is basically made of the Doctor escaping from prison and being captured again (and again and again), so there may be a way to trim the whole thing down to the bare essentials. It wouldn't be the same, of course, but that's the point, isn't it?

 

[Marsden]

I don't really have 5 I don't like

My least favorite is "42" It's very contrived and I think it totally wastes a Hitchhiker's refrence.

The Waters of Mars is my very close second. It has some great moments, but it mostly reminded me of the vastly superior Silence in the Library just earlier in the year.
Various impossible things happen in Dr Who, but I just can't believe that woman just went home and nipped right off and shot herself in the lobby.

I'm not sure about 3 more. I really like Doctor Who.

 

[Starkers]

The worst thing about WoM is how much padding there is early on, and then how rushed it is at the end. Seriously if Time Lord Victorious lasts more than 30 seconds I'd be surprised!

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

1. Dimensions in Time - I know its canon/contiuity status is debatable, but it is easily the worst thing ever to bear the name Doctor Who.
2. Time and the Rani - Worst introduction story ever (and I like the 7th Doctor quite a bit, but his first season was horrid)
3. Dragonfire - Another horrible story that introduced one of my favorite characters.
4. Snakedance - Awful sequel to a great story.
5. Timelash - I haven't seen it in 20 years, but I remember hating it,

 

[Green Lantern]

1) Dude I don't even count tht one! But why they chose the Rani as the villain god knows. Never seen it though, I don't think they released it in a special features on one of the serials.
2) You do hate the Rani don't you! (Relax, I hate her too!). Not seen it, but all I've heard is bas bad things about it.
3) Meh, I can give or take it. But yeah, shame they didn't introduce Ace better.
4) Never even heard of it. Which Doctor was it?
5) Saw that one, didn't mind it. I remember giving it average reviews.

 

[Turbo]

Gonna have to limit this one to the New Series, as I've not yet seen most of what folks consider the dreck of the Classic Series. (Mostly because it's hard to bring myself to buy something considered dreck.)

5. Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks
4. The Vampires of Venice
3. 42
2. Love and Monsters
1. Fear Her

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

1) Dude I don't even count tht one! But why they chose the Rani as the villain god knows. Never seen it though, I don't think they released it in a special features on one of the serials.
2) You do hate the Rani don't you! (Relax, I hate her too!). Not seen it, but all I've heard is bas bad things about it.
3) Meh, I can give or take it. But yeah, shame they didn't introduce Ace better.
4) Never even heard of it. Which Doctor was it?
5) Saw that one, didn't mind it. I remember giving it average reviews.

1. You're not missing anything. I saw it years ago on a bootleg video and haven't felt the urge to rewatch it since.
2. Sadly, I actually like the Rani, but I don't think she's had a decent story since her first.
3. I just have the image of the Doctor randomly hanging by his umbrella off a (short) cliff in my mind.. bleh
4. Fifth. Its a sequel to Kinda, which is excellent
5. It may not be as bad as I remember, its just one that sprang to mind. Though I remember hating that they made the Doctor the inspiration for HG Wells' Time Traveller, as I would love for the Time Traveller and the Doctor to meet.

 

[Turbo]

Dimensions in Time can't be released on DVD without getting new clearances from all involved. The actors did it for free since it was a charity production. And it's not just the Doctor Who actors - it's those from EastEnders, too. And there might be copyright issues with the crossover, at least here in the US.

 

[Zeppster]

I can't do an exact order but here goes.

Daleks in Manhattan/Revolution of the Daleks-Just a complete mess all around. The Dalek/Human hybrids, the Pig humans, the horrible 30s dialogue and characters, a complete and total failure on many levels. I do kinda like the end scene when the Doctor faces off with the Daleks but the rest of this one is just a total mess.

Green Death the only strong point is Jo's departure. The rest of the story is weak with it's heavyhanded liberal message that is pretty much anti capitalist, even trying to say meat is bad for you, and that wind and solar energy are easy to convert, but then you have the poor storyand poor effects. Saying "science" was the only way when the solution ended up being Jo knocking something over to figure out the solution. I'm not completely against political messages in episodes but this was so one sided and so poorly done that it's hard to like. Same can be said for a lot of the 7th Doctor also.

Twin Delima. Colin Baker has redeemed himself as a solid Doctor, mostly because the writing for the audio dramas he has done have been a ton better than his short run as the Doctor in the 80s. Much of it isn't his fault. But one of the first things he did when he started his regeneration was assault his companion and then talk about going to some asteroid for hundreds of years to be a hermit then bitch about other things most of the rest of this episode. And Colin Baker hamming up some god awful writing doesn't help it. I was too young to really be a Who fan at that time, being born in 84. But I would imagine a die hard fan at that time thinking WHAT THE FUCK!

The Happiness Patrol
Really there were a lot of 7th doctor episodes that were poorly written but this one just sticks with me the most. They face a world where being sad is a crime.

The Beast Below the 2nd outing of the 11th doctor was to me still his weakest episode. Basically the future humans believe the only way to fix their ship is to torture a space whale. And the doctor's solution was to basically make that whale a vegetable.