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Top/Bottom 10 stories from DWM's 50th Anniversary poll

I also liked The Crimson Horror, I don't know why it gets a bad reputation. Rings of Akhaten, though, was pretty lame. Not on my worst stories list, but it was annoying and forgettable.
 
Underworld and Space Museum are a lot better than their reputations too. (I just watched Museum last week, and Underworld tonight, actually...)

Crimson Horror was fine too.
 
Human Nature/The Family of Blood, however, is probably my most despised Doctor Who story ever. I'd rewatch Love & Monsters, Fear Her and Time and the Rani in a marathon before I'd even glance at that pile of dung again. I guess if you like watching David Tennant spend 95% of two episodes playing an old Englishman who is in no way the Doctor, in a story that has nothing to do with The Doctor except for the set up and very end, maybe you'd like it. But, personally, I found it incredibly irritaiting and so anti-Who I would never have guessed it was part of the show if it didn't have the last 5 minutes of the second episode, and the theme song.

I couldn't even make it all the way through (although I did skip to the end of episode 2 after getting through part of episode 1, just to see what happened). I have never been more enraged by a Doctor Who story than I was at this.
You're insane, LOL. :P

Seriously though, and with no offense, but the Human Nature two-parter is Tennant's best hour(s). Simply put. I cannot fathom how all the serials you mentioned you'd watch instead are even slightly better than this. Time and the Rani is insultingly bad, and that is nowhere more obvious than in the utter lack of decency to have Colin Baker in his own regeneration scene. Plus, the whole story is pointless.

Whereas Paul Cornell's masterpiece talks about life, death, the possibility of being a normal person who could belong somewhere, a man who can love and live life as a whole, and all that forcefully brought upon him, AND taken away from him because of a set of villains. Its a brilliantly layered story, not to mention the only other story in which Martha Jones comes off as a distinctive character.

Now, there are some popular Who stories i don't like, but I can get other people liking. I thought that Blink was extremely boring, and had a fairly bad supporting cast trying to make the story work. But, I can see how some might like it (and it introduced the Angels, so that's a point for it). Human Nature/The Family of Blood, though, I'll never understand. Its easily the worst Doctor Who story I've seen, and I'd put it as a contender for worst episodes of a Sci fi television show I've ever seen.
Well, there is the old test that proves if a newcomer could ever be interested in DW: Watch Blink, and if you don't like that, then don't bother.

It certainly won me over. :)

And to add, there's no way Rings of Akhaten is worse than Crimson Horror or at least a couple of other Series 7 stories. Akhaten at least has one absolutely memorable moment with that wonderful, beautiful singing and the Doctor's "take it all!" speech.

Crimson Horror is one of my favourite Smith stories. Rings least favourite easily. I didn't care for the singing. Though strangely it was much better sung live at the proms.

10 when DWM did the top 200 DW stories a few years back.

Did they do online voting that time?

It's the first Doctor Who poll in my 25 years as a fan I've taken part in, as you could do it online (via email at least)
Crimson Horror is the worst Series 7 story, by far. The Cybermen one comes close, but this one takes the case, if not because it has the extraordinary privilege of showcasing a bad Diana Rigg performance. And not just a simply bad one, but an embarrasingly one, too. Probably the worst guest artist in NuWho.
 
Human Nature/The Family of Blood, however, is probably my most despised Doctor Who story ever. I'd rewatch Love & Monsters, Fear Her and Time and the Rani in a marathon before I'd even glance at that pile of dung again. I guess if you like watching David Tennant spend 95% of two episodes playing an old Englishman who is in no way the Doctor, in a story that has nothing to do with The Doctor except for the set up and very end, maybe you'd like it. But, personally, I found it incredibly irritaiting and so anti-Who I would never have guessed it was part of the show if it didn't have the last 5 minutes of the second episode, and the theme song.

I couldn't even make it all the way through (although I did skip to the end of episode 2 after getting through part of episode 1, just to see what happened). I have never been more enraged by a Doctor Who story than I was at this.
You're insane, LOL. :P

Seriously though, and with no offense, but the Human Nature two-parter is Tennant's best hour(s). Simply put. I cannot fathom how all the serials you mentioned you'd watch instead are even slightly better than this. Time and the Rani is insultingly bad, and that is nowhere more obvious than in the utter lack of decency to have Colin Baker in his own regeneration scene.

Just for the record, they asked him and he turned them down.
 
Underworld and Space Museum are a lot better than their reputations too. (I just watched Museum last week, and Underworld tonight, actually...)

Crimson Horror was fine too.

Agreed. In fact, I watched Underworld fairly recently and enjoyed it! Not a classic but I was entertained.

Mr Awe
 
For what it's worth, it's worth applying 'goal difference' to the top 10 (meaning that the only new episode in there is Day of the Doctor, and it's come in at No.1, which automatically pushes everything else down a place.
Factor that in and the only major changes are that Androzani is down three, City of Death up four, and Remembrance gets into the top 10 with a jump of five... al of which is probably a change of half a percent in the actual scores...
 
Human Nature/The Family of Blood, however, is probably my most despised Doctor Who story ever. I'd rewatch Love & Monsters, Fear Her and Time and the Rani in a marathon before I'd even glance at that pile of dung again. I guess if you like watching David Tennant spend 95% of two episodes playing an old Englishman who is in no way the Doctor, in a story that has nothing to do with The Doctor except for the set up and very end, maybe you'd like it. But, personally, I found it incredibly irritaiting and so anti-Who I would never have guessed it was part of the show if it didn't have the last 5 minutes of the second episode, and the theme song.

I couldn't even make it all the way through (although I did skip to the end of episode 2 after getting through part of episode 1, just to see what happened). I have never been more enraged by a Doctor Who story than I was at this.
You're insane, LOL. :P

Seriously though, and with no offense, but the Human Nature two-parter is Tennant's best hour(s). Simply put. I cannot fathom how all the serials you mentioned you'd watch instead are even slightly better than this. Time and the Rani is insultingly bad, and that is nowhere more obvious than in the utter lack of decency to have Colin Baker in his own regeneration scene. Plus, the whole story is pointless.

Whereas Paul Cornell's masterpiece talks about life, death, the possibility of being a normal person who could belong somewhere, a man who can love and live life as a whole, and all that forcefully brought upon him, AND taken away from him because of a set of villains. Its a brilliantly layered story, not to mention the only other story in which Martha Jones comes off as a distinctive character.

Now, there are some popular Who stories i don't like, but I can get other people liking. I thought that Blink was extremely boring, and had a fairly bad supporting cast trying to make the story work. But, I can see how some might like it (and it introduced the Angels, so that's a point for it). Human Nature/The Family of Blood, though, I'll never understand. Its easily the worst Doctor Who story I've seen, and I'd put it as a contender for worst episodes of a Sci fi television show I've ever seen.
Well, there is the old test that proves if a newcomer could ever be interested in DW: Watch Blink, and if you don't like that, then don't bother.

It certainly won me over. :)

Well, I'd say a newcomer shouldn't be tested on Doctor Who with an episode The Doctor is in for all of 2 minutes and features mostly bad, one off actors in a bland story only saved by cool villains, but that's just me :vulcan: Honestly, with better writing and decent actors Blink might have been good (although having a Doctor+ Companion light episode is just a stupid concept to me, you need one or the other or its not really a Doctor Who episode). As it is, Blink isn't representative of the series, so it seems like an inappropriate way to introduce someone to the show.

As for HN/TFB, it's far from Tennat's best hour. He's not a bad actor, so if you like totally unrelated period drams stuck into your sci Fi show, and having the main character of said show not even appearing in the drama except for about 5 minutes over 2 episodes, I guess it could appeal to people that like dramas set in that period.

All I know is that I thought it was poorly written, had nothing to do with Doctor Who, and tried to give The Doctor some completely BS motivation to be "a real boy", when even 10 at his most depressed never wanted to be anything but himself. No story I've ever seen missed the point of the character (both that particular incarnation and The Doctor overall) so completely, and the first story of the entire franchise had The Doctor try to kill a harmless, unarmed caveman with a rock. Heck, even the 7th Doctor showing his sociopathic tendencies in Ghost Light and Curse of Fenric still felt like something The Doctor would do (a completely psychotic Doctor, but the 7th was the only Doctor who made The Master look friendly, so it fit).

Still, its just my opinion. Feel free to enjoy the stories, I just hate everything about them.

As for Tennants finest hour, for me that would be either The Stolen Earth/Journey's End or possibly The End of Time (which regardless of the overall story had some great Doctor moments, especially the ending).
 
The Doctor who lite episodes shows us what impact he has on those he visits. There is nothing wrong with giving us a different perspetive on one of the Doctor's adventures.

There is this line from AGMGTW by River

This was *exactly* you. All this. All of it! You make them so afraid. When you began all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name. "Doctor": the word for "healer" and "wise man", throughout the universe. We get that word from you, y'know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "doctor" means "mighty warrior". How far you've come. And now they've taken a child, the child of your best friends, and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my love, in fear of you.

But we all like different things.
 
Well, I'm here to watch Doctor Who. Not the bland, sh^%$y actor show. Or the Donna Noble show (I like her as a companion, but that episode with the stupidly drowned Doctor was horrible). That said, I'm open to a Doctor -lite episode, I just have 2 requirements. It MUST star his companion (unlike Blink and Love & Monsters) and it must actually be a good story. The Doctor has pulled of successful companion-lite episodes, but the show hasn't had a good Doctor-lite story yet. I believe its possible, but they just haven't done it yet.

Also, I remember that quote, and it doesn't apply to the companion -lite/ Doctor-lite episode situations at all. It was an ok concept, although it was rather pointless. It also lead to moronic plots like pretending that the Daleks could ever forget The Doctor, but that's another conversation).
 
If you find Blink and Turn Left to have moronic plots, then I don't know what to say. Really. Other than that your sense of taste is, at best, questionable.
 
Can't believe Rings Of Akhaten is rated that low...

It was insipid drivel and for the episode that was hyped as having the "most amazing alien planet ever!" ridiculously cheap looking. I still can't believe someone signed off on the cardboard Space Bike...
Not to mention lifting Blade Runner dialogue wholesale! A real low point, maybe not Fear Her low, but low...even for 7B

Thats rubbish. I guess you both thought Diana Rigg's alien friend was in a better episode, then?

Personally I loved the Crimson Horror, but that's neither here nor there as I saw, and disliked, Rings before I had any idea how great TCH was gonna be. Rings is the worst ep of 7B, and one of the worst eps of the Moffat era (I don't actually think its the worst, step up Black Spot and Night Terrors--just to prove that I'm not always a great fan of Gatiss). Not sure it's bottom 10 bad but, same as why Day's at the top, it's probably fresh in a lot of people's memories.
 
Remind me again but doesn't Blink also star Carey Mulligan, who is an Oscar Nominated, SAG Award nominated, Golden Globe nominated, BAFTA winning actress?
 
Remind me again but doesn't Blink also star Carey Mulligan, who is an Oscar Nominated, SAG Award nominated, Golden Globe nominated, BAFTA winning actress?

Maybe he meant everyone except her :rommie:

I can usually understand people's point of view, even if I disagree, I can see why peop might like Rings, might dislike Crimson Horror, why people both love and hate Love & Monsters, but I can't get my head around outright hatred for Blink or The Family of Blood 2 parter.
 
but this one takes the case, if not because it has the extraordinary privilege of showcasing a bad Diana Rigg performance. And not just a simply bad one, but an embarrasingly one, too. Probably the worst guest artist in NuWho.

Whereas I find her probably my favorite villainess from the new series - a character who just enjoys being evil.

Reminds me of my old headmistress at school as well! Not that she was evil.

Personally I loved the Crimson Horror, but that's neither here nor there as I saw, and disliked, Rings before I had any idea how great TCH was gonna be. Rings is the worst ep of 7B, and one of the worst eps of the Moffat era (I don't actually think its the worst, step up Black Spot and Night Terrors--just to prove that I'm not always a great fan of Gatiss). Not sure it's bottom 10 bad but, same as why Day's at the top, it's probably fresh in a lot of people's memories.

Quite, I had no desire to watch Rings again after it finished, I've watched CH several times since. I find the episodes in 7B written by previous writers in a different league to those written by the newcomers.

I think when we heard the synopis of Night Terrors a few of us thought it would be Fear Her done right, but it's not much better really.

I wonder if Nightmare In Silver would have been better without Cybermen.
 
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Well Power is 19th and the 3rd highest 60's story with no episodes in existence so that is pretty good going.
 
I wonder if Nightmare In Silver would have been better without Cybermen.

It would have been better without those bloody kids. (I refuse to believe Neil wrote those scenes.)

Or if we hadn't had a "use of gold as a weapon" scene that makes no more sense than Ace killing them with gold coins way back when. Gold dust clogs their filters. How hard is that to remember?
 
Or if we hadn't had a "use of gold as a weapon" scene that makes no more sense than Ace killing them with gold coins way back when. Gold dust clogs their filters. How hard is that to remember?

I tend to treat it more like having become phobia like (which would require emotion!) than an actual reaction. The chest plate just detects the presence of gold which overloads something. In the case of CyberMat its just a software patch to solve it.

That bothers me more about those Cyberman, that you can solve any hardware problems with firmware solutions.
 
I wonder if Nightmare In Silver would have been better without Cybermen.

It would have been better without those bloody kids. (I refuse to believe Neil wrote those scenes.)

But we know he did. He said his original draft had the Victorian Clara's charges from "The Snowmen."

The Victorian children were less annoying though. Actually that's a trifle unfair, the modern brother was ok, it was the sister who was really annoying. I don't think it would have helped much, whether it was the script or the realisation of the script it just didn't quite hang together, and it did feel like Gaiman had been watching far too many Next Gen Borg episodes.
 
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