Doctor Who: Classic Episodes 101
If you've watched the new series and are curious where to start watching the classic stuff, here's a good primer for you.
Although the series starts in 1963, the early episodes are very rough and not a good place to start for a newcomer. You would be better off starting with "Spearhead from Space" starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor or "Robot" starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Those storylines are more accessible and entertaining for first-time classic series viewers.
Unlike the modern series, which usually runs approximately an hour (or often 45 minutes without commercials), the classic series episodes run 20 to 30 minutes unless otherwise noted. So a story that runs for 4 episodes is equivalent to the length of a modern-day two-parter.
Happy viewing!
Although the series starts in 1963, the early episodes are very rough and not a good place to start for a newcomer. You would be better off starting with "Spearhead from Space" starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor or "Robot" starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Those storylines are more accessible and entertaining for first-time classic series viewers.
Unlike the modern series, which usually runs approximately an hour (or often 45 minutes without commercials), the classic series episodes run 20 to 30 minutes unless otherwise noted. So a story that runs for 4 episodes is equivalent to the length of a modern-day two-parter.
Happy viewing!
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- DirectorDerek MartinusStarsJon PertweeCaroline JohnNicholas CourtneyAs the newly regenerated Doctor arrives on Earth, so does the Nestene.First appearance of the Autons, who appear in the 2005 series' first episode "Rose." Like that story, this one has a brand new Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and a brand new companion (Liz Shaw), so this is a good jumping-on point. This also features Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as the head of UNIT. In the new series, UNIT appears frequently, and it's currently run by the Brig's daughter Kate.
Run time: 4 episodes - 1963–198924mTV-G7.6 (731)TV EpisodeDirectorTimothy CombeStarsJon PertweeCaroline JohnNicholas CourtneyThe Doctor and Liz are summoned to the Wenley Moor Research Centre by the Brigadier, after several staff members suffer nervous breakdowns.Some rather embarrassing costumes in this one, and it's overlong, but the story is solid. The Silurians would appear again in the 2010 story "The Hungry Earth"/"Cold Blood."
Run time: 7 episodes - DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsJon PertweeCaroline JohnNicholas CourtneyThe Doctor and UNIT investigate strange happenings at a top secret government drilling project headed by the pompous Professor Stahlman.The Doctor's first visit to an alternate dimension. The Doctor would again cross over to another dimension several times in the 2006 season with Rose Tyler.
Run time: 7 episodes - DirectorBarry LettsStarsJon PertweeNicholas CourtneyRoger DelgadoWhen a Nestene Energy Unit is stolen and a radio telescope sabotaged, the Doctor is contacted by a Time Lord who tells him his old rival the Master is responsible.This storyline introduces the Master, who terrorizes the Doctor multiple times in the new series.
Run time: 4 episodes - DirectorLennie MayneStarsJon PertweePatrick TroughtonWilliam HartnellThe 10th Anniversary Serial has three incarnations of the Doctor meeting up to face the evil Omega in a universe of antimatter.The first multi-Doctor story. Even if you haven't seen Patrick Troughton or William Hartnell in anything else at this point, I think you'll still find them delightful.
Run time: 4 episodes - DirectorBarry LettsStarsJon PertweeKaty ManningTenniel EvansThe Doctor attempts to test his new dematerialisation circuit by taking Jo to Metebelis Three but instead the TARDIS arrives in the hold of a 1920s cargo ship.This episode isn't important to the new series (although it is mentioned briefly in "Robot of Sherwood"), but it's just a fun story and a favorite of mine. There's a really good twist at the end of episode 1. This story was brought to you by Robert Holmes, who also wrote "Spearhead from Space" and created the Master.
Run time: 4 episodes - DirectorAlan BromlyStarsJon PertweeElisabeth SladenNicholas CourtneyThe Brigadier asks the Doctor to investigate the disappearance of several scientists, only for him to find they have been abducted back in time.This brilliant story by Robert Holmes introduces beloved companion Sarah Jane Smith (later in 2006's "School Reunion"), introduces the Sontarans (the same species as Strax in the new series), and introduces the idea that others can travel in time and meddle with history.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorChristopher BarryStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenIan MarterCan the Doctor, now in his fourth incarnation, recover from his post-regenerative trauma to save the Earth from Think Tank and their plot for world domination?The wonderful introduction of Tom Baker to the role of the Doctor. This story gets mentioned in 2009's "Planet of the Dead."
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenIan MarterThe Doctor and his companions are sent to the planet Skaro by the Time Lords to prevent the creation of the Daleks.Introduces Davros, creator of the Daleks. Davros shows up in 2008's "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" and in 2015's "The Magician's Nephew"/"The Witch's Familiar."
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenIan MarterThe Doctor, Sarah and Harry return to Earth in response to an emergency space-time telegraph from the Brigadier, who asks them to investigate the destruction of a series of North Sea oil rigs.The Zygons' first and only classic-series appearance. The Zygons returned in 2013's "Day of the Doctor" and in 2015's "The Zygon Invasion/Inversion."
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorPaddy RussellStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenBernard ArchardThe Doctor and Sarah are drawn off course and, instead of UNIT HQ, they arrive on the same site in 1911.The Doctor would visit the red planet again at an earlier point in its history (but not his) in 2009's "The Waters of Mars."
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorChristopher BarryStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenPhilip MadocThe Tardis lands in a spaceship graveyard on the bleak planet Karn, where The Doctor and Sarah find a evil scientist called Doctor Solon is constructing a new body for the brain of an evil Time Lord known as Morbius, who The Doctor thought was executed by the High Council on Gallifrey. Morbius plots to rule the galaxy with his new body.The Sisterhood of Karn would again be important in 2013's "Night of the Doctor" and 2015's "The Magician's Apprentice."
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsTom BakerLouise JamesonJohn BennettThe Doctor and Leela land in Victorian London, and find themselves in the middle of missing girls, mutilated bodies, and vicious Chinese gangs. The Palace theater, presenting hypnotist Li H'sen Chang seems to be at the center of it all.The 11th and 12th Doctors would visit 1890s London several times combined.
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorDerrick GoodwinStarsTom BakerLouise JamesonMichael SheardIn the year 5000 AD a three-man crew arrive on the planet Titan but unknowingly become hosts for an alien virus that turns them hostile. Picking up a distress signal in the Tardis, the Doctor and Leela head to the planet to investigate.The robotic dog K9's first appearance. K9 would return in 2006's "School Reunion" along with Sarah Jane, and they would both make a few more guest appearances after that.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorMichael HayesStarsTom BakerLalla WardJulian GloverCount Scarlioni reveals his true form as Scaroth, the last of the Jagaroth and uses his time machine to go back in time and rewrite history. The Doctor, Romana and Duggan take to the Tardis in a race against time to stop him.This doesn't really tie in to the modern series, but it's written by Douglas Adams of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (under a pseudonym) and it's got a priceless cameo in its final installment.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorPeter GrimwadeStarsPeter DavisonJames WarwickClare CliffordIn the midst of an argument between Adric and the Doctor, the Tardis materializes underground in Earth's distant future where a team of paleontologists and geologists find themselves under attack from a pair of androids.Notable for being one of the only times that a Companion dies in the line of duty. First appearance on this list of Peter Davison as the Doctor.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorPeter MoffattJohn Nathan-TurnerPennant RobertsStarsPeter DavisonJon PertweePatrick TroughtonThe Doctor and his previous incarnations are brought to the Death Zone on his homeworld Gallifrey as part of a renegade Time Lord's scheme.The 20th anniversary special is another multi-Doctor affair. Some parts of the story are more than a little silly, but it's a pretty good showcase for Peter Davison, and it's fun to watch all the different versions of the Doctor bickering with each other. Sarah Jane and K9 both appear here.
Davison would later appear in 2007's short "Time Crash" alongside David Tennant, and 2013's "The Day of the Doctor" is another multi-Doctor episode.
Run time: One 90-minute special - DirectorGraeme HarperStarsColin BakerPeter DavisonNicola BryantChellak and his men attack Jek's base. The Dr. crash-lands the ship, and must escape from his captors to find the antidote to the Spectrox poisoning and save Peri. He does so, but at a staggering cost.In addition to being considered one of the finest stories ever for the classic series (written by Robert Holmes, naturally), and being Peter Davison's regeneration episode, it's notable because Androzani factors into the 2011 Christmas story "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe."
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorRon JonesStarsColin BakerNicola BryantMartin JarvisThe Governor forces the Doctor to tell him the true value of zeiton-7 but Sil attempts to derail his plans by subjecting Peri and Areta to an enforced mutation.The era of the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) is sadly marked by many terrible scripts, but this is one of his best showcases, a story that eerily foreshadows reality television.
Run time: two 45-minute episodes! - 1963–198925mTV-G7.3 (476)TV EpisodeDirectorChris CloughStarsColin BakerBonnie LangfordMichael JaystonThe charge against the Doctor changes from mere meddling to inexcusable genocide. His future looks both grim and very short.The punishingly long "Trial of a Time Lord" concludes with the two-part "The Ultimate Foe," a nearly incoherent story about a character called the Valeyard who's apparently the 13th incarnation of the Doctor ... or something.
I wouldn't even cite this story at all except that the Valeyard gets name-checked in 2013's "Name of the Doctor," both looking back to his past and nicely foreshadowing the darker turn that Peter Capaldi would bring to the role.
Run time: Skip the first 12 parts and just go straight to the last two 30-minute parts, if you bother with this one at all. - 1963–198925mTV-PG8.4 (776)TV EpisodeDirectorAndrew MorganStarsSylvester McCoySophie AldredSimon WilliamsThe Doctor and Ace travel back to London in November 1963 and are caught in the middle of a Dalek civil war.The series got back on track with Sylvester McCoy in the title role and his terrific companion Ace, here heading back to stop an invasion of Earth by the Daleks in 1963 -- the year the show started.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsPaul McGannEric RobertsDaphne AshbrookThe newly-regenerated Doctor takes on the Master on the turn of the millennium, 31 December 1999.A failed attempt to revive the series in the '90s for American viewers. Worth watching mainly for Paul McGann's terrific turn in the role. McGann would play the Doctor on film only one other time, in 2013's "Night of the Doctor."
Run time: One 90-minute TV-movie - DirectorWaris HusseinDouglas CamfieldStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillTwo schoolteachers investigate the personal life of one of their brilliant students and her mysterious grandfather.The very first episode, ever. Watch this story and note how darkly the Doctor is written and is portrayed by William Hartnell. Peter Capaldi's performance in the 2014 season seems very influenced by this.
Run time: 4 eps, but feel free to skip everything after the first one. The other 3 parts are kind of a dull, silly story about cavemen. The first installment is really where all the mythology of the series is built. - DirectorChristopher BarryStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe TARDIS lands in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover the danger of what will become his deadliest enemies, the mutant Daleks. (Originally broadcast in seven parts.)The introduction of the Daleks, the Doctors' oldest foe. This one runs way too long, but if you want to see how the Dalek story started for the Doctor, it starts here.
Run time: 7 eps, known under the umbrella title "The Daleks." The first installment linked here goes by a different name. - DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillIn this completely TARDIS-based story, the crew find themselves and their ship acting very strangely indeed. Blame runs high for the Ship's unusual behavior, until the Doctor realizes the TARDIS itself may be trying to warn them... (Originally broadcast in two parts; also known in fan circles as "Inside the Spaceship.")One of the few stories ever based completely in the TARDIS, and the first suggestion that the TARDIS is sentient -- a concept that will prove important in such modern-series episodes as 2005's "Boom Town," 2011's "The Doctor's Wife," and the Season 7 arc regarding Clara. It's sometimes a silly story, but it's nice and short.
Run time: just 2 eps - DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe Daleks' plan to transform Earth into a giant spaceship and wipe out its inhabitants is nearing completion and the Doctor and his friends face a race against time to prevent them from destroying the planet's core.Known under the umbrella title "The Dalek Invasion of Earth," this story marks the first time that a Companion ever leaves the series. The Doctor's heartfelt speech in the final chapter is one of the highlights of the classic series, and is oft-repeated for good reason.
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorChristopher BarryStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillWhile the Doctor and Vicki meet with Nero, Barbara is taken to Rome to be sold while Ian is forced to work as a galley slave.Before the Sontarans and the Daleks and everyone else traveled in time, the Doctor and his companions appeared in "pure historicals" -- stories in which they were the only thing out of place.
In the delightful comedy romp "The Romans," the Doctor and his human companions, Ian, Barbara and Vicki get themselves into trouble with emperor Nero. Note how much William Hartnell has warmed into the role at this point.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe Doctor has obtained a Time and Space Visualizer, which has a TV screen that can show scenes in the past to order. Lincoln, Shakespeare and the Beatles are selected. They land on a barren planet with two suns, and become separated. A sandstorm causes the Doctor and Barbara to lose the TARDIS, Ian and Vicky meet an octopus-like monster, and the Daleks arrive, still hunting for them.This Dalek serial (known overall as "The Chase") brings a satisfying end to the Ian and Barbara story.
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorDerek MartinusStarsWilliam HartnellRobert BeattyDudley JonesIn December 1986, a new planet appears in the Solar System which turns out to be a long-lost twin of Earth's named Mondas. Its inhabitants are the Cybermen.This pivotal story features both the introduction of the Cybermen and the first regeneration ever. Sadly, the video for the final episode is missing from the BBC archives, but it's been reconstructed for DVD with animation and with the original audio.
Run time: 4 eps - DirectorJohn DaviesStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesAnneke WillsThe TARDIS arrives at a holiday camp company with the crew worried by a prediction of giant crabs and the Doctor becomes interested in the apparent madman Medok's stories of creatures that roam the colony at night.This storyline's entire video is missing from the BBC archives, but a CD of the audio is available. The crab-like Macra would return in 2007's "Earthshock."
- 1963–198924mTV-PG8.2 (889)TV EpisodeDirectorMorris BarryStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingThe Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on Telos, where an archaeological group are exploring the Tomb of the Cybermen. But are the Cybermen as dormant as they believe?This story is the first full episode featuring Patrick Troughton's delightfully daffy take on the Doctor that isn't missing from the BBC archives. A particularly chilling score highlights this wonderfully creepy story.
Run time: 4 eps - 1963–198923mTV-PG7.2 (404)TV EpisodeDirectorGerald BlakeStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingWhen the TARDIS materialises in the Himalayas, the Doctor decides to pay a return visit to the nearby Det-Sen monastery only to be accused of murder.Introduces the Great Intelligence, who would return to torment the Doctor in 2012's "The Snowmen" and 2013's "Name of the Doctor."
Another missing storyline that can be found on an audio CD only. - DirectorChris ChattertonDerek MartinusStarsPatrick TroughtonWendy GiffordPeter BarkworthThe Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are brought to a base which is attempting to halt the flow of the Second Ice Age.Introduces the villainous Ice Warriors that were a classic series mainstay. The Ice Warriors returned in 2013's "Cold War."
Yet another story with episodes' video missing from the BBC archives. (Are you starting to see why we didn't start with these?) However, as with "The Tenth Planet," the BBC animated the missing two episodes to sync with the remaining audio.
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorBarry LettsStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingAfter the Doctor is attacked by a group of mysterious gunmen, he discovers he is the physical double of the famous scientist Salamander.An unusual storyline that follows the Doctor being persuaded to help take down a malevolent dictator named Salamander -- who bears a striking resemblance to the Doctor himself.
Patrick Troughton is great in this dual role, chillingly and convincingly playing a very different character from his kind-hearted, bumbling Doctor.
Even better, this story *was* missing for years, but was found and completely restored in time for the 50th anniversary in 2013!
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingThe TARDIS becomes trapped in space before ending up in an underground station of a mysteriously deserted London.This pivotal storyline introduces Colonel (later Brigadier) Lethbridge-Stewart.
Missing for years, but released in 2013 when all but one episode was rediscovered.
Run time: 6 eps - DirectorHugh DavidStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingThe Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are taken prisoner by the staff of a gas refinery, who have lost contact with their drilling rigs and experienced mysterious drops in pressure.Introduces the sonic screwdriver. Another sadly missing storyline only available as an audio CD.
- DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesWendy PadburyThe Doctor and the newly formed UNIT must stop a Cybermen Invasion and a Sinister Industrialist in league with themThe Cybermen return, as does the Brigadier (now officially under that title), and UNIT is introduced for the first time.
Another serial that had its missing parts animated for home video.
Run time: 8 eps! - DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsPatrick TroughtonWendy PadburyFrazer HinesThe TARDIS is drawn to the planet of the Time Lords where both the Doctor and the War Lord are placed on trial.Patrick Troughton's regeneration episode, the first story set on the Doctor's home planet (not yet given the name Gallifrey), and the introduction of the concept that the Doctor stole the TARDIS. The hypercubes would later make an appearance in 2011's "The Doctor's Wife."
Run time: 10 eps. Despite being one of the longest serials, this storyline is a fan favorite.
That's it! Now you're up to speed with everything in the classic series. :)