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Doctor Who Twitch Watch: today’s stories and recommendations 05/29

By James Aggas

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As Twitch’s ongoing Classic Series marathon begins today, you might be wondering which stories to watch on a daily basis. Here are some summaries and recommendations to help you out.

Today, Twitch begins its massive ongoing Doctor Who marathon. For fans yet to check out the Classic Series, this is a great opportunity to finally discover it.

However, over 500 hundred episodes is a lot of viewing, particularly spread over as short a time as under two months. Many won’t be able to watch all the episodes. So how do you choose which episodes to watch each day?

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Fortunately, at Doctor Who Watch, we’ve got you covered. Each day, we’ll be covering short summaries on each story. In addition, we’ll also make recommendations on which story is the highlight for that particular day.

Today kicks off with the first three Doctor Who stories ever. These are An Unearthly Child, The Daleks, and The Edge of Destruction. Altogether, these serials comprise thirteen episodes. But which of these should you watch? Let’s take a brief look at them, one by one.

Ian and Barbara (as well as the audience) see the TARDIS for the first time…

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

An Unearthly Child

The first episode of this serial is an absolute must-watch. It’s not just that it shows the very beginning of the series, of course. It’s also the fact that it’s so fantastic.

It’s a great introduction to all the major characters, for one thing. Schoolteachers Ian and Barbara feel like real, fleshed out people. It’s through their eyes that we discover this brand new world.

We learn about how strange one of their pupils is, Susan Foreman. About how she’s “brilliant at some things, and excruciatingly bad at others.” And we also get to meet her mysterious grandfather…

There’s so much mystery built up in the first half, that when we eventually see the TARDIS for the first time, it’s still an amazing moment. The last half of the episode is fantastic to watch, as Ian and Barbara’s lives change forever.

However, as fantastic as the opening episode is, the rest of the story really doesn’t live up to it. It’s not terrible, but the story of cavemen learning to make fire won’t appeal to everyone. (Certainly not as much as the next story does.) But the first episode is absolutely a must watch.

The First Doctor and his companions encounter the Daleks for the first time.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

The Daleks

If you’ve got three hours free, then The Daleks is definitely a must watch. A fantastic adventure story, we get to see the First Doctor meet his famous enemies for the first time.

Everything about this story is fantastic. The production looks great, with the set design particularly convincing as both a dead forest and an alien city.

The story is also really great. Starting out as the Doctor and his companions simply having to escape from the Daleks, it gradually explores themes like the effects of nuclear war and xenophobia. It also looks at the idea of when it is and isn’t important to fight.

For an absolutely crucial story that shaped the course of Doctor Who history, this is one of the most important serials to watch. You can read more on the story in our review here.

William Hartnell as the First Doctor.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

The Edge of Destruction

This short two-part story is much smaller than the other two. One of the original working titles for it was Inside the Spaceship. It’s not surprising, as the story is entirely set on board the TARDIS.

With strange things happening to the TARDIS crew from the very start, the story is more interesting for how it explores the relationships between all four characters.

Particularly due to the circumstances that caused them to be together in the first place. It’s only three stories in, and they still don’t know each other very well. Can they really trust each other, at this point?

There are some really great scenes of drama in this one. Particularly when the mistrust between the characters is completely open. At the same time, there’s also a great performance by William Hartnell. A speech his Doctor gives towards the end of the story is mesmerizing to watch.

Because The Edge of Destruction builds directly on what happened in the previous two stories, this is definitely less stand-alone than today’s other stories. It’s also less of an essential watch, for clear reasons.

However, it does a great job of helping to shape these four characters into an actual team. If you’re planning on having a marathon today, you can’t go wrong by finishing it off with this story.

Overall recommendation: The Daleks

While the first episode on its own is definitely a must watch, as a serial, The Daleks is a better recommendation. A really solid adventure story, and one that really helped to shape what Doctor Who would become.

Next: Review: The Lost Dimension: book two (comic)

Have you watched any of these serials before? Do you have a particular favorite? Or are there stories you’ve yet to watch and are eager to discover? Let us know in the comments below.

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