Doctor Who Twitch Watch: recommendations of the day 06/21

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

The Fourth Doctor’s era begins today on Twitch, and it already features two of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever made. But which one do we recommend the most?

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Third Doctor Jon Pertwee in Twitch’s Doctor Who marathon. It was an emotional goodbye, and the end of an era that was rather strong.

However, today, we say hello to one of the most iconic Doctors of the entire series: Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Across various other television shows and other media, his Doctor has been referenced the most. Even American shows like The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory have paid tribute to the Fourth Doctor.

But why has the Fourth Doctor endured so much? If you’ve yet to discover his Doctor, from today, you get to find out why. Especially as today features not one but two of the greatest Doctor Who serials ever made. Let’s take a look at how his era begins.

Robot

Robot is a rather interesting debut for Tom Baker’s Doctor. For one thing, it’s the last story to be made by the previous era’s production team, as a way of being an easy transition to the new era. So it’s rather unique for a Fourth Doctor story in terms of its particular style.

Honestly however, I’m not sure how well that transition works overall. While we should thank Barry Letts for casting Tom Baker, Robot seems to highlight how much the series really needed a change.

Especially when compared to the rest of today’s stories. To be honest, it’s a little hard to believe that it’s from the same season as the other three.

It’s not that Robot is bad. In some ways, it’s a rather typical Doctor Who adventure. And it has some interesting exploration on morality. Particularly how anyone’s capable of being good or evil, especially when they’re pushed in a particular direction.

But it’s far from the best story of Terrance Dicks’s and Barry Letts’s era of the show, which it really belongs to. Honestly, it’s a clear sign that the series needed a fresh start. To do that, it needed more than just a new Doctor (with an amazing scarf).

And it’s about to get it. In a big way.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

The Ark in Space

Now this is more like it! The brilliant team of Robert Holmes as script editor and Philip Hinchcliffe as producer truly begins with The Ark in Space. A story so good that both Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat have sung it’s praises.

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But why? What makes it such a huge classic for so many fans?

For one thing, it’s a wonderfully atmospheric story. Particularly in the entire first episode, where the only characters are the regulars themselves. As they explore a mysterious and far too quiet space station, they soon discover a dangerous threat to humanity…

With a bold and radically different style, this almost feels like the Fourth Doctor’s true debut story. The production team pull no punches and really go for a much darker and more horrific feel than before. The cliffhanger to part two really demonstrates this. It’s probably one of the most horrifying in Doctor Who history. (Naturally, it’s one of my favorites.)

Indomitable

Mixed in with the horror though, we also get great character development. Particularly with Vira. When you first see her, she’s cold, almost machine like in how she talks and acts. But as the story goes on, she starts to warm up more and more. It’s a great performance by Wendy Williams.

However, it’s Tom Baker who really stands out. Robert Holmes is really keen to bring out the alien perspective of the Doctor in this one, and Tom Baker really lives up to that. Sometimes, he can be quite cold and detached. He can also be deadly serious, as well.

But he also clearly loves humanity, too. His big speech on how humans are “indomitable” is a real highlight. It’s no wonder it’s been referenced in the show several times since.

Atmospheric and full of horror, as well as thrilling and dramatic, The Ark in Space is quite possibly one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever made. But is it getting my recommendation for today?

Styre (Kevin Lindsay) in The Sontaran Experiment.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC

Image obtained from: www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho)

The Sontaran Experiment

Once again, like The Time Warrior, we recently reviewed this story in our look back at the Sontarans. So we won’t go into too much detail here.

But while it ruins the “surprise” of the returning enemy from its very title (seriously, why do so many stories from the Classic Series do this?), it’s still a pretty good story. Shorter and simpler than the two serials surrounding it, but still a good one.

With a heavy focus on torture, it certainly fits the darker and grittier tone of the new era. It’s also great to have Kevin Lindsay play a Sontaran once more. This time, he’s mainly playing Styre, a cold, ruthless, and of course, rather typical member of his race.

The Sontaran Experiment is a nice short serial. It’s not the strongest of the season, but it’s certainly enjoyable, especially if you’re enjoying the overall darker tone of the rest of the season.

Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC

Image obtained from: bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

Genesis of the Daleks

Where to even begin with this one? Genesis of the Daleks is an absolutely huge Doctor Who story. It’s added so much to the series. It introduced the major enemy Davros, fleshed out so much of the Daleks’ backstory, and perhaps most importantly, it helped to set up a major part of New Series mythology: the Time War.

But of course, even more important than that is the fact that Genesis of the Daleks is such a great story. Terry Nation really enjoyed getting back to the Daleks’ very roots with this one. Not the conquerors of the galaxy at this point, we see them when they’re just getting started.

Naturally, they’re not the real villains of the piece. Instead, it’s their creator Davros. Brilliantly played by Michael Wisher, you can certainly see where the Daleks get so many of their traits from.

But from the very beginning, you also clearly see that Davros is a distinctive and brilliantly written character in his own right. Wisher really helped to add to this with his performance.

Despite the fact that his face is virtually hidden under so much makeup, he still helps to provide so much to Davros, particularly with his voice. That strong performance is a key reason why the character has endured for so long.

Peter Miles also needs to be praised as Davros’s henchman Nyder. There are no shades of gray with his character, and he has absolutely no doubts about Davros’s brilliance.

He’s just completely loyal to him, and Miles really helps to make that level of loyalty frighteningly believable. He’s easily one of the greatest henchman seen in Doctor Who.

Overall recommendation of the day: Genesis of the Daleks

This was a very close one. The Ark in Space is one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever made. As a massive fan of horror, in some ways, I almost prefer it.

But Genesis of the Daleks is such a huge story for the series. If there’s one story I’d recommend for fans of the New Series to watch, it’s definitely this one. With the Time Lords wanting the Daleks to be stopped at their very creation, the roots of the Time War really begin here.

But it’s also a brilliant story in its own right. One that presents war as gritty and terrifying. It also features two of the most memorable villains from Doctor Who history. I still recommend squeezing in The Ark in Space if you can, but Genesis of the Daleks certainly gets my top pick for what to watch today.

Next: Review: The Heralds of Destruction (Third Doctor comic)

Which is your favorite out of today’s stories? Are you a fan of the Fourth Doctor? Or will this be your first time watching his stories? Are you excited to find out what Tom Baker was like as the Doctor? Let us know in the comments below.

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