Doctor Who Club of Australia

Greg · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:56 pm Post subject: 16 - Favourite Tom Baker story

Well, he played the Doctor for the longest period, so there's lots to choose from...

But which is the one for you?

(The incomplete story, Shada, isn't included - because it was never completed!)

Sulp Niar · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:04 pm Post subject:

This is the most impossible one yet... not cos I think Tom Baker has more awesome stories than the others, but because his run encompasses three entirely different eras. I'd have to narrow down to a favourite from each, and then narrow down even further to one. That is so hard.

Era 1: Talons
Era 2: City of Death
Era 3: Warrior's Gate

Y'know, I'm going to be slightly controversial and choose 'Warrior's Gate'. A stylish, vividly imaginative, realistically banal, hilarious witty, insanely intelligent sort of story. It also has Romana. Smile

montypython · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:18 pm Post subject:

I definitely agree that Tom's era is the best, because the stories were so fantastic. Unfortunately I haven't seen the last few, but of the ones I have seen I'm going with Genesis of the Daleks. It was great to find out the origins of the Daleks, and the dilemma the Doctor faced really tested his character. Plus Davros was the best villain I'd seen since the Master.

Speckled Jim · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 136 Location: Auckland, Un Zud

What are you trying to do ... give us brain bubbles? What a decision to make.
So I've gone with Robots of Death, which even to this day creeps the hell outta me. Totally unsettling and nasty. Even the odd bit of overacting from the camp fella that played Poole can't detract from the sheer spine-melting feeling you get hearing the oh-so-chilled-out Voc robots. And I still love that cheap 70s red and silver fuzzy serum in the syringes. And the little plastic model sandcrawler vehicle.
But coming a hair-raisingly close second are, in no particular order, Genesis, Zygons, Fang Rock, Weng Chiang, City of Death, Pirate Planet, Meglos and Pyramids of Mars. Can't we just tick every button???

Speckled Jim · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 136 Location: Auckland, Un Zud

... oh, and add Face of Evil and Fendahl to that list, too.

Sulp Niar · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 10:52 pm Post subject:

Ickabod · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 552 Location: far far away

Last one cuz that was the end of him Laughing

charlie · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 3:59 pm Post subject:

This is hard. The olny thing I don't like about Genesis is the length, especially the first episode. I love the concept in Logopolis but Adric gets on my nerves and Nyssa's arrival is just annoying. She should have come in the TARDIS. In the end I have to say my favourite story to watch is the Ark.

Davros · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 141 Location: Skaro

Too many to choose from, Genesis of the Daleks would be on the top of my list but I went for "Pyramids of Mars" to be different ...a good story, good period, good actors and good costuming plus a great villian ...way too many great stories to choose from Smile

Keys to Time series with Mary Tamm was great too Wink

Speckled Jim · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 136 Location: Auckland, Un Zud

dave · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:37 pm Post subject:

Has to be Terror of the Zygons for me, although it is a very difficult choice. So much good stuff in his first three seasons, and a few good ones after that. Genesis of the Daleks, Seeds of Doom, Brain of Morbius, Android Invasion, Face of Evil, Robots of Death, Talons of Weng-Chiang, Horror of Fang Rock, City of Death... all of these I could have chosen. But the Zygons just look so cool, I love stories involving doppelgangers, and it featured possibly the best explosion sequence in all of Classic DW... the only thing that didn't work well was the Skarasen, and I love that now because it's so comical.

I must add that Sarah Jane is by far my favourite companion, and the time she was travelling with #4 my favourite period in the entire run of the show (that I've seen), so this does influence my choice. I guess I'd rank Seeds of Doom as second. Android Invasion is a brilliant parody of a DW story, it cracks me up every time, and I regularly find people who didn't realise it's a deliberate parody. Anyway, enough ranting, Tom's run on the show really was, for me, the high point of the show's entire existence thus far.

Davros · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 141 Location: Skaro

Tegan · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:39 am Post subject:

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 902 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Talons for me. I know I know. I can't help it. I am confused by so many people voting for Genesis though. Great story but it's just too bleak. And Terry Nation is a very lazy writer.

mayday · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

Too much choice. I voted for Face of Evil because I still recall my reaction as a teenager to the introduction of Leela. Also, I liked the tie-in to past actions of the Doctor. Pyramids od Mars, Ark In Space, Genesis of the Daleks, and perhaps Warrior's Gate were in also in the shortlist.

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 670 Location: Perth

Too Hard!