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1
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Genesis Of The Daleks 2 disk set
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4th Doctor
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Hailed as the best story of all time, and it is easy to see why with a great storyline outlining the war on Skaro and the birth of the daleks at the hands of a superb new adversary Davros. It turns into a classic piece of Doctor Who, with excellent cliffhangers, with good pace over 6 episodes, and indeed some moments of real tension along the way. Whilst Arc in Space remains my favourite overall storyline, the artwork and the disk extra which follows the ‘Story of the Daleks’ on this 2 disk edition make this the best dvd to buy to experience Doctor Who at the height of its popularity.
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2
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The Ark In Space
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4th Doctor
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This is the story that i remember most fondly and vividly from its first showing. It is classically simple Doctor Who at its best, with Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan as assistants, and a tightly filmed location set on spacestation Nerva. It is a wonderful story about the future of mankind, and contains an insect monster called the Wirrn. The cliffhangers are notable, and the story builds beautifully from a theatrical play style opening episode, with excellent dialogue and delivery. New CGI effects have now been added to this dvd version. My all time favourite nostalgic Doctor Who story.
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3
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The Pyramids Of Mars
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4th Doctor
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Another classic and highly popular story from the Tom Baker era. A gothic style mummy tale featuring the excellent Sutekh, the last of the Osirians who is planning to break free from his prison with the help of Professor Scarman. This is another great location story, set in the grounds of an English mansion. The use of the classic mummy monster just adds that extra special appeal. The story is wonderful and the enemy excellent, and as such forms another Sarah Jane Smith and Tom Baker classic.
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4
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Spearhead In Space
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3rd Doctor
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The opening story for the 3rd Doctor just after his regeneration. Weakened and exiled to earth he lands amongst the Nestenes invasion force. The autons are a fantastic enemy and somehow have extra scary realism due to their real life association. The story includes the classic showroom dummies coming to life scene. The core of this story sees the newly formed UNIT including Liz Shaw help the Doctor in what is an exciting adventure, as key political figures are being replaced by autons. You will also learn a little about the Doctors biological make up.
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5
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The Talons Of Weng-Chiang 2 disk set
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4th Doctor
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As a youngster i admit i never really quite understood what has going on in this story, but many years later and the whole thing comes to life in a brilliant way. A tale full of suspence with assasinations and mystery, building to a fast paced climax. This story seems to have a slightly darker and more adult feel to it, starring the Doctor in a Sherlock Homes style mystery, and thus keeps its value long after others may have faded. A great 2 disk dvd featuring Leela as the Doctor’s assistant and with some good acting from the strong supporting cast.
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6
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Inferno 2 disk set
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3rd Doctor
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The Inferno project is a top secret drilling operation to penetrate the earth’s crust to release a new energy source. Toxic liquid starts to throw the operation into chaos, and the Doctor is flung into a parallel universe. There is plenty of scope for a good story here, and this delivers excitement over 7 episodes on a great powerstation location. Liz Shaw, the Brigadier and Sergeant Benton all have significant roles to play. This is another great 2 disk dvd with an excellent documentary on the history of Unit.
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7
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The Dalek Invasion Of Earth 2 disk set
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1st Doctor
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Not having seen any 1st Doctor stories before this dvd release, this turned out to be quite a revelation. First off the black and white really adds to the atmosphere of this story. The opening episode especially has good dialogue and again seems to have the feel of a theatrical play, working so well to build up the suspence... and then one of the all time great cliffhanger as a Dalek appears out of the water. Quite simply the whole story is superbly done, and seeing the Daleks in London just makes it all the more eerie. New CGI effects are available for those that like them.
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8
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The Tomb Of The Cybermen
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2nd Doctor
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The story that was recovered after over 25 years and is highly regarded by fans of Doctor Who. It certainly lives up to expectations as Patrick Troughton, aided by Jamie and Victoria discover the lost race of the Cybermen on Telos. The expedition storyline slowly builds the suspense in the opening episodes until the emergence of the Cybermen from the frozen tombs makes for one of the most memorable moments in Doctor Who history. We waited a long time for this one, and it was certainly worth it.
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9
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The Green Death
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3rd Doctor
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A John Pertwee story set in Wales, where Jo Grant is set to leave the Doctor in a sad farewell. This is another great story focusing initially on the dangers of pollution, but then also introduces a mad mind-controlling computer called Boss. The opening episodes especially are wonderful, with huge maggots, contaminated green ooze and a harrowing search through the mines. There is also an almost family feel to all the members of Unit here too. A highly enjoyable story, which even has some fun on the way when the Doctor dresses up to avoid capture.
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10
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The Caves Of Androzani
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5th Doctor
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Rated by some as the best Doctor Who story ever and featuring Peter Davidson as the Doctor, you will admire some excellent production work and an exciting storyline set on Androzani Minor. Sharaz Jek makes for a great renegade in the battle for the valuable Spectrox. Whilst this story doesnt quite scale the very top of my personal chart, the cliffhangers and general drama do make it a classic storyline and i am sure you can overlook the underwhelming magma monster in the mines. A real highlight for the 5th Doctor.
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11
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Carnival Of Monsters
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3rd Doctor
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This remains one of my all time favourite target books, and probably works even better in print than on screen. It has a really clever and enjoyable storyline which connects the SS Bernice cargo ship from Earth 1926 and an amazing machine on the planet Inter Minor. It has a great idea at its core and is a well told story, and for me the concept is what makes this more special than usual. Featuring Jo Grant as the 3rd Doctor’s Assistant, it has a really neat cliffhanger at the end of the brilliant opening episode, and the Drashig monsters are a well presented menace for its time.
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12
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Horror Of Fang Rock
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4th Doctor
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Another great story for the Tom Baker and Leela team. The pair land on earth on Fang Rock where a lighthouse is under seige from an alien creature. A mysterious fog moves in, and one by one the occupants of the lighthouse are being picked off. Who will survive this encounter? The dialogue and character building is really enjoyable, the lighthouse setting is perfect and the small set just adds to the suspense. A well written story, and despite two average cliffhangers, the 3rd episode cliffhanger dialogue line is one of my all time favourites.
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13
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New Beginnings Box Set (Keeper of Traken / Logopolis / Castrovalva)
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4th & 5th Doctor
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This box set sees the regeneration from the 4th to the 5th Doctor and contains 3 cracking and intruiging stories featuring The Master. The Keeper of Traken is one of the real gems of all Doctor Who, as the Keeper summons the Doctor to protect the harmonious planet from evil. The calcified enemy is excellent and the story holds out on the truth long enough to make it a real classic. Logopolis is a far more confusing affair with some clever ideas and a new assistant in Tegan, ending in a neat regeneration scene. Castrovalva introduces our new and ailing Doctor together with a complex trap set by the Master. Given you can pick this set up for little more than one normal release it represents an immense and enjoyable bargain.
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14
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The Robots Of Death
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4th Doctor
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Another appearance for Tom Baker as the Doctor and assisted by Leela as they land onboard a Sandminer on Storm Mine 4. Here the skeleton crew are being killed off one by one and the Doctor must discover who is the killer and why this is happening. A great Agatha Christie style story, clearly featuring robots and with some really good cliffhangers too, especially where is the Doctor is being buried alive. Certainly a more watchable story for those not really big fans of the series.
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15
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Remembrance Of The Daleks
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7th Doctor
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Silvester McCoy returns to Earth with new assistance Ace to encounter a battle between rival Dalek factions. A romp around school buildings and junkyards reveals a new Dalek weapon and an ability to glide up staircases. A good performance from this quirky Doctor, with a strong story build up and some great cliffhangers makes for some classic Doctor Who. Finally we get a return to a decent Dalek story after a long wait, and thankfully the writers didnt add in Davros again for another return. This is an all round success and is the 7th Doctor’s best story.
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16
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Planet Of Evil
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4th Doctor
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Another great 4th Doctor story, located on planet Zeta Minor at the far edge of the known galaxy where a portal to another universe exists. A suberb and believable jungle setting hosts a monster made of pure energy, where Professor Sorenson is extracting rare anti-matter minerals for shipment to earth. This eventually leads to the death of his party and a Jekyll and Hyde story unfolds as the military rescue ship tries to escape the planet. All in all this is a solid and entertaining story with a good build up and some excellent cliffhangers.
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17
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City Of Death 2 disk set
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4th Doctor
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A holiday in Paris for the Doctor and Romana leads to a chase to discover why the Mona Lisa has been stolen and who is interfering with time. Written by Douglas Adams (Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy) this is a quality script with some expected humourous moments. The time storyline is good, and retains its intrigue right up to the end, with a great locations used in this famous city. The simple detective, Duggan can be annoyingly brainless at times, but there is some excellent dialogue in here. Many fans hail this as the definitive Doctor Who story, and i agree that it is certainly the best of the K9 Tom Baker era, and has the most comedy driven dialogue of them all.
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18
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Lost In Time 3 disk set
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1st & 2nd Doctors
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This 3 disk box is a collection of 18 full episodes plus many short recovered clips and is a must have item as it shows so many glimpses into stories you cannot now own in full. An enjoyment tinted with much sadness you could say. It features 2 full stories in The Crusader and The Moonbase with missing episodes linked by soundtracks. Also included are episodes from acknowledged classics such as The Dalek’s Masterplan, Evil Of The Daleks, Abominable Snowmen and Web Of Fear. Whilst it is hard to compare this set against other full story releases, this is simply a slice of nostalgia that makes it one of my favourite dvd’s in the series, and led me to buy the full soundtracks of Abominable Snowmen and Web Of Fear in a box called Yeti Attack.
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19
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The Seeds Of Death 2 disk set
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2nd Doctor
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Another rare surviving story for the 2nd Doctor and a six part episode showing the future of Earth, as the impressive Ice Warriors plan their invasion. Aided by Jamie and Zoe the Doctor aims to thwart these enemies. Again the black and white filming just seems to add to the suspence, and despite a poorer episode showing a rocket ship trip to Moonbase, this story is really very enjoyable from start to finish. It just makes you wish again that more full episodes survived from this era. I much prefer the the Ice Warriors as an emeny than their later appearance as a more friendly race.
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20
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The Beginning Box Set (An Unearthly Child / The Daleks / Edge Of Destruction)
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1st Doctor
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A great historic box set containing The Daleks, arguably the single most important story in Doctor Who history which introduced this enemy for the first time and elevated the series into the realms of cult status. This alone delivers a decent chart position but alongside this the first story, An Unearthly Child has a spooky opening shot of a policeman on patrol, and is a well written and paced opening episode which draws you in neatly with loads of intrigue and a severe Doctor Who. After what must be a classic first episode of this era, the remainder of this story set amongst the cavemen sadly cant live up to the start and is really rather dull to be honest. Edge of Destruction is a two part story set on the Tardis which in the end felt only a little more than a filler.
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21
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The Claws Of Axos
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3rd Doctor
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A mysterious object crashed to earth as the Doctor and UNIT face a new threat from outer space as gold-skinned aliens bring strange gifts to humanity, but all is not as it seems. The Doctors arch enemy, The Master appears, and in a neat twist actually ends up working with the Doctor to save the earth. The tentacled zapping monsters are great, and even the alien ship works hard to achieve some nice effects. Overall this is a good story that works well and is very enjoyable, and it is good to finally get The Master properly on dvd too.
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22
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The Curse Of Fenric 2 disk set
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7th Doctor
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The Curse Of Fenrick helped to change my overall opinion of Sylvester McCoy as the 7th Doctor for the better. This is an exciting and well made Doctor Who experience, set at a secret military base during World War II, when a Viking curse is unleashed on the village. This dvd release was edited into a feature film style and has a fast paced storyline with new CGI effects and loads of extra footage. It becomes a very good choice to try out the 7th Doctor for yourself and works well overall as a decent Doctor Who experience.
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23
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Earthshock
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5th Doctor
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Earthshock will always be remembered for the death of one of the Doctor’s assistants, a stark reminder that he is not completely infallable, and that his adventures are not without danger. You dont see the real enemy, the Cybermen until right at the end of the first episode meaning that the cast and story unfolds well before the punchline. A bold story albeit with some miss-casting of the ships crew perhaps, but still one of the most memorable pieces of Doctor Who all the same.
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24
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The Mind Robber
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2nd Doctor
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Patrick Troughton stars as the 2nd Doctor with Jamie and Zoe in one of the more bizzare stories ever written for Doctor Who. The TARDIS is flung oustide time and space into ‘unreality’ to a mysterious world where fictional characters come alive. Featuring some classic moments with the TARDIS exploding, clockwork soldiers, Jamie’s character changing actors and Zoe in a wonderful catsuit moment spreadeagled across the TARDIS console. Gulliver also makes for one of best characters ever written into a script. This is a strange tale, but pushes a few boundaries and is better for it. Despite an unbelievable Zoe fight scene this is an intruiging story.
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25
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The Three Doctors
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3rd Doctor
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Actually i have quite a soft spot for this story and possibly will watch it much more than many above it on the list. Whilst i have to recognise that it has a little padding around the middle, it is still Doctor Who as i originally remember it to be. The 1st and 2nd Doctors join John Pertwee for this adventure to prevent the great Time Lord Omega from escaping from his antimatter prison. Here you also get too see the other Time Lords on Gallifrey for the first time, and UNIT forms a key part of the adventure.
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26
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Robot
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4th Doctor
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The opening story for Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor and introducing Harry Sullivan from UNIT. A highly sophisticated and intelligent Robot is being used to steal components for a secret disintegrator gun which will be used by a scientific group to blackmail the world. This story has many themes from the King Kong movie at its core. It is a fairly straightforward and very enjoyable tale with moments of humour along the way as the Doctor adapts to his new form. Despite some disasterous ineptitude from UNIT in episode 3 this is great fun, and hallmarks the start of a new and arguably greater Doctor Who era.
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27
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The Two Doctors 2 disk set
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6th Doctor
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Colin Baker teams up with Patrick Troughton for The Two Doctors and a battle against the Sontarans aided by the actress who played Servilan from Blakes 7. This is an expansive story starting aboard Space Station Camera before switching to Spain for a location shoot. After a good start, it is a bit of a rambling story over the equivalent of 6 episodes, but the interation between the two Doctors is decent enough and it is good to see Jamie return. It also features one of the more popular ememies too. I am sure that this is the 6th Doctor’s best story.
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28
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The Movie
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8th Doctor
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Paul McGann is the 8th Doctor in a one off special production set in San Francisco and a battle against his arch enemy, The Master. Sylvester McCoy thankfully also joins the cast to hand over his regeneration. This one has the budget and all the production bells and whistles in comparison to the older stories, including a greater soundtrack and is entremely enjoyable to watch. I certainly like McGann as the Doctor, but for those who have known Doctor Who for many years, it does feel a little different to the older programmes and sadly almost seems to cheat a bit at the end.
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29
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The Invasion
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2nd Doctor
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This Patrick Troughton story is a mixed bag of really great moments along with a storyline which is somewhat thinly spread over 8 episodes. Episodes 1 & 4 do not exist in their original format and i have to say the reconstruction in animation format is an excellent idea. The great moments here include the Cybermen in London and the sewers, always good for tense moments, and Tobias Vaughan at first makes a great squinted adversary albeit perhaps slightly annoying by the end. The Unit presence is reassuring for Third Doctor fans and generally works well. However, the pace overall is a little on the slow side with some repetitive re-visits to the Electromagnetics headquarters.
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30
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Resurrection Of The Daleks
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5th Doctor
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This 5th Doctor story should have been a classic. It features the depleted Daleks rescue attempt of their creator Davros, who in the end has plans to betray his saviours. Sadly, however, it is fairly poorly written in places with many loose plot strands and overcomplicates things. The cloning part of the story just makes little real sense and adds nothing of importance, and Sergeant Stein changing his alegiences just seems very unbelievable. However treat this simply as an enjoyable adventure romp then you should be happy enough, the London scenes can be quite eerie, and it generated a good deal of atmosphere by the end. It also features the departure of Tegan from the series.
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31
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The Hand Of Fear
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4th Doctor
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The Doctor and Sarah Jane return to earth to the well known exploding quarry scene. A fossilised stone hand is at the centre of the story which begins in fine style with Sarah Jane in a leading role as she is taken over by a strange power which turns into the magnificent Eldrad played by Judith Paris. Sadly the story just cannot hang onto its great start, and after some laughable scientific anolomilies as Unit try to bomb the nuclear plant, the story shifts to another planet before returning to earth for the emotion fairwell to Sarah Jane. A mixed bag, but overall is fondly thought of.
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