Here it is! Blogtor's personal countdown of his 50 favourite
Doctor Who television stories, one a week till the big day in November 2013. Now, just to point out, this choice is purely my own. So
don't expect reasoned debate or objectivity. Or even the need to please every fan out there. This is
my list, and I stand by it. I will also add that I've seen every
Doctor Who story released (at least twice), so I
feel like I know what I'm talking about. Anyway, enough chittle of the chattle, let's begin...
First broadcast 22/5-19/6/1971 starring Jon Pertwee
Many of you will already know that The Dæmons has quite the status in the world of Doctor Who "classics". And, as some of you may be aware, I'm not the biggest fan of the Pertwee era (now, that's not to say I dislike it, I'm just indifferent) but this five~parter (five???) is a supreme delight from start to finish. Even with the inclusion of UNIT (another facet of early 70s Who I'm not so keen on).
The
opening few minutes alone are worth re~watching endlessly for its sheer
eerie evocation of the sleepy English village, caught in a Satanic
storm. Throughout the story, Devil's End, the village in question, is
shot beautifully - once more reminding us just how stunning
Doctor Who could look on film (a point I do make from time to time, sorry to be
such a
bore). The direction throughout is superb and hats off to cameraman
Fred Hamilton for lending a cinematic eye to the proceedings.
Showing
an awesome feat of prescience, BBC Three gets invented some thirty
years or so before the digital channel would be vomited onto our screens. In
fact, the first episode has an incredibly modern feel with the use of an
live outside broadcast, behind the scenes and television stylings.
Likewise the pace of the story is also upbeat; never lingering too long
on one scene, constantly driving forward.
On
the cast front, Pertwee and Manning are on top form. The grumpier side
of The Doctor is seen during some delightful traditional pub scenes
where his arrogance reminds us that the Time Lord has some social
issues. Roger Delgado's Master is as suave as ever with the Gallifreyean
endulging in some truly evil doings with utter delight. The evil in
The Dæmons is portrayed spot on throughout and culminates in the gargantuan appearance of Azal and his little buddy Bok.
Full
marks must go to actress Damaris Hayman, local "witch" Miss Hawthorne,
who steals each scene she inhabits even in the company of the show's
icons and characters.
Who has a history of memorable and
eccentric "older" women and Miss Hawthorne comfortable resides near the
top of that particular list (note to self: do a Top 10 of Memorable and
Eccentric "Older" Women in
Doctor Who).
I'm
often critical of stories that pass over the four episode mark but this
tale treats each part with justice, delivering fully with no filler.
Believe the hype,
The Dæmons is a true classic.
Labels: blogtor who top 50, daemons, the daemons, top 50
Here it is! Blogtor's personal countdown of his 50 favourite Doctor Who television stories, one a week till the big day in November 2013. Now, just to point out, this choice is purely my own. So don't expect reasoned debate or objectivity. Or even the need to please every fan out there. This is my list, and I stand by it. I will also add that I've seen every Doctor Who story released (at least twice), so I feel like I know what I'm talking about. Anyway, enough chittle of the chattle, let's begin...
