Doctor Who: 10 Best TARDIS Teams

With Pearl Mackie's Bill joining Peter Capaldi for Doctor Who Series Ten, we have a brand-new 'TARDIS Team' for the first time since 2012. So what are the best Doctor-companion groups ever? Let's take a look...

Doctor Who at 50: Missing Episodes Found!

To the joy of Doctor Who fans across the universe, after months and months of gossip, it was last night confirmed that the BBC has recovered nine episodes of the series that were thought forever lost! Classic story 'The Enemy of the World' is now complete  while fan-favourite 'The Web of Fear' is now only one episode short thanks to the haul - the largest find of lost episodes for three decades. These new old Whos were finally revealed at midnight on Thursday at a special event in London, attended by Second Doctor companions Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria). Due to the BBC norm at the time to destroy tapes of already broadcast television programmes, there have been over a hundred episodes missing from fan's shelves - and hearts - for years, with one showing up now and again. Now, however, the figure is down to 97. Only double figures!
'Every single avenue seemed to have been exhausted,' said Who writer Mark Gatiss to the BBC. 'Every now and then something turns up - but to have two virtually complete stories out of the blue is absolutely incredible.'

The episodes were found by archivist, Phillip Morris, who found them gathering dust in a Nigerian TV station. 

But, enough about the technicalities, what we really care about is the stories themselves. Let's have a look at what we've been missing...

ENEMY OF THE WORLD  by David Whittaker

This 1967/8 adventure is an intriguing one, being very different from the 'base-under-siege' and monster-heavy stories typical of its time. Hoping to enjoy  a holiday in mid-21st century Australia, the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria become embroiled in the machinations of megalomaniac Salamander who dreams of world domination - and is an  exact double of the Doctor! With an exploding helicopter, a hovercraft and gun-toting henchman, it sounds like a James Bond film rather than a 60s Who, plus it will also be fascinating to see the talented Troughton in a dual role, especially playing a villain for himself to come up against. 

As the episodes have already gone up on Itunes some fans got their hands on them as fast as they could. Here's what Who  writer Chris Chibnall thought...

Wow. “Enemy of the World” episode 1 is a joy. Troughton’s Doctor an ever-shifting revelation. Terrific fast paced thriller.
— Chris Chibnall (@ChrisChibnall) October 10, 2013

THE WEB OF FEAR by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln

If you'd asked Doctor Who fans earlier in the year which of the missing stories they would most want back, many would have said this tale which sees the Doctor's old enemies, the robotic Yeti controlled by the Great Intelligence, attack the London Underground. 'It's the quintessential Doctor Who story,' Mark Gatiss called it. 'It has the return of the Abominable Snowmen in an iconic location.'

It also featured the first appearance of beloved character Brigadier (here, Colonel) Lethbridge-Stewart who was a regular on the show during the Third Doctor's UNIT years, making guest appearances throughout the series, and once in spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures, until his death in 2009.

Eagle-eyed readers will note that the aforementioned Mr G. Intelligence reappeared as the main enemy of the latest series of the show, played by Richard E Grant. Out of all the perhaps more famous classic Who villains, Mr  Moffat could have brought back it seemed an unusual choice - unless... unless Moffat... knew about this haul? Hmm...

Fan and Radio Times writer tweeted this on the story:

I am in a state of bliss. Just watched ep 4 of The Web of Fear. I can't quite believe it. Just as great as I'd hoped. Dear Nick Courtney
— Patrick Mulkern (@PatrickMulkern) October 10, 2013

The stories are now available from Itunes for £9.99 while they're apparently soon to be released on DVD.

This really is incredible news for the show and - being very spookily well-timed - it adds immensely to the fun of the 50th anniversary bash. And,Who knows, it suggests that, somewhere out there, are more missing episodes waiting to be found. What definitely is for sure though is that this is a fantastic year to be a fan of the show. And it's far from over yet...

Doctor Who's Greatest Moments: Part One - The 60s

Doctor Who has had many a memorable moment over the years and, this month, in a new series of posts dedicated to the series' best bits, we're looking at the show in its first decade of life; the swinging sixties! Moments like the ten below lodged themselves in viewers' heads, turning a generation of children into fans of this peculiar, sometimes silly, always wonderful programme. Some of those watching at this time, kids such as little Russel T Davies and miniature Steven Moffat loved the show enough to grow up and make it! So there we are, these moments that you are about to read about helped ensure Who is still with us today. Not bad for a show originally conceived as a children's educational series. Although it quickly grew into something much bigger. Bigger on the inside, you might say...                                                  

10. The First Moment - An Unearthly Child

The very first shot ever in Doctor Who is so indicative of the programme. As the chilling theme music fades out for the first time we are shown a out-of-place Police Box (still a familiar item to viewers at the time) standing in a junkyard, with a strange hum coming from inside...
Such an iconic image, the TARDIS returned to the same junkyard under the control of the Sixth (in Attack of the Cybermen) and Seventh Doctors (Remembrance of the Daleks) and it landed in a junkyard planet in the more recent The Doctor's Wife but this original moment is by far the most spine-tingling. Only a few seconds into the first episode and already we have the alien mixed with the everyday - the stuff Doctor Who is made of!


9. Cybermen from the Sewers! - The Invasion

In this Second Doctor adventure, present-day Earth is being invaded once again by the deadly Cybermen. The Cybermen had faced the Doctor already several times before (see Number 2) but this story features perhaps their most famous moment. Rising from the sewers of London, the metal men stride down the steps by St Paul's, ready to take the planet. Of course, they don't and, in a few episodes time, they're sent packing but in this moment the Cybermen seem a terrible threat. One of the original and best Behind-the-Sofa moments for which the show is so famed.


8. Time Can't be Rewritten - The Aztecs

In the early years of the show, the Doctor vehemently enforced the rule that you could not interfere with history. Many episodes saw the TARDIS crew witness history happening rather than getting stuck into it themselves. However, in The Aztecs, the Doctor's companion and history teacher Barbara tries to change history for the better by posing as an Aztec Goddess to stop them sacrificing people. Unfortunately, her efforts only cause more trouble and the Doctor gives her a stern talking to. Long before Moffat's timey-wimey plotting and Davies' character-driven stories, this is one of the show's first forays into the opportunities of time travel and also the effect it has on the Doctor's friends.

7. Mind Robbed! - The Mind Robber

In the climax to the opening episode of The Mind Robber, the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are stuck in the TARDIS as it falls out of time and space and into nothingness. The Doctor's machine breaks apart and sends its insides - including the console and its adventurers - out floating into a black void until they are engulfed into a thick smoke. Expertly directed and scored with some throbbing, eerie music, sixties Doctor Who was never more psychedelic than in this moment which shows just how the series stretched and explored itself back in its first few years.

6. 'Nobody in the universe can do what we're doing...' - Tomb of the Cybermen

In the middle of this magnificent serial (Matt Smith's favourite classic Who story, don't you know) involving adventuring archaeologists and legendary Cybermen rising from their tombs comes a tiny moment between the Second Doctor and his new companion, Victoria, who is reflecting on the loss of her father (killed by Daleks in the previous story). Comforting her the Doctor tells her of the memory of his own family and how the life the TARDIS offers will help ease her grief, as there will be 'so much to see.' It's a terribly sweet scene that has nothing to do with the overall story but proves that the classic series can do moments of heart every bit as well as the modern series can.

5. 'No regrets, no tears, no anxieties.' - The Dalek Invasion of Earth 

And, just because I'm trying to get you crying, here's another tear-jerker. The Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, is torn between going with her grandfather or to help rebuild a Dalek-ravaged future Earth alongside David Campbell, a man she has fallen in love with. Making the decision for her, a hurt Doctor closes the TARDIS doors then gives her a farewell speech from inside. First Doctor William Hartnell usually hated giving long speeches but here he delivers every line with aplomb, putting a stiff-upper lip on as the Doctor tells Susan that she is a girl no longer and cannot travel with him anymore. It's the first exit of a companion and it is still one of the best.

4. Dalek! - The Daleks

In just the second story of Doctor Who ever, the Daleks make their first appearance. However, our first glimpse of the Dalek is not so much a great  reveal but more of a tantalising tease. At the end of the opening episode of the story, Barbara is wandering through the corridors of the Dalek's metallic city on Skaro when she encounters one of the creatures for herself. All we see, though, is her pinned to the wall by a sink plunger-like arm. There's not even a cry of 'exterminate.' A simple, suggestive and rather brilliant entrance for the Doctor's eternal worst enemies.

3. Trial of a Time Lord - The War Games

Nowadays, even casual viewers of  the series know a few basic things about the Doctor; and one of those is that he is a Time Lord. However, it wasn't until the Second Doctor's final episode, six years into the show, that the name of his race was revealed. Kidnapped by his people, the Doctor is accused for leaving his home planet and meddling in time - his punishment: he will be exiled to 20th century Earth and forced to change his face. It's a real turning point for Doctor Who; finally, we know something about the Doctor and it neatly sets up the premise of the Third Doctor's tenure. The show wouldn't be the same again.

2. 'It's far from all over...' - The Tenth Planet

The jaws of many viewers at home must have hit the floor when they saw this for the first time. After his first meeting with the Cybermen, the Doctor, old and tired, falls to the ground. Surrounded by his friends, Ben and Polly, the Doctor seems to be dead - but, wait -  in a flash of light, the old Doctor is gone and the Second Doctor is born. Watching this scene back now just reminds you what a fantastic idea that of regeneration is. Not only because it keeps the show going but also for its dramatic potential; Can Ben and Polly trust this new man? Can he really be the Doctor? Fab stuff.


 1. The First Journey - An Unearthly Child

Twenty minutes after Number Ten on this list, we follow Ian and Barbara as they follow their oddball student Susan home - to an out-of-place Police Box in a junkyard. Inside, they discover a gleaming console room of a spaceship and that Susan and her crotchety grandfather are actually time-travelling aliens. Believing that Ian and Barbara would tell his secret, the Doctor takes off from Earth, bringing the school teachers with him. As we hear the familiar wheezing noise for the first time, the TARDIS materialises in a prehistoric landscape. Just as a shadow passes over it. It's a simply sublime moment, taking us from an ordinary junkyard to millions of years into the past in an instant. It's bread and butter Doctor Who but here it really does feel brand-new; no other scene of the TARDIS disappearing one place only to reappear somewhere else is as enthralling as this one. No wonder Messrs Moffat and Davies were inspired.


Return next month for more of Doctor Who's Greatest Moments!

DW50 Countdown: The Second Doctor (Part Two)

Continuing my mission to watch a story of each Doctor's that is not seen as a classic (my aim being to still prove it's still excellent viewing), this week I sat down to watch 1966's 'The Faceless Ones' starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor.  Get ready, people, we're off to the airport!

Having watched companions Ben and Polly's introductory story last month, when searching for a Second Doctor story to review this one I thought it only fitting I chose their final adventure. I also had little knowledge of the serial and so could enjoy watching a Doctor Who and not know what's going to happen. I'm pleased to tell you now it didn't disappoint, being far more atmospheric, pacy and intriguing than 'The War Machines' which, if you read my review, you'll know I rather liked.

The opening moments must be some of the most dynamic of the 'classic' series - the TARDIS materialising on a airport runway, directly in the way of an oncoming jet! It's a great start which throws into the action straight away; rather than a slow exploration of their surroundings the TARDIS team have to run for their lives within seconds of arriving. Perfect!
As with 'The War Machines', this story has a mundane setting but which it makes fantastically unfamiliar. That's right, our heroes are at Gatwick Airport where shortly after escaping the jet plane, split up and discover the existence of a dead body in one of the hangars. What does this have to do with Chameleon Tours, an airline that offers cheap flights across Europe to young people? Ten minutes in and we already have a mystery to sink our teeth into.

As you may have noticed, I highly praise the story telling of these episodes. The plot steadily builds across all six episodes, helped by some great cliffhangers. Polly seemingly forgotten the Doctor and Jamie at the end of Part One is possibly my favourite but other greats include the reveal of the hideous Chameleon creatures themselves in Part Two and the Chameleon Tours plane's ascent to space closing Part Four. It's genuinely creepy, too. Although basically a rendition of the well-known 'Invasion of the Body-Snatchers' plot, it makes for an uneasy feeling for the character and as a viewer: you don't know if the character you're watching is an alien or not.

However, what makes this story extra special though is it's strong characters. The guest characters of the airport staff are all likeable, notable examples being Jean the secretary (played by none other than Benedict Cumberbatch's mum, Wanda Ventham - yes, they have to have odd names in his family) and the stuffy Commandant, who goes from believing the Doctor mad to trusting him entirely.
The Doctor and Jamie are at the heart of this adventure, the writer's obviously knowing they had a great partnership on their hands, and both come off well. 18th century-er Jamie's confusion at 'flying beasties' in the sky at the start is endearing and he even gets a love interest sub-plot in Samantha, a feisty scouse girl, also well-played by future Queen Victoria Pauline Collins. The pair hit it off straight away - I think she likes the rather revealing kilt - and even share a snog half-way through. Given this much character development (I can't remember many companions having relationships like this) it's a surprise she doesn't stay on as a companion but she's a fun character while she lasts anyway.
Of course, Troughton is as ever on top form, his playful buffoonery and dislike of authority come through straight away - now stalwart traits of our hero, they were making some of their early appearances here. He also gets to play trickster when sparking the Chameleons off each other in the later episodes to cause friction. It's this juxtaposing of his clownish nature and cunning wiles that make Troughton the great Doctor he is.
On the other hand, there's a big downside with how Ben and Polly are dealt with. After getting caught up with the Chameleons in Part Two we don't see either again until Part Six. Having two of your lead characters, especially in their final story, packed off screen for several episodes is never a plus but it is sort of compensated by their touching farewell scene. Having finally got back together, Ben and Polly realise that it's the very day they first left with the Doctor, like they've never been away at all. Overcome with homesickness knowing they're back where they belong they make their tearful goodbyes. The Doctor's melancholy last words to them -'You've found your home. I never got back to mine'- would have been an excellent reminder for audiences at the time that the Doctor was still a mystery and still gives a tingly feeling when heard today.

Overall, a terrific Doctor Who story of which it's largest downfall is not at all it's own fault; the footage of all but Parts One and Three have been lost for decades, leaving just the audios. Although with the aid of many screen shots and subtitled descriptions they can't hope to evoke the feel of watching the full thing. However, with the discovery of two presumed lost forever episodes last November, who knows what may be found in the future. Fingers crossed.

DW50 Countdown - The Second Doctor (Part One)

As Doctor Who's half-centenary is fast approaching like a police box hurtling through the Time vortex I'm dedicating a blog post to each Doctor every month. So, who's it now? Oh my giddy aunt - it's the Second Doctor!

'There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must be fought.'
                                                 The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)


Being a new Doctor Who, following on from another actor who has entertained childen and adults alike, will always be an incredibly tough job -  just think how nervous Matt Smith must have been taking over from the widely worshipped David Tennant - so imagine how difficult it must have been for Patrick Troughton to win over the audiences as the first new actor to take on the role, when he replaced Hartnell in 1966. The shock on the faces of Ben and Polly who witness The Doctor regenerate for the very first time at the end of his very first adventure with the Cybermen (sadly all but the final moments of such a landmark story have been lost) must have been echoed on that of viewers up and down the country. The Doctor could change his whole appearance. The show would never be the same again.

It soon became clear he had changed his personality too. Doctor Two was a very different character from Hartnell's Doctor - a kind of 'space hobo' rather than an Edwardian gentlemen - but equally as loveable. He was certainly more in on the action than his predecessor ever was, obviously loving getting into scrapes with his friends. The Second Doctor's adventures don't just happen around him he is thoroughly involved - even being the cause occasionally such as the notorious scene in Tomb of the Cybermen when the Doctor pulls the levers that open said tombs. Despite his reputation as a clown, though, Doctor Two has a real dark and cunning aspect to his personality that is always bubbling underneath the bumbling exterior. Villains of the universe, irk this man at your own peril.

The Second Doctor is also better at keeping friends, having far fewer companions than Hartnell. He inherited Ben and Polly for a while before being joined by prim and proper Victorian girl, er, Victoria and later space-age science genius Zoe. But this Doctor's greatest friend is cetainly Jamie McCrimmon.  The young Scottish highlander constantly attired in his kilt stayed with the Doctor through nearly all his adventures before being forced to leave him by the Time Lords who subsequently banished the Doctor to Earth and changed his appearance...

Overall, Patrick Troughton's witty, funny, dark, reckless and hugely endearing portrayal of the Doctor left ripples throughout the history of the show, affecting the perfomance of every Doctor after him. So much so that many see him as the first 'proper' Doctor - we definitely have Troughton to thank for so many of the characteristics we associate with the Doctor nowadays; the buffoonery hiding a brilliant, calculating mind, the scruffy appearance, the often reckless behaviour even each Doctor's penchant for having favourite phrases (Troughton is often heard calling ''when I say 'run', run!''). It is a credit to his reliably fine performances that he is now so many's favourite Doctor.