#13days13doctors

[benpaddon]

#13Days13Doctors day 4, and it's the #FourthDoctor story "City of Death"! • Look, I have nothing new to say about this one. It's a classic. It was written (or co-written) by Douglas Adams. It was explicitly cited as the sort of tone the series should strive for in Russell T Davies' pitch document for the 2005 revival. It's a classic. Stop reading this and go watch it immediately! https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVmRHVBtDU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

Today's entry in #13Days13Doctors is the #ThirteenthDoctor's debut, "The Woman Who Fell To Earth"! • I don't think I'm alone when I say the time between Capaldi's final episode and Whittaker's first was a very anxious time. Chris Chibnall's appointment as #DoctorWho showrunner left rather a lot of people feeling anxious - what would his take on the show be? Would it work? Where did he want to take us? As a writer, Chibnall has always struck me as cynical - between his work on Torchwood and Broadchurch, I wasn't sure he was a right fit. And he cast Bradley Walsh! A game show host! I was skeptical. • But when this episode dropped, oh my word. What an experience. The villain was marvelous. The build-up was exceptional. I was proven VERY wrong about Walsh, who along with the rest of the supporting cast just absolutely nailed it. • And then there's Jodie. I was never one of those people who thought the Doctor HAD to be a man (why?!) but I wasn't 100% sold on her casting until I saw this episode. She was, putting it mildly, brilliant. The Doctor is, I think, a difficult character to nail down - you have to bring charm, and darkness, and silliness, and just enough of yourself to make the part yours. I think Jodie did a fantastic job of this. • Say whatever you like about Jodie's run generally, but for one night in October, I was hopeful. One of my favorite debuts for a new Doctor. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsWVxiFx7v/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

Day 7 of #13Days13Doctors, and it's the #SeventhDoctor serial "Ghost Light". • This one has a bit of a reputation for being largely incomprehensible, and certainly there's truth to that. But it's also a fascinating 3-parter. Each of the episodes feels like it's about something new, while still telling a whole story about change and evolution. McCoy it arguably at his best in this serial - a superb performance, and some of the most memorable lines his Doctor has this side of "unlimited rice pudding!" • It also has the distinction of being the last serial shot in the classic series, though it was not the last one aired. How fitting that the last episodes the series produced were so wild and inventive, even if they weren't always easy to follow. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUdHoOkvvKr/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

#13Days13Doctors Day 6: the season-long #SixthDoctor epic, "Trial of a Time Lord". • Well, I say "season-long epic," but it's really four stories with a framing device that doesn't quite work. And yet somehow I find it deeply, deeply enjoyable stuff. Yes it's bad. Less, the Vervoids look like lettuce-wrapped ding dongs. I continue to be baffled by the love the classic Who fandom has for Sil, one of the most frustratingly irritating characters this side of Adric. • But God help me, I have FUN watching this! It doesn't quite work, but then does it ever? • Colin Baker got a raw deal. The rawest. I don't think people really appreciate how much the odds were stacked against him. A script editor who was openly hostile to him, a showrunner who didn't quite know he wanted, and a network that wanted to can the show entirely. Colin is not the reason his era struggles so, as he's gone on to prove in audio. He does his best with what he's given, and he's wildly entertaining to watch, even when it doesn't quite come together. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUaZgDhJ4mR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

#13Days13Doctors Day 5 is going to cheat a bit, because it's the #FifthDoctor adventure "The Five Doctors". • It's daft. It's silly. It is, at several points, flat out stupid. But my word, is it fun. The balls of recasting the First Doctor! The brilliance of using footage from the unfinished "Shada" to explain the Fourth Doctor's absence! The sheer mustache-twirliness of Anthony Ainley as the Master. And who can forget the Raston Warrior Robot? It plays like a greatest hits CD for a band who have forgotten the lyrics to their own songs. Tremendous fun. Splendid chaps. All of them. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUX3jjLp8t-/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

#13Days13Doctors day 3. It's the #ThirdDoctor adventure "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"! • Look, there's no way to get around the staggeringly bad (or should that be stegga-ringly bad, o ho ho ho) stop motion dinosaur work in this adventure. It's not great! But if you're able to look past it, there's a fascinating story. The decision to have the Doctor and Sarah Jane return to the present day to find London evacuated is, IMO, one of the all-time great openers for a #DoctorWho story. • I won't spoil it further for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. For those of you who have, it may be time to reappraise this one. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUTKJGaBwyU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

Day 2 of #13Days13Doctors, and today is the #SecondDoctor story "The Power of the Daleks". • There are no shortage of significant, game-changing stories in #DoctorWho history, but almost none them had as much weight on their shoulders as this one. We take the concept of regeneration for granted, but in 1966 this was a VERY risky move to make. "The Power of the Daleks" handles it brilliantly, however, first by playing into the audience's inherent distrust and uncertainty about the "new" Doctor, then pitting him against an enemy that absolutely recognizes him for who he is. • Incentive, enticing and at times horrific, "Power" not only establishes Troughton's position as the Doctor, but also makes the Daleks genuinely scary and threatening in an inventive way. Arguably than any other story, Doctor Who owes its longevity to this one. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUP_-8kFtap/?utm_medium=tumblr

[benpaddon]

Three years ago today I started doing #13Days13Doctors on Instagram. With today's news about the future of the show, it seems fitting to revisit this challenge. I'll be doing my best to avoid repeating the same selections as last time. So off we go! • The #FirstDoctor story "The Rescue" is arguably the earliest example of Classic Who doing Modern Who. It's a tight two-parter, coming in at just shy of 50 minutes, and so has a real zip and pace about it, never outstaying it's welcome. More than that, though, this is the first time the Doctor invites a new companion to join the TARDIS, as opposed to simply kidnapping someone. It's one of my favorites, and one I rewatch often. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUNrB0HpUHZ/?utm_medium=tumblr