Figure I'll do a couple threads of "here's some fun media to watch while stuck at home." Let's start with classic Doctor Who. Everything I'm about to list is available on Britbox. Looks like you can get seven days free then $6.99 a month in the US, 30 days then £5.99 in the UK.
Let's begin with a "so you've only seen the new series" starter pack. These are all stone cold classic stories, beloved by traditionalist and weirdo fans alike.
More or less one per Doctor, starting with William Hartnell in The Time Meddler, from Season Two. Don't read anything about this one. Just go in blind, let it happen, and know that every single reveal is something that had never been done before.
A lot of Patrick Troughton is missing, but nobody has a bad word to say about The Mind Robber in Season Six. The TARDIS gets stuck in the Land of Fiction. Weird and inventive, especially when production problems flare up. Just watch what they do when the companion gets the flu.
Jon Pertwee's most iconic stories are the ones set on Earth, but his best one is Carnival of Monsters in Season Ten. The classic series' best writer, Robert Holmes, does the sorts of things only he can in a wicked satire with... let's call them jaw-dropping costumes.
Tom Baker had a very long run, so let's give him two stories. First, because it came up in The Timeless Children (and Series 9), The Brain of Morbius in S12. Doctor Who does Frankenstein as only it can. Robert Holmes rewriting the equally good Terrance Dicks. Genuinely perfect.
Then jump ahead to Season 17 and watch City of Death. More or less written by Douglas Adams of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame, it's hilarious and clever. Art forgery, ancient aliens, private investigators, and one of the best TARDIS teams ever.
Peter Davison's run is frightfully uneven, but everyone loves Season 21's The Caves of Androzani. It's his regeneration story, once again by Robert Holmes. Watch it to see what the new series is trying to do every time it attempts a big, gritty thriller, but can never quite match
If you thought Davison was uneven, just wait for Colin Baker, the most misconceived era of Doctor Who ever. Still, there are highlights. Like Season 22's Vengeance on Varos, a furious satire of media violence. The cliffhanger on Part One is one of the best the series ever does.
And finally, Sylvester McCoy. I haven't given you any Daleks yet, so let's do Season 25's Remembrance of the Daleks. Political consciousness, ancient Gallifreyan mysteries, and one of the best companions ever beating the shit out of a Dalek with a baseball bat. Wicked.
I'll throw out another thread later for people who have seen some but not all of the classic series, directing them towards some of the more outre highlights.
And obligatory plug, you might want to learn about the background of some of these stories from my blog series TARDIS Eruditorum. The blog is at eruditorumpress.com/blog/author/ph…, while you can get book versions of everything through Tom Baker at amazon.com/Elizabeth-Sand…
