The Underwater Menace

The TARDIS lands in sunken Atlantis in this serial, and almost straight away, the regulars are separated: Polly being taken for a horrendous operation, Ben and Jamie being taken to work in the mines, and the Doctor gone to visit Professor Zaroff. Zaroff is revealed to be the mad scientist in charge of 'raising Atlantis' and is looked up to by the entire nation. However, it is soon revealed that Zaroff actually wants to destroy Atlantis and so the reunited regulars along with a good supporting cast set out to stop him.

The plot in The Underwater Menace might be a bit odd, but I find that it's paced well and is structured cleverly, so you never get bored. The excitement build as the story progresses, with lots of running around Atlantis and some fight scenes to boot. The story is quite complex though, and requires four locals to help the Doctor beat Zaroff. Sean and Jacko are an entertaining double act, and Rano also brings joy to the screen.

You really can tell the actors are enjoying themselves making this. Zaroff's german accent is strong all the way through, sometimes providing slight comedic moments in an otherwise completely serious serial. The plot and acting is serious, but unfortunately, the costumes aren't. 

While it would have been great joy to work on costumes for a serial like this, the results are unique, but sadly, way over the top. Corral headdresses, clothes made from sea plants, and religious masks in the shape of paralyzed goldfish don't convey seriousness. Also to fault are the fish slaves.  The eye pieces look silly and the costumes are just odd. The silent acting is a joke.

However, it's a pretty enjoyable tale. Good action, a great villain and cast, and an excellent script are plagued by hideous costumes and the set pieces leave a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, it works well and it's a pity three episodes are currently not in the BBC archive.

The Highlanders

The Highlanders is important in the history of Doctor Who as it was the last historical adventure the Doctor would go on until Black Orchid in the 1980s. And the last historical holds up well, in comparison to others.

Unlike some of the other historicals, The Highlanders doesn't move at an extremely slow pace nor does it get boring and tedious. The plot keeps moving, as the Doctor, Ben, and local Jamie are held captive by english soldiers, before being sent off to Inverness where they'll be sold to the slave trade. Polly, on the other hand, escapes and sets out to rescue them.

The entire supporting cast are brilliant, from the scottish Laird to the english lieuftenants. Jamie stands out however as he plays his part well and gels with the Doctor and Ben. A good thing too, as he's about to join the TARDIS crew.

After freeing all the captured scots from the slave ship, the ship sails for France so the scots can escape the war, and Jamie leads the Doctor, Ben, and Polly back to the TARDIS and onwards to another adventure.

The Power of the Daleks

So Patrick Troughton is the Doctor's new body, and he's lovable and insane. His recorder playing in the first episode is hilarious and serves as a lightweight introduction to his character before the main plot gets going.

The Doctor gets involved in a struggle of power between the citizens of Vulcan and rebels. However, one of the government's scientists has found a capsule in a swamp, which contains old, deactivated Daleks. After reviving them, they plot to overthrow both the Rebels and the Guards, and the serial ends in a climactic duel.

I must say, this has been one of my favourite serials so far. The Doctor is on top-form, the Daleks are great, and the characters of Bragen, Lesterson, and Henshall are all great to watch. Complementing them is a fast-paced plot which is more action orientated than previous stories have been, and this is a breath of fresh air.

Did I mention the Daleks are back? They're scary, and it's even more scary to see Daleks pretending to be under human control but actually plotting themselves. It's gripping stuff.

Overall, a great serial for the introduction of Patrick Troughton, and the story is insightful as to the direction Doctor Who is taking.

Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman?

This radio one-off comedy was a pseudo-documentary about Susan's life after she departed the TARDIS. It's pretty accurate in terms of continuity but does reveal some amusing snippets about life on Gallifrey and her Grandfather's past. It's pretty funny for Doctor Who fans, especially all the parts about the Doctor retiring from a career selling 'imaginative ideas and concepts' in a small shop to travel in time and space.

Also explained in the programme is how Susan returned to present day Earth by phoning up her godfather to pick her up next time he was passing by in the space time continuum. It's all quite amusing, and contributions from Ian Chesterton (who has suffered time-lag and amnesia) help add even more humour to the story.

It's all quite lighthearted fun and I enjoyed it more and more as the half-an-hour programme progressed.

The Tenth Planet

So, it's time for William Hartnell's last story, and it really is very good. The TARDIS crew land in Antartica in a space rocket facility. Soon after their arrival, a planet appears in the sky and natives of the planet, called the cybermen, descend upon Earth, planning to 'refuel' their planet Mondas with all life and energy on Earth.

The cybermen here make fantastic villains, despite their atrocious costumes. The voices are chilling and it's unfortunate you don't see more of them in this serial. Also, the characters of Barclay and Cutler are good, with Cutler making for a good anti-hero. He means well, but you feel quite happy when he's shot dead.

Obviously, the most important part of this story is what happens at the end, and the regeneration is foreshadowed in episode three when the Doctor falls ill. Knowing about regeneration before watching this takes all of the surprise out of the moment, but I imagine that not knowing what's wrong with the Doctor would be quite worrying and the actual regeneration would leave people confused as to what's happening.

In order to explain this miraculous event, we have to move on to the next story, but not before clearing up one or two pieces of spin off media that take place during Hartnell's tenure as the Doctor.

The Smugglers

Well, it's been a long time since I last watched a serial in this marathon of mine. However, today I finally read through "The Smugglers" and I must say, I'm somewhat disappointed.

The most important thing that happens in this story is the introduction of Ben and Polly as companions. While I thought Ben and Polly would be good companions to the Doctor at the end of the last serial, here I found Ben irritating and Polly a little underused. From the start, Ben was shown to be cocky, arrogant, and a rather unlikeable fellow.

Plotwise, I found this serial difficult to follow, with too many smuggling rings, smugglers, plot threads, and double-crossing to be effective. It's alright at the beginning, but by the time I got to the final battle in the graveyard, I just couldn't be bothered with this serial any longer and just wished it would end quickly.

The War Machines

"The War Machines" was a serial I particularly enjoyed. It's good after such a long time away, to finally spend an entire story on contemporary Earth, and it's brilliant. The characters of Polly and Ben make great additions to the cast, and really add a modern, forward-thinking feel to the programme.

The concept is a little dated now though, the computer is a little silly now, and the war machine itself is massive and clunky. Impressive, yes. Well-built, yes. But easy to make look threatening? Definitely not; especially as it bumps into something every time it attempts to move.

That said, I think this story is pretty good, with the characters of Sir Charles, the tramp, and the sergeant proving most interesting to watch and enjoy. But, on the other hand, Professor Brett and Wotan make terrible villains and I'm glad we don't see more of them than we do. Also, I'm glad that Dodo has finally 'gone' and I don't mind that she didn't get a great goodbye scene as Polly and Ben make up for that.

One more thing: even if William Hartnell was becoming unwell round about now, I didn't notice it on-screen. His character still commanded authority and I thought that in this serial in particular, I thought he was great.