Harry’s Who Marathon: Season One

I have been a fan of Doctor Who for Donkeys’ years. I blooming love it. I mean, I know it’s obvious, I write articles for a Doctor Who Podcast website. But even though I am a lifelong fan, I have never EVER watched the entire show in order. And more scandalous than that: I haven’t even seen every single episode. After about seventeen years as a fan, I say enough is enough! Let’s change this, and make it my reality. I am going to watch the whole thing from the very first episode in 1963. And I am bringing you all along with me.

The plan is to watch at least one episode a day where possible. Sometimes I will watch two in one day, and this then means I can skip a day when I need to attend to life or that thing I have called “a career”. Having started around mid-November 2022 and continuing with this system, I am on track to complete the 60’s by the start of August 2023, and then roughly a season and a bit each month after that. Until the episode count goes down of course – then it’ll be two seasons or so a month. Until I am all caught up by goodness knows when… perhaps Ncuti will have regenerated!

I appreciate this might sound very casual and perhaps even a little non-committal. But rest assured, reader – I am committed to this marathon, and having my downtime with Doctor Who every day. And for the time being (because who knows what big distractions life might throw?), I shall be writing my thoughts and feelings about the show as I go along. I am armed with my nerdy spreadsheet with all the episodes listed, where I write a little bit beside them all. And for your enjoyment, I shall put them into articles for you. This certainly makes drafting the articles a helluva lot easier!

So, just to clarify: this journey shall be documented with a list of episodes, each with a little review. Nothing huge, just a few thoughts. Altogether, it will chronicle my journey through Doctor Who in chronological order. Though I may comment on important story beats, moments, structures, elements, etc., this will not be an episode-by-episode description of the stories. I am going to assume that you already know what happens in each episode, and if you do not, I would recommend watching it and coming back to the article!

Any episodes missing from the BBC archive will be watched as telesnap reconstructions. I will try not to let the lack of visual storytelling impact my opinion of an episode as much as possible, but just for context, I will make a note next to the episodes I am reviewing a reconstruction of.

Let’s begin!

(The Pilot) An Unearthly Child – This show, judging by this unaired pilot, has promise, but clearly needs more preparation. The most obvious flaw to me was shoddy lighting. But the premise is rather intriguing… the mysterious grandfather figure in the TARDIS could be a little less mean!

(S1, E1) An Unearthly Child – Much better! More polished. Putting myself in the mind of someone watching it for the first time with no idea about Doctor Who, this must have been captivating! The Doctor and Susan, are alien travellers. Barbara and Ian, are overly curious school teachers. After an ordinary beginning in an ordinary school setting, a super strange middle where the teachers follow Susan home, and an intense culmination in the Police Box, our unlikely quartet are shackled together in An Adventure in Space and Time!

(S1,E2) The Cave of Skulls – It is captivating to watch this drama unfold. It is exciting to see the gang get into their first scrape by ending up in the dreaded cave of split-open skulls. YIKES. The Cave-people stuff could be a bit more compelling, but I suppose they aren’t the main selling point of this exciting new series, so much as the premise of a time-travelling set of adventurers.

(S1,E3) The Forest of Fear – Doctor Who was originally intended as an educational serial. And what we learned here is that Cave-people are unreasonable, rash, and move at the speed of sound! How the heck did they get back to the TARDIS before Doctor Who and Co? Another thrilling episode.

(S1,E4) The Firemaker – Humanity has really come a long way since we lived in Caves. How non-sensical we were! The fight between Cal and Za was hilarious with the zoomed-in reactions of the fab main four. Did I say hilarious? Sorry, I meant it was epic and gripping; I was moved to tears. In all seriousness though, this was a terrific end to an awesome opening serial to this show. Goodness, they didn’t waste any time – just got straight into a time-travelling historical adventure!

(S1,E5) The Dead Planet – Now that we are starting a new serial, we are slowing down a bit. But that’s OK, as we are building suspense, and now I have all these burning questions… what was that frightfully floating plunger? Who tapped Susan’s shoulder in the dead forest? There was also time to get to know the characters more – Susan often worries, Barbara is inquisitive, Ian is headstrong and the Doctor is intensely curious. Nice to see the food machine explain how the fab four will get fed on their many travels to come. I hope there is also a toilet on board.

(S1,E6) The Survivors – I don’t care that everyone fluffs up their lines and there was the shadow of a boom mic. There is so much ingenuity in this program. Character dynamics are cleverly thought out – the Doctor lies about the fluid link, risking everyone’s lives just so he can explore, and Susan, essentially the one who needed saving by this point, gets her chance to save the others by acquiring anti-radiation gloves…DRUGS to save the day. And the Daleks, right from the off, are visually striking and fearsome foes. I already love them.

(S1,E7) The Escape – The story is certainly ramping up. As a whole, it will probably feel like one long epic movie. I cringe at the Thal costumes, but their introduction adds dynamism to the plot, and it is satisfying and electric to see the Fab Four concoct a clever escape plan.

(S1,E8) The Ambush – Honestly blown away by how clever this show is. Clear allegory to the (at the time) recent war, with the Daleks being the hateful terrorists and the Thals being the pure-hearted side, wrestling with the possibility that they may have to defend their freedom. Powerful stuff for a shoe-string budget teatime show.

(S1,E9) The Expedition – The Daleks were thrown off balance by the radiation drug killing them off, but now they’re more ruthless (even the cardboard ones) because they aim to detonate a neutron bomb! Crap! Our Fab Four and the Thals better get to them quickly. Also, for a show called ‘Doctor Who‘, Ian really seems to be taking more authority and screen time than the Doctor! But Ian is charming and likeable, so I don’t really mind this at all.

(S1,E10) The Ordeal – This episode felt very Christmastime Indiana Jones adventure movie. The kind that is overlong, but I don’t mean this in a bad way. It is perhaps padding itself a tiny bit but the ambitiously pulled-off set pieces inside the mountain behind the Dalek city are stellar for the budget and resources.

(S1,E11) The Rescue – Though Elyon was super whiney, his death in the initial moments provides shock value – the Thals’ decision to fight could ACTUALLY kill them, and there is a sense of foreboding. Luckily, everyone is able to save the day against the awfully evil Daleks. And so ends a wonderful adventure!

(S1,E12) The Edge of Destruction – An intriguing and weird TARDIS-set episode. Shame to see the Fab Four falling out. Bit of a gear change from the last several episodes. Though it was interesting to see unexplainable things happening like clocks melting and amnesia occurring, it wasn’t pleasant to see Susan with scissors and stabbing them into a chair repeatedly. It didn’t feel in keeping with the show so far. On the plus side, Barbara standing up for herself and Ian when the Doctor accuses them of sabotaging the ship was a FANTASTIC dramatic moment.

(S1,E13) The Brink Of Disaster – Odd things still occur, but boy, how delicious an idea is the TARDIS being a sentient being, capable of protecting its passengers by melting clocks and infecting their brains? The Doctor’s excitement for a beginning universe was infectious also; the character’s sweetness and ability to make amends here finally starts to make him feel like the hero of his show. It’s nice to see the Fab Four make amends. This little two-parter really is the start of the rest of their journey; a fabulous turning point.

(S1,E14) The Roof Of The World (Reconstruction) – Another huge change of scene! This time it is 13th Century China. And shoot – now the Doctor’s ‘caravan’ is in danger of being taken away because of humans who cannot understand time travel! But the Doctor’s indignation and humour around the ordeal make him more likeable than ever.

(S1,E15) The Singing Sands (Reconstruction) – It is all well and good that there are atmospheric sandstorms, Ian and Marco play chess, and Tegana is an absolute lunatic (you might hate the Kublai Khan or whatever but to get rid of all the water? Come on). But there seems to be zero tension considering Marco is taking the TARDIS from the fab four against their will, aside from the Doc getting grumpy. Hopefully, this long journey pays off.

(S1,E16) Five Hundred Eyes (Reconstruction) – Getting more of an educational element in this episode than in any previous. It is cool to be aware of certain historical lore things. I enjoy the adventure within the historical context. Barbara was so headstrong she got herself captured. The Doctor and Susan valiantly searched for her (and earlier on they got condensation from the inside of the TARDIS – who knew you could do that?). Ian is just enjoying his period costume. I can’t say I like Marco very much, but I dislike Tegana more. Those eyes in the walls of the cave – freaky image!

(S1,E17) The Wall Of Lies (Reconstruction) – I can’t tell whether the drama is spicy or getting more complex to draw out the serial. Probably a mix of both. But what is cool is that they’ve chosen to make Marco Polo a complete dick, as opposed to this weird state of things where he was holding the Fab Four hostage, but he’s good and likeable because he keeps them safe and fed(!) – I’m glad they’ve settled on one way for now. The redemption of him (I assume) handing the TARDIS back and condemning Tegana will be all the better. Amazing cliffhanger on this one with Ian finding the dead guard, alone, with a killer on the loose…

(S1,E18) Rider From Shang-Tu (Reconstruction) – Ian pretending to be drunk before he knocks out a guard was hilarious. I am enjoying the rising tension as Tegana’s facade becomes increasingly hard to maintain in front of Marco. There may be no aliens, but this mostly pure history tale is leaving me wanting more! As ever, I am loving our Fab Four so much.

(S1,E19) Mighty Kublai Khan (Reconstruction) – Such irony with the Mighty Kublai Khan, built up this entire serial, is a hobbly old man, and bonds with the Doctor over shared old man things! Ian, on the other hand, plays the hero once more, going to save Ping-Cho out of the goodness of his heart. I know this show is ‘Doctor Who‘, but Ian really does make an awesome lead at times. While I do take issue with non-Asian actors portraying Asian characters in these episodes, the commentary around forced, huge age-gap marriage does at least show some progressive ideology.

(S1,E20) Assassin At Peking (Reconstruction) – Hooray! Our travellers have returned to the TARDIS! Marco realized the error of his ways and gives the flying caravan back to its rightful owners. This storyline has been a bit long, but it sure was an intriguing ride with great scope. Oh, and Ping-Cho’s husband-to-be dying was TOO convenient, but it’s good that she gets a happy ending!

(S1,E21) The Sea Of Death – A fun quest is about to ensue. I don’t understand why the Doctor and company wouldn’t help the old man find the keys of Marinus when he initially asked them. While they’ve been through plenty of scrapes already, this contradicts their strong willingness to help others in episodes prior. Production really is a mixed bag at this point – shaky cam, boom shadow, and a funny shot of a Voord doll being chucked into a pool, yet there are impressive sets, good perspective backgrounds, and that funny shot of a Voord doll being chucked into a pool.

(S1,E22) The Velvet Web – Oh dear. Probably the worst episode so far. Weird blocking and acting choices from the supporting cast. It still niggles me that the Fab Four aren’t really bothered about the search for the keys and rather make silk dresses or drink orange juice. The brains that outgrew their bodies and control an entire city is a wicked concept, but there is not enough time to explore and make use of it to tell an amazing story. Also, the Doctor separating himself at the end makes no sense really – does William Hartnell just want a holiday? Probably. He has been working for 22 weeks straight!

(S1,E23) The Screaming Jungle – There’s much that doesn’t make sense here. The jungle in this episode’s setting is never properly explained – is it sentient? Does it have accelerated growth? Or both? And why would the dying scientist not just tell Ian and Barbara that the key was in one of the jars?! What a gear change for Terry Nation – The Dalek serial was nuanced, focused, and interesting. This serial feels scattered, all over the place, and there are too many good nuggets of ideas that have no room to properly develop.

(S1,E24) The Snows of Terror – Again, concepts remain underdeveloped. These frozen knights in the mountain randomly come to life again and one moment can’t jump gaps without bridges, and the next moment they can! And there is some big burly bloke living alone in the snowy land who wants all visitors to be killed. I mean, he could simply be a mean person who enjoys isolation, but where’s the substance or backstory? I will say, however, that I enjoyed this episode a lot more. There was much more scope and peril to be enthralled by, and this outshone any gripes I have with the continuing narrative. Ian is such a badass, very headstrong. And his devotion to keeping Barbara and Susan safe is a joy to watch.

(S1,E25) Sentence of Death – Nice to see the Doctor return and represent Ian in court. But this episode was boring… how did we get from a fun adventure quest to a courtroom drama? Just not my cup of tea. Once again, not enough depth; case in point: a suspect for the murder/key theft trial being abusive, and then dying somehow and being mourned by the abused wife? I’m sorry, what? Where’s the backstory and complexity? It’s just lacking here. Looking forward to finishing the next episode and moving on to another storyline!

(S1,E26) The Keys of Marinus – Well at least we can say this story ended on a high, sort of. I did not expect the reveal that Kala – the wife of the guy who was shot in the last episode – was the killer. Genuine shock in an otherwise uninteresting mystery – where is the motive for any of these people? Again, not enough space to explore the story – Arbitan from the beginning of the story is dead and there is no more than a rushed consolation from the Doctor to his daughter Sabetha before he leaves. On the flip side, the Doctor was stellar in this episode too – stopping at nothing to save Ian one second and then moaning at him again the next. Despite poor characterization at the start of this quest, my enjoyment of our main characters remains.

(S1,E27) The Temple of Evil – Phew, finally a return to form! In this historical tale, once again the TARDIS is shut off from the travellers and Barbara becomes known as the reincarnation of the Aztec god Yetaxa. We have a whopper of an inciting incident when Barbara stops the sacrifice to the rain gods – the concept of some of our travellers wanting to change history is a great source of conflict among the Fab Four, and I look forward to watching the ramifications unfold. Bonus points for Ian’s glorious warrior uniform, and Tlotoxl (the main baddy) staring down the camera on the episode’s cliffhanger.

(S1,E28) The Warriors of Death – This episode was real edge-of-your-seat stuff – Ian does a badass move putting Ixta to sleep with his (where the heck did he learn that?!), and they are both to fight it out deciding who will lead the Aztec army. When the Doctor makes a deal with Ixta to help him beat Ian (not knowing it’s him) in exchange for the plans of the temple (the way back to the TARDIS), we are then waiting for the rest of the episode to see how this mess unfolds. Such clever storytelling! Bonus points for the Doctor getting to have a cute crush on Cameca, and Susan and Barbara getting great character moments too.

(S1,E29) The Bride of Sacrifice – Oh no, Ian! Don’t drown! Another great instalment. The Fab Four’s highlights: Carole Ann Ford performing Susan’s heartbreak over a forced courtship expertly, Barbara being a badass Yetaxa, Ian being Ian – the God Among Men – and the Doctor getting engaged over hot chocolate. Excellent moments all around. This scene in particular lives rent-free in my head. 

(S1,E30) The Day of Darkness – Action-packed end to a pretty flawless story. I love the Doctor’s subtle heartbreak of leaving Cameca. I love Barbara’s strong moral compass. I loved the arcs everyone goes on, I loved the pursuit back to the TARDIS, I loved the music, the sets. Our supporting characters were great – the pleasant Autloc, the Disney-esque villain Tlotoxl, the cocky Ixta, and the lovely Cameca. Ian fought Ixta (and killed him! Yikes) – legend. Just loved this story so much. Great fun.

(S1,E31) Strangers in Space – I love the Doctor – William Hartnell plays the playful yet uptight, sarcastic, and clever alien with more ease and flair each week. I love Ian – might as well crown him King of Charisma. Still don’t know who the lead of this show is though?! It’s a shame Barbara and Susan are somewhat put to the side in this – it couldn’t help but feel like some sort of gender divide! Not sure I’m sold on the supporting cast so far, but the spaceship setting was so atmospheric, making for some tense scary moments. The cliffhanger silently building to Ian’s reaction to something at the window, only to reveal a creepy Sensorite emerging, was the most chilling one yet.

(S1,E32) The Unwilling Warriors – Hartnell is really growing into this role. I am less seeing him as an actor trying to remember the lines and more as the Doctor – inquisitive, clever, eccentric. Can’t wait to see him develop his portrayal even further. The consistently good storyline so far, in another entirely spaceship-set episode. Somehow, however, the Sensorites were scarier when they weren’t talking in posh English accents, and when I hadn’t noticed their circular feet.

(S1,E33) Hidden Danger – With the sheer amount of scenes of Sensorites just talking, and masks allowing actors to show limited individuality and expression, I’m struggling to feel captivated by these aliens. Still, the sets are impressive and enough to help me suspend my disbelief. Looks like Jacqueline Hill (Barbara) is going on holiday for a bit while the other three are on the sense sphere. Poor Ian is dying!!!

(S1,E34) A Race Against Death – I enjoyed how the fallout from the cliffhanger of the last episode was the whole point of this episode. It was fun to see another montage in the show, which is normally a very ‘stage play’ in its presentation. And while, yes, the boom mics kept creeping in and the lines were fluffed and the alien masks are daft, the ingenuity in this program is just extraordinary. They worked so hard to put on a good show week in, and week out.

(S1,E35) Kidnap – The Evil Administrator Sensorite got promoted, and is now way too big for his boots. It is interesting that in a society supposedly built on peace and harmony, there is still a troublesome member. I guess it just goes to show negativity is inevitable. But then again, so is positivity – shown through the friendlier Sensorites, the heroism of the Doctor, Ian, and Susan, and the love between John and Carrol. Speaking of, John is fixed! Hooray! Hopefully, Barbara will be back next week.

(S1,E36) A Desperate Venture – A bit of a weird final part. For starters, knowing that the Sensorites have punishments of execution and banishment is slightly contradictory to their peace-loving nature already established. The humans in the sewers introduced in the last 12 minutes felt like an afterthought (and how did they make those beastly noises earlier on in the story?). And the final scene of the Doctor snapping at Ian for making a joke about the TARDIS not working properly felt very sour, even if it was meant to be played for laughs. DESPITE all of this, however, I had fun with this one. Great to see Barbara back. And hearing Susan talk about her and the Doctor’s planet for the first time, with its orange sky and silver leaves on trees, was tantalising. WHO are they?

(S1,E37) A Land of Fear – There is a real sense of ‘oh crap’ when it becomes apparent that the Doctor’s unreliable TARDIS has taken the fab four to France at the time of the French Revolution. I’m not a history buff, but the sheer terror and dread presented throughout this episode quite clearly show that a sticky situation is about to unfold. Once again, the cliffhanger has outdone itself, with the Doctor trapped alone in a burning house, his companions taken away to ‘Madame Guillotine’. The episode ends with the camera panning to the jet-black sky, licks of flames flapping below, and the Doctor’s distant, dying coughs can be heard. When the credits roll, I am flooded with emotion. How on EARTH does he get out of this one? Cannot wait to see more of this story.

(S1,E38) Guests of Madame Guillotine – It is brilliant that the Doctor, saved by the young farm boy, takes centre stage. It is he who must save Ian, Barbara and Susan from prison and the dreaded guillotine. And boy does he shine, taking a chilled – yet badass – stroll through the French countryside, and knocking a fella on the head on route. The dread continues with desperate escape tactics, a dodgy jailor, and Ian’s dying cellmate making his last request. I must look up this period so I can appreciate this story even more!

(S1,E39) A Change of Identity – The Doctor gets into disguise as a Regional Officer of the Provinces in this episode, further in his efforts to save Ian, Barbara and Susan. I love that this is his whole purpose in this storyline: to save his granddaughter and two people he has grown to care about immensely. Besides this awesome disguise element, I enjoyed Barbara having a nice time drinking wine and being wooed by a charming Counter-Revolutionary. I also love the realisation of France through sets and the musical score throughout these episodes.

(S1,E40) The Tyrant of France (Reconstruction) – Nothing colossal to talk about here. Just still really solid and entertaining. A good balance of hope and dread in this one.

(S1,E41) A Bargain of Necessity (Reconstruction) – When Ian gets saved by Jules in an epic fight, Jules shoots and kills the traitor Leon, who was his friend. This adds an extra layer of complexity to this consistently strong narrative – not only does Jules represent a determination and stoicism which must have been needed in a time as treacherous as the French Revolution, but Ian and Barbara being on opposing sides of the argument around whether Jules should have pulled the trigger or not highlights the moral ambiguity of this murder. Yes, Ian was kidnapped and his life was at risk, but Leon was simply doing his duty for the good of his country and the future of Europe. A brainteaser of a moral conundrum indeed – another example of how insanely intelligent this Sci-Fi romp has the capacity to be.

(S1,E42) Prisoners of Conciergerie – While I felt that I didn’t see enough of characters like Robespierre and Napolean, I can see why their inclusion was kept light to focus on our main and supporting characters trying to evade political danger. I do feel that this serial would be better enjoyed by someone who knows a substantial amount about the French Revolution, which I do not. What I can say, however, is that this episode was a solid conclusion to the story and to the very first season of Doctor Who. It tells us that history, be it good or bad, will run its course. And whether it be found here on Earth, or in the stars like it is for the Doctor and his companions, we always have control over how we choose to approach it. We can all learn from the Doctor and strive to explore the universe, have fun and look out for the ones we love, no matter what scrapes we get into along the way.

And there you are! My bitesize thoughts on the first 42 episodes of Doctor Who. Come back next time for the sophomore season…