TV Review: Classic Doctor Who, season 3

TV #42 of 2022:

Classic Doctor Who, season 3

Airing from 1965 to 1966, original Doctor William Hartnell’s last full year in the role marks a turbulent time for Doctor Who both off-screen and on-, as is perhaps best exemplified by the sheer volume of companion turnover: starting the season with Vicki and Steven and ending with Ben and Polly, with Katarina and Dodo and arguably Sara Kingdom all in between. The producers came close to replacing the star himself here too, leading to a few odd moments in the writing that seem to be almost queuing up that initial recasting / regeneration but then hurriedly backing away from it.

As ever, the serials are of mixed quality from a modern perspective. THE WAR MACHINES is probably closest to later versions of the program, setting the pattern for an outlandish sci-fi threat against contemporary Britain, and the 12-part saga of THE DALEKS’ MASTER PLAN is sometimes silly but suitably epic, with the title villains, futuristic worldbuilding, a chase across time and space, the return of the Meddling Monk, companion death(s), and beyond. On the opposite end of the spectrum, THE CELESTIAL TOYMAKER is okay enough in concept but borderline racist in execution and pretty miserable to actually sit through, so if its antagonist is truly making a long-rumored appearance on the revived show soon, I can only hope they’ve completely retooled the character and his games.

Between those extremes, the typical adventure in this run is either of variable effectiveness across its episodes — like whenever the mostly fine western THE GUNFIGHTERS slams to a halt for another stanza of its repetitive recurring ballad — or generally solid but less remarkable, as my rankings below reflect. The Doctor is firmly cemented at this point as a clever thinker and righteous yet nonviolent defender of good, and while not all of his companions or guest stars are so well-drawn, the overall ethos of the series has come a long way from the educational historicals of the early days. It’s not all great, but the highlights at least are worth seeking out for any fan of the franchise.

Serials ranked from worst to best:

★☆☆☆☆
THE CELESTIAL TOYMAKER (3×30 – 3×33)

★★☆☆☆
GALAXY 4 (3×1 – 3×4)
THE MASSACRE (3×22 – 3×25)

★★★☆☆
THE MYTH MAKERS (3×6 – 3×9)
MISSION TO THE UNKNOWN (3×5)
THE GUNFIGHTERS (3×34 – 3×37)
THE SAVAGES (3×38 – 3×41)
THE ARK (3×26 – 3×29)

★★★★☆
THE DALEKS’ MASTER PLAN (3×10 – 3×21)
THE WAR MACHINES (3×42 – 3×45)

Overall rating for the season: ★★★☆☆

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