TV Choice: Journey back in time with our pick of unmissable classic Doctor Who episodes from the 60s and 70s streaming on BBC iPlayer

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

1. The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964)

t may not be the first outing for Terry Nation’s deadly Daleks, who first appeared on screen in December 1963. But The Dalek Invasion of Earth is without doubt one of their most memorable appearances and the story that cemented their place as Doctor Who’s deadliest foe.

In a dark and foreboding vision of 22nd-century Earth, London has fallen to the Daleks, with only a small group of freedom fighters left standing in their path in one of the most dystopian Doctor Who stories of the classic era. But as the Daleks trundle along Westminster Bridge past the Houses of Parliament, can William Hartnell’s Doctor defeat them by working alongside the freedom fighters willing to give their lives to rid the city of these fascist pepper pots from space? And will Susan stay with her grandfather or remain behind with a young Scottish freedom fighter she has fallen in love with?

The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a shimmering gem of early Doctor Who and undoubtedly one of the best Dalek stories in the show’s 60-year history.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

2. The Time Meddler (1965)

As the TARDIS arrives in England in 1066, you may expect The Time Meddler to fit the classic historical mould of stories like The Aztecs and The Romans. But in a twist, the Doctor, Vicki and Steven soon discover technology centuries ahead of its time and a monastery home to a time-travelling Monk who wishes to change the outcome of the Battle of Hastings.

The Time Meddler was the first Doctor Who story to mix history with science fiction and play with it freely over four fun, beautifully scripted and performed episodes, demonstrating the endless possibilities of Doctor Who’s adventures in time and space. More importantly, it set the template for the arrival of renegade time-travellers from the Doctor’s home world, opening up a universe of possibilities that would eventually lead to the appearance of The Master.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

3. The War Machines (1966)

It took a while for Doctor Who to embrace the changing landscape of 60’s London. However, in 1966, it finally stepped out of the TARDIS and onto the capital’s swinging streets to celebrate the arrival of London’s latest landmark, the Post Office Tower. As they arrive at the tower, Professor Brett and the world’s most advanced computer, Wotan (Will Operating Thought ANalogue), welcome the Doctor and Dodo. But the Doctor quickly smells a rat as he investigates whether this new advanced computer is controlled by its civil servant masters or holds them under a deadly power driven by artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, Dodo goes clubbing and meets Polly and Ben as the Swinging Sixties invades the dusty world of Hartnell’s TARDIS, leading Dodo to leave and the vibrant Polly and Ben to join the show. By 1966, it was clear Doctor Who needed a new direction, and The War Machines marked the beginning of Hartnell’s exit as the BBC laid the groundwork for something extraordinary in television history. Regeneration!

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

4. The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)

One of the most chilling, beautifully written and performed Doctor Who stories of the past 60 years, Patrick Troughton’s Tomb of the Cybermen is an outstanding slice of science fiction and horror. Like so many of Patrick Troughton’s adventures, the BBC wiped the tapes after broadcast; therefore, it wasn’t until the mid-nineties that Tomb of the Cybermen was rediscovered in Hong Kong. As the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on the planet of Telos, they find a small group of archaeologists searching for the remains of the Cybermen, who died out 500 years before. But as they enter the tomb, a deadly menace stirs in its frozen catacombs.

Mixing classic horror with genetics and ethical discussions on archaeology that hark back to Britain’s imperial past in countries like Egypt, Tomb of the Cyberman is Doctor Who at its spine-tingling best, from sound design to sets and performances. Classic-era Cybermen would never again be as frightening as they were here, which was a pity given the terror of their vice-like grip.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

5. The Web of Fear (1968)

Because of the constraints of studio filming, Doctor Who’s lighting was often so bright it jettisoned the shadows its stories so richly deserved. But, like Tomb of the Cybermen, The Web of Fear, directed by Douglas Camfield, bathes in gothic horror while embracing classic science fiction as mysterious mechanical Yetis stalk their prey in the deep tunnels of the London Underground.

The Web of Fear picks up from a missing story from 1967, The Abominable Snowman. Here, we discover that the now-elderly Professor Travers, who met the Doctor as a young man in Tibet in The Abominable Snowman, brought back a deadly Yeti robot to England as a trophy. In London, he tinkers with it until he reactivates it and opens the door to the Great Intelligence. But can the Doctor, Jamie, Victoria, and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart defeat this menace before it consumes everything in its path? Bathed in shadows and some exquisite studio and location work, The Web of Fear is another outstanding example of Doctor Who’s ability to merge groundbreaking science fiction with gothic horror.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

6. The Mind Robber (1968)

Doctor Who has a long history of stories that break with convention and offer audiences something experimental. The first of these stories was The Mind Robber, which bravely took the TARDIS crew out of time and space, placing them into a strange land inhabited only by fictional figures from novels and fairy tales. In this peculiar and often psychedelic world, each character is controlled like a marionette by a writer taken out of time, known only as the Master, and an unseen computer brain that controls the writer’s thoughts. But can the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe escape this strange new world before they also become marionettes?

Utterly unpredictable, completely nuts, and joyously creative, The Mind Robber was filmed on a shoestring budget because the money ran out earlier in the season. At the same time, Frazer Hines had chickenpox during filming, leading to some creative manoeuvres, including a change in Jamie’s face and body, while the episode count was suddenly cut from six to four. But despite the turmoil behind the camera, The Mind Robber remains one of the most bizarre, creative and delightfully peculiar detours Doctor Who has ever taken.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

7. Spearhead From Space (1970)

Patrick Troughton’s final epic story, The War Games, saw the Time Lords (in their first appearance) put him on trial for breaking their laws of non-interference; as a result, they forced him to regenerate and placed him on 20th-century Earth, in exile, with his TARDIS sabotaged. As his regeneration began on 21st June 1969, viewers were left hanging with an incomplete transition into Jon Pertwee, making them wait until 3rd January 1970 for the arrival of the third Doctor.

But Spearhead from Space wasn’t just the first outing for a new Doctor; it was the show’s first major reset since its premiere in 1963. For the first time, Doctor Who was filmed on 16mm colour film, with reworked opening titles and an Earth-bound Time Lord whose memory had been partially wiped. It was a gamble that paid off due to Jon Pertwee’s energetic performance, Robert Holmes’ genius writing, location filming, and Derek Martinus’ assured direction.

Spearhead from Space could have been a disaster with strike action brewing at the BBC. Instead, it became the template for a new, exciting, action-packed Who that wasn’t afraid to scare the shit out of every kid watching, as the Nestene Consciousness brought expressionless shop window dummies to life and the Autons arrived.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

8. Inferno (1970)

The final story of Jon Pertwee’s first season as the Doctor is a rather curious yet brilliant affair, as Doctor Who explored a parallel universe for the first time. Inferno would draw some of its inspiration from the classic Star Trek episode “Mirror, Mirror,” broadcast in 1967, in its portrayal of alternate versions of our heroes. But beyond the dystopian, fascist world the Doctor encounters, the environmental themes make this story groundbreaking in Who history.

Inferno is a drilling project aimed at penetrating the Earth’s core for energy as humans rush to exploit the planet in any way possible to keep the lights on. Inferno is the first Jon Pertwee story with environmental messages at its core – themes that would find further voice in The Green Death and Invasion of the Dinosaurs later in his run. With seven episodes, many have accused Inferno of being slow and long. But in my opinion, Inferno is Doctor Who at its most creative on a tiny BBC budget, with incredible cliffhangers and an all-action Doctor unafraid to test his endurance in saving Earth from humans who seek to exploit it.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

9. Terror of the Autons (1971)

The William Hartnell story, The Time Meddler, may have opened the door to renegade Time Lords appearing alongside the Doctor, but producer Barry Letts, Terrence Dicks, and writer Robert Holmes fully embraced the idea of creating the ultimate Time Lord foe. Letts joined Doctor Who midway through Pertwee’s first season, but it wasn’t until Pertwee’s second that he truly got his feet under the table. ‘ Terror of the Autons’ is, in many ways, the start of Pertwee’s era, as Letts and Dicks remodelled and refreshed ‘Doctor Who’ with an energy that played to Pertwee’s action-man persona while injecting comic book horror in truckloads.

Terror of the Autons introduces the world to Jo Grant and The Master, while bringing snappy dialogue, vivid colour, comedic riffs, and special effects that gave every 1970s kid nightmares. The Autons may take centre stage, but make no mistake: Roger Delgado’s Master steals the show as The Doctor faces his Moriarty for the first time.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

10. The Daemons (1971)

The Daemons is a perfect example of Barry Letts’ brilliance as a writer and producer, as Doctor Who went full-on folk horror two years before The Wicker Man premiered in cinemas. In the quiet and sleepy chocolate-box village of Devil’s End, an archaeologist named Professor Horner is about to excavate an ancient burial mound. However, Horner is unaware that the village vicar is, in fact, the Master, and as the burial mound releases its power, a ritual beneath the church, led by the evil Time Lord, is conjuring an ancient and deadly force.

Like Village of the Damned and Hammer’s The Devil Rides Out, The Daemons succeeds and has impact by embracing classic horror: an unstoppable evil suddenly invades a safe, sleepy English village. But The Daemons places this horror in a Saturday teatime world of kid-friendly TV, where younger viewers know The Doctor will eventually save the day despite the odds. With some exquisite scenes between Pertwee and Delgado and a monster that terrifies and entertains in equal measure, The Daemons is one of Pertwee’s greatest Doctor Who adventures.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

11. The Time Warrior (1973)

Change was in the air as Doctor Who returned to TV screens in the late Autumn of 1973 with new titles and a new logo. Jo Grant (Katie Manning) had left the show in June 1973 in the brilliant The Green Death after fifteen stories alongside Jon Pertwee, and many wondered whether Pertwee was also nearing the end of his time as the all-action Doctor. But the third Doctor wasn’t left alone for long, as The Time Warrior quickly introduced us to a spiky, bold, independent young journalist, Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen), who was happy to interrogate Pertwee’s Doctor at every opportunity, much to his outward irritation and inner delight.

In a rare journey into Earth’s past, Jon Pertwee’s Doctor and his stowaway find themselves in the Middle Ages, where the potato-like Linx, kitted head to toe in armour, has been stranded on Earth and needs to repair his ship before rejoining the Fifth Sontaran Army Space Fleet. But to fix his vessel, Linx needs 20th-century scientists, whom he kidnaps through a time tunnel while providing state-of-the-art swords and other weaponry to the vicious Irongron, whose recently captured castle offers a home for his workshop.

The Time Warrior’s tongue-in-cheek screenplay delivers some truly memorable lines of dialogue as Linx tries to rebuild his ship while changing history in a wickedly fun four-part story that sees Sarah and the Doctor unite with Hal the archer and Edward of Wessex to defeat Linx and Irongron. Plus, don’t miss June Brown’s delightful performance long before she became known as Dot Cotton in EastEnders. There is so much to love in the opening story of Jon Pertwee’s final season and the introduction of Sarah Jane and the Sontarans, who would become one of the most-loved Doctor Who villains of the classic and modern era.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

12. Genesis of the Daleks (1975)

For many older Doctor Who fans, including me, Tom Baker will forever be the Doctor. However, his opening episode, Robot, following Jon Pertwee’s final outing, Planet of the Spiders, was a rather lacklustre affair. But fear not, because every other story in Tom Baker’s first season is pure TV gold. From “The Ark in Space” to “Revenge of the Cybermen,” which cleverly reused the same sets due to budget constraints. But one story stands head and shoulders above them all: Genesis of the Daleks. In what is undoubtedly Terry Nation’s finest Dalek story, he took us back to the very origins of the fascist pepper pots from space with a tale of genocide, unrestrained power and war.

To say Genesis of the Daleks is one of the most politically and ethically complex Doctor Who stories is an understatement, as the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry face the ultimate decision: if you could stop evil from being born, would you, and should you? The war between the Kaleds and the Thals, and the parallels to Nazism, are evident, from discussions on eugenics to the horrors of dictatorships and ethnic cleansing as Michael Wisher’s terrifying and chilling Davros implements his “Final Solution.”  

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

13. Terror of the Zygons (1975)

Opening Tom Baker’s second season as the Doctor, Terror of the Zygons isn’t perfect, from the dodgy opening model effects to the endless Scottish stereotypes. But for all its faults, Robert Banks Stewart’s story, directed by Douglas Camfield, is an absolute blast, introducing us to a new and ingenious villain: the shape-shifting Zygons.

Much of this story’s charm comes from the now-established relationship between Baker, Sladen and Marter, who joyously bounce off one another with effortless one-liners and knowing nods. But it’s the creatures that make this a classic of the Baker era, with their pot-bellies, slimy bodies, octopus-like suckers and whispering voices as they adopt the form of the townsfolk while storing their incapacitated bodies on their underwater vessel. Add a brilliant ensemble cast, the Brigadier in a Kilt, a dodgy Loch Ness Monster, a cracking score from Geoffrey Burgon, and Terror of the Zygons is a delightfully enjoyable slice of Saturday teatime science fiction.  

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

14. The Brain of Morbius (1976)

In the spring of 1974, twenty-nine-year-old Philip Hinchcliffe took on the role of producer of Doctor Who, and his partnership with script editor Robert Holmes would lead to some of the most memorable Doctor Who stories ever. However, the journey toward a more Gothic-inspired horror took time. While many of Tom Baker’s earlier episodes played with classic horror, it wasn’t until The Brain of Morbius that Doctor Who fully embraced a Hammer-esque world. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Brain of Morbius is a deliciously dark treat that ushered in a whole raft of horror-inspired Doctor Who stories, from the creepy The Hand of Fear to the fogbound terror of The Horror of Fang Rock.

With a brain bubbling in a tank and a mad doctor hell-bent on reanimation and decapitation, The Brain of Morbius was teatime horror that revelled in upsetting censors and delighted a whole generation of gore-hungry kids. As the TARDIS is dragged off course, it lands on the barren planet of Karn, home to a powerful Sisterhood and the final resting place of an executed Time Lord and war criminal called Morbius. But Morbius isn’t dead; his brain is very much alive!

Alive with vibrant colour, lavish studio sets, and a great score by Dudley Simpson, The Brain of Morbius embraces its Hammer Horror-inspired world with glee, yet remains distinctively Who as it sets the stage for a full-scale reimagining of the Time Lords and the Doctor himself. Who can forget the brave decision to show multiple images of Doctors we had never seen as Morbius pushed deep into the Doctor’s mind? Asking us a revolutionary question in the show’s history: “How far, Doctor? How long have you lived?”

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

15. The Robots of Death (1977)

When Louise Jameson joined Doctor Who as the new companion in The Face of Evil, her instinctive and fiery Leela was a world away from Sarah Jane, and despite regular clashes with Tom Baker, she quickly got her feet under the table. Her second outing is not only intensely creative and atmospheric: it’s one of the best Doctor Who stories ever made. From the opening shots of a gargantuan sand miner crawling through a sandstorm to the Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery at play and the expressionless, monotone robots serving a small crew in perpetual conflict, The Robots of Death is sublime.

Full of atmosphere, with a screenplay centring on themes of artificial intelligence, class conflict, capitalism run riot, and greed, The Robots of Death is a love letter to Isaac Asimov and Agatha Christie, weaving a story of murder, intrigue, suspicion, and revenge. Like many Doctor Who stories of the period, the ensemble cast is truly outstanding. But the detailed sets, costumes, screenplay, and direction make this story one of the best.

Michael E. Briant’s direction maintains a sense of claustrophobia and fear throughout, while Kenneth Sharp’s VOC Robots and set designs embrace an Art Deco theme that pays homage to Christie’s golden age. However, what stands out is the beautifully framed discussion on whether artificial intelligence poses the biggest threat to humankind or humans themselves. Ultimately, The Robots of Death is about the human drive for wealth, position, and power at any cost and our ability to manipulate the technology around us, then apportion blame to cover our greed and ruthless ambition.

TV Choice: Classic Doctor Who

16. The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977)

The Talons of Weng-Chiang continues the atmospheric tour-de-force of The Robots of Death as we return to Victorian London, where a series of gruesome murders haunts the fogbound streets and alleyways around the Palace Music Hall. Each female victim points toward a deadly serial killer who hides in the shadows while Chinese stage magician Li H’sen Chang and his ventriloquist dummy, Mr Sin, stun the crowds inside. As the TARDIS lands, the Doctor and Leela immediately smell a rat and team up with the theatre owner, Mr Jago, and pathologist Professor Litefoot to solve the mystery of the serial killer hiding in plain sight.

From the outset, Robert Holmes’ screenplay is pure genius as he embraces the horror of Jack the Ripper, the grime and humour of Dickens and the opium haze of Oscar Wilde’s A Picture of Dorian Gray. If this sounds rather adult, it is! At its heart, The Talons of Weng-Chiang was an adult-themed Doctor Who story that scared the shit out of each kid watching! But there was no better way to say a final farewell to Holmes and Hinchcliffe, who had completely transformed Doctor Who in their three seasons in charge. Every scene is exquisitely detailed, and every performance is outstanding in this devilishly brilliant slice of Victorian Gothic horror.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang demonstrated how powerful, artistic and brilliant Doctor Who could be, even on its tiny BBC budget. Yes, there are a few slip-ups, like the giant rat, but any story that opens with the lines “It’s a floater, all right, you’ve got it, guv!” as a pale-faced constable hooks a bobbing corpse from the Thames is a winner in my book.