For a long time, this story seemed to slip the radar for many fans, myself included. Like I've mentioned previously, Target (novelizations) missed this story out til a good dozen years had passed since it's one and only transmission. Early in the video releases, in the early 90's, this one was always by default, gonna be right at the back of the queue, and for some reason was dubbed as the forgotten story of Season 8. If you read articles on Doctor Who circa 1971, it's all Autons, Axons, Adjudicators and Azal…That's harshly unfair,and a load of old Bok's, as I found when UK Gold (bless 'em!) showed the entirety of the 3rd Doctor era in 1993, and I finally got to see The Mind of Evil …in living colour….if I squinted.

I love this era of Who, the UNIT family just works, along with the always familiar cadence of the Master close behind. It's Who folklore, to me anyway…the evil renegade(TM) returns in every story of Season 8. But this is the first story after his debut for him to appear, surely surprising at the time?!  Who would expect a villain to appear so soon after his defeat one week hence?! It works excellently here, sat puffing away on a cuban cigar, eavesdropping on jolly old Yates and Benton, with a sinister smirk, Roger Delgado owns the screen….The true mind of evil of The Mind of Evil, Delagdo, never better than here, playing his games, manipulating companions, prisoners and even the Doctor himself into believing him for his own ends. But the most powerful moment is the Doctor's image towering over his mortal enemy, laughing maniacally, taunting him….that is the Master's greatest fear. Little gems secreted away mean more that giant stones sometimes.

The Keller Machine, whilst it doesn't appear to have scary factor that the other 'monsters' of Season 8 have, for me works in the way Don Houghton devised it. It's not possible to move about, at least not at first, of it's own accord, but seemingly able to drown people(in a dry room, no less), and have them bitten to death by rats (very Doomwatch, remember that?!) !), or scared to their very wits, is a powerful idea. For the Doctor himself to cross the Machine and suffer, very visibly, more than we'd ever seen by that stage, was extremely chilling. Facing his fears of the world in flames, harking back to a near fiery end in Inferno (from the previous season, a continuity flash we'd not seen seen that often before?), Pertwee shows complete terror in this scene, as he does when faced by his old enemies, Dalek, Cyberman….oh,and a Zarbi….?!

I love the Nestene invasions, the Omega affair, the Spiders of Metebelis III, the giant Maggots, and the mighty tag team of Azal and Bok. But the UNIT family's finest hour,in my opinion, is here at Stangmoor Prison. The Brigadier in fine form, confronted by Puff the Magic Dragon, then later saving the Doctor in the nick of time. Captain Yates crashing off his motorcycle, Benton going all oopyzootics thanks to Chin Lee's special powers, and the Brig's cutting put down to him after. Such brilliant guest stars, as Simon Lack, William Marlowe, and Neil Marlowe, all of whom would return to Who later in the 70's, make their mark as believable characters, that make what should be a meandering, lacklustre 6 parter, a story to get your teeth into. Roll on 3rd June, when it'll once more be in full colour….I'll be in the queue that day, mark my words. — Andy

Alan's #27 – Earthshock
David's #27 – The Waters of Mars
Steve's #27 – The War Machines

The classic era of Doctor Who drew to a close on a pleasingly memorable high note with Rona Munro’s satisfying and intelligently written tale Survival.

This not only brought out the best from Sylvester McCoy, but was surely Anthony Ainley’s finest hour as the Master, exchanging a sometimes pantomime-like performance for a superb portrayal of evil desperation that any great thespian should be proud of.  In this dark story, which thoughtfully explores the concept of ‘home’, the manipulative renegade is trapped in a dire predicament where the influence of the Cheetah planet is causing his own ‘animal’ nature to start taking over and he is determined to free himself from the fate of evolving into one of the Cheetah people himself. The dramatic scene of the Doctor confronting the Master, framed by the backdrop of the fiery red sky of a disintegrating planet, certainly leaves an indelible impression on the memory.

Survival also persevered with the rewarding character development and growing maturity of Ace, which was a feature of the 26th Season, complementing the theme of evolution that was central to this serial. Finally, the notion of belonging and attachment to a particular place is exquisitely challenged when Ace rejects Perivale and the rest of her past in favour of the Tardis and the inevitable uncertainty that it brings.

As a piece of quality drama, Survival deserves a place in the top 50 in its own right, but this is further cemented by its significance as a fitting finale to the classic era and a huge punctuation mark in the overall history of Doctor Who.

There are many who would say that, after 26 years, the show had become tired and had forgotten how to take itself seriously – but as the Doctor and Ace strolled off to stop the tea from getting cold in another world, Survival thankfully left us with a very positive ‘final’ remembrance of something very special – and it left us hungry (as a starving cat) for more..  – Alan

Andy's #28 – The Dæmons
David's #28 – The Doctor's Wife
Steve's #28 – The Dalek Invasion of Earth

No new Doctor Who next week?  Fear not!  We have a new countdown selection with #27… next week.