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Doctor Who's Tragical History Tour
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  • Nu-Who
    1. Ncuti Gatwa
    2. Jodie Whittaker
    3. Peter Capaldi
    4. Matt Smith
    5. David Tennant
    6. Christopher Eccleston
    7. View All

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    The Next-iest of Doctors

    May 29, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (19→24)

    November 10, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    B-Bye Bradley

    October 6, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (13→18)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (31→36)

    October 12, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (37→42)

    October 5, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (12→7)

    November 17, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (19→24)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (25→30)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (12→7)

    November 17, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (13→18)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (19→24)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (19→24)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (37→42)

    October 5, 2023

    The Dark Jacket Dimension

    November 13, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    Close Enough for Government (Broadcasting) Work

    November 25, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    Vworp-tex Manipulations

    November 20, 2023
  • Tweeners
    1. John Hurt
    2. Paul McGann
    3. The Master List
    4. Regeneration X
    5. The Mystery Guest
    6. The Hand of Fear
    7. View All

    Hurt So Good: A Doctor and His Umbrella

    April 27, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    Ten’ll Get You Five

    September 4, 2020

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    McGann Before McGann

    May 26, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    Fivey at Forty: The First Companion Death of 1982

    March 16, 2022

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    Close Enough for Government (Broadcasting) Work

    November 25, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    Vworp-tex Manipulations

    November 20, 2023

    Ghost Re-Write

    November 16, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    Dup-topia

    January 29, 2020

    The Glue Guy

    June 24, 2018

    Doctor on Doctor ACTION!

    November 19, 2017

    The Wheel in Cheese

    August 10, 2014

    The Hurt Locker

    May 25, 2013

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    Close Enough for Government (Broadcasting) Work

    November 25, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    Vworp-tex Manipulations

    November 20, 2023

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    Close Enough for Government (Broadcasting) Work

    November 25, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    Vworp-tex Manipulations

    November 20, 2023
  • Colo(u)r
    1. Sylvester McCoy
    2. Colin Baker
    3. Peter Davison
    4. Tom Baker
    5. Jon Pertwee
    6. View All

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (31→36)

    October 12, 2023

    A Studio Film (or rather a film in the studio)

    June 9, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    Fivey at Forty: The First Companion Death of 1982

    March 16, 2022

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    Hurt So Good: A Doctor and His Umbrella

    April 27, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (25→30)

    October 28, 2023

    Stotz v. Stotz: A Love Story

    October 1, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (54→49)

    September 20, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (12→7)

    November 17, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (13→18)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (25→30)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (25→30)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    McGann Before McGann

    May 26, 2023

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    Close Enough for Government (Broadcasting) Work

    November 25, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    Vworp-tex Manipulations

    November 20, 2023
  • Monochrome
    1. Patrick Troughton
    2. William Hartnell
    3. View All

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (13→18)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (19→24)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (31→36)

    October 12, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (31→36)

    October 12, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (37→42)

    October 5, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (54→49)

    September 20, 2023

    Sometimes the Years Just Fall Away

    November 27, 2023

    Close Enough for Government (Broadcasting) Work

    November 25, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    Vworp-tex Manipulations

    November 20, 2023
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Doctor Who's Tragical History TourDoctor Who's Tragical History Tour
50 for 50 Tom Baker

50 for 50 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — #29

By -- DSWMay 8, 201303 Mins Read
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Aliens frozen in the permafrost. Plants that kill. Alien parasite infecting scientist. An evil sociopath who plays music to flowers. And Sarah Jane Smith getting all Mrs. Peel.

The Seeds of Doom, our Number 29, owes everything to the stories that it shamelessly borrows from. The Thing From Another World gives us the brilliantly realized Antarctic setting. The Krynoid and it’s pods is a direct nod to The Day of the Triffids. The infection of scientists by the very alien organism they are studying is pure The Quatermass Experiment. And the Doctor and “Miss Smith” are excessively violent in this one, and it comes across more like an episode of The Avengers at times (it should be noted that the author Robert Banks Stewart wrote an eerily similar episode of the Avengers called Man-Eater of Surrey Green  –DW). And Prince Charles was busy singing to plants at this time, so is Harrison Chase a parody of our future king? (Another debate for another time!)
The story is well constructed, with exciting locations like the Antarctic base and also gives us Tom Baker at his laconic best:

Harrison Chase: “What do you do for an encore, Doctor?”
The Doctor : “I win.”

Sarah Jane is in her best plucky companion mode here with, as mentioned, some very Emma Peel moments.

And it has a wonderfully eccentric villain in Harrison Chase. Apart from having a name that sounds like a setting for an American soap opera, he prefers the company of plants to humans and believes he needs to experiment on us and give us the best of all things fauna. He is wonderfully underplayed all the more chilling for it. And he plays a mean Hammond Organ.

The only real let down of The Seeds of Doom is the the fact that it features the last time we see UNIT for a very long time and it doesn’t feel quite right. No regulars are present and it makes you wonder why they even used UNIT at all.

But apart from this, The Seeds of Doom is a wonderful homage to all the great Science Fiction classics and does it with style and panache. Douglas Camfield’s direction is superb. The giant Krynoid enveloping the house is one that will remain with me forever.

The Day of the Thing From Another Experiment. What’s not to like?  — Steve

Alan’s #29 — The Enemy Within
Andy’s #29 — Logopolis
David’s #29 — The Ribos Operation

The Doctor may have a name, but the name of our game is #28, which comes next week.

Short Hops:
  • d04-4l-c645
    Man-Eater of Creepy Mean
  • d11-10h-c461
    The Bride and the Clyde
  • d04-4g-143
    50 for 50 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — #24
50 for 50 Tom Baker Elizabeth Sladen Logopolis The Ribos Operation The Enemy WIthin The Seeds of Doom
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On This Day in Doctor Who History

November 2023

Tuesday November 28

1964: The Dalek Invasion of Earth [2--The Daleks]
Recurs yearly
2015: Heaven Sent
Recurs yearly
2021: Flux - Chapter 5: Survivors of the Flux
Recurs yearly

Wednesday November 29

1975: The Android Invasion [2]
Recurs yearly
1980: State of Decay [2]
Recurs yearly
1986: The Ultimate Foe [1]
Recurs yearly
1989: Survival [2]
Recurs yearly

Thursday November 30

1963: 100,000 BC [2--The Cave of Skulls]
Recurs yearly
1968: The Invasion [5]
Recurs yearly
1987: Dragonfire [2]
Recurs yearly
1988: Silver Nemesis [2]
Recurs yearly

December 2023

Friday December 1

1979: The Nightmare of Eden [2]
Recurs yearly

Saturday December 2

1967: The Ice Warriors [4]
Recurs yearly
1978: The Androids of Tara [2]
Recurs yearly
2018: It Takes You Away
Recurs yearly
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  1. ► The Power of the Doctor
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  6. ► The Runaway Bride
  7. ► Army of Ghosts
  8. ► The Crusades
  9. ► The Mind of Evil
  10. ► The Tomb of the Cybermen

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