Alan writes about his Top Ten —
The ten stories which made it to the top of my list have all done so because of the initial and immediate impact each one had upon me when I viewed them for the very first time both as a child and as an adult. When asked to compile my list, there was absolutely no doubt or hesitation in my mind about the winners of these top positions – these are stories which have remained indelibly ingrained upon my memory because they created such a profound impression upon me and left me feeling thrilled by the experience.
The impact may have been due to the incredibly clever storytelling, the emotional depth of a story, the evil characterization of the villains, the vision and genius of the writing – or they may have been stories that simply scared the pants off me! My top ten doesn’t favour any particular era, with a broad range of Doctors represented – one first, two second, a third, fourth, fifth and ninth, two tens and an eleven. There is also a wide variety of themes – some historic, others futuristic, several contemporary; some feature alien monsters and others are touching human stories. These top ten are also adventures I can watch over and over again without ever tiring of them.
In summary, I can conclude that Doctor Who remains my favourite show of all time because it has been uniquely capable of introducing surprising situations and awesome characters, consistently producing diverse, innovative, compelling drama for 50 years. My top ten is a wonderful demonstration of how Doctor Who can deliver a totally fresh and different experience from one week to the next – yet remaining familiar, intelligent and FANTASTIC!
