So you want to start watching the 6th Doctor?

The Twin Dilemma is the first full story line with Colin Baker as the Doctor. We get to see him in the regeneration scene, but this is where we get our first opportunity to see that there's something not quite right with our favorite character. Sure the Doctor is usually disoriented and confused right after a regeneration. He has to figure out who he is not, but this is different. He doesn't just seem confused, he seems rather rude. This is when you discover the show was trying to go in a different direction.

Colin Baker's Doctor was supposed to be a darker character. He was going to provide a different perspective on the life that the Doctor has chosen. The Doctor has to make lots of hard choices and sometimes he's had to pay a price. (See Earthshock) Unfortunately, some idiot at the BBC made a decision that never happened before and hasn't happened since, Colin Baker was not allowed to have any input into his costume. He wanted a black suit, or something similar to what Eccleston wore as the ninth Doctor, instead he was put in an outfit that even a clown would think twice about.


The Two Doctors is a very unique story in the history of Doctor Who. There were certainly 'reunion' episodes in the past, but this is the first time we see just one Doctor meeting himself. They have always been all the Doctors. This is actually the episode that started the discussion about the Second Doctor after his trial. There's a camp of fans that think that after his trial the Second Doctor worked as a special agent for the Time Lords. Either way, this is a very good combination of Doctors. You also get to see Jamie McCrimmon again.

This is a bit confusing because there's a space station and a Sontaran, and the Second Doctor being turned into a strange omnivorous alien that just loves to cook up anything. It's still a very fun episode.


The Trial of a Time Lord is another unique time in the history of Doctor Who but this time it isn't a good thing. The BBC was thinking about ending the show and they were going to put the show on hiatus after this season. So the writers threw out all of the stuff they'd been working on and put together a story idea to try to keep the show from being taken off the air. This is where the Trial of a Time Lord comes from.

The concept is effective and a great change from what you would expect. These days, a show like this would be the chance for an extensive flash-back episode. Instead, the production staff decides to make the trial be about stories the audience hasn't seen. We also get to meet a character that most long-time fans hope has disappeared from the Doctor Who universe. The Valeyard is the prosecutor and it turns out that he is actually the Doctor's 12th and final regeneration. He also happens to be evil and trying to steal the earlier parts of the Doctor's life. In the end, the Doctor wins in the court and with the BBC. Colin Baker, however, didn't make out so well. He was fired from the role, but that didn't stop the BBC from asking him to come back for the regeneration scene. (He declined and this led to the most ridiculous regeneration with possibly the one from the Doctor Who movie with the Eighth Doctor.

So you want to start watching the Fifth Doctor episodes of Doctor Who

Castrovalva is obviously the best place to start watching the Fifth Doctor, it's where he got his start. Well actually, he technically made his first appearance in Logopolis, but I won't count that. All he really got there was a fade in shot of him dressed up in Tom Baker's get up and them him sitting up. Not really much to go on.

Just like most post regeneration episodes, the Doctor is very confused and disoriented. He doesn't know who he is yet, or what he even looks like. There is also some difficulty surrounding his regeneration because it isn't going completely smoothly. Throw the Master into the mix and things are going to get really complicated.

Castrovalva is a bit confusing because the writers are going in a direction that is new for the series and is mostly forgotten afterwards, but this is a great place to start in with Peter Davison.


Earthshock is one of the most momentous stories in Doctor Who history. For the most part it is just your typical Cyberman story, but there's more to it than that. Well, let me step back for a moment on this. At the end of Tom Baker's time as the Doctor, he had 3 Companions Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan, way too many for the show to work smoothly. The BBC decided that it was probably time for a change and decided to get rid of one of the companions.

That's not all there is to it either. This isn't one of those happy endings. No, this is the kind of moment that makes the end of "The Doctor Dances" make more sense. In this case, the companion isn't left behind, doesn't choose to go, instead this person makes a heroic decision to drive a space ship into a meteorite to save the Earth and his or her friends. I won't say more about it because I don't want to give away the ending, but this episode is big not just for the era, but for the show as a whole.


Black Orchid is one of the most bizarre adventures of the Davison era. It has a costume party with dancing, lots of confusion and the Doctor taking a break from saving the world to play a game of Cricket. That's right, the Doctor stopped in the middle of a world-ending threat to pitch the ball and take a swing. This is different from the Matt Smith story where the Doctor is trying to look normal and plays some football. This is a case of mistaken identity with a character who can't say no to a bit of cricket. His costume is even like a cricket uniform. It's a fun little romp and well worth checking out.

That's all for now. More to come soon with suggestions for the other Baker to play the Doctor.

The Top 12 Doctors in Doctor Who (Part III)

Before we get through Doctors rated 9, 8, and 7, let's have a quick review of 10-12.

Number 12-Paul McGann (Doctor #8)

Number 11-Rowan Atkinson (Charity Special)

Number 10-Colin Baker (Doctor # 7)

Before I start with the new list, let me say again that I love all of the Doctors. It took a lot of effort to figure out which Doctor got which place. Also, this is my opinion. I suggest you check out all of the Doctors and make up your own mind.

Number 9

Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor and the last of the original run of the series.

Sylvester McCoy's tenure was well known for two reasons. His was the era of excessive question  marks and he was the last actor to play the Doctor. Fortunately one of those distinctions no longer exists since the Doctor has returned. McCoy was a great Doctor, but the threat of cancellation was always hanging over his head. There was also some confusion about who the Doctor really was. In the first season, he was sort of clownish, playing the fool while saving the world, but as time progressed, he became a darker, manipulative character. He was still saving the world, but sometimes the viewer had to wonder what was going on in his mind.

Number 8

Peter Davison is the fifth Doctor.

During Davison's tenure as the Doctor, the show made some significant changes. The tendency toward campy adventures and horror were replaced with a stronger scientific approach and a more serious Doctor. Another change was the Doctor's reliance on his companions. This Doctor was more like the leader of a team rather than an eccentric adventurer. This did lead to some troubles because this Doctor often seemed to have too many companions. If you think about the role of a companion, the character is really just a voice for the audience. "What are you doing?" is just the kind of question that the audience is asking. If you get too many companions there always seems to be someone standing around with nothing to do or say.

There are two major quirks that are associated with Davison's Doctor. First he was obsessed with Cricket. The second was he always had a piece of celery close at hand, usually pinned to his jacket. The celery was to warn him about the presence of a substance to which he had an allergy. If the celery changed colors it would indicate the substance. He would then eat it and it would help him recover.
How quirky was this cricket obsession? His outfit is based on a cricketer's uniform. The Doctor always carried a cricket ball in his jacket. This came in handy on more than one occasion. He even stopped in the middle of an emergency to join in a cricket game.

This Doctor also had the distinction of being the only Doctor to have a companion die during the action of a story. (You'll have to check out the shows to find out who it is for yourself.)

Davison would have ranked higher on the list, but some of the writing for his tenure are laughably horrible, and some of his companions are not all that likable. Davison is a great Doctor when everything comes together so check him out. (In a side note, Davison is also the father of Georgia Moffet. You may remember her as the Doctor's daughter during Tennant's time as the Doctor.)

Number 7



Matt Smith is the most recent Doctor and number eleven overall.

Many people were worried about Doctor Who when David Tennant announced that he had decided to leave the show. This is a typical response to a change of Doctor, especially when the actor has connected so well with the audience like Tennant had done. There were lots of theories about who the next Doctor would be. Several voices were calling for more diversity in the role. Perhaps the doctor could be black or a woman. Many people worried that Doctor Who would not be worth watching after the change.
Not to worry though, Matt Smith has done a smashing job of taking over as the Doctor. More importantly, Smith's Doctor has taken on a new Doctor that has his own way of doing things. This is important to do in this show. If you can't tell the difference between the Doctors there isn't much point in changing them at all.

Smith's Doctor is fun to watch. He seems like a teacher trying to help the people he encounters become better people. Smith still has a lot of growing to do, and I look forward to seeing what he will do with the role in the coming years. In case you're wondering, he's lower on the list because he's only been in the role for a year. I think he will work his way up as time passes.

(Fun Fact: Did you know that John Smith has been a name the Doctor has used when he needed to give a name? This started in the late sixties with Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor. Matt Smith is the first Doctor for whom the names match so closely.)