THE TROUGHTON YEARS

The Scores Here are Sue’s scores for Troughton’s stories in reverse order (and in transmission order if tied): The Dominators: “Just dreadful” – 1/10 The Space Pirates: “Well that was shit” – 1/10 The Underwater Menace: “That was bonkers. And a little bit shit” – 2/10 The Wheel in Space: “Flabby, drawn-out rubbish” – 2/10…

THE WAR GAMES

Episode One Sue: Is this the fabled 10-parter I’ve heard so much about? Me: It is, but don’t get fixated on that. The bigger news is there’s a new producer at the helm – Derrick Sherwin. Sue: Bit of a strange time to take over the reins, isn’t it? That would be like the Moff…

THE SPACE PIRATES

Episode One Me: I hate to break it to you, Sue, but we’ve got some more recons to watch. Sue: You’ve been putting this story off for ages. That’s always a bad sign. Me: It’s got a terrible reputation, but this is still a big moment for me. Because once we get through The Space…

THE SEEDS OF DEATH

Episode One Sue: It’s just the two of us again, just the way it should be. Me: You should probably tell Gary to avoid any Doctor Who conventions for a while. Just until the fuss dies down. The Seeds of Death takes place in the future. You can tell it’s the future because the guest…

THE KROTONS

Episode One Me: This is the first Patrick Troughton story I ever saw. I tell Sue everything she needs to know about the BBC’s fabled Five Faces repeat season. And then I keep going. Me: And thanks to Simon Harries, we’re watching the original off-air recordings! This is exactly how I would have seen this…

THE INVASION

Because The Invasion is split across two DVDs, the menu screen leads my wife down the garden path. Sue: Four episodes. Excellent. I know I’ll pay for it later, but for now I decide not to correct her mistake. Sue: Does it move? Me: Yes. Episode One Sue: What the hell is this? You said…

THE DOMINATORS

Episode 1 Sue: Nice porno title. I bet the fans bought this DVD online. I can’t imagine a Doctor Who fan walking into a shop and asking for a copy of The Dominators. Me: Then you aren’t mixing with the right Doctor Who fans, love. The episode begins with a spaceship landing in a quarry.…

THE WHEEL IN SPACE

An anonymous benefactor sent us another little treat in the post – the latest reconstruction of this story, complete with very impressive CGI. Episode 1 Sue: The Wheel in Space. This must be good if you named our experiment after it. Me: Erm, yes, well… When the TARDIS breaks down on a deserted spaceship called…

FURY FROM THE DEEP

Episode 1 Me: This is the only Patrick Troughton story that doesn’t begin with a ‘The’. Sue: (Rolling her eyes) Remind me why I married you, again, Neil. The TARDIS dematerialises in mid-air before landing gently on the North Sea. Sue: I’ve seen this before. I definitely remember seeing this when I was a kid.…