In a recent Verity episode, we talked about lists: best of lists, worst of lists… there’s a lot of lists in Doctor Who fandom and of course unless you’re the person making them, they are invariably wrong. We refer to these lists a lot on the podcast, because it’s a quick shorthand for Received Fan Wisdom about which stories are worth paying attention to…

Anyway, I can’t let Liz have all the fun — and there are only so many of her old blog posts that Deb can tear apart for episode themes, so I thought I’d have a go.

Over the next few months, I’ll be posting my lists of favourite/best Doctor Who stories, Doctor by Doctor. And no, I don’t distinguish between favourite and best in these lists. Except when I do. MY LIST MY RULES.

I look forward to everyone arguing with my very correct opinions.

THE ONE LIST: Top 20 First Doctor StoriesThe Daleks’ Master Plan — gorgeous space opera, the serial format arcing across so many planets and stories, history and SF, the Meddling Monk, Bret Vyon and Sara Kingdom. So much amazing material in this train wreck (behind the scenes) of a production, and it’s one of my most cherished pieces of Doctor Who. The Myth Makers — comedy and tragedy, with marvellous material for all the regular cast and some iconic guest appearances. The Trojan War has never been more Doctor Who. Pair the audio version with: one of the best and most interesting Target novelisations of the entire run of books – told from a unique POV.The Dalek Invasion of Earth — wonderful Doctor Who, chilling and well-constructed. Unforgettable moments for every cast member.The Romans — fun, dark, hilarious and weird. So many iconic bits of Ancient Rome crammed together. I love this one so much, even though Nero is too old. Also, this is where Ian and Barbara finally hook up CANNOT BE DENIED.The Chase — I love it, I love it, I love it. Goofy and funny, intensely emotional and a different story every week. Particularly good showcase for Vicki. Lovely intro for Steven. Plus a great writing-out of the iconic companion pairing of Barbara and Ian.The War Machines — an all-time classic, introducing the dynamite Ben and Polly companion team, plus robots in Swinging Sixties London. The Keys of Marinus — everything I love about the serial sci-fi format of this early version of the show is here, in crisp black and white. A great TARDIS team at the top of their game.The Edge of Destruction — glorious intense experimental episode in which the main cast unravel and attack each other inside the TARDIS. Why doesn’t this happen EVERY SEASON?The Time Meddler — brilliant concept that turned the Doctor Who formula on its head for the very first time. An unforgettable villain in the Meddling Monk. Great story for the Doctor himself and also to launch the Steven/Vicki TARDIS team properly.The Celestial Toymaker — weird, experimental story with a creepy guest star and great showcase for Dodo and Steven. Full of oddness, not like any other story.The Ark — excellent space story with a great premise and structure.Mission to the Unknown — for a 30 minute story about a doomed mission with no Doctor in sight, this is a shockingly good episode of the show. You can count it as part of The Daleks’ Master Plan if you like but it will only rank higher.The Daleks — an epic, vital Doctor Who space adventure. Tragically I had already watched the movie adaptation too many times when I got to this one, so it feels like a less shiny version of the real thing. The Barbara and Ian bits are definitely better than the movie, though…An Unearthly Child — yes, the first episode is brilliant. I admire those who can appreciate the cave men episodes; I am not one of them.The Gunfighters — fun romp, great Hartnell.The Aztecs — intense, excellent drama. Important story. But you know me, I like the romps better.The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve — a heart-rending showcase for Steven and for William Hartnell if not the First DoctorThe Reign of Terror — everything that’s good about Doctor Who historicals. Plus the Doctor wears a great hat.Marco Polo — A most excellent what-might-have-been but I don’t have the adoration for this one that so many fans do. Possibly I’ve never seen the right reconstruction? I guess I’d better wait for the long-lost version to be found…The Tenth Planet — important story for the show but not as interesting as almost every Cyberman story that followed.BONUS LIST: Top First Doctor Return Appearances The Three Doctors (1972-1973) – he doesn’t get as many minutes or lines as Two and Three, but he makes the most of his running time, and it’s really nice to see original Hartnell making fun of his later incarnations — a tradition that the show stuck to for decades.The Five Doctors (1983) – Richard Hurndall, the first replacement, had a thankless job in this story, and he acquits himself well. His reunion with Susan was worth the wait (if you don’t think about it too hard).An Adventure in Space and Time (2013) – a lovely retelling of how it all started, and a killer performance by David Bradley. A new version of the original TARDIS team starts right here… and of course Big Finish followed throughTwice Upon A Time (2017) – David Bradley IS the First Doctor…Daughter of the Gods (2019) – this extraordinary Big Finish audio adventure gives doomed companion Katarina another chance at the adventure she deserved. Peter Purves and Frazer Hines do great double turns as their old companion parts as well as their respective Doctors.