This is where things are going to get a little tricky. We will be skipping along quite quickly here and there are a few reasons for this. Post Talons, post Hinchcliffe, the show struggled to maintain the exceptionally high standards it had reached. The first half of Tom Bakers run is often referred to as the golden era of Doctor Who and with good reason. I've already selected 7 stories for the 4th Doctor during this period and he would go on to have 4 more seasons! Whilst it was never as brilliant as often there are still many great stories during this but its a little frustrating because they are tied up in longer story arcs. Basically Toms run as the Doctor could have been a whole club on its own!
So this weeks new story is going to be our final adventure with the 4th Doctor! I'll do my best to fill in the gaps either side of this (but I also dont want to spoil those gaps in case you decided to seek them out yourselves)
Following the adventure with Jago and Litefoot the Doctor and Leela would go on to share another season together. Season 15 would see them visit a lighthouse trapped in an unnatural fog, take on the government on Pluto, out George Lucas at George Lucas stuff 20 years early and perhaps most famously introduce the Doctors newest companion........ K-9!
But the season would end with another visit to Gallifrey where the Doctor would take the role as President. Here Leela would depart staying behind with K-9. Only the Doctor had more then one K-9!
Season 16 was an ambitious season long story made up of 6 serials, known as The Key to Time season. The Doctor was tasked by a powerful being, known as the White Guardian, with tracking down the 6 segments of the Key to Time before his opposite, the Black Guardian, does so. The segments were hidden across time and space, camouflaged as objects, but when formed could control the balance of the universe. The Doctor is given a new assistant to help in this quest, a member of his own race, the Time Lady Romanadvoratrelundar. But we will just call her Romana.
Played by the wonderful Mary Tamm the duo, aided by K-9 Mark 2 took on this dangerous task. On the whole I have to say its a rather splendid season.....
Of course our heroes would triumph, pissing off the Black Guardian who vowed to have his revenge one day. The Doctor and Romana would fit the TARDIS with the randomizer in order to prevent the Black Guardian predicting their movements. Typically the first planet they arrive at is Skaro, the home of the Daleks.
Season 17 brought them back for the first time since Genesis of the Daleks, alongside their creator. The opening of season 17 also saw Romana regenerate, Mary Tamm had left the show between the seasons and in came Lalla Ward who had played the role of Princess Astra during the Key to Time.
"Oh look, rocks!"One other notable debut in season 16 is that of famed writer Douglas Adams who penned the serial, The Pirate Planet. For season 17 he became the shows script editor, contributing to this weeks story. And what a story. If I had to pick just 1 story for new Who fans to watch of classic Who this would be it.........