One per Doctor, of course.
The Daleks (December 1963 - February 1964)
The first ever episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, aired on 23 November 1963, but the following three episodes which made up the story had failed to thrill with their unconvincingly bewigged cavemen and ponderous dialogue. The next serial, which began airing just before Christmas, would be the one which cemented the show into the instant hit it became. The Daleks* is still a little rough round the edges; its “outdoor” scenes too clearly indoors and some of the dialogue still rather stilted, but the seeds are clearly there; the Daleks’ outlandish appearance and memorable voices was like nothing that had been seen on TV before, and although the series had begun with its creator stating there would be “no bug-eyed monsters”, it was clear that the Daleks were immensely popular.
Key scene: Menaced by a bathroom plunger, Jacqueline Hill gives it her all as Barbara.
*(Geek note - at this point, like presently, episodes were given individual titles and there's no "official" name for the story as a whole, so you'll also see this one as The Dead Planet and The Mutants)
ic.pics.livejournal.com / Via Screen cap from original BBC show.
The Tomb of the Cybermen (September 1967)
Arguably Patrick Troughton's most important story as the Doctor was his first; The Power of the Daleks, in which the show had to prove that it could not only replace its leading man but make him a completely new character in the process. Sadly, no copies still exist, while The Tomb of the Cybermen still exists in its entirety. And what an entirety. Although the Cybermen had been seen twice before, Tomb gives the monsters much more depth, menace and some backstory. There is some terrific acting going on as well, and production values are clearly much higher than just three years previously. The second two episodes suffer slightly from a lack of pace, and characterisations are occasionally clumsy, but this serial was such a success both at the time and in retrospect that it has influenced much of what came after.
Key scene: The Cybermen break out of their tombs.
cdn3.whatculture.com / Via Whatculture.com - screencap from original BBC show
Terror of the Autons (January 1971)
Terror of the Autons kicked off season 8 with a tale that, while admittedly a thinly-disguised rewrite of the previous season’s opener Spearhead from Space, is notable for two things; first of all, the scare quotient was higher and based on seemingly "safe" people and items; policemen, daffodils, dolls, telephone wires - all proved lethal. For the first time, the BBC started getting serious complaints about the level of violence and death.
The other innovation was the introduction of The Master, a “Moriarty to the Doctor’s Holmes” as he has been described. Here, played by the superb Roger Delgado, the Master shows why he was to become another of the series’ most loved villains. Originally intended as a one-arc villain who would pop up throughout season 8 and be killed at the end, the Master ended up long outstaying his original welcome. Finally, a new companion for the Doctor, who would become iconic - ditzy, big-hearted Jo Grant. Terror of the Autons is far from perfect, but it does witness the start of something special.
Key scene: Factory manager McDermott is eaten by his chair.
blogger.com / Via "Island of Terror" blogspot - screencap from original BBC show
Genesis of the Daleks (March-April 1975)
Although they had been wildly popular since they had been first seen on screen 12 years earlier, the Daleks had come to feel stale and overused, an alien menace dissipated by familiarity and some occasional misjudged writing.
Genesis of the Daleks sees the Doctor and his companions sent by the Time Lords to destroy the Daleks at the point of their creation. Notable for the introduction of the Daleks’ creator, Davros (a virtuoso performance by Michael Wisher under an inch of latex), the serial is also one of the first to explore the theme of the familiar enemies in terms of racial purity and Nazism. It has its flaws, and the pace flags occasionally, but it is an all-time classic and lays the groundwork for the show’s iconic monster to be taken seriously again, as well as serving notice that the seemingly zany, silly Fourth Doctor could and would tackle serious subjects.
Key scene: Tom, Lis and Ian emote over two bits of wire.
historyvortex.org / Via History Vortex - screencap from original BBC show
