Series Two Review

Best Story.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

Worst Story.

The Romans

Season rating, (Taken from the average rating which I gave to each story in this series.) :

7.2222222

The rating was slightly down overall from Series 1 which was 7.5 . I think this is largely down to The Romans getting such a low score. 

The series again took in a lot of different Sci-Fi stories and historical pieces. 

Barbara and Ian and such important parts of Series 1 and 2 I wonder if I am going to like the next companions as much.

Season 3 is a bit of a nightmare with missing episodes I am going to do my best to review what I can find.

I am going to take a little break from my Doctor Who Re watch for a little bit, I will start back again soon.

Story 017 - The Time Meddler

This story has 4 episodes in it that aired between the 3rd and the 24th of July 1965

Official Synopsis:

The Doctor, Vicki, and new companion Steven Taylor arrive in Saxon Northumbria on the eve of the Viking and Norman invasions. It is 1066, a pivotal moment in British history. The hand of a mysterious Monk is at work in the nearby monastery, intending that history takes a different course.

My Opinion:

This is Peter Purves's first full story, he learns well that nobody ever listens to the Doctor when he tells them to stay somewhere lol. 

We meet another peron from the Doctor's planet it is a little unclear if he is a time lord maybe he was and was cast out. The character is an early version of the master in some ways although he isn't really evil he really really thinks changing these events in time will make things better. His plan in this is to help the Saxon King Harold win at the Battle of Hastings.

 Would have been nice to uncover a little more about the Doctor/Monk’s perceived shared race/past – at this point. It is a little grey the Doctor says the monk is from 50 years before his time. 

My Rating:

8/10

Story 016 - The Chase

This story has 6 episodes that aired from the 22nd May to the 26th June 1965.

Official Synopsis:

The travellers learn from the Time-Space Visualiser (taken from the Moroks' museum) that Daleks, equipped with their own time machine, are on their trail with orders to exterminate them. They flee in the TARDIS.

The chase begins on the desert planet Aridius and takes in a number of stopping-off points, including a spooky haunted house which is actually a futuristic fun-fair attraction.

Eventually, both time machines arrive on the jungle planet Mechanus, where the Daleks try to infiltrate and kill the Doctor's party with a robotic double of him. The travellers are taken prisoner by the Mechonoids — robots sent some fifty years earlier to prepare landing sites for human colonists who never arrived — and meet Steven Taylor, a stranded astronaut who has been the Mechonoids' captive for the past two years.


The Daleks and the Mechonoids engage in a fierce battle which ends in their mutual destruction. The Doctor's party seizes this opportunity to escape. The Doctor reluctantly helps Ian and Barbara to use the Daleks' time machine to return home.

My Opinion:

We say goodbye to Ian and Barbara at the end of this story, which only leaves the Doctor as the original cast member. We get introduced to a new companion in this Steven Taylor.

The story takes us to very differnt places a haunted house, The Mary Celeste, a future planet with fighting mechnoids.

The Haunted House episode is quite odd and could have just been skipped, I feel this story probably runs a couple of episodes long.

My Rating:

9/10

Story 015 - The Space Museum

This story has 4 episodes which aired between the 24th April and the 15th of May. 

Official Synopsis:

The TARDIS jumps a time track and the travellers arrive on the planet Xeros. There they discover their own future selves displayed as exhibits in a museum established as a monument to the galactic conquests of the warlike Morok invaders who now rule the planet. When time shifts back to normal, they realise that they must do everything they can to avert this potential future.


Vicki helps the native Xerons obtain arms and revolt against the Moroks. The revolution succeeds and the travellers go on their way, confident that the future has been changed.

My Opinion:

 It’s an interesting story. The museum is an interesting place, full of weird and wonderful things. The early time “out of sync” plot line is good. The “trying to avoid becoming a museum exhibit” by changing the future sub-strand. The Doctor’s Dalek escape – is quite funny. When you hear the Doctor giggling and he pops his head out of a Dalek is both funny and a little cringy. 

This story gets a lot of stick from the fans but I did quite enjoy it, the first episode has a mystery to it which is very interesting. He does suffer in the other 3 episodes and they lack a bit of Uniqueness.

The Morok/Xerons story line is very bland and feels like it has been done a thousand times.

My Rating:

7/10

Story 014 - The Crusade

This story has 4 episodes which aired from the 27th March to the 17th of April 1965. Currently only episodes 1 and 3 survive. 2 and 4 are on the DVD as voice recordings.

 Official Synopsis:

The TARDIS arrives in 12th century Palestine where a holy war is in progress between the forces of King Richard the Lionheart and the Saracen ruler Saladin. Barbara is abducted in a Saracen ambush and the Doctor, Ian and Vicki make their way to King Richard's palace in the city of Jaffa.

My Opinion:

It is sad the the Beeb lost these episodes of Doctor Who I think I would have liked it a bit more if I could have watched it in it's entirety. I did like it though it has a good support cast which includes Julian Glover who plays Richard the Lionheart,  latter he plays Pycelle in Game Of Thrones and his in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusdae.Oh and Star Wars so not a bad Actor for them to get was early in his career. 

Vicki is kind of side lined in this story which usually happens to one of the characters so not a big deal. 

I did like this story was enjoyable enough and a decent period piece again and using the Beebs extensive costume department which is something Doctor is very fortunate to get use of.

My Rating:

7/10

Story 013 - The Web Planet

This story has 6 episodes that aired between the 13th of February and the 20th of March.

Official Synopsis:

 On the planet Vortis, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are swept up in the struggles of the butterfly-like Menoptera, the original denizens of Vortis who were forced to flee the planet for the moon Pictos to escape the encroaching web of the Animus and its mind-controlled minions, the ant-like Zarbi, and their living weapons, the larvae guns.

My Opinion:

Errm I'm not sure what to make of this, it is crazy and trippy stuff. The story is quite good, the costumes look a little ridiculous.

I thought the Menoptera were supposed to be Bumble Bee Men but apparently they were supposed to be Butterfly like lol. 

This episode is also what I like about Doctor Who every story can be different you go from Rome to proper Sci-Fi stuff like this.

My Rating:

Well I'm gonna go 7/10 I did enjoy this some people will hate it I guess it will very much divide opinion.

Story 012 - The Romans

This Story has 4 Episodes that were aired between the 16th of January and the 6th of February 1965.

Official Synopsis:

Landing in Rome, A.D. 64, the travellers take a rare holiday. While Ian and Barbara are happy to relax, the Doctor and Vicki set off to pursue adventure.

However, adventure soon finds Ian and Barbara too as they are kidnapped by slave traders, and the Doctor's imitation of Maximus Pettulian sees him taken to the court of Emperor Nero where he inadvertently plays a part in deciding the course of history...

My Opinion:

I didn't really like the comedy they tried to put in this story it felt a little bit like a Carry On film in parts. 

The Doctor tells everyone not to interfere with History and yet he causes some of biggest events in History to happen. 

They make good use of the Beeb’s period costume and prop department.

This is TV from a much slower age, so obviously shouldn’t be judged by today's standards but you can judge it by its own standards and when taken in contrast to one of the other better Who period numbers; it doesn’t stand up.

My Rating:

2/10 

Sorry I really didn't like this one and won't be one I will be rushing to re-watch.