Top Five Stories: The Fourth Doctor

Ah, Four - he of the scarf, jelly babies, and manic grin.  This madcap, very alien Doctor has seven seasons of stories, but I've winnowed them down to my five favorites.  No easy task, I'm telling you.  Besides being an excellent Doctor in his own right, Four has topnotch companions and some fantastically creative writing.  

"Genesis of the Daleks" (Series 12, Episodes 11-16)

One of the best Dalek stories around, this serial features the first appearance of Davros and a major quandary for the Doctor.  Sarah Jane and Harry are terrific, and "Hello, can you help me?  I'm a spy," might be one of my favorite Who lines of all time.

"The Talons of Weng-Chiang" (Series 14, Episodes 21-26)

The Doctor and Leela in Victorian London!  The Doctor playing Sherlock Holmes!  Leela still kicking butt in 19th century garb!  Rodents of unusual size!  This story has everything.  Also, I adore the scene of Leela having dinner with Professor Litefoot - he probably thought that was the most outrageous thing he'd ever done.

"Horror of Fang Rock" (Series 15, Episodes 1-4)

Yep:  another Leela story.  I just love Leela.  For all that we hear about the Sontarans' war with the Rutans, it's nice to actually see a Rutan for once, and the lighthouse setting is suitably eerie and claustrophobic.  Leela is all kinds of hardcore awesome and gets a ton of great lines.

"City of Death" (Series 17, Episodes 5-8)

The Doctor and Romana II tooling around Paris is too much fun.  Scaroth is an excellent, scary-looking villain with an interesting story, and Duggan, the Doctor and Romana's "punch first, ask questions later" tagalong, is a amusing addition.  Plus, his and Romana's exchange of "You know what I don't get?" - "I expect so," is the best burn ever.  I'd love to be able to pull that off.

"The Seeds of Doom" (Series 13, Episodes 21-26)

Maybe a bit of a wildcard, but I love it.  The Krinoids freak me out, there's plenty of good tension and excitement, and you can never go wrong with Four and Sarah Jane.  They're on fire in this serial, and I have so much love for the sight of Elisabeth Sladen flailing around as she's being attacked by fake foliage - bless.