Top 10 BEST Historical Stories - Doctor Who Ranking! (Revived Series)

[@Cowmoo83]

The Doctor not stepping in to help Rosa Parks is a lot different from her not stepping in to save the “witch” episodes later. In the case of RP, the Doctor is playing the long game - she knows that not helping Rosa will have a large, positive impact on history and that Rosa endures this in the end. The woman being drowned, on the other hand, a) would have died without intervention and b) probably did not have a large impact on history. The Doctor has intervened fairly frequently in these cases when they wouldn’t be changing history too dramatically, so I don’t really see an issue here at all.

[@TheGerkuman]

It's one of those watsonian and doylist things. It makes sense for the Doctor as a character to not step in, but the writers chose to put the character in that situation to begin with, and some people don't think it worked. Others think it did. It wouldn't be on this list if it completely fell off the rails.

[@zinkrichardson1949]

If Chibnall or the other writers have even a transparent sense of lore, then they also know that, as a Time Lord/Lady she knows when to interfere and when to protect or leave fixed points alone, as also mentioned in the Fires of Pompeii.

[@k.stewart007]

I'm shocked to find that so many people have a problem with the doctor not helping Rosa. Its difficult to watch, but its supposed to be. I think some people think its sends the message of "your on your own" to minorities. "We"ll stand on the side lines and clap, but fundamentally it's your fight not ours". In all honesty though it is. I'm a straight white woman. I can't lead the fight against racial and homophobic oppression. It would be hypocritical. I will stand with them and fight. I'll do what I can so their voices are heard, but I can't stand up and speak. I dont know their pain, frustrations, their torment. Sure it's got to be hard when minorities watch and realise what they might have to go through just to make an ounce of difference, while everyone just stands and watches. What doctor who has taught me over the years, is that a fight is still worth fighting even if you have no chance of winning.

[@professordreadwin7959]

@@zinkrichardson1949 The Doctor does nothing but interfere, i mean she was even put on trial for it

[@zinkrichardson1949]

@@professordreadwin7959 You are absolutely right, and then there are those rare moments when the Doctor must guard those fixed moments in time; through extra interference, of course. LOL Apparently Time Lords/Ladies have this strange ability to sense or know which moment is fixed or not. (they are pretty vague on that one) But in the frame of that story they've already seen what Rosa's contribution established. Any interference to help her would have (in the frame of what they had already established) diminished that contribution. Maybe there could have been a better way but the writers wrote themselves in a corner with their own rules.

[@britanimations2002]

Why was Mrs Pond in the Fires of Pompeii? Well, it was probably Amy's Choice.

[@MrThorfan64]

The Dr does meet people who like similar in their travels. Right Mr Salamander?

[@SometimesCreator]

How'd she end up in modern scotland? Simples. She's The Girl Who Waited. (...yeah, yours is better)

[@nickmunday6195]

I would personally have included Human Nature / The Family of Blood as a historical story. In particular, while it may not be the focus of the story, the foreshadowing of the First World War and the way in which the imperialist sense of duty to King and Country almost literally bred a generation of teenagers to fight in a pointless conflict is a pivotal part of the story and one of the aspects that makes it so memorable on the rewatch.

[@MrThorfan64]

Fair points... of course this is his opinion and a lot of what best is down to the individual viewer.

[@nickmunday6195]

@@MrThorfan64 Oh I absolutely recognise that. I was just a bit surprised that episodes like 'The Shakespeare Code' and 'Tooth and Claw' made the final cut but 'Human Nature / The Family of Blood' didn't when the latter arguably says much more about the time period in which it is set than either of those episodes. But as you say, everyone has an individual viewing experience, and I always value MrTARDIS's opinions, whether or not I agree with them.

[@MrThorfan64]

@@nickmunday6195 Quite. At least its pleasant seeing a DW reviewer who is actually reviewing in a balanced manner.

[@dashfatbastard]

Great point! Those are in the upper echelon for me too.

[@PeraudisEquilibrium]

Ah yes, Karen Gillan in Pompeii. The girl in the fire place.

[@ftumschk]

Brilliant!

[@DriverHenryWho3245]

👏

[@SometimesCreator]

🤔

[@ethanpond1195]

Yea give us the classic list. I recommend The Time Meddler, The Curse of Fenric, and The Time Warrior.

[@MrThorfan64]

Fenric is good in that while theres cosmic horror it does demonstrate the cost of war, with a Priest losing his faith due to the less then pleasant deeds his side performs.

[@peterkorman77]

God, Fenric is a highlight in a season full of nothing but highlights.

[@julieeverett7442]

the 1st doctor was almost all historicals the Aztecs Marco Polo the gunfighters the romans the crusade the massacre myth maker an unearthly child 2nd had Highlander 4th had pyramids of mar mask of mandraggora talons of weng chian 5th had black orchid

[@jamesstewart7736]

The Curse of Fenric and Time Warrior are very rewatchable 👏🏻

[@chrisdaily2077]

The Pyramids of Mars is one of my favorite historicals.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

Girl in the Fireplace is cool, but mann, why does no one ever bring up the fact that the Doctor abandoned Rose and Mickey? The way the episode plays out, he doesn't know he'll be able to get back! And it's all the more worse seeing as it's Rose, who he apperently "loves"

[@ThePhantomLK]

Yeah, Moffat just made his own favourite story years in advance, completely ignoring RTDs arc around it.

[@MrThorfan64]

Also some people have pointed out it is a bit weird the Drs solution is to ride through the time window. It looks impressive but surely there were more practical solutions. Also that he couldnt just use the TARDIS. I think even 10ant pointed that out.

[@Laurels-id6qo]

See I always thought that too

[@MrThorfan64]

@@Laurels-id6qo Its still good, but it is a bit of an annoyance.

[@prof.evilpictures8696]

Thomas Quill I kinda prefer 10 with Madame de pompadour than with Rose lol

[@shanemuse4699]

I would love Chibnall to do a Cold War story like the Cuban missile crisis or the fall of the Berlin Wall. Imagine a zygon story or even a cyberman story in Stalin’s Russia.

[@goldenapplereviews9135]

Using your criteria: 1. Vincent and the Doctor 2. The Girl in The Fireplace 3. The Haunting of Villa Diodati 4. Demons of the Punjab 5. Rosa 6. Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror 7. A Town Called Mercy 8. The Unicorn and the Wasp 9. The Shakespeare Code 10. Tooth and Claw

[@tonyjohansson7567]

Nice ranking! You've got all my favourites on your top 10. 👏 To me, Rosa, Demons of Punjab and Vincent and the Doctor are my three historical favourites.

[@pjgs4933]

I wanted to make a comment just saying how much I appreciate your videos MrTARDIS. You put so much work and care into them and it really shows. This is one of my favorite KZbin channels. Thanks a lot for all of your hard work and God bless you.

[@MrThorfan64]

Especially as so many DW channels now just seem to be people being nasty and barely qualify as reviews. With MrTARDIS u are assured of a good analysis.

[@metacrisis47]

I like reminding people that Karen and Peter technically appear in two episodes together. The Fires of Pompeii and The Time of the Doctor.

[@MrThorfan64]

And Klein from BF.

[@brandonwinchester4564]

Your top 3 is PERFECT. Demons of Punjab is so underrated.

[@tTaseric]

I've always felt that Thin Ice is spiritually what The Shakespeare Code should have been

[@BrentonSloane]

Great list. I’ve been watching your videos for years and this is the first time I’ve commented. I don’t always agree with you (this is all subjective, obviously, so how could I?) but I have to give you massive credit for coming at Doctor Who in a consistent, balanced manner. Your opinions are formed by your genuine thoughts on stories, performances and other factors - and because you do it that way, you give every Doctor and every story a fair run. As a fan who does the same, I really appreciate seeing that online as it is a trait I think is in short supply not only among some in the Who fandom, but in 2020 more generally.

[@lucasheap]

My 3 favourites are 1 the haunting of villa diodati 2 the girl in the fireplace 3 the Unicorn and the wasp

[@dashfatbastard]

Oh! The Wasp and the Unicorn!!! Wonderful choice! It has my favorite elements of historical who. It juxtaposes an actual historical event (Agatha's long umexplained 11 day disappearance of 1926) with an outlandish but elegant SF explanation. Again, great choices, all. You have a most discerning eye :)

[@zinkrichardson1949]

Yes PLEASE! I would love to see the classic series historical episodes list. You may have to increase the number since there are so many to choose from, but then that may mean more work for you. I remember having a deep fondness for Black Orchid when I was younger, but now that I'm older I'll have to rewatch.

[@SuperGamingpepper]

my favourite historical new who episodes 1 vincent and the doctor 2 nicola teslas night of terror 3 family of blood human nature 4 demons of the punjab 5 rosa 6 haunting of villa diodati

[@theoneandonlyzulu3342]

I take it you haven't watched much who then

[@SuperGamingpepper]

@@theoneandonlyzulu3342 i have watched a lot

[@EmotionalVortex]

I'm loving these top 10 videos your doing MrTardis, keep up the amazing work. Some of my favourites are Girl in the Fireplace, Unicorn and the Wasp, Rosa, Vincent and the Doctor, Human Nature/Family of Blood, and The Impossible Astronaunt

[@DalekTheSupreme]

Don't worry, Mr. TARDIS! Still love you! Honestly, I was surprised by how much I agreed with a lot of these choices. I don't know if I would rank them in this particular order (agree strongly with Vincent and the Doctor at 1st place and Demons of the Punjab at 2nd, might have ranked Rosa in the top three or at least the top 5), and there's a lot I could rant about here. What I really feel like I have to say is that I'm surprised by how little I think about some of these episodes. Vincent and the Doctor, Rosa, and Demons of the Punjab are favorites that I rank very highly among Doctor Who in general, but I haven't watched Thin Ice since it came out. When it comes to rewatching older seasons, The Unquiet Dead, Tooth and Claw, The Shakespeare Code, and The Fires of Pompeii are not episodes I regularly revisit. I really should give a lot of these historical episodes another re-watch sometime. As an aside, I did not know _anything_ about the Partition of India before seeing Demons of the Punjab. I didn't know it was even a thing. When Vinay Patel wrote that episode, I was educated about a big historical event that I knew nothing about prior. That makes for a truly excellent historical episode, if you ask me.

[@nevem5010]

Aw yiss, this is the content I'm here for! Really enjoyed this ❤. Your choice of soundtrack extracts here is awesome; it's reminded me how much gorgeous music we've been given in New Who.

[@MrTARDIS]

I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! And the intros with the music are some of my favorite bits to edit!

[@nathantew946]

Rewatch human nature and the family of blood the other day. A bit surprised that there not on the list. It captures the pre-world war world very well. I really hope that it's on the list for target novelisations soon.

[@joebrookscomedy]

Brilliant rankings!! And yes please do a classic series version 😀

[@theevildalek5425]

A Classic Historical list? Yes please! Some of my favourite Doctor Who stories are historicals from the Classic Series. The modern series has had some purely gem historical stories but I am so frustrated that the modern series STILL hasn’t done a pure historical yet. THE LAST PURE HISTORICAL WAS 1982! AND THAT WAS AFTER 15 YEARS OF NO PURE HISTORICALS!!! Nikola Tesla’s Night Of Terrors were so close but they had to throw in a silly Scorpion Queen which, while actually pretty interesting, just felt odd with the rest of the story. Imagine if the story focused on the Doctor’s worries of Tesla’s tests on the alien object changing history. That would have been great. My favourite Hartnell story (and favourite historical story) is the unfortunately missing Marco Polo. That stories writing is beautiful, it’s characters are beautifully written, (according to surviving pictures and production photos) it looked beautiful, it’s music is beautiful, it was one of the Classic Series’ great gems and it kills me every time knowing that all 7 episodes are missing. The idea that for 7 weeks in 1964, the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbra journeyed with Marco Polo across Cathay to see the Mighty Kublai Khan is inspiring and is the sought of thing that the Doctor would mention in a passing line because it would have been to big to do which just shows the great variety in 60s Doctor Who. Some may say that it’s too long but I would heavily disagree and say that one should not treat those stories like a simple one off episode of a nearly 60 year old show and rush through it, especially with the 60s stories. Treat it like a mini series and treat them individually. And that was only the first Historical! The Aztecs is also fantastic and a fan favourite with the discussion of changing history, The Reign of Terror is an underrated Classic in my opinion, The Time Meddler is the first Sudo-Historical introducing the Meddling Monk, The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve is a great dark companion centred story (which is also sadly missing), The Highlanders introduces the great Jamie McCrimmon, The Abominable Snowmen is oozing with atmosphere, The Time Warrior is without a doubt one of the most perfect Doctor Who stories, and so on and so forth.

[@MrThorfan64]

Yeh The Aztecs is often considered one of Hartnells best. Marco Polo is such a loss.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@MrThorfan64 the audio still exists so you can LISTEN to it!

[@MrThorfan64]

@@julieeverett7442 Yes but its still sad how much of it is lost.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@MrThorfan64 agreed, I would give a great deal to be able to see Marco polo, the massacre or master plan properly, but they are lost for good

[@MrThorfan64]

@@julieeverett7442 Unfortunate that guy who's recovered some of them is turning into a crazy guy himself, one of those Laurence Fox should become the Dr crazies.

[@bladersmosh]

May I suggest a top 10 Master or Cyberman stories? Then again, those might be saved if you decide to review every story for a certain month like Dalekcember. If it's Cybermen you do, please include Cyber-Jeff and Cyber-Steve in them. That is an absolute requirement.

[@MarionBaggins]

Why haven't Cyber-Jeff and Cyber-Steve had a Big Finish series?!!! They are the best characters!!!

[@RosieSievers]

This was a great list and Vincent and The Doctor as the best historical episode, I agree immensely as it is my favourite episode out of Matt Smiths tenure as the 11th Doctor ^^ Fantastic video ^^

[@glenngarton6650]

Great list. I am glad you put some Chibnall era stories. I'm sure Bowelestrek loves you. LMAO

[@DCSMedia]

Okay I’ve used your method of narrowing the stories down and here’s my list: 10. A Town Called Mercy 9. Rosa 8. The Shakespeare Code 7. The Unquiet Dead 6. Thin Ice 5. The Fires Of Pompeii 4. Demons of the Punjab 3. Girl in the Fireplace 2. The Haunting of Villa Diodati 1. Vincent And The Doctor

[@tflcreativemedia8168]

Hey MrTARDIS, always love your videos and I've got an idea for another one for you. "Base Under Siege" stories are a staple of Doctor Who, so why not make a "Top 10 BEST Base Under Siege Stories? Stories like, The Impossible Planet & The Satan Pit, 42, The Waters of Mars, Cold War, Under The Lake & Before The Flood or The Tsuranga Conundrum. I think that would be a very appealing and interesting list. Keep up the good work, TFL Creative Media! ✌️👍

[@chrisdaily2077]

Oh my gosh I would love to see this and classic series for that format.

[@theevildalek5425]

The top 10 Missing Doctor Who stories would be a great list to do. The Missing Episodes need more attention and only recently have been getting the attention it dissevered with the animations and Josh Snares missing episode overview

[@pjgs4933]

I never really liked historical. But Whittaker’s era has had some great ones. Demons of the Punjab is amazing. Such a beautifully written, directed, and scored episode. Absolutely amazing. I wasn’t a huge fan of everything Jamie Childs did in series 11 but he killed it in DotP. Rosa also has a lot of genuinely great stuff but I have issues with strange direction here and there. Still a 9/10 from me.

[@mr.scarlo2234]

Yeah, Jodie’s are very great with only _”The Witchfinders”_ nowhere near as good as the others.

[@thetwelfthdoctor9892]

@@mr.scarlo2234 "The Witchfinders" should have been a two parts story; if the first part ended when the villain said " We are the Morax", that episode would have been really good.

[@thomasstevens2746]

Oooo yeha I'd love to see a ranking historical for the classic era

[@electric-charge]

If you do the classic who historical list, I'd like to hear you talk about 'Marco Polo', 'The Romans', 'The Time Meddler', 'The Highlanders', and 'The Curse of Fenric'.

[@thegamerfromhell10]

New headcanon: After forgetting Clara, the Twelfth Doctor tries to fix the time dilations in New York to have a chance to see Amy and Rory again, after the adventures of The Return of Doctor Mysterio he succeeds in this task and finds Amy, only she is alone as Rory hasn't arrived in New York yet (Amy being zapped slightly further back in time). Twelve then takes her on a few more adventures to heal himself from the loss of River Song only to eventually tell Amy of her daughter's fate. This causes a heated argument after they land in Pompeii and the pair are separated. The actions of Lucius Petrus Dextrus cause Amy to become a Soothsayer of the Syballine and lose her mind, the TARDIS (knowing about the events with 10) dematerialises not wanting to rip a hole in reality (the same TARDIS in the same timezone etc.). Twelve now takes to opportunity to troll the hell out of his previous incarnation by stealing the TARDIS and using a perception filter to fit in with the family as Caecillius. The events of the Fires of Pompeii occur, the Doctor waits for his faithful TARDIS to rematerialise then rescues Amy from the eruption and drops her off back in New York just as Rory shows up. The Ponds then live together happily.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

Tooth and Claw is really under rated. No one ever talks about it, and it's badass

[@MediaTextReviewer]

You know, that would be an interesting list. Top 10 most underrated episodes/stories.

[@SuperHedgehog910]

Since you've done a Top 10 Historical Stories, why not do the opposite with Top 10 Futuristic Stories? E.G. Anything set in Earth's future?

[@EmotionalVortex]

I second this!

[@lollydolly4590]

I mean... having studied a lot of explicit and everyday graffiti from Pompeii this semester I’d say they pretty much talked like this 😂 I really think the best thing the Whittaker era has done is historicals

[@samuelbarber6177]

I personally love the historicals, I'll say Diodati is my favourite Whittaker era episode. It's so good.

[@nathanielfarkas4431]

Graham’s line I don’t want to be apart of this still breakes me to this day

[@MrThorfan64]

Such a good video. Addresses and sums up stories really well, new things for more to think about. Top missing stories would be great. I would love a ranking of Top 10 Historicals from Classic series. Only pure ones would be tricky so do what u want... but The Aztecs has to go there. First one to address the whole changing history thing and used for Defining the First Doctor (Moffat claimed Dr didnt quite understand rules of changing history at time and that we can assume Aztec civilisation getting destroyed is a fixed point). Can include missing. Perhaps give Honorable mentions to things like The Massacre, which kind of like Punjab shows religious conflict in political setting and has Dr unable to really do anything. Ranking regeneration stories? Including TDOTD. Perhaps The Last Adventure? Ranking series openers? Ranking finales? Ranking of Christmas and New year eps? Ranking of specials? I love these videos, feels DW content just churning out now with lockdown. Shows what we can do.

[@robertmcghintheorca49]

19:28 I love the Tooth And Claw theme so much that I wish they used it more often.

[@millsy2288]

another awesome ranking. my suggestion would be top 10 cliffhangers, that could be interesting

[@samuelbarber6177]

I think they should do another Cold War story but in the 60s. Strange idea, I know, to do a sixties episode in a show that spent seven years in the sixties, but, could you imagine a Zygon story set in the Cuban Missile Crisis for instance? Or how about the assassination of JFK? It's been a while since we got a Who story set in the 60s (Series 6, The Impossible Astronaut).

[@IsaacWhittakerDakin]

Agree with the top choice and yes I'd love to see you count down the top 10 classic historical stories there'd be a lot of Hartnell stories on my list.

[@ropecrewman36]

We all saw #1 coming...and yet, none of us can disagree.

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

Definitely would like to see your top 10 classic who historicals.

[@alexandermclean9281]

Thank you for this list, and I for one vote you do a similar list for the Classic series historical adventures.

[@ftumschk]

4:55 Shakespeare invented the ballpoint pen? I thought that was Lord Biro(n)

[@Jayforeman3047]

I've done the numbers and some Doctors have under 5 actual historicals. It's actually upsetting because there's so many aspects of history left to be done just sitting there.

[@ftumschk]

The Classic Era had a number of "pure historicals", i.e. set in a historical period with no sci-fi apart from the Doctor and co turning up in the TARDIS: An Unearthly Child Marco Polo The Aztecs The Reign of Terror The Romans The Crusade The Myth Makers (inasmuch as there is evidence for a historical Trojan War) The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve The Gunfighters The Smugglers The Highlanders Black Orchid (although it could have been set at any time) There are also "pseudo-historicals", which could form the basis of a "ranking" video on their own: The Time Meddler The Time Warrior Pyramids of Mars The Masque of Mandragora The Talons of Weng-Chiang Horror of Fang Rock The Visitation The Mark of the Rani Ghost Light The Curse of Fenric

[@gaiar.d.rosendahl8300]

My favourite historical is Unicorn and the Wasp 🐝 I'm bummed you don't think that story is as strong but I think it's great and a total blast! Anyways great wid!

[@GravityGrid]

Video idea: top ten historical figures in Doctor who

[@MrThorfan64]

Yes! Vincent would come up highly.

[@eyeofhorus3286]

I am glad to say that I learnt about the petition at school. I believe I event mentioned it in one of the mini written essays in one of my History GCSE papers.

[@Cyberleader672]

For classic series i would recommend, The Aztecs, the time warrior, the time meddler and an unearthly child ( If that counts as one)

[@Lia-uf1ir]

I really wish Doctor Who would do that again (which, from series 11 onwards, it sort of did): showing us cultures that are not widely known. AND I really want a modernised depiction of prehistoric times (modernised in the sense of Knowledge and view of These times since the 1960s). We now know, for instance, that humans only not killed Neanderthals but actually mated with them resulting in every human outside of Africa having 8% of Neanderthal genes within them. And that These neanderthals (as the humans who lived alongside them) had a great, diverse culture like graves and mourning the dead, a sense of Beauty by coloring their faces and clothing, language and (according to some historians) could actually paint cave paintings! Also, this was a time of total Peace, with absolutely no signs of violence found anywhere.

[@jjjeffersonmusic8170]

Yesss, Tooth and Claw is on here!!! No one talks about it, but it was one of my favourite episodes as a kid

[@russelltietjen4407]

I was always under the impression that when 13 jumps into the lake in the Witchfinders to save the old woman, it was mostly brought on by the fact that the previous 2 historicals involved her having to walk away while an innocent person was in harms' way (Rosa's arrest and Prem's murder, respectively). She tells the fam not to get involved, but she keeps her eye on Mother Twiston because that instinct to help is pushing her. So she decides "screw it" and tries to save her anyway.

[@clueingforbeggs]

I would definitely like a classic who historicals video, after all, Black Orchid was the last pure historical.

[@chrisdaily2077]

Yes! Please do a classic list!

[@dubliam8064]

Harry's Haunted House quite literally skipped Fires of Pompeii because he said it was filler

[@MrTARDIS]

About 90% of 'Doctor Who' is filler.

[@MrThorfan64]

@@MrTARDIS Yep. Not everything needs to be part of a big arc. U can just have stories.

[@BH-98]

Yeah but let’s be honest, I’m sure he’s decent guy but he’s not a good doctor who reviewer is he? He called Vincent & the Doctor & heaven sent crap & said the doctors “be kind” speech was bad, praised hell bent, regularly makes research errors & complains about things that are very minor or totally incorrect.

[@MrThorfan64]

@@BH-98 Called Vincent and the Doctor crap... did u watch this video?

[@BH-98]

MrThorfan64 not Trilbee I’m talking about Harry’s haunted house

[@josephdevlin7528]

Well done. I agree with your choices here.

[@jamesstewart7736]

Would definitely like to see a classic series equivalent please. I’m a Black Orchard apologist. I’m just an age group that remembers being fascinated by this story at the time of broadcast.

[@theSteve1290]

Can we please talk about some of the music in girl in the fireplace? Some of my very favourite! Great list :)

[@sbi168]

I understand why Vincent is top. But I really, really love the Haunting of villa. Just something about that episode that rustles my jimmies. Good list tho.

[@or_gluzman561Peace_IL_PS]

4:54 is this a blackadder reference that i hearing

[@rowanc88]

5:32 - Using that clip has aged really really well!!!

[@McDonald_Mando]

Almost forgot this was a ranking after how much you said about the Shakespeare Code

[@Randomaited]

You should do a top 10 base under siege stories

[@MrTARDIS]

I've considered that list but I need to watch more Troughton stories since about 90% of his era is comprised of Base Under Siege stories.

[@samuelbarber6177]

My only issue with Didodati is that it was robbed of it's chance to be a Halloween special, were it transmitted later in the year.

[@peterkorman77]

I think such a large gap between S11 and 12 being made even larger wouldn’t have done the show any favors, unfortunately.

[@or_gluzman561Peace_IL_PS]

great list👏

[@shallendor]

I totally agree with your top 2!

[@WILL-sj8no]

Personally, I love Unicorn and The Wasp - so underrated I think 🙌🙌

[@ThePhantomLK]

5. "The Aztecs" 6. "Vincent and the Doctor" 7. The Unicorn and the Wasp" 8. "Human Nature"/"Family of Blood" 9. "The Unquiet Dead" (Still, Gatiss' strongest work in the revived series is "Sleep no More")

[@tristansteinbomer3256]

1) The Girl In The Fireplace 2) The Haunting of Villa Diodati 3) The Unicorn & The Wasp 4) The Fires Of Pompeii 5) Thin Ice This was super hard to make because there are too many good historical episodes

[@1rhpsfan]

1:00 That's easy "The Aztecs", and "Black Orchid", maybe "An Unearthly Child" or, "Talons of Wang Chaieng", but a lot of Classic Historicals were junked.

[@julieeverett7442]

but all the audios exist so you can LISTEN to them!!

[@scl1332]

Yes if you could do a Classic series that would be amazing. I would mention the Aztecs and The Crusades probably the best historical I’ve seen although it seems like it’s going to be a lot of Hartnell stories

[@MDaggatt]

I think Rosa would have been much better if Graham has chickened out and gotten off the bus, making it so she didn't have to move, yet they later find out that she still refused to move to the back of the bus and got arrested, just it being a week or two later. Rosa Parks was a life-long activist, a member of the NAACP, and was actively raising money at the time for the legal battles of other Black women who had been arrested for not giving up their seats. If it hadn't happened on that specific day, it would have happened the next time she was asked to move. She wasn't a passive old lady who was too tired to move. She was an activist who chose to stand up to injustice. In her own words, "the only tired I was, was tired of giving in." The bus boycott was a planned event, and they just needed a respectable older lady to get arrested in order to get it started. They only portrayed her as passive to get sympathy and avoid criticism. If they had just portrayed Rosa Parks as the dedicated activist that she was, it would have fixed most of the problems with the episode and actually taught people something new about history.

[@dubliam8064]

I wonder what would top the classic list *cough* *cough* City of Death

[@frazzlesreviews5379]

I think The Witchfinders would have worked better if not interfering with time was made a fixed part of the Doctor’s character again and it was Yaz who went to save the drowning woman. It would have helped to characterise the thirteenth Doctor while also provide a nice change of pace after the constant grating: TiME CaN Be ReWRiTtEn being said every bloody episode.

[@selmaunsley6683]

Historic top ten of the classic period would be nice

[@k.stewart007]

The reason why Mickey is in this eppisode is because Davies was clearly constructing a love story in Rose and the doctor. So for the doctor to just start lusting over renennette so much after hes clearly been building some kind of forbidden romance with Rose is a bit odd. So bring Micky along and the doctor goes on a weird rebound

[@ThePonderer]

Damn...guess I gotta give Unquiet Dead another shot. I've never remembered liking it all that much. I'd have definitely put Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror somewhere on this list, above quite a few of these.

[@MarionBaggins]

I love Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror out of 13's time, it's one of the few 13 Episodes that aren't series-heavy or anything that majorly hurts this Episode, It's only of the better Episodes!!!

[@scaleproductions711]

4:36 - “deeper stabs”. I see what you did there.

[@k.stewart007]

Controversial, but I'd like to see a top 10 political eppisodes. I've just got my friend into nuwho, because surprisingly he enjoys the political aspects. He enjoys learning about politics through entertainment and media, rather than watching stuffy politic shows. I've given him a handful to watch but I'd love to see your recomations for the best political stories. Plus I know you love the controversy. 😄

[@MrThorfan64]

That would be very interesting. But what qualifies as political? I suppose Green Death, with its digs at corporations and even though it shows Liberal Party in power is hardly flattering portrayal, with PM deciding in favour of corporation.

[@1mbbeats84]

doctor who has never been politicle

[@k.stewart007]

@@1mbbeats84 😂

[@julieeverett7442]

@@1mbbeats84 doctor who has ALWAYS been political, it just didnt shove it in your face like modern era does

[@Tymbus]

Oh Lordy! The pedantry! LOL

[@scaleproductions711]

5:29 - 5:32 There's a part of me that wants to believe Gareth Roberts praising JK Rowling was merely a coincidence (but then again, if the two actually met in person, it probably wasn't).

[@peterkorman77]

This was 2007, around peak Harry Potter fever, so it was probably just a modern reference to excite people. Like Thirteen making a joke about Ed Sheeran in Arachnids in the UK.

[@defrostedrobot77]

The Modern Prometheus is supposed to be the scientist. Not the monster. Not even the episode got that right!

[@defrostedrobot77]

@TheHauntingOfVillaDiodatiRewatch I don't think so. Why would they use "they" and then refer to a singular creator. And the hurt would/could relate to the "hurt" that Prometheus endured at the hands of the Gods for his actions.

[@unimpressedlink2507]

Aren’t all of these stories technically semi-historicals?

[@ftumschk]

Indeed. There hasn't been a true historical since "The Highlanders" (some say "Black Orchid", but for me that's just a generic murder mystery that could have been set in the future, for all that its setting matters).

[@unimpressedlink2507]

Get on it, Chibnall

[@frankputman7683]

Will you consider lost stories? Because my votes go to Marco Polo, The Myth Makers, and The Massacre.

[@julieeverett7442]

agreed

[@harleyhartley3168]

'good old JK' I-

[@scix8794]

Girl in a fireplace

[@NitroIndigo]

I'm glad to see "The Shakespeare Code" on here, because I used it as an example of a fun Doctor Who story that juggles its characters better than Chris Chibnall does in a conversation with another WhoTuber.

[@Yamp44]

I like this list. I do not agree with all that there is here, but I think my top 3 is the same. :)

[@ErinTheFennec]

I really appreciate the little jabs at the yikesy bits of Gareth Roberts' views seeping into the script, excluding the JK Rowling bit I guess since it wasn't until later that she proved herself to be... as problematic as she is (well, unless there was some secret writers circle we don't know about, but best to not get into conspiracy stuff) Roberts has put out some pretty decent writing for DW but it's very difficult to even feel willing to enjoy something written by a person who wouldn't even remotely care if the rights of a group you may fall into are taken away... There are a few cases of Doctor Who stories having some pretty bad lines on that subject. Gareth Roberts and Toby Whithouse are two writers I struggle to trust the writing from because of specific cases of stories with transphobic lines or in Roberts' case sharing transphobic views openly. I also struggled to listen to the Big Finish stories featuring the 1st Master, as James Dreyfus is quite notorious at this point for his twitter tirades against trans people... or just anyone he remotely disagrees with.

[@bitduelist]

I would've put War of the Sontarans on there

[@MarionBaggins]

Seeing the Criteria I don't think it would be on there, because they are heavy on the Flux arc than Mostly Historical like Haunting which has more than half Historical the rest Series Arc.

[@Jayforeman3047]

Howled at your "good old JK" nod there. ;)

[@benw4409]

If we include any story that primarily takes place in the past, my personal favourites (although just because I skip it doesn't mean I dislike it)- Father's Day The Empty Child Girl in the Fireplace Human Nature The Fires of Pompeii Vincent and the Doctor The Impossible Astronaut Thin Ice Rosa Demons of the Punjab

[@MrThorfan64]

Good but I get why things like Father's Day were excluded.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@MrThorfan64 Fathers day doesnt really count. Otherwise, good choices

[@MrThorfan64]

@@julieeverett7442 Yeh Fathers Day isn't really an 80s story, even if set there. Its a story not integral to this era, it just needs to be at a point where the companion is a child.

[@flimpeenflarmpoon1353]

Disappointed in the Doctor, if he is a time traveller then he had the knowledge that JK would become a terf but he still goes on to say good old JK? Damn Doctor

[@LegoTim82]

For me Villa Diodati has to be #1!

[@peterwilliams8524]

I personally have a much looser definition of 'historical episode' and would therefore choose Human Nature/The Family of Blood as easily my favourite modern historical - and the Empty Child two-parter is also up there . But, using these stricter criteria, I would choose Demons of the Punjab as my favourite. I don't find many Doctor Who episodes more emotional than this one, which is especially impressive considering that the emotions are built entirely around characters who get under forty-five minutes of development. I also really appreciate an episode being built around real people to this extent. Not every problem comes down to aliens or sci-fi technology. And its real-world significance in terms of educating the audience feels like something Doctor Who should strive for more often in my opinion. Vincent and the Doctor is certainly a great episode, but it's never quite hit me as much as I wish it did. The scene where the sky transforms into Vincent's vision of the world is beautiful and the closing scenes at the Musee d'Orsay make me hold back tears every time, but I find those scenes far more affective than the rest of the episode.

[@pundahandz7403]

Really need a rewatch on Demons of Punjab if you're praising it this much. Wasn't that keen on first time comparing it to the other episodes with a "surprising villain twist" and the Doctor's lack of action at the end (Rosa) and I remember the acting not being up to par? Need that rewatch