I have an undeniable soft spot for Colin's Doctor and that's not even factoring in his ridiculously fantastic run in Big Finish. Starting out as bombastic, unfiltered and as alien as any incarnation has ever been and then mellowing into a true hero is in my opinion the best character arc an incarnation of the Doctor has ever received. He is the Doctor whether you like it or not.
Their budget was going down the crapper, JNT had pretty much lost all sense of direction and the threat of cancellation was looming ever closer. Suffice to say Colin got a very raw deal and the way he was treated still upsets me to this day. It's only right that Big Finish gave his Doctor the chance to truly shine.
Quite, a testament to the franchise's ability to survive. Here's to hoping history does not repeat as there's a popular theory that NuWho is heading for a similar downfall as Classic Who.
@@SamyulDavis the 80's were a mess but it gave us Colin and Sylvestor two of the finest castings for The Doctor and Big Finish made sure we all knew it.
I don’t think you know this but Colin Baker was JNT’s first and only choice for the role, he worked in tandem with Colin to develop the character with Colin suggesting most of the quirks. It broke JNT when he had to call Colin after Michael Grade issued the ultimatum: drop Colin Baker or kill Doctor Who.
@@thedoctor1263 JNT said in interviews (and I believe his biography) that he'd heard the press were going to leak the story of Colin's dismissal, so he had no time to set up a face-to-face meeting. Instead, he phoned Colin to spare him the ordeal of finding out about it in the papers.
Michael Grade is truly the straw that broke the camels back. Omega only knows what a 90s era TV Doctor Who could’ve been if he allowed the show a proper budget and the respect it needed at the time
Colin is ABSOLUTELY tremendous in Big Finish, and some of his Companions there such as Evelyn Smythe in particular are fantastic as well, but I disagree its a simple Retcon. Colin and Big Finish are more clever than that there IS evidence of the character transformation. Even down to the earlier works showing him in the technicolor stuff but some of the later things showing him in the subdued blue Colin prefers. Colin is really a tremendous Dcotor when given the right material there is no doubt. I recommend Rani Elite or some of the other Big Finish Rani stories. The Rani is a workable character in the right circumstance.
Big Finish is overrated, and the quality of the stories varies wildly. Some can be quite good, but a lot if not most of them are bad. Colin was always great, as an actor. He just got a lot of scripts that had flawed writing, not to mention an outfit it was impossible for anyone to wear and be taken seriously. Even his title sequence was ugly. Half the reason he's so underrated is because people are immediately turned off by the outfit alone.
In my view season 22 is one of the greatest in the show's history and season 23 is one of the worst (or at least one of the worst regarding the original series). Well I've never had a problem with the outfit but then again, it's not a factor that really makes a doctor for me - he would be a wonderfuil doctor irrespective of wearing a scarf, bow tie, question mark jumper, leather jacket, celery stick, etc. And anyway, at the end of the day it's still an Edwardian three piece suit.
I agreed until I watched the odd story like Vervoids or Mysterious Planet where he's already a lot smoother and more agreeable. It really strikes me as Baker getting to finally do the Doctor 'his way', which to be honest? A good thing. Continuity should be secondary to creative decisions like that.
The TARDIS bickering does continue throughout the first half of his tenure to be fair. It's not the end of the world, but it's the usual JNT / Saward 'make them bicker' chemistry that IMO never works.
Twin Dilemma is okay and the fact Colin's Doc has a regeneration issue that makes him temporarily paranoid and hostile is actually the most interesting thing in it. It aint cozy, but it's not bad at all.
It's a shame this is the worst era in the show poor stories very hard to find a good story I'm glad there was good later Sylvester McCoy stories after his first season
Am I the only person who actually really likes Colin Bakers opening lines? And ‘I am the doctor whether you like it or not’ they both really set up his character
I know this is an old video. But, I argue Big Finish simply developed him and used his more calmed personality from Revelation of The Daleks onwards. Him traveling with Evelyn, the lost of Peri, and moments of self examination made him into the doctor he was by the end.
So I have this theory that each of the Doctors, before they regenerate, have a small input during the process as to who they will be next, depending on their wants needs, e.g. The First Doctor of course needed to be more able and so became younger. The Second Doctor was Angry with the Timelords and so became more stubborn and authoritative. The Ninth Doctor wanted to be with Rose and so became a suitable age and more romantic to do so. Even Twelve I think wanted to be more like Clara and so became a Northern Woman x'D Anyway, what gets me through Colin's Era is believing that the Fifth Doctor, having just saved Peri but at the cost of his own life, wanted to become a more protective and heroic figure, but of course everything goes wrong and at first he becomes the opposite. But throughout his first full season, I think there is always a point in Colin's stories where there is a big turning point where he stops being an arrogant, self-centred arse, and becomes a selfless and heroic protector.
I'm not sure I entirely agree with you that Colin's Big Finish characterisation is too different from his TV persona. He's a lot less unnecessarily rude, but beyond that, he's still very loud, egotistical, and a massive presence, which I think is great, he still feels like the same character, just refined.
I love how Arachnids tried so hard to make Not-Trump a bad guy that it left the Doctor in the position of fighting to give the spider a long, drawn out miserable death in order to oppose him putting it out of it's misery. Because if someone's "bad" they can never be correct about ANYTHING. Imagine thinking you can write a show decently when you are so opposed to making your villains sympathetic that you accidentally make your hero the villain.
The whole Pertwee era is a good example of how to do political commentary. I have seen Behind the Sofa of Carnival of Monsters just recently. Joy Wilkinson, Phil Collinson and Pete McTighe discussion whether the story would work today. And I thought: "You idiots! Here you have a perfect blueprint of how a good Doctor Who story should like like. So instead of writing your garbage, you better go and learn from Robert Holmes how it is done properly!" Or from Terrance Dicks. Or Barry Letts.
The 6th doctor is definitely my favourite, he brings a lot of heart to the role and I feel genuine love for the show behind every word he says in every audio, if I had to pick a favourite story, it would either be the holy terror for being weird, funny, scary and of course for Frobisher or legend of the Cyberman because The concept of the cybermen invading the land of fiction and converting fictional creatures is amazing
I'm literally about to listen to that tomorrow. I spoiled the Jamie twist for myself when looking up discussion about Wreck of the Titan and now have to know what happens.
Zagreus oh my GOD Jamie in the recording booth Has Who EVER broken the fourth wall quite like that before. Even surrealist nightmares like Zagreus, Chimes and Scherzo never went there!
Personally the part where 2 and shockeye just decide to leave the plot and go eat is my all time favorite comedic moment in who history. It always has me in stitches. I'd like to see an audio where 2s androgem side splits from the doctor, finds shockeye somewhere in time and they go on intergalactic resturaunt hopping adventures
Shockeye and the doctor wearing top hats, walking down a road arm in arm was such a surreal and hilarious sight! Honestly it was so random, but I loved it
I'm one of those weirdos who unironically loves the 6th Doctor's coat. It honestly matches his personality and Colin has so much presence that the coat never ends up wearing him, and I sometimes forget he's even wearing it. Other actors, like Peter Davison, would have likely been lost in that loud, obnoxious coat. I also find it amusing knowing fans from the 80s complained about the coat while wearing some of the ugliest outfits and hairstyles known to man. Hell, even the glasses of the 80s were terrible. I actually never minded Six and Peri's bickering because, at the time, the only TARDIS teams I knew were the original First Doctor team (which is my favorite team) and the Ninth/Tenth Doctors and Rose and Martha. I was so tired of the hero worship of the RTD era companions, that Six and Peri constantly bickering was a breath of fresh air.
Really enjoying these retrospectives. I don't always agree with you when it comes to your best and worst with the modern series Doctors but they're still insightful videos. 6 is a really underrated Doctor though, will be checking out some of his audios. Looking forward to the 3rd and 2nd Doctor videos the most tbh.
6 is the one of the most fascinating Doctors to me. With Big Finish and the BBC Books, he was given much character development that was seen in Trial of a Time Lord (seriously look at how he was in early Season 22 and then look at him in late Season 22 and all of Season 23, he is far more gentle and caring) but because of the dispute between Saward and JNT, that potential was lost. As you said, 6 is the most gentle and caring Doctor. Listen to how he is saddened by the fact that he has to leave Evelyn, even trying to find the words to say that he loves her as a mother in Thicker than Water (he wouldn't have said that in Season 22, that is character development). In a way, 6 feels like Sonic the Hedgehog in a way; cocky, stubborn and arrogant but he is kind, thoughtful given the right situation, and has a true sense of justice. And in my opinion, Colin was the best actor to play the Doctor. The three words that sold me on his performance was "you... killed... Peri". There is so much sadness and anguish in that performance without him going over the top. Also, no one can't tell me that Evelyn isn't the best 6th Doctor companion. My top 10 favourite 6th Doctor stories are 10. Blue Box (The Internet revolution is about to begin, but a piece of technology from an alien world threatens the world, making 6 and Peri investigate in Washington DC. Having the story in the perspective of one of the side characters in the story feels fresh and creative, and Kate Orman writes 6 splendidly. Absolute great fun.) 9. Vengeance on Varos (this highly original story is incredibly atmospheric, but at the same time, the pacing is so fast and relentless that it became one of my favourite political satire stories in Doctor Who) 8. Grave Matter (6 and Peri arrive in Dorsill to find bodies rising out of the grave and an experiment is linking to these unusual events. A nasty horror story that also loves making fun of horror clichés. Incredibly gory but also great fun) 7. Project Twilight (Vampire killings are afoot in London, but not the vampires that you think. What does the casino in the city have to do with these killings, and what is the government initiative known as Project Twilight? 6 and Evelyn are on top form, and Nimrod is such a fascinating character) 6. Trial of a Time Lord (yeah I'm biased towards this season, it felt like the point of when Classic Who was getting a bit more modern in terms of pacing and direction. There are some obvious flaws, but I can look past all of that as I love all of the stories in this season, and the Valeyard is one of the best villains in Doctor Who.) 5. Revelation of the Daleks (while 6 and Peri pretty much do nothing in this story, that doesn't matter to me, as this is just superb quality. From Graeme Harper's stellar direction, Saward's wonderfully dark and morbid script, great set design, really the only thing is that this story is far too dark to show to kids, it feels like it should be a 15 than a PG, but as an adult I adore this story.) 4. The Holy Terror (The Doctor and his comic companion Frobisher land in a forbidding castle where people are in a religious upheaval. People are herald as Gods every few years, and once the time is right, the old Gods get overthrown and replaced by a new one. And of course, because of the duo landing in a blue box, that can only mean that 6 and his talking penguin are seen as Gods. Robert Shearman gets Doctor Who, one of the best writers ever to write Doctor Who. An hilarious script, rather reminiscent of Life of Brian, and is hilarious in how it presents its religious commentary, without it being to the point of making fun of people who are religious. And the last episode is so heartbreaking, it makes me sad every time I listen to it. Also Frobisher is a massive win in this story. 3. Davros (Davros has been given the opportunity to work on technological projects. Does this finally mean that Davros has given up his days as a monster? Obviously not, but what is wonderful about this story is that it gives us an insightful listen as to why Davros cannot be good, even if he tried. And I appreciate that the story just only has Davros and no Daleks, it feels creative. Colin and Molloy are on top form in this story, and further proves that 6 is the best Doctor when it comes to facing Davros.) 2. Doctor Who and the Pirates (The Doctor and Evelyn are at seas fighting off a feared pirate called Red Jasper, who is in search of buried treasure. But can this story convince a university student at Evelyn's uni, that is planning to commit suicide that life is worth living? An equally hilarious and tragic story, that treats depression and suicide with about as much care and thoughtfulness as Vincent and the Doctor. Quite possibly the most fun I had with a Doctor Who story next to the Romans. And Gallifreyen Buccaneer I always sing along to. 1. Jubilee (a wonderfully dark and gothic story penned by yet again, our Lord and saviour Robert Shearman. Gives a fantastic analysis to both questions of "what if the good guys finally win" and "what if the bad guys finally win". There's a reason why Shearman reused the basis of this story in 2005's Dalek. One of the best Big Finish stories of all time, absolutely adore it. Honourable mentions: Attack of the Cybermen, The Reaping, The Curse of Davros, The End of the Line, The Wormery, The Brink of Death, Catch-1782, The Wrong Doctors and The Juggernauts.
Been Looking forward to this. Best Stories: The Reaping, totally agree with you this was great for Peri's character Holy Terror- Some of the best of the new series pulls from this Revelation of the Daleks- body horror, atmosphere and Terry Malloy, what more do you want Vengeance of Varos, you said it all Davros- "can't say team without saying tea"
How we are supposed to find the doctor's brief mental illness (followed by him repenting and becoming heroic again) disagreeable to the point of him being permanently 'unlikable' is beyond me. Of course it may be tonally out of place in a campy and fairly lighthearted story like The Twin Dilemma, but the doctor has no recollection of his attack on Peri, and his attack on Azmael and the hilarious scene where he cowardly hides behind Peri's skirt are both immediately followed by a sincere apology. He recovers his wits and swiftly becomes tactful and charming again.
I think a large part of the problem, was that it was the last episode of the season, and then you had to wait until the new series started up, which meant that the first show with 6 meant that he was left in limbo, and then it seemed like that baggage followed his whole era.
I actually quite like the twin dilemma. The scene where he strangles her is bad but the scene following it is brilliant. Also: “I am the doctor whether you like it or not” is brilliant and I would love to here Jodie say that.
Most of this is fun to go along with, but I *love* Mark of the Rani, and how you can seriously describe this as having the "worst cliffhanger ever" when Dragonfire exists is beyond me!! 🤣
Agreed, that Dragonfire cliffhanger was ridiculous, the writers ran out of the 25 minutes they needed for the episode and needed some instant peril so they had the doctor up on a catwalk alongside an icy cliff, and decided that he should hook his umbrella onto the railing, climb down, and hang onto the umbrella for dear life for NO GOOD REASON. Easily THE worst cliffhanger (literally) in Doctor Who history - it's a meme that writes itself.
You guys realize the 7th Doctor was trying to reach the walkway below the one he was on. And the very next episode when Glitz finds the Doctor. Glitz then climbs down the Doctor, reaches the path below and then the Doctor climbs down Glitz. His umbrella is left and Mel and Ace find it and then use Ace’s backpack ladder to then reach the level below... they just didn’t have a “good” way to show it all. But go watch it, that is clearly what happens.. Also the writer was told he had to have a cliffhanger. So he was like F you here is a cliffhanger. But it still works in the episode 100%
The Sixth Doctor is still really vain and loves the sound of his own voice in Big Finish, as far as I'm concerned. But he isn't the near-psychotic asshole he was on TV, which is all to the best. He's just not Peter Davison, thank God...
Harsh but fair. I was 10 when The Twin Dilemma was first broadcast so I loved it at the time...probably. what a wonderful journey down memory lane this video was. I gotta get me some more Big Finish audios though. Theres just so many of them!
Baker was supposed to mellow out over time, but wasn't given the chance. Anyway at least now Jodie era is now the most hated. So Colin should be pleased now
I listened to the Reaping last week. Honestly, the ending was really upsetting. Poor Peri! My heart goes out to her. I have a fondness for her despite her not being the best-written character in the original show but her exit is probably a big factor of that. Also, Evelyn is the best companion, proof: Arrangements for War. Need I say more. I've been chewing my way through the old monthly adventures and my god, I now can say Charlotte Pollard is one of my favourite companions and C'rizz is great too. I now need to move on to the 5th and 7th Doctor bundles but all the stories have high praises so I'm just looking forward to it now. Why have I moved to Big Finish after avoiding it for a few years? I want my yearly fill of Doctor Who and those 10 short episodes in the opening months of the year after such a long wait just didn't feel like enough. I've been so in love with the audios that I preordered the Timelord Victorious bundle and Out of Time bundle. Just want it to be August now. That 10 and 4 crossover looks so good.
That surprises me, the only big finish story I gave up one was Zagreus. The Holy Terror does start off quite ridiculous and funny but it gets serious and disturbing towards the end. Maybe worth giving another try?
Reason it seemed impossible to resurrect Colin Baker's WHO reputation: The Twin Dilemma. Reason we discovered how great a Doctor the 6th was after all: Big Finish. Hell, THE HOLY TERROR and DOCTOR WHO AND THE PIRATES are masterpieces beyond anything on TV short of THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI or THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG.
Good retrospective! I’ve invested in collecting the Doctor here in the U.S. on DVD’s and getting the New Blu Ray set releases when they become available here. I always thought Colin got a raw deal and I like what he did with the material given. With that said I’ve got to get some Big Finish audios starring Colin, thanks to your retrospective!
Not necessarily underrated, but definitely over hated. The Twin Dilemma looks a lot worse next to Caves of Androzani , I wouldn't argue the Two Doctors was good but I kind of enjoy it, Timelash is just dull, Trial was a mess with a lot of potential and I've yet to see Mark of the Rani. I do love Revelation of the Daleks and Vengeance on Varos and I really like Attack of the Cybermen.
Well done. You've almost convinced me to give the sixth Doctor a second chance. Part of my huge disappointment of this era was that in Australia, we had access to the novels before we had access to the TV series. So I'd read most of the stories before seeing the series. Vengeance was a fantastic story but it was so violent that I wondered how the BBC were going to let them get away with filming it. I needn't have worried as the ABC butchered it here, even though it was in a late night timeslot. The Twin Dilemma was quite a good novel as was the Two Doctors. When I saw these for the first time I wanted to have my mind erased so that my memory of Who could never be that tarnished. You have to remember, it's not just the strangling of Peri that was the problem nor good old Womulus and Wemus...Baker's first season had 7 stories - four of them are possibly the worst 4 stories ever recorded in Who history, another was so dark and violent it was unwatchable for the average Who fan and that left a Cyberman and Dalek story to hold up the season (and many believed Revelation to be the worst Dalek story since Destiny and/or possibly ever at the time). The MOST important aspect of the Doctor having companions is that he is their protector...no matter how extreme the peril they face, the Doctor will shine through and save them. Companions always left of their own choice (even Adric who chose to stay on the Cyber ship against the Doctor's wishes). Peter Davison's Doctor, for me, was the most empathetic towards his companions (along with Pertwee) and his sacrificing his own life for Peri perfectly solidified this. So to go from that to that first episode in Twin Dilemma was unforgiveable. We all know who to blame and it wasn't Colin. I thought he shone in the Mysterious Planet. A really good story that was let down by the rest. And I liked Peri and thought Mel was the worst companion since Dodo (excluding Chameleon who should have been used for metal kindling). I haven't checked out his audio stuff and I thank you for the recommendations. Sorry i complain a lot but I'm really appreciative of all these reviews. I'm looking forward to Sylvester (who I only stayed with because of Ace). The best and worst of him is obvious but I look forward to what you've come up with.
I have most of the classic series obtained through unmentioned means and I can't stop returning to terror of the vervoids, not the trial arc, just that story. I love it.
I feel like the 6th Doctors first lines should have gone something like this: Peri : Doctor? Doctor: Well yes, it appears this is who I am now. Peri : I....I....I.... Doctor:....was expecting someone else weren't you? Peri : What's happened? Doctor : Change, my dear. And it seems not a moment too soon.
I bought 'The reaping' months ago in a sale and despite watching this video multiple times and seeing you and others recommend it, for some reason I've slept on it until today. Holy crap what have I been missing?
I remember seeing the 6th Doctor as a child and loved this regeneration. I enjoyed his grumpy, violent and chemistry with Peri (ggggrrrrowl) lol. He's still one of my faves.
Best 5.judoon in mains 4.attack of the cybermen 3.the apocalypse element 2.Davros 1.vengeance on varos Worst 5.Mark of the rani 4.wirren isle 3.two doctors 2.twin dilema 1.time lash
I really loved how much of an asshole doctor 6 was. It's a lot less of an issue in old who, but the whole HES A GOOD MAN thing got very tired for me in the new era. The point about vulnerability is well made, but I would go further and add that allowing him to be selfish and vindictive at times added a lot to the character. He will always be the most sassy who
The bickering between the two of them is hilarious. People take it way too seriously; aside from in The Twin Dilemma and Mindwarp it's pretty lighthearted and fun.
DW fandom is very bizarre. The 6th doctor has managed to rake in decades of moronic paranoia from the fandom, and I mean seriously large paranoia and ridiculous distrust here, you can't make this stuff up - a newcomer would think he's evil or something. He may have some vain mannerisms and characteristics, but of course these are only superficial. If you've ever seen any other alien-style doctors, you'd know full well how this goes. Troughton had cowardly characteristics and mannerisms, but clearly at the end of the day he is very heroic and brave. Tom Baker could appear overly nonchalant and sometimes even aloof, but of course we all know that's just flavouring for the character, he's obviously very compassionate and cunning. Colin nailed the doctor's alien nature, he's bizarre and is a mix of conflicting personalities in a charismatic and funny way, whilst still managing to retain the doctor's core intelligence and level-headed nature too, unlike some of the 21st century doctors I could mention.
I am an unashamed fan of the Rani. I love what they did with her in Big Finish, I think Kate O' Mara is a good actress and I really, really wanted Missy to be the Rani. I'd love to see RTD or Moffat give her a new incarnation and better onscreen stories.
The 6th doctor has managed to rake in decades of moronic paranoia from the fandom, and I mean seriously large paranoia and ridiculous distrust here, you can't make this stuff up - a newcomer would think he's evil or something. He may have some vain mannerisms and characteristics, but of course these are only superficial. If you've ever seen any other alien-style doctors, you'd know full well how this goes. Troughton had cowardly characteristics and mannerisms, but clearly at the end of the day he is very heroic and brave. Tom Baker could appear overly nonchalant and sometimes even aloof, but of course we all know that's just flavouring for the character, he's obviously very compassionate and cunning. Colin nailed the doctor's alien nature, he's bizarre and is a mix of conflicting personalities in a charismatic and funny way, whilst still managing to retain the doctor's core intelligence and level-headed nature too, unlike some of the 21st century doctors I could mention.
'Worst cliffhanger ever...' Dragonfire: Hold my beer. Also, I have to disagree with you about the Rani. Actually, if the Master wasn't here she'd be a lot better. But what I like about her is, she isn't actually a time conquering villain. She's only an amoral scientist trying to achieve her experiments. She just happens not to care about the collateral damage. There are surprisingly few of these who are competent in Doctor Who. The Siobhan Redmond Rani is *excellent* and I'd like to see more of her.
As with a lot of Whovians, I thought Colin Baker was at the top of his game with the Big Finish plays. Because of them, the Sixth Doctor went from my most despised incarnation to one of my absolute favorites. Though, I still enjoyed a few of his stories during his TV run. My top 10: 1. Davros 2. Jubilee 3. Project Twilight 4. Vengeance on Varos 5. The Holy Terror 6. ...and the Pirates 7. The One Doctor 8. The Juggernauts 9. The Apocalypse Element 10. Mindwarp
Big Finish doesn’t retcon the brash 6. There’s development there. Evelyn is a perfect match for Six and helps to soften out his hard edges. Also Ev-e-lin? Eve(-a)-lyn!
It's not an insult or harsh criticism, it's just the observation that a large swerve was taken. With his time with Pari and Jammy there's not that much work done to fill in the gaps and there doesn't really need to be either IMO. It's clearly an instance where production decisions and actor input comes before continuity (as more things should)
Colin Baker in the Big Finish audios has almost completely remade his reputation. He is awesome, and shows the potential as ' Sixie' that he was never able to display in his usually terrible TV stories.
What's that music you used for the Attack of the Cybermen segment? It sounds like a synth version of the modern cyberman theme and it fits really well.
Peri and Clara got the worst deals in Doctor Who: following some hot guy they really fancy into the TARDIS only for them to regenerate into your annoying older brother and your dad, respectively.
Watching classic series in order 6 was a breath of fresh air & has loads of personality. I enjoyed him & Peri picking at each other. He has a cat pin & a unforgettable coat!
I still stand by the opinion that the coat eventually fades into the background. The real fashion disaster for Sixth Doctor however is the black and yellow striped pants. What were they thinking with that!?
Well, there is a big difference between the Master and the Rani. The Master is outright evil and wants to rule or destroy the universe. The Rani is just ruthless, caring only about her experiments and not being bothered by the collateral damages.
Nice take, going to the audios for a different side to No.6 - I do hope they'll give him a cameo before it's too late, though The Five(ish) Doctors probably is as good as can be hoped for.
That part of the video about 6’s era being a big what if got me wondering, as some conjecture I present a hypothetical: If the costuming department had dressed the Tenth Doctor in an outfit that looked like a vomited crayon box (as they had dressed the Sixth), David Tennant’s approval ratings among fans would be much closer to their approval ratings for Colin Baker. Ten would probably still be ranked at least slightly ahead, because a greater portion of his stories were better written -- and, of course, the production values were higher. But, in terms of personality, both these incarnations of the Doctor are self-important, arrogant, and sometimes callous about the lives of the “lesser beings” around him. Six’s outfit underlined these negative traits by ensuring that he never fit in with his environment. And Ten’s outfit downplayed them -- just look at how his color palette blended in with the color of the TARDIS console room.
The Best The Apocalypse Element (5:13) The Attack of the Cybermen (7:04) Davros (8:49) The Reaping (9:32) Vengeance on Varos (11:14) Intermission (12:44): The Trial of a Time Lord The Worst Timelash (14:08) The Twin Dilemma (14:44) The Mark of the Rani (15:55) Wirrn Isle (17:04) The Two Doctors (18:06)
I wouldn't call apocalypse element his best performance, but that's more down to how many amazing performances he has given in big finish. Probably the best actor to play the Doctor ever imo
I would highly recommend the stranger trilogy as an extension to the 6th doctor's era, in memory alone/more then a Messiah/summoned by shadows , all great stories that add that bit more depth that his era needed.
I love the two doctors because they don't overplay it. The multi-doctor part is more like a feature than an essential part. The dialogue's also quite funny as expected from Holmes and I think the analogy, even if it's not the most groundbreaking, works. "You mean, there are species who don't eat their own kind?"
A good re-edit might bring out the best in it, but I always thought it was such a strange mess of ideas. As long as someone gets a warning to not expect a multi-Doctor or a Sontaran story...they might get more out of it.
@15:51 LMFAO!!! "As for the plot...who cares, look at it, LOOK AT IT!" I've rewound at l.east 5 times and cant stop laughing hysterically every time! LOL!
Colin Baker is one of my favourite doctors. My top 5: Vengeance on Varos, The Mark of the Rani, Trial of a Timelord Parts 1, 3 & 4 I can't stand Attack of the Cybermen - the pacing is slow and the side characters mean nothing and are inconsequential. I may need to rewatch Revelation of the Daleks as that could take Mark of the Rani's spot for me. I just remember falling asleep while watching it :P
I just finished watching all the way through Colin's era and though his Doctor is my one of my least favourites, I genuinely think he only had two bad stories on TV: The Two Doctors and, of course, Timelash. Though when I do get round to Big Finish, he'll definitely be the first Doctor I check out. Also, Sam, he isn't chloroforming Shockeye. He's poisoning him with cyanide.
I disagree with you about Two Doctors, as I consider it one of Six's best stories, if only for the threat that the Androgums pose to humanity, in the form of Shockeye (who has an excessively insatiable appetite and can eat half the food inventory of a restaurant and consider it a snack, and yearns to eat a human being - just imagine if thousands of Androgum ships landed on earth intending to make it their food larder of human meat?) and I can't believe you didn't mention Chessene, an augmented Androgum who is even more of a threat! Yes, Two and Jamie are nice to see again, and I love the interactions, as brief as they are, and this is a great story IMHO. And you criticise "your just desserts" after the choloroforming of Shockeye, and fail to mention a similar cheesy Bond-like line after the acid bath in Varos? I think you're just being picky. Fair enough you've grown to dislike it, and I'm glad you made it the least worst episode in your top five, but I still love it.
Ironic that you say the Doctor and Peri have no chemistry when Colin and Nicola clearly do get on so well together, maybe you could put that down to good acting. I have to say the Doctor and Mel didn’t exactly get along “carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice”. Peri seems to be labelled as a hopeless screamer, reality is that I would imagine we’d all be fairly pathetic in a fight with a Cyberman or being threatened by a vile creature on an alien planet. Yes we know as an audience that a Dalek won’t kill a main character but that doesn’t mean you want your main characters acting in that way (see New Who, almost every episode). From the realism perspective I like Peri, yes the script has her saying English nouns instead of American ones, lift instead of elevator etc but that’s the script writer’s fault and yes her accent does slip fair enough. Fact is Peri is a good character and her and the Doctor not getting along like best buds is a throw back for the Doctor to Hartnell’s irascibility. I’m glad you like Attack, it’s one of my favourites, I don’t understand where the general criticism comes from, you expect Dalek and Cyberman stories to be fairly physical and shooty rather than thinkers and planners and the story pushes along at a fair pace. Nabil Shaban deserves all the praise and certainly a mention in your video, his portrayal of Sil is amazing and his improvised laugh has to be one of the most chilling and memorable character traits in the whole series. So good they brought back the species for Trial. I wish Colin had had his missing season as having read Mission To Magnus and The Ultimate Evil I think it would have been a great season with some returning enemies. I think both Colin and Nicola deserved another season. Really the issue with 80’s Who was Michael Grade (and JNT). If he hadn’t cancelled Dr Who because it couldn’t pull off Star Wars on a microscopic budget it would still have the old format with good writers but the modern effects, it would have been a jewel in the BBC (worldwide) crown and it could give Star Wars a run for its money.
One thing that can be said about The Two Doctors is that at least the titular Doctors share screentime together, instead of having one appear solely in pre-recorded footage.
The bickering between 6 and Peri is hilarious. Not to be taken too seriously in my books. But anyway I'm glad you brought up that BF story where Peri calls out the doctor for idolizing Christopher Columbus as that's always mystified me as to why firstly, they would want to make the doctor seem like both complete moron and an ignorant aristocrat, but also bypass a specific moment in the actual show where the doctor grimaces upon thinking about him and then says 'he had a lot to answer for'. Add to that, it's not only a scene in the actual show, but it is specifically the 6th doctor saying it specifically to Peri.
To St oh yes! Perhaps a story better suited to a different doctor then. I love the idea of the Doctor getting too wrapped up in human history and sometimes seeing it as a bucket list as that IS how the show presents it. (this week, the Romans! Shakespeare! HG Wells!)
Thanks for replying. I'm sorry for whatever impression I gave of myself from your other video that I commented on. But yeah I suppose you're right, the doctor can sometimes see history as a bucket list.
I feel they tried to refine the bickering with Capaldi and Clara. The constant digs: she can't be my daughter we look the same age; you've taken your make-up off already; Oh, you've missed a bit; She's my carer... His insecurity are mirrored in places: Am I a good man? being resonant across his entire regeneration, concluding Be Kind!
![เจ้าผู้เดียว - ดิด คิตตี้ [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/q0NLCYKBOTo/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m dating someone who I showed the Sixth Doctor’s cost too and she said “That’s so cool!” And I was like, I’m keeping you lol
I'm not ashamed to say I actually love his coat, it's very iconic.
I think it's... Yuck 😂😂 nah it's alright
The blue coat is superior though.
I dont like the regular one but the different blue ones, that purple one from project: lazarus and other versions of his outfit
@@caerdroia7530 the black one is pretty good.
@@ezram.gyllenborg4800 I agree. Can't decide if the blue, black or purple one is my favourite.
I have an undeniable soft spot for Colin's Doctor and that's not even factoring in his ridiculously fantastic run in Big Finish. Starting out as bombastic, unfiltered and as alien as any incarnation has ever been and then mellowing into a true hero is in my opinion the best character arc an incarnation of the Doctor has ever received. He is the Doctor whether you like it or not.
See that's what I love about 6. That premise is brilliant, but did it ever get to be properly executed on screen? Not quite.
Their budget was going down the crapper, JNT had pretty much lost all sense of direction and the threat of cancellation was looming ever closer. Suffice to say Colin got a very raw deal and the way he was treated still upsets me to this day. It's only right that Big Finish gave his Doctor the chance to truly shine.
The fact that anything managed to shine through under the constraints is genuinely impressive.
Quite, a testament to the franchise's ability to survive. Here's to hoping history does not repeat as there's a popular theory that NuWho is heading for a similar downfall as Classic Who.
@@SamyulDavis the 80's were a mess but it gave us Colin and Sylvestor two of the finest castings for The Doctor and Big Finish made sure we all knew it.
"There's no inverse reason for the complete 180"
Um... yeah there is. Evelyn Smythe.
I don’t think you know this but Colin Baker was JNT’s first and only choice for the role, he worked in tandem with Colin to develop the character with Colin suggesting most of the quirks. It broke JNT when he had to call Colin after Michael Grade issued the ultimatum: drop Colin Baker or kill Doctor Who.
It clearly didn’t break him that much as he didn’t even do it in person. So insulting
@@matthewduncan8523 he probably didn’t want to face him in person and say your fired
@@thedoctor1263 JNT said in interviews (and I believe his biography) that he'd heard the press were going to leak the story of Colin's dismissal, so he had no time to set up a face-to-face meeting. Instead, he phoned Colin to spare him the ordeal of finding out about it in the papers.
Michael Grade is truly the straw that broke the camels back. Omega only knows what a 90s era TV Doctor Who could’ve been if he allowed the show a proper budget and the respect it needed at the time
@@vilmundurgunnarsson3904 honestly it’d basically go all the way with Seven’s arc
Colin is ABSOLUTELY tremendous in Big Finish, and some of his Companions there such as Evelyn Smythe in particular are fantastic as well, but I disagree its a simple Retcon. Colin and Big Finish are more clever than that there IS evidence of the character transformation. Even down to the earlier works showing him in the technicolor stuff but some of the later things showing him in the subdued blue Colin prefers.
Colin is really a tremendous Dcotor when given the right material there is no doubt.
I recommend Rani Elite or some of the other Big Finish Rani stories. The Rani is a workable character in the right circumstance.
Big Finish is okay but his actual stories are great, particularly season 22.
Big Finish is overrated, and the quality of the stories varies wildly. Some can be quite good, but a lot if not most of them are bad. Colin was always great, as an actor. He just got a lot of scripts that had flawed writing, not to mention an outfit it was impossible for anyone to wear and be taken seriously. Even his title sequence was ugly. Half the reason he's so underrated is because people are immediately turned off by the outfit alone.
In my view season 22 is one of the greatest in the show's history and season 23 is one of the worst (or at least one of the worst regarding the original series). Well I've never had a problem with the outfit but then again, it's not a factor that really makes a doctor for me - he would be a wonderfuil doctor irrespective of wearing a scarf, bow tie, question mark jumper, leather jacket, celery stick, etc. And anyway, at the end of the day it's still an Edwardian three piece suit.
Completely agree. Evelyn is certainly instrumental in softening sixie’s hard edges. The idea of retcon is unfounded.
I agreed until I watched the odd story like Vervoids or Mysterious Planet where he's already a lot smoother and more agreeable. It really strikes me as Baker getting to finally do the Doctor 'his way', which to be honest? A good thing. Continuity should be secondary to creative decisions like that.
Bless ol Sixie, he deserves so much more love than he gets.
Colin seems to be judged by how he was portrayed in the Twin Dilemma only.
The TARDIS bickering does continue throughout the first half of his tenure to be fair. It's not the end of the world, but it's the usual JNT / Saward 'make them bicker' chemistry that IMO never works.
The fact it was the story that is regularly voted the worst doctor Who Story by fans didn't help.
Twin Dilemma is okay and the fact Colin's Doc has a regeneration issue that makes him temporarily paranoid and hostile is actually the most interesting thing in it. It aint cozy, but it's not bad at all.
It's a shame this is the worst era in the show poor stories very hard to find a good story I'm glad there was good later Sylvester McCoy stories after his first season
@@SanFran51 And the fact that comes off immediately after the best Doctor Who Story by fans definitely didn't help.
Am I the only person who actually really likes Colin Bakers opening lines? And ‘I am the doctor whether you like it or not’ they both really set up his character
Frr, its also like superficially mean but you can see both peri and him know its just a joke to ligthen the mood
Not really, the whole "this isn't your GRANDMA's Doctor" attitude of headline-grabbing was what killed 6's potential.
I know this is an old video. But, I argue Big Finish simply developed him and used his more calmed personality from Revelation of The Daleks onwards. Him traveling with Evelyn, the lost of Peri, and moments of self examination made him into the doctor he was by the end.
So I have this theory that each of the Doctors, before they regenerate, have a small input during the process as to who they will be next, depending on their wants needs,
e.g. The First Doctor of course needed to be more able and so became younger. The Second Doctor was Angry with the Timelords and so became more stubborn and authoritative. The Ninth Doctor wanted to be with Rose and so became a suitable age and more romantic to do so. Even Twelve I think wanted to be more like Clara and so became a Northern Woman x'D
Anyway, what gets me through Colin's Era is believing that the Fifth Doctor, having just saved Peri but at the cost of his own life, wanted to become a more protective and heroic figure, but of course everything goes wrong and at first he becomes the opposite.
But throughout his first full season, I think there is always a point in Colin's stories where there is a big turning point where he stops being an arrogant, self-centred arse, and becomes a selfless and heroic protector.
I'm not sure I entirely agree with you that Colin's Big Finish characterisation is too different from his TV persona. He's a lot less unnecessarily rude, but beyond that, he's still very loud, egotistical, and a massive presence, which I think is great, he still feels like the same character, just refined.
How to do political commentary: Vengeance on Varos.
How NOT to do political commentary: Arachnids in the UK.
A better comparison to Arachnids would be the Green Death. Arachnids is basically a bad version of that story.
We're going to like this comment, but I realized I already liked it!
Cough cough World War 3 cough cough...
I love how Arachnids tried so hard to make Not-Trump a bad guy that it left the Doctor in the position of fighting to give the spider a long, drawn out miserable death in order to oppose him putting it out of it's misery. Because if someone's "bad" they can never be correct about ANYTHING. Imagine thinking you can write a show decently when you are so opposed to making your villains sympathetic that you accidentally make your hero the villain.
The whole Pertwee era is a good example of how to do political commentary. I have seen Behind the Sofa of Carnival of Monsters just recently. Joy Wilkinson, Phil Collinson and Pete McTighe discussion whether the story would work today. And I thought: "You idiots! Here you have a perfect blueprint of how a good Doctor Who story should like like. So instead of writing your garbage, you better go and learn from Robert Holmes how it is done properly!" Or from Terrance Dicks. Or Barry Letts.
The 6th doctor is definitely my favourite, he brings a lot of heart to the role and I feel genuine love for the show behind every word he says in every audio, if I had to pick a favourite story, it would either be the holy terror for being weird, funny, scary and of course for Frobisher or legend of the Cyberman because The concept of the cybermen invading the land of fiction and converting fictional creatures is amazing
I'm literally about to listen to that tomorrow. I spoiled the Jamie twist for myself when looking up discussion about Wreck of the Titan and now have to know what happens.
SamyulDavis you may know the twist with Jamie but I can promise you that they packed so much great into that 2 hours you will love it anyway
Zagreus oh my GOD Jamie in the recording booth
Has Who EVER broken the fourth wall quite like that before. Even surrealist nightmares like Zagreus, Chimes and Scherzo never went there!
SamyulDavis and that’s why I love it
Say what you want about the 6th doctor, but his coat is FABULOUS~
the peak of Kolpasha fashion XD
I watched attack of the cybermen because of this and now it’s probably my favourite classic era cybermen story.
The holy terror will always be my favourite colin story. It stuck with me for days afterwards, super impactful stuff
Personally the part where 2 and shockeye just decide to leave the plot and go eat is my all time favorite comedic moment in who history. It always has me in stitches. I'd like to see an audio where 2s androgem side splits from the doctor, finds shockeye somewhere in time and they go on intergalactic resturaunt hopping adventures
That’d be hilarious
Shockeye and the doctor wearing top hats, walking down a road arm in arm was such a surreal and hilarious sight! Honestly it was so random, but I loved it
I'm one of those weirdos who unironically loves the 6th Doctor's coat. It honestly matches his personality and Colin has so much presence that the coat never ends up wearing him, and I sometimes forget he's even wearing it. Other actors, like Peter Davison, would have likely been lost in that loud, obnoxious coat. I also find it amusing knowing fans from the 80s complained about the coat while wearing some of the ugliest outfits and hairstyles known to man. Hell, even the glasses of the 80s were terrible.
I actually never minded Six and Peri's bickering because, at the time, the only TARDIS teams I knew were the original First Doctor team (which is my favorite team) and the Ninth/Tenth Doctors and Rose and Martha. I was so tired of the hero worship of the RTD era companions, that Six and Peri constantly bickering was a breath of fresh air.
Colin's my second favourite classic doctor after Paul; i love exactly the aspects the wider fandoms hate: is gruffiness and sense of superiority XD
ginonovanta snobbishness is good for the sake of sheer variety, sometimes
Really enjoying these retrospectives. I don't always agree with you when it comes to your best and worst with the modern series Doctors but they're still insightful videos. 6 is a really underrated Doctor though, will be checking out some of his audios. Looking forward to the 3rd and 2nd Doctor videos the most tbh.
6 is the one of the most fascinating Doctors to me. With Big Finish and the BBC Books, he was given much character development that was seen in Trial of a Time Lord (seriously look at how he was in early Season 22 and then look at him in late Season 22 and all of Season 23, he is far more gentle and caring) but because of the dispute between Saward and JNT, that potential was lost. As you said, 6 is the most gentle and caring Doctor. Listen to how he is saddened by the fact that he has to leave Evelyn, even trying to find the words to say that he loves her as a mother in Thicker than Water (he wouldn't have said that in Season 22, that is character development). In a way, 6 feels like Sonic the Hedgehog in a way; cocky, stubborn and arrogant but he is kind, thoughtful given the right situation, and has a true sense of justice. And in my opinion, Colin was the best actor to play the Doctor. The three words that sold me on his performance was "you... killed... Peri". There is so much sadness and anguish in that performance without him going over the top. Also, no one can't tell me that Evelyn isn't the best 6th Doctor companion. My top 10 favourite 6th Doctor stories are
10. Blue Box (The Internet revolution is about to begin, but a piece of technology from an alien world threatens the world, making 6 and Peri investigate in Washington DC. Having the story in the perspective of one of the side characters in the story feels fresh and creative, and Kate Orman writes 6 splendidly. Absolute great fun.)
9. Vengeance on Varos (this highly original story is incredibly atmospheric, but at the same time, the pacing is so fast and relentless that it became one of my favourite political satire stories in Doctor Who)
8. Grave Matter (6 and Peri arrive in Dorsill to find bodies rising out of the grave and an experiment is linking to these unusual events. A nasty horror story that also loves making fun of horror clichés. Incredibly gory but also great fun)
7. Project Twilight (Vampire killings are afoot in London, but not the vampires that you think. What does the casino in the city have to do with these killings, and what is the government initiative known as Project Twilight? 6 and Evelyn are on top form, and Nimrod is such a fascinating character)
6. Trial of a Time Lord (yeah I'm biased towards this season, it felt like the point of when Classic Who was getting a bit more modern in terms of pacing and direction. There are some obvious flaws, but I can look past all of that as I love all of the stories in this season, and the Valeyard is one of the best villains in Doctor Who.)
5. Revelation of the Daleks (while 6 and Peri pretty much do nothing in this story, that doesn't matter to me, as this is just superb quality. From Graeme Harper's stellar direction, Saward's wonderfully dark and morbid script, great set design, really the only thing is that this story is far too dark to show to kids, it feels like it should be a 15 than a PG, but as an adult I adore this story.)
4. The Holy Terror (The Doctor and his comic companion Frobisher land in a forbidding castle where people are in a religious upheaval. People are herald as Gods every few years, and once the time is right, the old Gods get overthrown and replaced by a new one. And of course, because of the duo landing in a blue box, that can only mean that 6 and his talking penguin are seen as Gods. Robert Shearman gets Doctor Who, one of the best writers ever to write Doctor Who. An hilarious script, rather reminiscent of Life of Brian, and is hilarious in how it presents its religious commentary, without it being to the point of making fun of people who are religious. And the last episode is so heartbreaking, it makes me sad every time I listen to it. Also Frobisher is a massive win in this story.
3. Davros (Davros has been given the opportunity to work on technological projects. Does this finally mean that Davros has given up his days as a monster? Obviously not, but what is wonderful about this story is that it gives us an insightful listen as to why Davros cannot be good, even if he tried. And I appreciate that the story just only has Davros and no Daleks, it feels creative. Colin and Molloy are on top form in this story, and further proves that 6 is the best Doctor when it comes to facing Davros.)
2. Doctor Who and the Pirates (The Doctor and Evelyn are at seas fighting off a feared pirate called Red Jasper, who is in search of buried treasure. But can this story convince a university student at Evelyn's uni, that is planning to commit suicide that life is worth living? An equally hilarious and tragic story, that treats depression and suicide with about as much care and thoughtfulness as Vincent and the Doctor. Quite possibly the most fun I had with a Doctor Who story next to the Romans. And Gallifreyen Buccaneer I always sing along to.
1. Jubilee (a wonderfully dark and gothic story penned by yet again, our Lord and saviour Robert Shearman. Gives a fantastic analysis to both questions of "what if the good guys finally win" and "what if the bad guys finally win". There's a reason why Shearman reused the basis of this story in 2005's Dalek. One of the best Big Finish stories of all time, absolutely adore it.
Honourable mentions: Attack of the Cybermen, The Reaping, The Curse of Davros, The End of the Line, The Wormery, The Brink of Death, Catch-1782, The Wrong Doctors and The Juggernauts.
6 is genuinely my fave doctor....
Please don’t kill me....
You wont be killed!! He's mine also :)
And mine!
He’s one of mine. Though, Matt and David are my favourites, with Peter just behind.
No love for The Holy Terror? All hail the big talking bird!
Been Looking forward to this. Best Stories:
The Reaping, totally agree with you this was great for Peri's character
Holy Terror- Some of the best of the new series pulls from this
Revelation of the Daleks- body horror, atmosphere and Terry Malloy, what more do you want
Vengeance of Varos, you said it all
Davros- "can't say team without saying tea"
Forgetting that line should be a criminal offence
Davros in an office setting really brings out his demented charisma
How we are supposed to find the doctor's brief mental illness (followed by him repenting and becoming heroic again) disagreeable to the point of him being permanently 'unlikable' is beyond me. Of course it may be tonally out of place in a campy and fairly lighthearted story like The Twin Dilemma, but the doctor has no recollection of his attack on Peri, and his attack on Azmael and the hilarious scene where he cowardly hides behind Peri's skirt are both immediately followed by a sincere apology. He recovers his wits and swiftly becomes tactful and charming again.
I think a large part of the problem, was that it was the last episode of the season, and then you had to wait until the new series started up, which meant that the first show with 6 meant that he was left in limbo, and then it seemed like that baggage followed his whole era.
Introductions and first impressions are very important.
I can’t believe people hate the doctor being vulnerable. I find it fascinating and important to his character!
I actually quite like the twin dilemma. The scene where he strangles her is bad but the scene following it is brilliant.
Also: “I am the doctor whether you like it or not” is brilliant and I would love to here Jodie say that.
Is like to see jodie get strangled by the sixth doctor.
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 🤣🤣
Most of this is fun to go along with, but I *love* Mark of the Rani, and how you can seriously describe this as having the "worst cliffhanger ever" when Dragonfire exists is beyond me!! 🤣
Adam Highway Okay that’s fair competition.
Agreed, that Dragonfire cliffhanger was ridiculous, the writers ran out of the 25 minutes they needed for the episode and needed some instant peril so they had the doctor up on a catwalk alongside an icy cliff, and decided that he should hook his umbrella onto the railing, climb down, and hang onto the umbrella for dear life for NO GOOD REASON. Easily THE worst cliffhanger (literally) in Doctor Who history - it's a meme that writes itself.
You guys realize the 7th Doctor was trying to reach the walkway below the one he was on. And the very next episode when Glitz finds the Doctor. Glitz then climbs down the Doctor, reaches the path below and then the Doctor climbs down Glitz. His umbrella is left and Mel and Ace find it and then use Ace’s backpack ladder to then reach the level below... they just didn’t have a “good” way to show it all. But go watch it, that is clearly what happens..
Also the writer was told he had to have a cliffhanger. So he was like F you here is a cliffhanger. But it still works in the episode 100%
I sometimes think Big Finish overdid the reworking of the Sixth Doctor. I preferred him with a bit of an edge, it made him distinct.
The Sixth Doctor is still really vain and loves the sound of his own voice in Big Finish, as far as I'm concerned. But he isn't the near-psychotic asshole he was on TV, which is all to the best. He's just not Peter Davison, thank God...
Well at least you only sometimes think it. The other times you're ok with it
Just earned a sub! Love every part of doctor who and its ups and downs! Here for the journey!
You've made me want to try out Big Finish audio stories now!! Great video by the way!! Keep up the good work!
i now enjoy to watch and rewatch these because of big finish lists, and aside from 8 this has the most listed
Harsh but fair. I was 10 when The Twin Dilemma was first broadcast so I loved it at the time...probably. what a wonderful journey down memory lane this video was. I gotta get me some more Big Finish audios though. Theres just so many of them!
Baker was supposed to mellow out over time, but wasn't given the chance. Anyway at least now Jodie era is now the most hated. So Colin should be pleased now
I listened to the Reaping last week. Honestly, the ending was really upsetting. Poor Peri! My heart goes out to her. I have a fondness for her despite her not being the best-written character in the original show but her exit is probably a big factor of that. Also, Evelyn is the best companion, proof: Arrangements for War. Need I say more. I've been chewing my way through the old monthly adventures and my god, I now can say Charlotte Pollard is one of my favourite companions and C'rizz is great too. I now need to move on to the 5th and 7th Doctor bundles but all the stories have high praises so I'm just looking forward to it now. Why have I moved to Big Finish after avoiding it for a few years? I want my yearly fill of Doctor Who and those 10 short episodes in the opening months of the year after such a long wait just didn't feel like enough.
I've been so in love with the audios that I preordered the Timelord Victorious bundle and Out of Time bundle. Just want it to be August now. That 10 and 4 crossover looks so good.
The Holy Terror is my favorite Sixth Doctor story and it's one of the best stories Big Finish have done
Meris I gave it a go and couldn’t get into it! Big fan of Frobisher comic stories though
That surprises me, the only big finish story I gave up one was Zagreus. The Holy Terror does start off quite ridiculous and funny but it gets serious and disturbing towards the end. Maybe worth giving another try?
Meris I do not blame you on that at all. Just to be completely contrarian, I do rate Zagreus too :’)
I’ll try. Is it a Shearman story?
Yeah its Shearman
I LOVE zagreus! My favourite Six era big finish story is probably 'Jubilee'
Reason it seemed impossible to resurrect Colin Baker's WHO reputation: The Twin Dilemma. Reason we discovered how great a Doctor the 6th was after all: Big Finish. Hell, THE HOLY TERROR and DOCTOR WHO AND THE PIRATES are masterpieces beyond anything on TV short of THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI or THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG.
Absolutely amazing, unbelievably underrated stories. They solidified 6 as one of my favorite incarnations
everyone: *makes jokes about the coat*
me: I want that coat gimme the chaos
Good retrospective! I’ve invested in collecting the Doctor here in the U.S. on DVD’s and getting the New Blu Ray set releases when they become available here. I always thought Colin got a raw deal and I like what he did with the material given. With that said I’ve got to get some Big Finish audios starring Colin, thanks to your retrospective!
I love the Sixth Doctor. I love his Big Finish stuff. He's probably the best Big Finish heavy Doctor.
The most underrated era
Not necessarily underrated, but definitely over hated. The Twin Dilemma looks a lot worse next to Caves of Androzani , I wouldn't argue the Two Doctors was good but I kind of enjoy it, Timelash is just dull, Trial was a mess with a lot of potential and I've yet to see Mark of the Rani. I do love Revelation of the Daleks and Vengeance on Varos and I really like Attack of the Cybermen.
I think the biggest reason I like The Two Doctors so much is that 6 doesn't wear that dumb coat for most of it!
Blasphemy! It's the best coat in the history of coats!
Why do you care?
@@tost6956 Maybe because Colin Baker himself cared. he said that the Coat was made from his nightmares. He really hated it.
U r making great videos!! Keep it up 👍
Well done. You've almost convinced me to give the sixth Doctor a second chance. Part of my huge disappointment of this era was that in Australia, we had access to the novels before we had access to the TV series. So I'd read most of the stories before seeing the series. Vengeance was a fantastic story but it was so violent that I wondered how the BBC were going to let them get away with filming it. I needn't have worried as the ABC butchered it here, even though it was in a late night timeslot. The Twin Dilemma was quite a good novel as was the Two Doctors. When I saw these for the first time I wanted to have my mind erased so that my memory of Who could never be that tarnished. You have to remember, it's not just the strangling of Peri that was the problem nor good old Womulus and Wemus...Baker's first season had 7 stories - four of them are possibly the worst 4 stories ever recorded in Who history, another was so dark and violent it was unwatchable for the average Who fan and that left a Cyberman and Dalek story to hold up the season (and many believed Revelation to be the worst Dalek story since Destiny and/or possibly ever at the time). The MOST important aspect of the Doctor having companions is that he is their protector...no matter how extreme the peril they face, the Doctor will shine through and save them. Companions always left of their own choice (even Adric who chose to stay on the Cyber ship against the Doctor's wishes). Peter Davison's Doctor, for me, was the most empathetic towards his companions (along with Pertwee) and his sacrificing his own life for Peri perfectly solidified this. So to go from that to that first episode in Twin Dilemma was unforgiveable. We all know who to blame and it wasn't Colin. I thought he shone in the Mysterious Planet. A really good story that was let down by the rest. And I liked Peri and thought Mel was the worst companion since Dodo (excluding Chameleon who should have been used for metal kindling). I haven't checked out his audio stuff and I thank you for the recommendations. Sorry i complain a lot but I'm really appreciative of all these reviews. I'm looking forward to Sylvester (who I only stayed with because of Ace). The best and worst of him is obvious but I look forward to what you've come up with.
Trial of a Timelord is by no means perfect but I find it endlessly entertaining.
Forgetting the twin dilemma, colin was great.
I have most of the classic series obtained through unmentioned means and I can't stop returning to terror of the vervoids, not the trial arc, just that story. I love it.
I feel like the 6th Doctors first lines should have gone something like this:
Peri : Doctor?
Doctor: Well yes, it appears this is who I am now.
Peri : I....I....I....
Doctor:....was expecting someone else weren't you?
Peri : What's happened?
Doctor : Change, my dear. And it seems not a moment too soon.
What about the last line in his debut? It could be retooled a bit
I'm so tempted to do a mini-marathon of all the "top 5" stories in these videos.
I bought 'The reaping' months ago in a sale and despite watching this video multiple times and seeing you and others recommend it, for some reason I've slept on it until today. Holy crap what have I been missing?
I remember seeing the 6th Doctor as a child and loved this regeneration. I enjoyed his grumpy, violent and chemistry with Peri (ggggrrrrowl) lol. He's still one of my faves.
Two Doctors is one of my favs
Best
5.judoon in mains
4.attack of the cybermen
3.the apocalypse element
2.Davros
1.vengeance on varos
Worst
5.Mark of the rani
4.wirren isle
3.two doctors
2.twin dilema
1.time lash
I really loved how much of an asshole doctor 6 was. It's a lot less of an issue in old who, but the whole HES A GOOD MAN thing got very tired for me in the new era. The point about vulnerability is well made, but I would go further and add that allowing him to be selfish and vindictive at times added a lot to the character. He will always be the most sassy who
The bickering between the two of them is hilarious. People take it way too seriously; aside from in The Twin Dilemma and Mindwarp it's pretty lighthearted and fun.
I love the 6th doctor
We all do deep down.
To St we do he just need more love form the fandom
DW fandom is very bizarre.
The 6th doctor has managed to rake in decades of moronic paranoia from the fandom, and I mean seriously large paranoia and ridiculous distrust here, you can't make this stuff up - a newcomer would think he's evil or something. He may have some vain mannerisms and characteristics, but of course these are only superficial. If you've ever seen any other alien-style doctors, you'd know full well how this goes. Troughton had cowardly characteristics and mannerisms, but clearly at the end of the day he is very heroic and brave. Tom Baker could appear overly nonchalant and sometimes even aloof, but of course we all know that's just flavouring for the character, he's obviously very compassionate and cunning. Colin nailed the doctor's alien nature, he's bizarre and is a mix of conflicting personalities in a charismatic and funny way, whilst still managing to retain the doctor's core intelligence and level-headed nature too, unlike some of the 21st century doctors I could mention.
I am an unashamed fan of the Rani. I love what they did with her in Big Finish, I think Kate O' Mara is a good actress and I really, really wanted Missy to be the Rani. I'd love to see RTD or Moffat give her a new incarnation and better onscreen stories.
The 6th doctor has managed to rake in decades of moronic paranoia from the fandom, and I mean seriously large paranoia and ridiculous distrust here, you can't make this stuff up - a newcomer would think he's evil or something. He may have some vain mannerisms and characteristics, but of course these are only superficial. If you've ever seen any other alien-style doctors, you'd know full well how this goes. Troughton had cowardly characteristics and mannerisms, but clearly at the end of the day he is very heroic and brave. Tom Baker could appear overly nonchalant and sometimes even aloof, but of course we all know that's just flavouring for the character, he's obviously very compassionate and cunning. Colin nailed the doctor's alien nature, he's bizarre and is a mix of conflicting personalities in a charismatic and funny way, whilst still managing to retain the doctor's core intelligence and level-headed nature too, unlike some of the 21st century doctors I could mention.
Exactly what you said!! 100%
'Worst cliffhanger ever...'
Dragonfire: Hold my beer.
Also, I have to disagree with you about the Rani. Actually, if the Master wasn't here she'd be a lot better. But what I like about her is, she isn't actually a time conquering villain. She's only an amoral scientist trying to achieve her experiments. She just happens not to care about the collateral damage.
There are surprisingly few of these who are competent in Doctor Who. The Siobhan Redmond Rani is *excellent* and I'd like to see more of her.
As with a lot of Whovians, I thought Colin Baker was at the top of his game with the Big Finish plays. Because of them, the Sixth Doctor went from my most despised incarnation to one of my absolute favorites. Though, I still enjoyed a few of his stories during his TV run.
My top 10:
1. Davros
2. Jubilee
3. Project Twilight
4. Vengeance on Varos
5. The Holy Terror
6. ...and the Pirates
7. The One Doctor
8. The Juggernauts
9. The Apocalypse Element
10. Mindwarp
Big Finish doesn’t retcon the brash 6. There’s development there. Evelyn is a perfect match for Six and helps to soften out his hard edges. Also Ev-e-lin? Eve(-a)-lyn!
It's not an insult or harsh criticism, it's just the observation that a large swerve was taken. With his time with Pari and Jammy there's not that much work done to fill in the gaps and there doesn't really need to be either IMO.
It's clearly an instance where production decisions and actor input comes before continuity (as more things should)
I think in-universe, his genocide of the Vervoids made him re-evaluate himself. It's referenced in the Marian Conspiracy.
Colin Baker in the Big Finish audios has almost completely remade his reputation. He is awesome, and shows the potential as ' Sixie' that he was never able to display in his usually terrible TV stories.
I totally misjudged 6, wow...
Now I'll actually bother to continue watching his seasons, cuz the first few eps really left a bad taste.
I love your thumbnail!!!
There is an explanation Most of the non peri bf storys are set after trial-trial made him change as he didn’t want to become the valeyard
That's...actually pretty good.
I found 6 to be quite abrasive in the televised stories, but the audios just made this arrogance work so much better.
What's that music you used for the Attack of the Cybermen segment? It sounds like a synth version of the modern cyberman theme and it fits really well.
Peri and Clara got the worst deals in Doctor Who: following some hot guy they really fancy into the TARDIS only for them to regenerate into your annoying older brother and your dad, respectively.
I'm so happy someone else loves Attack, one I just love to put on of an afternoon, kick my feet up, and soak in.
Watching classic series in order 6 was a breath of fresh air & has loads of personality. I enjoyed him & Peri picking at each other. He has a cat pin & a unforgettable coat!
I still stand by the opinion that the coat eventually fades into the background. The real fashion disaster for Sixth Doctor however is the black and yellow striped pants. What were they thinking with that!?
I reckon Collin is the best actor to have ever played The Doctor, which the audios in particularly showcase
Well, there is a big difference between the Master and the Rani. The Master is outright evil and wants to rule or destroy the universe. The Rani is just ruthless, caring only about her experiments and not being bothered by the collateral damages.
Nice take, going to the audios for a different side to No.6 - I do hope they'll give him a cameo before it's too late, though The Five(ish) Doctors probably is as good as can be hoped for.
Mindwarp was a good story, highly recommended
You have an interesting voice, great video
I’m also one person who is fine with Colin Baker as the doctor, personally my favourite story from the 6th doctor is attack of the cybermen
Poor Colin!!! Love him, love him, love him!!!!! Big finish did him justice
That part of the video about 6’s era being a big what if got me wondering, as some conjecture I present a hypothetical:
If the costuming department had dressed the Tenth Doctor in an outfit that looked like a vomited crayon box (as they had dressed the Sixth), David Tennant’s approval ratings among fans would be much closer to their approval ratings for Colin Baker.
Ten would probably still be ranked at least slightly ahead, because a greater portion of his stories were better written -- and, of course, the production values were higher. But, in terms of personality, both these incarnations of the Doctor are self-important, arrogant, and sometimes callous about the lives of the “lesser beings” around him.
Six’s outfit underlined these negative traits by ensuring that he never fit in with his environment. And Ten’s outfit downplayed them -- just look at how his color palette blended in with the color of the TARDIS console room.
The Best
The Apocalypse Element (5:13)
The Attack of the Cybermen (7:04)
Davros (8:49)
The Reaping (9:32)
Vengeance on Varos (11:14)
Intermission (12:44): The Trial of a Time Lord
The Worst
Timelash (14:08)
The Twin Dilemma (14:44)
The Mark of the Rani (15:55)
Wirrn Isle (17:04)
The Two Doctors (18:06)
I wouldn't call apocalypse element his best performance, but that's more down to how many amazing performances he has given in big finish. Probably the best actor to play the Doctor ever imo
I would highly recommend the stranger trilogy as an extension to the 6th doctor's era, in memory alone/more then a Messiah/summoned by shadows , all great stories that add that bit more depth that his era needed.
I love the two doctors because they don't overplay it. The multi-doctor part is more like a feature than an essential part. The dialogue's also quite funny as expected from Holmes and I think the analogy, even if it's not the most groundbreaking, works.
"You mean, there are species who don't eat their own kind?"
A good re-edit might bring out the best in it, but I always thought it was such a strange mess of ideas. As long as someone gets a warning to not expect a multi-Doctor or a Sontaran story...they might get more out of it.
@15:51 LMFAO!!! "As for the plot...who cares, look at it, LOOK AT IT!" I've rewound at l.east 5 times and cant stop laughing hysterically every time! LOL!
Colin Baker is one of my favourite doctors.
My top 5: Vengeance on Varos, The Mark of the Rani, Trial of a Timelord Parts 1, 3 & 4
I can't stand Attack of the Cybermen - the pacing is slow and the side characters mean nothing and are inconsequential. I may need to rewatch Revelation of the Daleks as that could take Mark of the Rani's spot for me. I just remember falling asleep while watching it :P
Worst 5: The TV Episodes
Best 5: The Audio Episodes
Was that an 80s version of the rise of the cybermen theme I heard? I love it
I just finished watching all the way through Colin's era and though his Doctor is my one of my least favourites, I genuinely think he only had two bad stories on TV: The Two Doctors and, of course, Timelash.
Though when I do get round to Big Finish, he'll definitely be the first Doctor I check out.
Also, Sam, he isn't chloroforming Shockeye. He's poisoning him with cyanide.
I disagree with you about Two Doctors, as I consider it one of Six's best stories, if only for the threat that the Androgums pose to humanity, in the form of Shockeye (who has an excessively insatiable appetite and can eat half the food inventory of a restaurant and consider it a snack, and yearns to eat a human being - just imagine if thousands of Androgum ships landed on earth intending to make it their food larder of human meat?) and I can't believe you didn't mention Chessene, an augmented Androgum who is even more of a threat! Yes, Two and Jamie are nice to see again, and I love the interactions, as brief as they are, and this is a great story IMHO. And you criticise "your just desserts" after the choloroforming of Shockeye, and fail to mention a similar cheesy Bond-like line after the acid bath in Varos? I think you're just being picky. Fair enough you've grown to dislike it, and I'm glad you made it the least worst episode in your top five, but I still love it.
I enjoyed it when I firs watched it but its way, way longer than it needs to be. And the Sontarons are a bit rubbish.
I was born during this era.
Ironic that you say the Doctor and Peri have no chemistry when Colin and Nicola clearly do get on so well together, maybe you could put that down to good acting. I have to say the Doctor and Mel didn’t exactly get along “carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice”.
Peri seems to be labelled as a hopeless screamer, reality is that I would imagine we’d all be fairly pathetic in a fight with a Cyberman or being threatened by a vile creature on an alien planet. Yes we know as an audience that a Dalek won’t kill a main character but that doesn’t mean you want your main characters acting in that way (see New Who, almost every episode). From the realism perspective I like Peri, yes the script has her saying English nouns instead of American ones, lift instead of elevator etc but that’s the script writer’s fault and yes her accent does slip fair enough. Fact is Peri is a good character and her and the Doctor not getting along like best buds is a throw back for the Doctor to Hartnell’s irascibility.
I’m glad you like Attack, it’s one of my favourites, I don’t understand where the general criticism comes from, you expect Dalek and Cyberman stories to be fairly physical and shooty rather than thinkers and planners and the story pushes along at a fair pace.
Nabil Shaban deserves all the praise and certainly a mention in your video, his portrayal of Sil is amazing and his improvised laugh has to be one of the most chilling and memorable character traits in the whole series. So good they brought back the species for Trial.
I wish Colin had had his missing season as having read Mission To Magnus and The Ultimate Evil I think it would have been a great season with some returning enemies. I think both Colin and Nicola deserved another season.
Really the issue with 80’s Who was Michael Grade (and JNT). If he hadn’t cancelled Dr Who because it couldn’t pull off Star Wars on a microscopic budget it would still have the old format with good writers but the modern effects, it would have been a jewel in the BBC (worldwide) crown and it could give Star Wars a run for its money.
I'd probably choose Doctor Who and the Pirates over The Apocalypse Element. It has everything that is great about Six in one story.
seeing 6 next month at shefffield comicon very exited one of my top 5 doctors
Don't you dare downplay my boy Oscar Botcherby. His death at the end of Two Doctors is an absolute masterpiece. Goodnight sweet prince.
One thing that can be said about The Two Doctors is that at least the titular Doctors share screentime together, instead of having one appear solely in pre-recorded footage.
I love The Two Doctors. Mainly because of Patrick tho
The bickering between 6 and Peri is hilarious. Not to be taken too seriously in my books. But anyway I'm glad you brought up that BF story where Peri calls out the doctor for idolizing Christopher Columbus as that's always mystified me as to why firstly, they would want to make the doctor seem like both complete moron and an ignorant aristocrat, but also bypass a specific moment in the actual show where the doctor grimaces upon thinking about him and then says 'he had a lot to answer for'. Add to that, it's not only a scene in the actual show, but it is specifically the 6th doctor saying it specifically to Peri.
To St oh yes! Perhaps a story better suited to a different doctor then. I love the idea of the Doctor getting too wrapped up in human history and sometimes seeing it as a bucket list as that IS how the show presents it. (this week, the Romans! Shakespeare! HG Wells!)
Thanks for replying. I'm sorry for whatever impression I gave of myself from your other video that I commented on. But yeah I suppose you're right, the doctor can sometimes see history as a bucket list.
I feel they tried to refine the bickering with Capaldi and Clara. The constant digs: she can't be my daughter we look the same age; you've taken your make-up off already; Oh, you've missed a bit; She's my carer...
His insecurity are mirrored in places: Am I a good man? being resonant across his entire regeneration, concluding Be Kind!
Robin Hislop Capaldi/Clara is possibly the worst tardis team in the series history, at least in my view.
My favorite classic doctor is 7. I just really enjoy him..
Relevance?
Please let people have fun dude
SamyulDavis ikr, 7 is my fav too but this I find to be random. Can't we have some fun celebrating 6 for 20 mins?
Please try not to take it too seriously or personally
@@tost6956 At the end he was talking about his favorite doctor. I thought I might just add my opinion..
6:06 For a second, that looked like a cyberman bending over and mooning them graphically.