Favourites from the Infernoverse! - Seven

The SYLVESTER McCOY Era - 1987 to 1989

1. 'The Curse of Fenric' - an incredibly modern story, the quality of which I always seem to forget. A slow burn, certainly, but well worth fighting through a few bad scenes to the climax, which is spectacular, charged and cathartic. A story which highlights the unique relationship shared by the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and also the tragedy of the termination of the show. Brill.

2. 'Remembrance of the Daleks' - another story highlighting the wonderful and interesting directions in which the classic series was headed towards its untimely end. In turns comical, involved and nostalgic, with Daleks aplenty and a stellar guest cast. One for the discussions.

3. 'Dragonfire' - a very silly, intriguing and swashbuckling quest with a lot of ice puns and some really fantastic model sequences. The introduction of Ace, the surprisingly lovely departure of Mel, a friendly dragon and a story that just leaves a smile on your face.

4. 'Ghostlight' - an involving, engaging, impenetrable thicket of a story in which great characterisation, an intelligent script and a spooky atmosphere compensate for almost total unintelligibility. A very interesting watch with chills on the side.

5. 'Battlefield' - the heroic last bow of the Brigadier, an interesting and gripping tale, a fascinating insight into the Doctor's personal timeline. Lots of gratuitous but deserved use of Arthurian legend, some nice effects and wonderful scenes, a little disjointed and awkward maybe. Cheesy at the end, my god, but good dialogue and good fun if you're in the right mood.

Favourites from the Infernoverse! - Six

The COLIN BAKER Era - 1984 to 1986

1. 'Revelation of the Daleks' - a grisly rematch with the classic foe for a new Doctor. Baker is very good, the Daleks are different and refreshing, possibly the second best Davros story to 'Genesis'. Some nice double acts (Orcini and Bostok, Kara and her Vogel), very nice dialogue and diabolical morals.

2. 'Attack of the Cybermen' - awful music, tenuous plot, atrocious eighties vibe to begin, but picks up all the way through until the surprisingly intense and ultimately emotional endgame redeems earlier mistakes. Very, very enjoyable.

3. 'The Two Doctors' - a nice romp unfortunately tempered by chronic wheelspinning. Great Robert Holmes script, Troughton's last reappearance and a fitting tribute to his Doctor, some good Sontarans and an interesting new enemy. Dark, very funny, but the quality is restricted largely to the final part.

4. 'Mindwarp' - the best contribution from the horrible monster that is 'The Trial of a Timelord', a description that really isn't saying very much at all. Quite well done and acted, a welcome return for Sil (even if he's underused) and a really shocking companion death. Not that good, but better by half than its contemporaries.

5.'Vengeance on Varos' - an interesting-ish look at television culture with some decent token world-building, a great villain in Sil. Here mostly because I have to fill spaces in this list, and decent enough if caught at the right time.

Favourites from the Infernoverse! - Five

The PETER DAVISON Era - 1981 to 1984

1. 'The Caves of Androzani' - Peter Davison's swansong, bumped up to first because, well - it's obscenely good. Stunning direction, a fantastic script from Robert Holmes, atmospheric locations and sets and first and third cliffhangers that will never fail to amaze. A hopelessly dark and wonderfully human adventure that outstrips all of its contemporaries, in an unforgettable way.

2. 'Earthshock' - one of my very favourite Doctor Who stories, and the first I ever watched. A cracking plot, consistent design work, the surprise return of an old foe, a striking and harrowing tragedy - simply everything Who needs to be, if sometimes a little vanilla. Great for those who have never experienced the classic show before.

3. 'The King's Demons' - why do I like this so much? Because it's harmless - a fun interlude into the middle ages with the Master, swordfights and the introduction of creepy Kamelion. Don't go looking for anything groundbreaking, just a satisfying little jolly. And atmospheric location work to boot.

4. 'Snakedance' - a sequel to the perplexing 'Kinda', featuring the same villain. Great performances all round, praise especially to Janet Fielding as Tegan and the Mara. Look out for a young Martin Clunes, an exciting toga, some enchanting set and prop design and a knockout first cliffhanger. Drops a little towards the end, and spends too long in the same cell.

5. 'The Five Doctors' - some very questionable decisions in this feature-length special, but a fun time all the same. Watch for Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney and the Cybermen scenes. Nicely shot, scripted well enough - an inescapably well-meaning and watchable anniversary adventure.

Favourites from the Infernoverse! - Four

The TOM BAKER Era - 1975 to 1980

1. (TIED) 'The Robots of Death' - quite simply one of the finest Doctor Who stories ever produced - exquisite in set and costume design, script, acting, the best cliffhangers of the time. Just incredible.

1. (TIED) 'Pyramids of Mars' - a more lighthearted romp, but with appropriate stakes - quintessential Baker and Elizabeth Sladen shines, the plot and effects are impressive, the villains memorable - really extraordinary.

1. (TIED) 'Genesis of the Daleks' - both the best title and the best story of Tom Baker's first season, a real epic, rated consistently amongst the top serials in Doctor Who polls. The first Davros, the creation of the Daleks and six episodes of pure, brilliant brilliance.

2. 'City of Death' - probably the most fun you'll ever have with a Doctor Who story - really hilarious and with a tight plot and excellent cast. Cameos by John Cleese and Eleanor Bron, great villain, Paris, the Mona Lisa, science fiction comedy genius.

3. 'The Ark in Space' - an unsettling, claustrophobic horror from the off, with memorable speeches and monsters, and a location so good they used it again. In the same season.

4. 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang' - an only slightly racist exploit into Victorian London. Marvellous dialogue, utterly lavish sets/costumes and top acting - very authentic feeling, very classic, the perfect send-off for the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era.

5. 'Horror of Fang Rock' - again claustrophobic and beautifully physically realised in period style. Contained within itself, but in a really satisfying way.

6. 'The Seeds of Doom' - an intercontinental adventure featuring a lot of plants and men with guns. Camp Freddy from The Italian Job tries to release a dangerous alien herb onto the world with gripping and often excellent consequences.

7. 'The Hand of Fear' - Elizabeth Sladen's last turn as Sarah Jane Smith, a tearjerking finale to her time on Doctor Who with its own valid plot and villain. Sometimes feels a little disjointed, but a great ride all the same.

8. 'The Deadly Assassin' - an refreshing take on Time Lord lore, the reappearance of the Master (but slimy), in turns scary, funny, intelligent and sickening. Be prepared for a lack of companion and excess of exposition.

9. 'The Brain of Morbius' - a scary and simple story with impressive sets, intriguing characters, good dilemmas. Borrows heavily and successfully from classical gothic horror tropes, but can be a little too to-and-fro, in an occasionally trying manner.

10. 'Terror of the Zygons' - a jumping-on point for gothic horror in the show. Evocative imagery and motifs, really scary sequences and some of the best-designed and effective alien designs the series has to offer. A little hampered by some odd choices further in and weak motives for the antagonists.

Favourites from the Infernoverse! - Three

The JON PERTWEE Era - 1970 to 1974

1. 'The Ambassadors of Death' - a cunningly scripted epic Pertwee showcase, with all of the era's most loved features - gunfights, UNIT, aliens on Earth, corrupt power. Really properly good, and with the odd unusual choice that just highlights the period's quality.

2. 'Inferno' - a stunning and harrowing story, remarkably mature and very, very dark. Must watch past episode two to understand why.

3. 'Spearhead from Space' - Pertwee's first outing is surprisingly modern in feel, filmed all on video for a more filmic and professional look. First in colour, first Autons, first Pertwee - a landmark that lives up to the hype.

4. 'Day of the Daleks' - a really great story with a lot of interesting timey-wimey ideas, the first Daleks since 'Evil'. A little hashed, but that's the era, and watchable throughout (better original than the new special edition).

5. 'The Green Death' - renowned in all circles as 'that one with all the maggots', a description omitting to mention the story's masterful character work and memorable villain. Excellent, if a little slow in the middle.

6. 'The Time Warrior' - a story I often forget about, oddly, bearing the introduction of Sarah Jane Smith and the Sontarans. Very fun pseudo-historical with a good villain and neat, contained plot.

7. 'The Dæmons' - a flashy depiction of the home counties with brilliant Roger Delgado as the Master (as usual), a lot of nice touches and ideas - a little fast to expose detail and then slow to make use of the knowledge gained, but still well worth getting to the end.

8. 'The Curse of Peladon' - an endearing, warm, intriguing classic featuring the return of the Ice Warriors. A really excellent time on an alien planet - very unusual and refreshing for the Pertwee era, but slow in places.

9. 'The Dinosaur Invasion' - a sadly maligned serial that's underestimated because of its cheap looking effects. Not to be judged immediately, great intrigue and particularly good first episode.

10. 'Carnival of Monsters' - an early Robert Holmes contribution to the show, and generally a comedy in tone. Nice performances, some very silly aliens and the Drashigs, which are excellent. A bit of fun, be it a little insubstantial.

Favourites from the Infernoverse! - Two

The PATRICK TROUGHTON Era - 1966 to 1969

(Had to include some missing stories because I couldn't let them by without a mention)

1. 'The Power of the Daleks' - tragically destroyed in form, this story is packed with incredible characters, jarring plot twists and chilling wonderfulness. Troughton's first adventure as Doctor, an involving and terrifying read if you can get hold of the book.

2. 'The Evil of the Daleks' - another story lost to the fires and the oversights, but what remains is inspiring and what doesn't sounds and looks magnificent. Dalek battles, the Emperor, Troughton shrouded in mystery.

3. 'The Enemy of the World' - a surprising Earth-bound story with political intrigue and left turns aplenty. Especially watch for Troughton playing both protagonist and antagonist - very high-octane, very gripping.

4. 'Tomb of the Cybermen' - a classic adventure, deeply iconic and wonderfully shot and scored. A brill watch with chills on the side.

5.'The Invasion' - my own first taste of the Troughton era, a thrilling (if long) swinging sixties serial with Cybermen, UNIT and again no shortage of iconic imagery. Bit of a hit.

Favourites from the Infernoverse! - One

So here are some lists, in ascending order of adoration, of my favourite Doctor Who stories from each Doctor's era. Of course, due to the length of some tenures compared to others, top 10s might become top 5s as we find ourselves in shorter or less-discussed years. It's just a personal preference, obviously, but I hope it might come in useful for those deciding which stories to watch first (or last, if you're like that). Without further ado. And so on. These posts are liable to be updated heavily over the coming months as I work my way through the final stories I have yet to enjoy.

The WILLIAM HARTNELL Era - 1963 to 1966

1. 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth' - a pure classic, watchable and enjoyable throughout, with healthy doses of Dalekmania, industrial London and famous lines. William Hartnell delivers an emotional performance.

2. 'The Aztecs' - an involved historical epic with intrigue, danger and a proper climax. Lavish design work bolsters the effect of an outstanding script with a series of excellent influences. Hartnell gives probably one of his finest performances amidst sterling work from all involved.

3.'The Web Planet' - a majestic, beautiful and endearing adventure on another world. Zarbi, Menoptera, the Doctor at his conniving best. A fantastic time generally.

4. 'An Unearthly Child' - where it all began, in turns fascinating, comical and bewildering. A must-see for fans, for obvious and occasionally not-so-obvious reasons.

5. 'The Rescue'  - a rare beast which succeeds both at being a pulpy 1960s science fiction adventure and at keying into the nature of the show and changing it for the better. And you can't say that for a lot of stories.