Season 9

After Season 8 it would have been easy to do another season of all, or mostly Doctor v. Master stories, and the team resisted the temptation to go down this route. Likewise, it would have been easy to go down the route of having no Doctor v. Master stories, and the team resisted the temptation to go down this route. In fact, what we got was actually what I felt to be the most diverse and varied season since Troughton’s last. We had a story which not only reintroduced the Daleks, but also explored the whole question of how time travel from the future can actually change the past, which in turn changes the future – a complex and intelligent storyline. We got a proper story set in an alien civilisation of the sort we really haven’t seen since “The Krotons”, a story which saw the return of the Ice Warriors, and had the confidence to recast them as good guys. There was an Earth bound story which, for once did not use UNIT, but did retell “The Silurians” from season 7. We had a worthy but dull Colonial story in a similar milieu to “Colony in Space”, and we had “The Time Monster”, which pretty much defies rational description.

One pleasing development in the season has been the Doctor’s developing relationship with Jo. He’s still a bit of a pig towards her at times in the season, but by “The Time Monster” there’s something a little bit special developing there. It will all end in tears this time next season, we know, but then that’s fine as well, and all part of the process.

Let’s have a look about how they fared in the fans’ ratings, and then in mine: -

Mighty 200/DWM 2014 poll

The Sea Devils  50/60

Day of the Daleks 71/65

The Curse of Peladon 82/93

The Mutants 182/ 213

The Time Monster  187/222

My rating

The Time Monster

The Sea Devils

Day of the Daleks

The Curse of Peladon

The Mutants

Well, look, my list is of course a personal choice, and if you’ve given “The Time Monster” a fair crack of the whip and it’s not for you, then I can understand that and it’s fine. I really, really enjoyed it, and I don’t feel the need to lie about it – and if you ask me which story I enjoyed most from season 9 then it wins hands down, even if I can’t explain why in words which would convince anyone else.

What I can’t really understand about the poll ratings is how anyone else could seriously claim to have enjoyed “Galaxy Four” and “The Celestial Toymaker” more than “the Time Monster”, yet both of them are higher in both polls. Unless they haven’t actually seen any of the stories involved, which is a distinct possibility.

Well, there we are. Take your seats please for the Tenth Anniversary season. The Doctor’s exile will be ending (officially) any minute now.