6,700 Plus Doctor Who fans recently rated all of the 200 plus episodes of the series to pick the best of the best. Doctor Who Magazine compiled the data and the following were placed in the top ten:
1)The Caves of Androzani (1984 - Peter Davison)
2)Blink (2007 - David Tennant)
3)Genesis of the Daleks (1975 - Tom Baker)
4)The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977 - Tom Baker)
5)The Empty Child (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)
6)Human Nature (2007 - David Tennant)
7)Pyramids of Mars (1975 - Tom Baker)
8)City of Death (1979 - Tom Baker)
9)The Robots of Death (1977 - Tom Baker)
10)Bad Wolf (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)
2)Blink (2007 - David Tennant)
3)Genesis of the Daleks (1975 - Tom Baker)
4)The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977 - Tom Baker)
5)The Empty Child (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)
6)Human Nature (2007 - David Tennant)
7)Pyramids of Mars (1975 - Tom Baker)
8)City of Death (1979 - Tom Baker)
9)The Robots of Death (1977 - Tom Baker)
10)Bad Wolf (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)
First of all, no Timelash? pffffft. Aside from that glaring omision, all are excellent episodes, but common..... The Talons of Weng-Chiang at number four? Until I saw Talons I was a fair-weather Who fan. I watched the new show and some of the classic episodes, including Genesis of the Daleks, but it wasn't until I checked out a VHS copy of Talons from the London Public Library that I fell in love with the Doctor and his universe. The backdrop of Victorian England, the Doctor as Sherlock Holmes, the unintentional campy racism of the 70's, a psychotic midget android with a pig's brain, the delightful Jago and Litefoot....... The Discontinuity guide puts it best. "One of the great moments of Doctor Who history - an effortless conquering of the pseudo-historical genre with a peerless script." It is for me the quintessential Who story, one that I can watch over and over again. I guess that 4th place isn't bad. Of course at the Olympics, 4th place means that you're tied for last place with all of the other losers.
I blame the rat.
Spoiler alert, I guess, but The Talons of Weng-Chiang involves a giant rat. A poorly done giant rat that look like he belongs in the Muppet Show instead of the phsycologically thrilling Talons.
I watched it with a couple of non Who familiar friends who were enthralled until the giant rat appeared on the screen. They started laughing and never stopped. "Doctor Who, the Television Companion" put it this way:The story does have one fault, however, and that is the poor realisation of the giant rats used by Greel to keep people away from his lair beneath the Palace Theatre. The shots in which they are shown by way of real rats in a miniature sewer work relatively well, but sadly the same cannot be said of those involving stuntman Stuart Fell in a furry costume. 'If only it was as Robert Holmes said in [his recent interview in the Daily Express],' reflected Vincent-Rudzki, 'that it would be seen only in the shadows, or just its tail. Instead we saw that terrible cuddly-looking thing that I just couldn't help laughing at, even when Leela joined the so-called trait of typical companions... screaming as it caught her leg.'
Apparently everyone is so ashamed of the rat that I could only find one poor image of it on the entie internet.... The Talons of Weng-Chiang is my favourite Doctor Who episode of all time, cuddly giant murderous rat or no cuddly giant murderous rat, easily number one in my heart. It deserves better.
Stupid stupid rat......
