How good was Doctor Who?

by Bob Brodman, Ph.D.

From 1963-1989, 159 Doctor Who adventures were aired, most of which had running times of at least 90 minutes and are thus comparable to feature-length films in regards to writing and storyline. As Doctor Who fans know, the long running series was internationally acclaimed by sci-fi fans as one of the all-time best sci-fi TV shows and won recognition as Britain’s finest TV drama of the first half century of television. But just how good was Doctor Who? For example, readers of this essay likely rate Doctor Who very high, but is "Genesis of the Daleks" really as good a space opera as "The Empire Strikes Back"? Can "The Daemons" compare objectively to "Alien"? Does "Inferno" present as intriguing a story of alternative time lines as "Back to the Future"? Were the "Three Doctors" as good a combo as Indy and his Dad in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"? Is the political satire of the future wittier in "The Sunmakers" or "Brazil". Finally, were the bug-eyed monsters from "The Ark in Space" as menacing as "The Fly"? What I will do in this essay is compare Doctor Who to sci-fi movies of the era. I will do this by determining the number of quality sci-fi films and TV adventures produced from 1963-1989. I define a "quality" film or televised episodic adventures as those that rate at least three-stars on a four-star scale by a majority of reviewers.

To analyze the movies, I compared the rating of science fiction movies from 1963-1989 that had been published in ten best selling movie and video guides. I use the opinions of experienced movie critics so that I may remain objective. I found that five sci-fi movies rated and average of four -stars out of four (rounding an average of 3.75 up), nine additional movies rated an average of three-1/2 stars (an average of 3.25-3.74) , and 45 rated an average of three (an average of 2.75-3.24). Among these were four TV made movies/mini series (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Night Gallery, The Day After, and V). This means that according to movie and video critics, a total of 55 quality sci-fi movies were produced for cinematic release from 1963-1989.

To rate Doctor Who adventures, I first used ratings by movie/TV critics. I then used rankings by fans found on the internet to to help assign star ratings to adventures not on video (since these have not been reviewed by movie critics). Finally, I factored in my own rating of missing adventures (having read the novelizations and seen all of the available reconstructions), since these were underrepresented by critiques. I found that two Doctor Who adventures rated an average of four-stars (rounding 3.75 up), 17 rated an average of three-1/2 (3.25-3.74), and 62 rated an average of three (2.75-3.24). While no Doctor Who adventures can match the best sci-fi of the silver screen, such as "2001" or "Star Wars" in terms of visuals and special effects, it turns out that Doctor Who produced 76 quality feature-length adventures ("Inside the Spaceship" and "The Rescue" are not included because they were 50 minutes or less) compared to just 55 by the motion picture industry over the same period of time.

To illustrate this further, if I were to use these ratings to select the top feature-length sci-fi movie of the year for each year from 1963-1989, I would find that the best of the year would go to Doctor Who 14 times ("Dalek Invasion of Earth" 1964, "The Crusade" 1965, "Power of the Daleks" 1966, "Evil of the Daleks" 1967, "War Games" 1969, "Inferno" 1970, "Curse of Peladon" 1972, "The Green Death" 1973, "Genesis of the Daleks" 1975, "Seeds of Doom" 1976, "Invasion of Time" 1978, "City of Death" 1979, "Remembrance of the Daleks" 1988, and "Ghost Light" 1989). Doctor who would also win in 1963 ("The Daleks"), 1974 ("Ark in Space") and 1981 ("Warrior’s Gate") if one did not agree to classify "Jason and the Argonauts", "Young Frankenstein" or "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as science fiction. At least one Doctor Who adventure would finish in the top three every year, except 1985-1987. Doctor Who would have swept the top three places six times (1964-1965, 1970, 1975-1976, and 1989) and the top two places five more times (1966, 1967, 1972, 1978 and 1988). By these measures, Doctor Who dominated the field in producing the best feature-length sci-fi in its era.

I find it interesting that a low budgeted TV series was able to out-produce the motion picture industry in quality sci-fi. However, this phenomenon wasn’t limited to Doctor Who. During the same time period 3+ star quality episodes were produced by other notable sci-fi series. Sixty five were from Star Trek (41 from the original series, 24 from The Next Generation), 21 from the Outerlimits, 14 from the Prisoner, three from the Twilight Zone , and the four previously mentioned TV made movies/miniseries. Though most of these stories were not feature-length, running 50 minutes or less, this brings the total to 182 pieces of quality sci-fi produce by British and American television, more than tripling the number produced for the cinema. Why is this? Perhaps it is the ability that a serial has to develop characters over a long period of time. Or perhaps, with a lower budget, television is more willing to take the risk of using intelligent scripts and storylines, rather than the mass-appealing flash of action scenes, romantic interests, and elaborate visuals.

So now back to my first question: Just how good was Doctor Who? For an objective measure, the answer is that the BBC produced more quality feature-film length adventures of Doctor Who from 1963-1989 than the motion picture industry or any other American or British televised sci-fi during the same period. During many of these years, the best Doctor Who adventures were superior than any of the cinematic sci-fi releases of the year. So indeed, "Genesis of the Daleks" rates just ahead of "The Empire Strikes Back", "The Daemons" is comparably even with "Alien", "Inferno" is tied with "Back to the Future", the "Three Doctors" are the equal to Indy and his Dad, the future political world of "The Sunmakers" is on par with "Brazil", and the bug-eyed monsters from "The Ark in Space" are as menacing as "The Fly". But Doctor Who fans knew this all along.

 

Caption for the figure: Ranking and ratings of quality feature-length Science Fiction comparing cinematic releases with Doctor Who from 1963-1989. Ratings are on a standard 4-star scale. Doctor Who episodes are printed in bold.

  

Rank

4-star SCI FI 1963-1989

year

rate

Rank

3-star SCI FI 1963-1989

year

rate

1

Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981

3.96

65

Pyramids of Mars

1975

3.06

2

2001: A Space Odessey

1968

3.94

66

Fahrenheit 451

1966

3.06

3

E.T.

1982

3.89

67

Two Doctors

1985

3.05

4

Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind

1977

3.88

68

Five Doctors

1983

3.05

5

Young Frankenstein

1974

3.83

69

Image of Fendahl

1977

3.05

6

Star Wars

1977

3.79

70

Terror of the Autons

1971

3.04

7

Evil of the Daleks

1967

3.75

71

Fantastic Voyage

1966

3.04

8

Genesis of the Daleks

1975

3.75

72

Five Million Mile to Earth

1968

3.03

73

Survival

1989

3.02

3.5-star SCI FI 1963-1989

74

Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan

1982

3.02

9

Empire Strikes Back

1980

3.68

75

Slaughterhouse-Five

1972

3.02

10

Clockwork Orange

1971

3.67

76

Logopolis

1980

3.01

11

Seeds of Doom

1976

3.63

77

1984

1984

3.00

12

City of Death

1979

3.62

78

Westworld

1973

3.00

13

The Web of Fear

1968

3.58

79

Andromeda Strain

1971

3.00

14

Tomb of the Cybermen

1967

3.47

80

Green Death

1973

3.00

15

Aliens

1986

3.45

81

Masque of Mandragora

1976

2.99

16

Planet of the Apes

1967

3.43

82

Silurians

1970

2.99

17

Fury From the Deep

1968

3.40

83

Mad Max

1980

2.98

18

Road Warrior

1982

3.40

84

Brother from Another Planet

1984

2.97

19

Daemons

1971

3.39

85

Greatest Show in the Galaxy

1988

2.96

20

Alien

1979

3.38

86

Stones of Blood

1978

2.95

21

Terminator

1984

3.37

87

Abominable Snowman

1967

2.95

22

Horror of Fang Rock

1977

3.36

88

Navigator

1988

2.94

23

Dalek Invasion of Earth

1964

3.35

89

Robot

1974

2.93

24

Crusade

1965

3.34

90

State of Decay

1980

2.93

25

Castrovalva

1982

3.33

91

Time After Time

1979

2.92

26

Blade Runner

1982

3.32

92

Silent Running

1972

2.92

27

Ghost Light

1989

3.32

93

Three Doctors

1973

2.91

28

Invasion of Time

1978

3.30

94

Indiana Jones & Last Crusade

1989

2.91

29

Marco Polo

1964

3.28

95

Tremors

1989

2.91

30

Ribos Operation

1978

3.28

96

Terror of the Zygons

1975

2.90

31

Return of the Jedi

1983

3.27

97

Revelation of the Daleks

1985

2.90

32

Dalek's Master Plan

1965

3.27

98

Daleks

1963

2.90

33

Talons of Weng-Chiang

1977

3.27

99

Starman

1984

2.89

34

Power of the Daleks

1966

3.26

100

Macra Terror

1967

2.88

35

Caves of Androzani

1984

3.25

101

Stepford Wives

1975

2.88

102

Charly

1968

2.88

3-star SCI FI 1963-1989

103

An Unearthly Child

1963

2.87

36

Remembrance of the Daleks

1988

3.23

104

Golden Voyage of Sinbad

1974

2.87

37

RoboCop

1987

3.22

105

Escape From the Planet of Apes

1971

2.87

38

Sunmakers

1977

3.22

106

Colossus: The Forbin Project

1970

2.87

39

Brazil

1985

3.21

107

Dreamscape

1984

2.86

40

Mind Robber

1968

3.21

108

Tenth Planet

1966

2.85

41

Curse of Peladon

1972

3.20

109

Altered States

1980

2.85

42

Frontios

1984

3.20

110

First Men on the Moon

1964

2.85

43

Resurrection of the Daleks

1984

3.18

111

Romans

1965

2.84

44

Deadly Assasin

1976

3.18

112

The Massacre

1966

2.84

45

The Invasion

1968

3.18

113

Gremlins

1984

2.84

46

Warrior's Gate

1981

3.17

114

Cold Night's Death

1973

2.83

47

Inferno

1970

3.17

115

X:Man with X-Ray Eyes

1963

2.83

48

Jason & the Argonauts

1963

3.17

116

Snakedance

1983

2.83

49

Back to the Future

1985

3.17

117

Androids of Tara

1978

2.82

50

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

1978

3.16

118

Robots of Death

1977

2.82

51

Spearhead From Space

1970

3.13

119

Time Warrior

1974

2.81

52

Sea Devils

1972

3.13

120

Dragonslayer

1981

2.81

53

War Games

1969

3.12

121

Hand of Fear

1976

2.80

54

Star Trek IV: Voyage Home

1986

3.12

122

Mawdryn Undead

1983

2.79

55

Ice Warriors

1967

3.12

123

Moonbase

1967

2.79

56

The Brain of Morbius

1976

3.11

124

Face of Evil

1977

2.79

56

Curse of Fenric

1989

3.10

125

Time Meddler

1965

2.78

57

Celestial Toymaker

1966

3.10

126

Android

1982

2.78

58

Curse of Fenric

1989

3.10

127

Abyss

1989

2.77

59

The Fly

1986

3.09

128

Frontier in Space

1973

2.76

60

Ark in Space

1975

3.09

130

Mark of the Rani

1985

2.76

61

Quest For Fire

1982

3.09

131

War Machines

1966

2.76

62

Earthshock

1982

3.09

132

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

1964

2.75

63

Man Who fell to Earth

1976

3.07

64

Cocoon

1985

3.06

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