What do you think is the most memorable story/episode of Doctor Who with Jon Pertwee?

Question

What do you think is the most memorable story/episode of Doctor Who with Jon Pertwee?

Answer 1

i agree with space phantom the best Jon Pertwee story is the daemons

Answer 2

I agree with Spacephantom on this one - 'The Daemons' definitely stands out in my mind as one of the most memorable of the Third Doctor's stories.  I loved all the occult references and the mystery surrounding the tomb which the Professor plans to open on the pagan feast of Beltane.  The whole atmosphere of the story really makes it stand out for me - you've got the Master in characteristic evil mode, a local witch and even gargoyles coming to life.  I remember when the BBC were showing repeats of classic Doctor Who episodes about 15 or more years ago and their choice for the Third Doctor repeat story was 'the Daemons' - my brother and I thought this story was brilliant but it was really the living gargoyles that stand out in my memory - I really hope this one is released on DVD soon so I can watch it again because I was pretty young when I first saw it.

For my ten cents worth though, my vote has to go with 'Terror of the Autons'.  This story introduces one of the Third Doctor's most popular companions - Jo Grant and one of my personal favourites - the Master!!! ; )

It also sees the return of the brilliantly creepy Autons first seen in 'Spearhead from Space'.  Although, it must be said - the Autons in this story are not quite as creepy as the originals from 'Spearhead from Space'.  I'll be honest - I've watched 'Spearhead from Space' a couple of times but each time, I'm really just waiting for that iconic scene where the Autons come to life as mannequins in the shop windows.

You can watch the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9JJnJ1-v...

Like the original Cybermen from 'The Tenth Planet' - it's the dark, empty eyes that I find really creepy.

But back to 'Terror of the Autons' - the Master is in top form as he breaks into the National Space Museum and steals a translucent plastic polyhedron, one of the energy units used by the Nestene Consciousness in their attempted invasion of Earth (in 'Spearhead from Space').  He then takes the energy unit to a radio telescope facility, killing the technician on duty with his Tissue Compression Eliminator which shrinks him to the size of a small doll. The Master then hooks up the energy unit to the radio telescope and sends a signal into space.  The Doctor has been warned that the Master is on Earth and will try to kill him & meanwhile the Master has taken over a factory in order to manufacture more Autons which will be sent out to kill - as Autons do.  They do this by handing out daffodils to the public which shoot out a plastic film that covers the mouth and nose leading to death by asphyxiation.  There's a pretty good scene where Jo Grant gets attacked by one of these - but of course, the Doctor saves her : )

But the most imaginative of the Master's methods of dispatching people who annoy him has to be "death by plastic chair" - it's so cheaply done and so unbelievable it really has to be seen to be, well, believed..... - here's the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrAK6sUZ...

And the best part about it is Roger Delgado's perfectly serious expression while the guy is, er, smothered by a big plastic chair! : )

'Terror of the Autons' also really stands out in my mind as being one of the memorable with Jon Pertwee because of the evil.... killer..... doll.  Yes, that's right.  Forget Chucky - this troll doll is seriously creepy - you can get a little glimpse of him in this trailer for the episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvzT2UYVb...

If I remember correctly the creepy little doll is activated by heat.  The Master plants the doll with the owner of the factory he has taken over - I think he puts it in his car or in his bag or something - I can't quite remember.  Anyway, the doll is left near a radiator, it comes to life and it strangles the poor guy.  That's definitely a moment you won't forget in this story!!

So, it's mainly for the introduction of one of the most charismatic and enduring of Doctor Who's villains - the Master - combined with the return of the Autons and that little creepy doll thing that make 'Terror of the Autons' the most memorable for me.

: )

Answer 3

The most memorable 3rd Doctor story in my opinion is "The Daemons".

The story revolves around an archaeological dig at a barrow near the village of Devil's End, attempting to unearth an ancient tomb amid warnings from a local "white witch" that the dig will release untold evil.

The Doctor and Jo Grant see an interview with professor Horner, who is leading the excavation on TV, in which he claims that the tomb holds the treasure of a warrior chieftain, and that he plans to open the tomb at the stroke of midnight. The interview is interrupted by the local white witch, miss Hawthorne, who warns of great evil and the coming of the horned one, but the professor dismisses her as a crank.

Jo Grant is worried by miss Hawthorne's warnings, but the Doctor scoffs at the notion of supernatural goings on. He admits, however that he senses something very wrong at the dig and tells Jo that miss Hawthorne is right about one thing - the dig must be stopped. So he and Jo rush off to Devil's end.

What follows is a story involving strong winds whipping up out of nowhere, strange bouts of sudden heatwaves and cold, people having strange mood swings and a stone gargoyle (called Bok) coming to life. Ultimately a seemingly impenetrable heat barrier is thrown up around the village and UNIT are called in.

It turns out that the "ancient tomb" is actually a space ship which has been buried under the barrow since the dawn of man. The spaceship belongs to Azal - a member of a very powerful and ancient alien race called the Daemons. Both the spaceship and Azal have the ability to change their size from tiny to gigantic, and the heatwaves, cold snaps and strange winds all turn out to be a result of the release and intake of energy involved in the size changes, according to E=mc squared.

Azal is basically a scientist who has been considering human evolution and the development of civilisation as an experiment, and is prepared to wipe out the whole of humanity (just as a scientist would discard used lab animals) if he can't be convinced that the experiment has succeeded.

The new vicar of Devil's end, Mr Magister, turns out to have been the head of a "black magic" coven, and is behind the awakening of Azal. The Doctor, however, realises that "Magister" is latin for "Master", and that the Master has awakened Azal in order to use the Daemon's power for his own ends, using "black magic" rituals combined with hypnotism to focus the psychokinetic energy of humans that the Master needs to summon the Azal and control Bok (hence the mood swings, e.t.c).

In the final confrontation between the Doctor, the Master and Azal in the church at Devil's End, the Master makes his case that he will rule the Earth people for their own good, while the Doctor argues that Man should be given a chance to grow up. Azal finally decides to give his power to the Master and leave the fate of humanity to him. He then attempts to kill the Doctor, but Jo Grant throws herself in front of him. Her willingness to sacrifice herself to save others throws Azal into a bout of confusion since it isn't logical to him, and Azal's power finally engulfs him in an enormous explosion. The others present in the church escape before the explosion takes place, but the church is destroyed.

The Master is finally captured by UNIT when he tries to escape in the Doctor's car "Bessie", not realising that the Doctor has Bessie under remote control.

"The Daemon's"  basically uses all the tropes of a Denis Wheatly supernatural horror story, and very effectively builds up an atmosphere of fear and tension. The entire point, however, is that "unexplained" happenings which appear to result from magic or the supernatural can be explained scientifically, even if the science involved is so advanced as to be beyond human comprehension.

To my mind "The Daemon's is easily Jon Pertwee's finest story as the Doctor,  although Roger Delgado's faultless performance as the Master almost upstages him. Absolutely top form from the UNIT team in this one as well, including Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart's classic line when he and his troops confront Bok for the first time - "Sgt Jenkins - chap with the wings there! Five rounds rapid!"

Other notable 3rd Doctor stories which come highly recommended are :-

"The Three Doctors" - the 10th anniversary story in which Pertwee, Troughton and Hartnell, together with the UNIT team, take on the power of the Time Lord Founder Omega, who is trapped in the Universe of anti-matter, but is intent on destroying the Time Lords out of revenge.



"The Green Death", in which the Doctor, Jo and UNIT confront environmental concerns, and take on a chemical company run by an evil computer which takes over the minds of it's employees, as well as the giant killer maggots that result from the pollution caused by the company.

Edit: Just read Artemis's answer, and yes "Terror of the Autons" is also a very memorable one. It's the story where the Master was first introduced as a character, and as well as a scary doll and a plastic chair, also includes killer plastic daffodils and the Master's trademark - the tissue compression eliminator.

Answer 4

There was actually a "behind the scenes" bit during which he was discussing his first exit from the TARDIS... he stepped out and immediately proceeded to fall flat on his face.

The screen cut straight to Pertwee looking directly into the camera and commenting "HA HA HA... very funny!"

It was classic.  My friends and I *still* say "HA HA HA... very funny!" to each other.

Answer 5

The one i liked is called The Daemons