The War Games

First thing that has to be said is that Patrick Troughton had one of the best Doctor Who title sequences ever. If you haven't seen it here's a clean version below.

Now that that's out of the way, what of the story itself?

In many ways, The Wars Game is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. The last story to feature the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe and the last story to be filmed in black and white. It's also the first story to feature (albeit only briefly) the Time Lords.

The War Games has a reputation of being nine episodes of boredom. And then the Time Lords turn up. Having never seen this story before I was able to approach it with fresh eyes.

While it perhaps a few episodes longer than it should be, it is an unfair assessment. The story does hang together really well and the production standards are excellent too, with some pretty nifty direction by David Maloney.

But of course it's episode ten that everyone remembers. The Doctor facing his Waterloo moment as the Time Lord's put him on trial for breaking their most sacred law: non-interference. And he is not found wanting. Patrick Troughton is excellent here, conveying his moral outrage. And then we have to say goodbye to Jamie and Zoe.

Again Fraser Hines and Wendy Padbury are really good. While the Time Lord's have some compassion of not totally wiping their minds, you realise that Jamie will have no memory of meeting Zoe.

And so we come to the end of an era, with the Doctor being exiled to earth and the second Doctor spinning off into oblivion. Ready for the next phase of the programmes development.