10 Greatest Speeches In Doctor Who History

If there's ever a speech that highlights just how different Doctor Who is from other sci-fi shows, it's Jon Pertwee's speech about war in Planet of the Daleks.

Written by Terry Nation - whose best works were always influenced by his experiences of growing up during World War II, and the ensuing atomic age - the Doctor's advice to the Thals is beautifully performed by Pertwee:

"When you get back to Skaro, you'll all be national heroes. Everybody will want to hear about your adventures. So be careful how you tell that story, will you? Don't glamorise it. Don't make war sound like an exciting and thrilling game. Tell them about the fear, otherwise your people might relish the idea of war. We don't want that."

With a Buddhist executive producer, it was likely that the Pertwee era would fully embrace Doctor Who's message of peace, love, and understanding. Nowhere is this better realized than here, when the Doctor warns against glamorizing war. War is hell: it's not a game, it's not a chance to be a hero, and lives are lost, or changed irrevocably.

It's even more interesting when you take into account that it was the First Doctor who convinced the Thals to fight back against the Daleks in the first place. It's as if, having witnessed the horrors of the Vietnam War, both Terry Nation and the Third Doctor have given themselves a second chance to spread a more peaceful message.