44. The Gunfighters 3.34-3.37
The Doctor and his companions Steven and Dodo Chaplet land in the 1891, Tombstone, Arizona, USA, known affectionately as visiting the Wild West. This serial contains the highest number of historical figures, paving the way for some truly great famous figure stories in the Modern Who era. It is also very nearly a musical. In addition, it strongly establishes the Doctor's moral stand against violence and guns. But perhaps the single most interesting feature of this entire serial is an obscure reference made by the Doctor when asked for an introduction. He calls himself Doctor Caligari, the title character in a 1920's German silent horror film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. Strangely familiar. Also perhaps proof that madman in a box is not a new development. With such an eerie reference I am glad that his future incarnations generally choose to stick to John Smith or just the Doctor. The rest of this story proceeds in a predictable, if somewhat comical, fashion as you might expect if the Doctor interrupted a classic Western, complete with a stint as a reluctant sheriff ten lifetimes before he ever visits the town of Mercy.
43. Survival 26.12-26.14
The very last serial of Classic Who features a trip to take Ace back home to Perivale. It features the Master who must enlist the Doctor's help in escaping a race of mind altering cheetah-humanoid hybrids. It is a heartbreaking and suspenseful serial as the Doctor knowingly pushes his companion into potential eternal jeopardy, a trend most certainly picked up by Modern Who. It is also notable because Ace declares herself a TARDIS traveller forever, thereby blazing a trail that both Rose and Donna could follow. Except Rose and Donna couldn't beat up Daleks with baseball bats, which is a crying shame.