5. Remaking Classic Stories
Continuing from the Gothic Horror theme, a number of those dark and deadly stories were inspired by classic sci-fi and horror stories, adding to the richness of the Fourth Doctors stories in his early run. Planet Of Evil is a stunning adventure to watch. The planet is one of the best- realised worlds Doctor Who ever created. The semi visible anti matter monster (just a red glowing outline) is very much inspired by the creature from the id from the 1956 sci-fi classic The Forbidden Planet, while the possessed professor Sorenson is an obvious Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde character. Then we have my favourite Fourth Doctor story, The Seeds of Doom, which begins with a tense two stories in the Antarctic that play as a direct homage to The Thing before transferring to England for a gripping play on Day Of The Triffids. And with the shadowy goings on in Victorian London in The Talons Of Weng Chiang there are more than enough references to Sherlock Holmes, right down to the Doctors costume! The aforementioned The Brain Of Morbius is Doctor Whos attempt at a Frankenstein in space and it stands out as the best adaption of them all. The Frankenstein-inspired Solon resurrects the evil Timelord Morbius, creating a hideous creature as a result. The moment where a temporarily blinded Sarah Jane stumbles into the creature is tense and ghoulish. A pure classic!