4. The Dramatic Moments
Before I mentioned the humour that permeated many of the great Fourth Doctor stories. But like any great era, there were some brilliant dramatic moments too that continue to be remembered as the high points of Doctor Who to this day. From the softer, bittersweet moments (Sarah Janes goodbye at the end of The Hand Of Fear) to the draw-dropping cliff-hangers (the shocking reveal of the decimated Master and the Doctor assassinating the President of the Timelords in The Deadly Assassin), the Fourth Doctor had it all. But nothing beats Genesis Of The Daleks. At this stage in Doctor Who history, there seemed little that could be done to develop these enemies further. Enter Davros. What brought this story into the realms of Doctor Who greatness were the dramatic moments that went further than the audience could ever have imagined. Davros killing his own people and torturing the Doctor to gain knowledge of future Dalek defeats, in an effort to avert them, were both gripping to watch. But it is the moment the Doctor finds himself unable to destroy the Kaled mutation chamber that stands out as a pinnacle moment for the Doctor. The decision not to commit genocide has huge ramifications for everything that came before and after. Its a huge shame that they kept brining Davros back for every subsequent classic Doctor Who story. In the end he became a caricature of his cold and ruthless self. But even so, nothing can really stop this for being one of the most dramatic stories shown to date.