3. The Design
For me the scope and splendour of the design in Doctor Who was never better than the Fourth Doctors era. Its not to say that other Doctors looked cheap, though the Earth bound nature of the Third Doctors adventures allowed for a reduction in budget and the sets were beginning to look a little tired in later Doctors stories. But in the Fourth, they captured all of time and space perfectly. I previously mentioned the planet of the Planet Of Evil. For a studio set it comes across as truly believable as a dark and forbidding alien jungle. It so impressed the BBC that they kept photos of the production for years to come. And other settings, from Victorian London and the nuclear wasteland of Skaro to the vampire castle in State Of Decay and the white, dreamlike realm from Warriors Gate looked amazing. My two favourite sets from this era were wood panelled Tardis of series 14, a great change from the classic white set that celebrated the gothic period the show was in. The other is Gallifrey itself. The Timelord costumes are magnificently elaborate, conveying the arrogance and power of the Doctors people. My favourite element of design was the green; marble like walls, distinctly aged and imperialthough it was a shame a number of additional sets (The Invasion Of Time, Im looking at you) couldnt hide the fact that they were boiler rooms and loading bays