Doctor Who: William Hartnell’s 10 Best Episodes

by Max Beeman

1. The Tenth Planet

Doctor Who Tenth Planet

Episode: Season 4, Episode 2

Companions: Ben Jackson, Polly Wright

The TARDIS lands on Earth 1986 on the South Pole, and the Doctor and his companions are brought inside a snowcap base near where the TARDIS landed. The base is running a routine check of the earth's atmosphere from the Zeus IV rocket, and while doing so they find a tenth planet approaching Earth. It is discovered that this is the planet Mondas, home of the Cybermen, and the Cybermen are leeching energy from the earth in order to fuel their planet. General Cutler, the man in charge of the base alerts their headquarters of the attack. His son is then set on a mission to save the Zeus IV rocket, and Cutler himself takes charge to attack Mondas, using the powerful Z-bomb directly against orders. The Doctor is weary and advises that the only action they take is to wait out the Cybermen since their planet would suffer from too much energy and die out on it's own. However Cutler is determined to destroy Mondas and save his son, even if it means the death of half the population. This episode marks the last of the William Hartnell years, and he surely left with a bang, even though the Doctor was only in the first and last part. The last episode is lost, but it has been recovered and well-restored with animation. It's really interesting seeing the origin of the Cybermen, and though 'Rise of the Cybermen' conflicts with this, it's assumed that one day the Cybermen from both dimensions met up and upgraded together since they share the same morales, and goals. This episode is also very intense, giving us dramatic grist for the mill with a power struggle, and the conflicting morals of the base. The struggle is not only with the Cybermen but through the base on how to handle the situation, and that makes for a compelling watch. William Hartnell created a base for how the show should be. He brought a sense of adventure, and brought viewers to fantastic places. Without William Hartnell, the show would not be how it is today. Be sure to watch "An Adventure Through Space and Time" on November 22nd to see how the show started off, and if you've got any comments, please leave them below!
Contributor
Contributor

Max Beeman is currently a senior in High School. He is the creator of Hermits United, the first High School Doctor Who club and is a proud geek. He obsesses over things such as Pokemon, Chip music, Walking Dead, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Max plans on going on an epic Youtube adventure of high fiving all people who inflience geek culture after college.