What was your favorite Tom Baker era ?

[Mikey]

What was your favorite Tom Baker era ?

I guess a good way to sum up the era's is by using his companions as era markers ...
But, i'm not asking who is your favorite companion.

1. Sarah Jane
2. Leela
3. Romana (both)

Mine would be the Sarah Jane era, followed closely by the Leela era.

[david_b]

Sarah Jane era, followed VERY closely by Leela..

"Face of Evil" (Leela's first story) is STILL one of the best of the Baker tenure. Very surprise it's not been released yet.

david_b

[jwyblejr]

I'd go by producer myself and say the Phillip Hinchcliffe era. That way you cover both Sarah Jane and Leela.

[JediJaida]

Sarah Jane, Leela and Romana 1.

I couldn't stand Lalla Ward's portrayal for some odd reason.

She reminded me of a flat chested Barbie doll.

[johnmiic]

Mike,

I think you can break it down like this. You can see definate style changes in the show depending not just on the Producer but on he Script or Story Editor.

S 12: Robot - P. Barry Letts/ Scr Ed. -Robert Holmes
S 12 to S 14: Ark in Space to Talons of Weng Chiang- Philip Hinchcliffe/ Scr Ed. -Robert Holmes

S 15: Horror at Fang Rock to The Invasion of Time, P. Graham Williams/St Ed. Anthony Read

S 16 to S 17: The Ribos Operation to Horns of Nimon - P.- Graham Williams/St Ed. Douglas Adams

S 18: Leisure Hive to Logopolis - P.- JNT/ St Ed. Christopher H. Bidmead

Interesting to note/trivia, (corrct me if I am wrong): Unit appears in 4 stories, The Brigadier in 2, Timelords in 3, Daleks appear in only 2 stories, Cybermen in 1 story, Bessie in 1 story, Sontarans in 4 episodes/2 different stories, Leela screams only once - Talons of..., Krynoid costume was actually the Axon costume reused, 2 different K-9's, 2 different actors played: K-9, Romana, & Davros, 3 different actors played The Master, Season 18 was unique in that all the companions & The Doctor have been replaced with different ones by season's end. Up until then I don' t think that had ever happened before.

[jds1911a1]

I like johnmiic era's I agree that the style of the show is driven most by the producer script editor (hence why season 18 and 19 aren't very good)

[david_b]

I like johnmiic era's I agree that the style of the show is driven most by the producer script editor (hence why season 18 and 19 aren't very good)

Agreed.., Phillip Hinchcliffe's tenure was the BEST..

Like most, I didn't like Baker's final years with JNT. Couldn't STAND the new starry opening and logo.. It seemed too cheesy to me.

david_b

[palitoy]

Sarah followed by first season of Leela are my absolute favourites. The rest is a mixed bag of good to blech for me.

[Mikey]

Even though I like Sarah's time the best, there's still a few stories in there that I don't particularly love including Revenge of the Cybermen and Pyramids of Mars.

I know, you're asking, PYRAMIDS OF MARS ???

Yea, I just don't care for it much --- thought it was kind of boring.

[palitoy]

I'm in the minority it seems on Revenge as I love it but I've never heard someone say they didn't like Pyramids of Mars before.

[Mikey]

I'm in the minority it seems on Revenge as I love it but I've never heard someone say they didn't like Pyramids of Mars before.

I don't exactly not like Pyramids ... I just don't love it and wouldn't list it in top-10 lists like a lot of people do.

[johnmiic]

Many regard the Philip Hinchcliffe/Robert Holmes era as the best version of DW. I admit the horror elements were great but it is one style in a show that changes all the time. Anthony Read seems like Robert Holmes lite. Holmes should have bucked Mary Whitehouse's criticisms and stayed 1 more year. He should've really let loose and put a real cherry on top of his tenure.

I like what Douglas Adams & Chris H. Bidmead brought to the show. The science was over the top but if they could have reeled Adams in just a bit I think stories like The Pirate Planet & The Stones of Blood would have been much better. Much of the Key to Time seems ho-hum to me. I think concept-wise Logopolis into Castrovalva was a fantastic idea.

My biggest pet peeve is State of Decay. It seems to be a really bad story but is well liked in the UK. I thought The Leisure Hive was really good, very stylish, yet most consider it average.

Has anyone noticed the slave ship in Warriors Gate seems to have influenced the design of Firefly/Serenity?

[Mikey]

Just watched The Seeds of Doom last night.

Man, that's a great story.

Yes, it's a ripoff of other things but still fun to watch.

[Thor]

The era starting with S15 seems to be my favorie era. I like the stories and writing from this period.

[bobws]

Hinchcliffe/Holmes era RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!