Extracting bits from time and space - blogger and comedian John Cooper has a list of other peoples favourite things
Summer means convention time and in a little street in Manchester I'm helping plan "Vworp 3" the annual pub-based Doctor Who mini-con. I have in front of me list. A list of Doctor Who moments compiled by the likes of Graeme Harper, Terrance Dicks, Rob Shearman and other respected Who contributors.
Why do I have this list?
The theme of the mini-con this year is "Six of the Best", a loose premise for guests to pick out their favourite clips to show and discuss them by way of informal interview.
I tried it and it's not an easy task even for a devoted fan, simply because there's so much stuff. Even sticking to TV canon, picking out six choice moments from several hundred hours of television... (I'll reveal my level of geekery in that I did actually try and work out just how many hours of TV Doctor Who is currently at and my best guess is 95,000. Does anyone know better?)
Myself and a mate did it together and despite our frequent passionate fan waffle, pulling out a half dozen very specific moments was tricky, but then holding them up to the light revealed - apart from how old we feel - just as much about ourselves as fans as it did about us as people.
I can't possibly reveal moments off the list for fear of having my hands cut off, but couldn't resist revealing some of my own, so forgive the indulgence here are just a few...
Resurrection of the Daleks, 1984
"Once before I held back from destroying the Daleks, it was a mistake I do not intend to repeat.... Davros must die."
Serious words form the Fifth Doctor as he marches into Davros's control room with the bloke from the likely lads, then points a massive gun at Davros's head.
Edge of Destruction, 1964
"A planet. A planet in the solar system. Getting further away. Blinding flash! Destruction. Yes of course! It's our journey."
The First Doctor works out why everyone has gone a bit mad in the TARDIS as they hurtle towards the big bang, then goes on to describe how universes are formed. Hartnell at his best.
Frontios, 1984
"I'm not helping, officially. And if anyone happens to ask whether I made any material difference to the welfare of this planet, you can tell them I came and went like a summer cloud."
The Fifth Doctor looks over his specs doing the "old man in a young man's body" thing making a firm stand on his non-intervention rule, despite breaking it several times before and since.
Planet of the Daleks, 1972
"Throughout history you Thals have been known as one of the most peace loving peoples in the galaxy... when you get back to Skaro you'll all be national heroes, everyone will want to hear about your adventures... Be careful how you tell that story. Don't glamorise it, don't make war sound like an exciting and thrilling game... Tell them about the members of your mission that will not be returning, like Marat and Vaber. Tell them about the fear. Otherwise your people might relish the idea of war... and we don't want that."
After defeating the big golden bling Dalek, Doctor number three offers advice to war hardened Thals.
This is a personal article by John Cooper, one of our 12 site contributors. Got a favourite moment from classic Who? Let us know, either in the comment thread here or on the forum. Vworp 3 takes place on Sunday 18 July at The Lass O’Gowrie pub in Manchester.
