There are loads of references to Classic Doctor Who in the new season. Here are the episodes you need to watch to prepare.
From the looks of the Doctor Who Season 10 trailer, the upcoming season of NuWho may be the most nostalgic yet. From the Mondasian Cybermen to the Ice Warriors to the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver, it's filled with references to Classic Doctor Who — yet another reason why the timing of the release of BritBox's Classic Who streaming collection couldn't be better.
Season 10 seems to be a trip down Doctor Who memory lane for Steven Moffat, Peter Capaldi, and Who fans. We've already written a general American's Guide to Classic Doctor Who, but, if you're a NuWho fan who's excited to "get" all of the Classic Who references in Doctor Who Season 10, here are the seven episodes of Classic Who you should head over to BritBox to watch before the new season hits Saturday...
Check out the complete Classic Doctor Who library on BritBox!
"The Daleks" (First Doctor, Season 1)
Connection to Season 10: First appearance of the Daleks.
The Daleks are the opposite of unfamiliar to fans of NuWho. They have been a part of the NuWho universe since the very first season, when they were introduced during the Ninth Doctor's tenure. Never ones to stay away for long, they will be back in Season 10, in the very first episode of the season, causing trouble for the Twelfth Doctor and his new companion Bill Potts.
How best to prepare for the return of the Daleks? With the very first introduction of the Daleks in the second ever story of Classic Who, aptly named "The Daleks." In the classic story, the TARDIS brings William Hartnell's First Doctor and his companions Ian, Barbara, and Susan to Skaro, the homeworld of the Daleks and the Thals, a race of pacifist humanoids who must fight for their survival from the Daleks. "The Daleks" was the episode that, by all accounts, really captured the British people's imagination and made Doctor Who a hit.
Watch "The Daleks" on BritBox
"The Seeds of Death" (Second Doctor, Season 6)
Connection to Season 10: The Ice Warriors will be back in Episode 9 of Season 10.
Watch out, Season 10! The Ice Warriors are coming for you — this time, in an episode penned by Mark Gatiss. Eagle-eyed viewers of the Season 10 trailer have seen what look like female members of the Ice Warrior race. This will mark the first time we have ever seen female Ice Warriors and only the second time the alien race will appear in NuWho, following their appearance in Season 7's "Cold War."
Sadly, the Ice Warriors' original appearance — in Season 5's "The Ice Warriors"— is partially-missing and currently unavailable. However, the streaming service does have the Ice Warriors second appearance — in Season 6's "The Seeds of Death"— and it features the same adorably clunky costumes from the first story.
In "The Seeds of Death," the Second Doctor and companions Jamie and Zoe are hanging out in a 21st century space museum on Earth when they find out the planet has lost contact with the moon. They hitch a ride to the satellite to find that a group of those pesky Ice Warriors have taken over the moonbase and have some nefarious plans...
Watch "The Seeds of Death" on BritBox
"Terror of the Autons" (Third Doctor, Season 8)
Connection to Season 10: First appearance of the Master.
Missy, aka the latest incarnation of the Master, has been an integral part of the Twelfth Doctor's run, so it makes sense that she will be back in Season 10 for his last hurrah. To get ready for that delightful experience, we recommend watching the Master's original appearance during the Third Doctor's reign in "Terror of the Autons."
Like Twelve, Jon Pertwee's turn as the Doctor was also partially-defined by his relationship with his Time Lord frenemy. "Terror of the Autons" is where that first starts, with Roger Delgado's Master popping onto the scene with a dual plot to both take down humanity and his old foe, the Doctor. His method? Use a Nestene energy unit to control the plastic of the world, including killer Autons, plastic mannequins capable of forming an army. (NuWho fan will recognize this scheme from "Rose.)
In addition to being relevant to Season 10, "Terror of the Autons" is just a great episode of Classic Who (in fact, it was our "essential adventure" suggestion for the Third Doctor in An American's Guide to Classic Doctor Who), and introduces companion Jo Grant and recurring UNIT character Mike Yates to the Doctor's team.
Watch "Terror of the Autons" on BritBox
"The Sontaran Experiment" (Fourth Doctor, Season 12)
Connection to Season 10: The Fourth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver
In the Season 10 trailer, the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver gets some serious play. We see the Doctor throw it to Matt Lucas' Nardole, who then gets to use it in various action-fueled situations. Basically, it seems like the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver is going to get some major play in one of the Season 10 episodes.
What better way to prepare for the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver's Season 10 episode-in-the-spotlight then with a Fourth Doctor episode. We've chosen "The Sontaran Experiment" because the sonic screwdriver is a particularly worthy companion in this Classic Who ep. Problems solved include: fixing a circle of transmat refractors, breaching a force field, and shutting down Styre's robot. All without breaking a sweat!
More generally, "The Sontaran Experiment" finds the Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry arriving on a nearly-deserted Earth where a group of shipwrecked astronauts are being experimented on by Sontarans. The story was only two parts, making it the shortest Doctor Who story of the 1970s.
Watch "The Sontaran Experiment" on BritBox
"The King's Demons" (Fifth Doctor, Season 20)
Connection to Season 10: The Master, of course!
This list wouldn't be complete without an appearance from Peter Davison's Doctor and what better way to prepare for Season 10 than with another incarnation of the Master? After all, there will be at least two incarnations of the Master in Season 10: Michelle Gomez's Missy and John Simm's Master.
"The King's Demons" sees Anthony Ainley portraying the Doctor's arch-frenemy in this tale of jousting, imposters, and shape-changing androids. (We're looking at you, Kamelion.) When the Doctor and companions Tegan and Turlough arrive in 1215 England, King John greets them warmly as his "demons," which immediately sets the Doctor's spidey sense tingling. The Master must be near!
"The King's Demons" may have been the lowest-rated story of the Fifth Doctor's era, but it involves Davison getting a chance to show off his fencing skills and attempts to tell a Doctor Who story about the signing of the Magna Carta. What's not to like?
Watch "The King's Demons" on BritBox
"Attack of the Cybermen" (Sixth Doctor, Season 22)
Connection to Season 10: The Mondasian Cybermen are back!
The Mondasian Cybermen are back in Season 10, which means it's time to dive back into the First Doctor story that first introduced the original version of the Cybermen. Given that the Mondasian Cybermen will be featured in the two-part finale of Season 10, which will also presumably see Peter Capaldi's regeneration into the next version of the Doctor, these Classic Who villains have a major part to play in NuWho history.
The Mondasian Cybermen first appeared in the First Doctor's story "The Tenth Planet." Unfortunately, "The Tenth Planet" is currently a missing episode, so we've given you this serial to try out instead!
In the Sixth Doctor's "Attack of the Cybermen," the Doctor runs into the Cybermen in 1985 as they plot to change the course of human history by crashing Halley's Comet into the planet. (Yeah, not the most elaborate plan, but it would probably get the job done.) Things are further complicated by the involvement of Lytton, a villainous mercenary last seen working with the Daleks in "Resurrection of the Daleks."
"Attack of the Cybermen" is notable both for being in a 45-minute format (most Classic Who installments were 25 minutes), and for being particularly violent. (Gotta love the Sixth Doctor!) It was chosen by Whovians to be representative of the Sixth Doctor's tenure for the 40th anniversary celebration rebroadcast.
Watch "Attack of the Cybermen" on BritBox
"Survival" (Seventh Doctor, Season 26)
Connection to Season 10: Rona Munro, who penned "Survival," also wrote the ninth episode of Season 10: "The Eaters of Light."
Classic Who writer Rona Munro is back for the ninth episode of Season 10, making her the only writer so far to write for both Classic and NuWho. That's pretty cool. Munro has penned the ninth episode of the season, called "The Eaters of Light." (Great name.) What can we expect from her installment? Perhaps we can get from clues from her Classic Who story: the Seventh Doctor's "Survival."
The last episode of Classic Who before the show entered the so-called "Wilderness Years,""Survival" truly is one-of-a-kind. Guys, there are Cheetah People. People... who are Cheetahs. Though contemporary production values may not have been quite up to portraying that particular idea, "Survival" is a solid episode of Classic Who, bringing Ace's story as the Doctor's companion to some kind of thematic conclusion, even if it wasn't meant to be one.
In "Survival," the Doctor brings Ace back to her suburban hometown, only to find out that some of her friends have been kidnapped by a race of alien hunters known as the Cheetah People. Of course, the Master is involved with the harebrained scheme — just another Season 10-relevant aspect of the three-part story.