7. The Invasion
“The Invasion” is another unexpected choice I’ve decided to throw into the mix. By itself, this story might sound like a throw away: it’s eight parts long and the Cybermen don’t even appear until Episode 4. Still, the most iconic part of the story is when the Cybermen finally show their hand and begin their invasion of London in earnest. We see Cybermen coming out of the sewers, walking around the streets – the money shot is of them appearing at the top of the steps by St. Pauls Cathedral. As a child, I vividly remember having nightmares of this scene of the Cybermen invading, and it’s stuck with me even till this day.
6. An Unearthly Child
Now I’m going to cheat a little bit here with this particular moment. On November 22nd, 1963, (the same day President Kennedy was shot), Doctor Who hit our television screens for the first time. It introduced us to this mysterious old man who refers to himself as ‘The Doctor’, his highly intelligent granddaughter and a mystical police telephone box that was somehow bigger on the inside. It laid down the foundations for a show that’s still running 50 years later. Exactly how it is referenced in “The Day of the Doctor” remains to be seen – whether the famous Totter’s Lane sign makes it reappearance or, perhaps, something even subtler – but it formed the touchstone for the whole of Who as we know it.
5. Daleks
The Doctor’s second adventure took him and Susan into the future and the planet of Skaro. The Doctor, fascinated by this futuristic city, wants to explore,though in hindsight a touch of caution might have proven invaluable. It was in this story that The Doctor came across his most dangerous and relentless foe: the Daleks. This seven-episode story introduced these monsters to the British public and scared children into hiding behind the sofas. With promised reveals about the nature of the Time War, the most deadliest of the universe’s menaces will definitely take up a starring role in anniversary proceedings.
4. Cliff Hangers
Like any good episodic serial, the key to getting the viewers back for next week’s episode is to leave them wanting more, leave them asking questions, hoping that our hero will not meet his maker. I’m talking of course about the cliffhanger. It became the benchmark of every Doctor Who episode. It wasn’t until the John Pertwee episode ‘”The Claws of Axos” where the theme sting was introduced leading into the classic Doctor Who title track.
