Inspired by a series of Facebook posts that I saw, we are going to run through an alphabetical series of Doctor Who-related themes. Today we continue this with the letter E…
(Daily Doctor Who #275)
The Eighties
The last decade of the original series’ life, the ’80 featured pretty much the entire producer-ship of John Nathan-Turner, and all of the 5th, 6th & 7th Doctors, and a bit of the 4th. That’s a total of 48 stories, if you count all of Trial of a Time Lord as one serial. Plus the last two episodes of The Horns of Nimon right in January 1980.
There are a number of good stories from that era (and not a few bad ones), but there are two in particular that stand out as my favorite…
The Caves of Androzani
Peter Davison’s last story is also one of the show’s best. It’s gripping science fiction action thriller with a tight script by Robert Holmes, energetic direction by Graeme Harper, and outstanding performances by Davison and the whole guest cast, including Christopher Gable, John Normington and Maurice Roëves.
Generally, Androzani is my go-to pick for a favorite story of the era, but there’s another one that comes close and which in a lot of ways is actually more fun to watch
Remembrance of the Daleks
This four-part serial kicked off the 25th season of the show, bringing the Doctor face to face with his most classic enemies for the last time in the original series. It wasn’t Sylvester McCoy’s first outing as the Doctor but it was the first one that featured the more manipulative persona that he came to be known for.
The story is an exciting romp which featured some layered storytelling, some cool supporting characters, and a scene where Ace smashes up some Daleks with a baseball bat.
There are other good stories from the 1980’s, but for my money, these are two of the best.
Blue Towel Productions 
The 80s, with the exception of Ace, was not the best decade for creating newer female companions in Doctor Who. We of course had the best example of female bonding for the Whoniverse between Nyssa and Tegan. But Ace was most timely thanks to the ensuing era of boldly heroic sci-fi women, starting with Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton, where Sophie Aldred’s bravery for the role is most naturalistically encouraging. Especially thanks to the final season where Ace could match the Doctor quite formidably. It’s ironic that the abrupt end for the classic Doctor Who might have been where John Nathan-Turner’s reign had most satisfyingly nailed it.