I think "The Invisible Enemy" was the first one I saw as well. To my eternal shame, the earliest thing I remember seeing Jon Pertwee in was WHODUNNIT.

My first real memory is probably Peri being turned into a bird in Vengeance on Varos.

The first story I really watched, and watched and took notice of though, was The Five Doctors, because my brother had it on video.

It wasn't until the McCoy years that I became quite obsessed.

Jon Pertwee wandering through caves of crystal to confront a ginormous spider.

Planet of the Spiders - does that make me the oldest one here? Cor blimey.

Wow, 1974?

My earliest memory was 11 years after that.

'The Keeper of Traken' - whichever cliffhanger has the glowing eyes on the woman who is strangled. The vid is in the other room but I'm saving it for a rainy day.

That single image haunted me for a decade, until I actually got a copy. Then I realised it wasn't actually that frightening.

It's not, is it?

It's not in the least bit convincing.

The only thing which really sticks in my mind was the Bertie Basset type character, The Candyman was it? Him, climbing through airducts and chasing people, and his sinister laugh. Still can't eat liquorice.

The one with the huge squid.

A Leela story. Not entirely sure which one.

"The one with the huge squid."

Was it attacking a sort of oil-refinery-type-thing? Then that would be "The Power Of Kroll".

I remember being terrified by (I think in a Tom Baker story) someone brushing sand aside on a desert type thing, to reveal a laughing clowns face.
Scared me rigid.
I'm still frightened of clowns to this day.

That would be the weird virtaul-reality type bit when he entered the Matrix in The Deadly Assassin. Which was also my 1st DW story.

I can remember that bit too - so maybe my first story was pre-Leela...

Well, DA was the one before "Face Of Evil", the 1st Leela story.

It was also the only story not to feature any companions, just the Dr on his own, fact fans.

I have vague recollections of some Jon Pertwee ones, as my dad used to watch it, but thats the first one I have any tangible recollection of.
"Deady Assassin", eh?

Well... it's not actually tangible at all, is it?

Jon Pertwee in the dinosaurs one.

>"The one with the huge squid."
>
>Was it attacking a sort of oil-refinery-type-thing? Then that would be "The Power Of Kroll".

Yeah. Lots of green people. And it was a HUUUGE squid.

That's because it was the 5th segment of the Key To Time. When the Dr touched it with the tracer, it vanished, leaving the crystal of the segment, whilst the squid turned into lots of little squids.

Funny how so many people cite "Deadly Assassin", because it has to be mine too. Before I'd read the Target book, seen the Superchannel repeats of 1988-9, or the BBC video, I always vividly remembered a scene where the Doc got his boot caught in between the points of a railways track, and a train rushing towards him. My next earliest memory is Mr Sin stalking about with his knife in "Talons of Weng Chiang". Contrary to popular belief (and public information films of the day) neither of these memories ever inspired me to go and play on railway tracks, pick fights with dwarves, or become embroiled in Chinese tong warfare....

Simon - did you get the tape???

>Simon - did you get the tape???

Yes, I was going to email you later today - haven't heard it yet, saving it for the weekend! Will send you "Blue Box" next week.

I have strong memories of "Deadly Assassin" too. The clown bit and the WW1 soldier especially. I remember finding the whole Matrix sequence distinctly unnerving, mainly because Tom Baker wasn't wearing his scarf and this seemed to remove some of the 'Doctor Who-ness' from it, if you see what I mean.

>Tom Baker wasn't wearing his scarf and this seemed to remove some of the 'Doctor Who-ness' from it

He was when he first arrived - he used it to try and save himself while sliding down a cliff face. Then the samurai warrior came along, sliced through it with a sword, and then a terrible, bendy-legged dummy dressed in Tom Baker's clothes fell off the cliff in a wide shot...

>>Then the samurai warrior came along, sliced through it with a sword, and then a terrible, bendy-legged dummy dressed in Tom Baker's clothes fell off the cliff in a wide shot...
>
>
At last - a Goodies/Dr Who crossover!


To be fair I knew the Doctor arrived in his ususal garb, which made his later scarflessness all the more worrying, as if the outer layers of his character were being peeled away.

I had similar feelings when Peter Davison unravelled the 4th Doctor's scarf in Castrovalva.

>To be fair I knew the Doctor arrived in his ususal garb, which made his later scarflessness all the more worrying, as if the outer layers of his character were being peeled away.

No he didn't - he was jacket-less and hat-less

>I had similar feelings when Peter Davison unravelled the 4th Doctor's scarf in Castrovalva.

Mmm, aged 10 I sat there thinking, "that little old lady who had to knit that must be really upset".... They were so determined to stamp out Tom they even ripped his costume up!

I guess it's time I stuck my oar in here. The earliest story I have a definite memory of is the Face of Evil, but I have an earlier memory of knocking on the TV screen in antagonism when the Daleks appeared! No hiding behind the sofa for me (perversely I did that when Bagpuss changed from black and white to colour. Go figure.) I remember Horror of Fang Rock, Invisible Enemy and Sumakers very clearly, but I didn't start watching regularly until the Five Faces repeats. I suppose I was a late developer!

I don't want to be picky - especially if I'm wrong! - but I remember the Doc arrving on Gallifrey in his usual costume at the start of the story. That's what I meant. I will stand to be corrected on this - it is donkey's years since I saw it!

>I don't want to be picky - especially if I'm wrong! - but I remember the Doc arrving on Gallifrey in his usual costume at the start of the story. That's what I meant. I will stand to be corrected on this - it is donkey's years since I saw it!

I thought you meant his arrival in the Matrix nightmare world.... Yes, at the start of "The Deadly Assassin" he was in normal gear. He abandoned it on a dummy in the Capitol museum when stealing the Gold Usher's rayment. For a while he was in this wrap-around robe with his long johns underneath, and on his arrest and torture he ended up in the brown trousers, boots and buccaneer shirt ensemble. So, when he arrived in the Matrix he had all that gear on, but bizarrely had the scarf too - why not the hat and jacket? That's what I meant in my last message...

Just to answer the question:

Full Circle (1980)

It was black and white and man is standing surrounded in foam and being pulled underneath the foam.....if you know which one one that is I suggest you seek counseling!!

>It was black and white and man is standing surrounded in foam and being pulled underneath the foam.....if you know which one one that is I suggest you seek counseling!!

Hey, that's me! And I urgently need the services of a chiropractor... I think you must be talking about "Fury from the Deep", from Troughton's second season (1968) Guest performance from Victor Maddern, the brilliant 50s-70s film and TV actor who is always underrated, and there are hardly any sequences surviving except someone's dodgy colour 8mm cine home movie, and some clips retrieved from Australia's TV censorship department...Check out the video of "The Missing Years" released with "The Ice Warriors" box set in 1998...