Sam: So Greg. As we close in to our top three Pertwee stories, would you say that this era is perhaps the creepiest of the whole run of Doctor Who?
Greg: That’s a very intriguing question. Do you know, I haven’t given that much thought, but it probably is, isn’t it?
Sam: They really went all out to scare during the Pertwee Era. It’s not a kids’ programme. But rather a show that kids and adults can enjoy.
Greg: There’s not a single scare to be had in the Peter Davison era. Bland. Tom Baker was mostly fun with a bit of Gothic, as was Patrick Troughton. William Hartnell’s time maybe gives him a run for his money? Or Colin Baker’s first season of video nasties? But certainly, the early Pertwee Era still gives me the willies to this day.
Sam: I think we all enjoy being scared, and the protective cloak of Pertwee’s Doctor is a significant image, isn’t it?
Greg: The Mother Hen.
Sam: The Mother Pertwee. His Doctor – walking tall with authority – is a protective shield against some of the horrors we see in his era; everything from a toy doll that strangles its owner to demonic terrors in the night, or civilisation as you know it ending in flame and fury.
Greg: I’m getting palpitations just thinking about it.
Sam: What’s in the third position? The Bronze award of Jon Pertwee greatness?
Greg: For me, a story that is undoubtedly one of the scariest in the entire Who canon. Jon’s debut, filmed on glorious 16mm in 1969. In full living colour, and on location…
Sam: I’ve seen it. The One With The Shop Window Dummies!
