Doctor Who, Season Twelve

What an inventive, invincible season!

Season Twelve has quickly transformed Doctor Who into a cosmic adventure again, just as it was in the 1960s. It would be easy to attribute this to the new production team, but all of the stories of this production block were commissioned by Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks. Sort of a parting gift, then, and one which Hinchcliffe and Holmes handled with surprising grace, considering what a mess the production seems to have been.

Two more classic stories were given to us this season, plus three solid but less extraordinary entries to the canon. Here's the score breakdown:

Robot - 7.25
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 7.00
Part Four - 7.00

The Ark in Space - 9.50
Part One - 9.00
Part Two - 9.00
Part Three - 10.00
Part Four - 10.00

The Sontaran Experiment - 8.00
Part One - 9.00
Part Two - 7.00

Genesis of the Daleks - 10.00
Part One - 10.00
Part Two - 10.00
Part Three - 10.00
Part Four - 10.00
Part Five - 10.00
Part Six - 10.00

Revenge of the Cybermen - 7.25
Part One - 7.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 8.00
Part Four - 7.00

Best episode: Genesis of the Daleks, Part One - 10.00
Runner-up: Genesis of the Daleks, Part Six - 10.00
"Worst" episode: The Sontaran Experiment, Part Two - 7.00

Season Twelve average: 8.60

Best guest appearance: Michael Wisher as Davros (Genesis of the Daleks)
Best special effect: The giant Robot K-1 (Robot)
Best musical score: Revenge of the Cybermen (Carey Blyton & Peter Howell)

Say, aren't we short somewhere between four and six episodes for this season? Why, yes... The last story of this production block was carried over into Season Thirteen to move Doctor Who back to an autumn start for the first time since 1968. We'd best get on with that. Terror of the Zygons is next.

(Modified from the original posted on Gallifrey Base on 18 April 2021.)