Doctor Who, Season Seventeen

Although numerically speaking, Seasons Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen have showed consistently lower averages for me than the preceding three seasons, I have to say that after the heavy-handed Hammer schtick of Seasons Thirteen and Fourteen, the Graham Williams era was a bit of a relief. Although the execution of the episodes themselves has been a bit slipshod in places, the general spirit of adventure and lighthearted focus have endeared themselves to me.

I think it's really a pity that circumstances so consistently conspired against this production team, and it makes me unhappy to think that Williams, who left us far too soon, was never accorded enough praise during his life for his work on the program. He made do with what he had, and the spirit and resolve shown in that is admirable.

Despite, again, Season Seventeen having the lowest average scores of any season so far, I hope that this does not give the impression that I was dissatisfied with it. This is mostly a result of Destiny of the Daleks dragging the rest down like a dead albatross. On the whole, I was very pleased with the tone and the humor of this season, and expect to revisit it again in the future.

Here's the score breakdown:

Destiny of the Daleks - 4.50
Episode One - 6.00
Episode Two - 5.00
Episode Three - 4.00
Episode Four - 3.00

City of Death - 10.00
Part One - 10.00
Part Two - 10.00
Part Three - 10.00
Part Four - 10.00

The Creature from the Pit - 7.00
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 7.00
Part Four - 6.00

Nightmare of Eden - 7.75
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 8.00
Part Three - 7.00
Part Four - 8.00

The Horns of Nimon - 5.75
Part One - 7.00
Part Two - 6.00
Part Three - 5.00
Part Four - 5.00

Best episode: City of Death, Part One - 10.00
Runner-up: City of Death, Part Four - 10.00
Worst episode: Destiny of the Daleks, Episode Four - 3.00

Season Seventeen average: 7.00

Best guest appearance: Julian Glover as Scaroth of the Jagaroth (City of Death)
Best special effect: The Jagaroth spaceship exploding (City of Death)
Best musical score: City of Death (Dudley Simpson)

The "best of" segment wasn't really intended as a City of Death runaway awards show, but so fall the chips.

Say, isn't there a sixth story missing from this little lineup? That, like time, is relative, but Shada is next anyway.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 6 October 2021.)