Scrolling through the official Doctor Who YouTube channel, looking for any videos that could provide hints or clues of what to expect from this year's Christmas special, one video caught my eye. At first, I thought it was just a clip from the classic serial "Genesis of the Daleks". Or even a compilation of clips, as they sometimes do for certain stories.
Then I looked closer, and saw it wasn't just a single clip, or even several. It was "Genesis of the Daleks". The entire classic serial, from start to finish. And it's available to watch for free on YouTube. If you haven't seen it already, watch it right here and enjoy one of the best and most important stories from the show's long history.
Even better is that it's not the only story from the Classic Series that's been uploaded in its entirety. Not only is "Spearhead from Space" also available to watch. But there's also another official Doctor Who YouTube channel, one dedicated to the Classic Series. And it features even more complete stories.
Doctor Who: Classic
The new Doctor Who: Classic channel looks like an exciting way of bringing Classic Who to a new audience. Especially as it's not just uploading random clips, but full stories. Here's the channel's official description.
"Travel in the TARDIS with full episodes dating back to the Doctor's first incarnation. See the Doctor meet the Daleks and Cybermen for the first time, watch all of their regenerations and relive friendships with companions like Sarah Jane Smith, Ace and many more."Doctor Who: Classic YouTube channel
Full episodes. That's quite a promise, and right now, they seem to be sticking to it. Entire stories have been uploaded to the channel every day for the past week. So far, it's been an interesting mix. Some of the uploaded stories have been true classics, like "Spearhead from Space" - still one of the very best "new Doctor" stories in the show's long history.
Other stories feature important introductions. "The Time Warrior" is a perfect example. Not only does it include the first-ever appearance of iconic companion Sarah Jane Smith. It also introduced the brilliant warrior race the Sontarans. The story is a lot of fun to watch, as well.
Admittedly, one or two of the stories have been odd ones. For example, "Warriors' Gate" has recently been uploaded. It's not a bad story, but it is missing some context, as it's the final story of a trilogy. On the other hand, it's Doctor Who that can be watched for free, so I can't complain. And who knows: maybe non-UK fans will finally get to see Tales of the TARDIS on either one of these channels! We can certainly hope.