November 23, 2025, marks 62 years of the BBC’s Doctor Who, making it the longest-running science-fiction series in TV history. Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson, Doctor Who first hit our screens in 1963 and introduced British audiences to the first iteration of the titular time-traveling explorer, the Doctor. Between 1963 and 1966, the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell — best known for portraying military characters in projects such as In Which We Serve, The Way Ahead, Carry On Sergeant, and more — embarked on some of the show’s most memorable adventures.
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Many of the First Doctor’s episodes of Doctor Who are of their time, and are perhaps best being lost to time, but there are some that stand out as the best adventures in the series’ history. The show kicked off with “An Unearthly Child,” which introduced the entire concept of Doctor Who and will be remembered as one of the most significant episodes of TV ever. The likes of “The Aztecs,” “The Chase,” “Marco Polo,” and more explored historical periods and extraterrestrial beings brilliantly, but these five other stories are the best of the First Doctor’s era of Doctor Who.
5) The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Released in six parts between November 21 and December 26, 1964, “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” marked the first major location shoot for Doctor Who. The series’ most iconic villains — who made several appearances during the First Doctor’s era — came to Earth in 2164 and subjugated humanity in this serial, pushing the Doctor, Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell), and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) to work with a resistance group to fight back. Susan’s emotional arc, leading to her departure from the TARDIS, the powerful display of the Daleks, and the sheer terror of seeing them on the streets of London make “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” one of Doctor Who’s most memorable stories.
4) The Time Meddler
In the decades since the First Doctor’s era of Doctor Who, we’ve been introduced to many other Time Lords — the race of aliens to which the Doctor belongs. The Monk, however, played by Peter Butterworth in “The Time Meddler,” was the first aside from the Doctor himself. With access to a TARDIS of his own, the Monk traveled throughout history to manipulate events in his favor, breaking the laws of the Time Lords and bringing him to odds with the more-morally-sound Doctor. With a clever script and strong direction, “The Time Meddler” changed the shape of Doctor Who forever back in 1965, setting the stage for many more Time Lords to appear in future stories.
3) The Sensorites
After a series of technological and historical stories, “The Sensorites” introduced the titular aliens as Doctor Who’s second ever extraterrestrial species — after the Daleks — and opened the door for the show to explore some of more weird and wonderful stories and characters. The Sensorites fight human invaders on their world with telepathy, an ability which the Doctor and his granddaughter, Susan, were originally also going to have. While this aspect of a Time Lord’s physiology was rewritten, “The Sensorites” still paved the way for some of the more alien-looking creatures in the Whoniverse, and even received a mention in the Tenth Doctor story, 2008’s “Planet of the Ood.”
2) The Tenth Planet
While the Daleks went on to become one of the Doctor’s longest-running enemies, so did the Cybermen, who were introduced in the First Doctor’s final story, “The Tenth Planet.” Released in four parts between October 8 and 29, 1966, “The Tenth Planet” introduced the Cyberman homeworld of Mondas, Earth’s long-lost twin, and marked a terrifying debut for this technologically-advanced and emotionless race. Crucially, “The Tenth Planet” also featured the First Doctor’s regeneration into Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor, establishing one of Doctor Who’s most important story threads. “The Tenth Planet” told a tight and frightening story, introduced the Cybermen perfectly, and marked perhaps the most significant change in Doctor Who history.
1) The Daleks
Sure, “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” is brilliant, and the appearance of the titular antagonists from Skaro in “The Chase,” “Mission to the Unknown,” and “The Daleks’ Master Plan” established them as a recurring threat, but it was 1963’s “The Daleks” that marked their debut. Doctor Who’s second serial after “An Unearthly Child,” “The Daleks” brought the Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara to Skaro and introduced the war between the Daleks and the Thals, which would be developed further in the show’s future. “The Daleks” struck fear into its audience in 1963, and Terry Nation’s script has received acclaim in subsequent years. This will always be remembered as one of the best episodes, not only of just the First Doctor’s era, but of Doctor Who as a whole.
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