This year we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who arriving on Earth from outer space, where he had traversed the Universe for eternity as a Time Lord. And over the last 50 years, he has popped up on Earth in his Tardis intermittently, but due to the wonderful invention of television, we have been able to follow Doctor Who’s travels wherever they took him throughout Space.
For the Recordpress author, my favourite Doctor Who episodes were always the ones located on Earth, whether it involved an invasion by the Daleks or the Cybermen. The Doctor Who story that has stayed with me was “The Green Death” which was broadcast on BBC1 in May / June 1973. The central plot was that miners in a Welsh mining colliery were mysteriously dying at the coalface. Doctor Who ( played by Jon Pertwee ) and his very able bodied assistant Jo Grant ( played by Katie Manning ) eventually got to the bottom of the mystery at the bottom of the coal pit……..
It transpired that the miners were being killed by giant maggots, excreting green slime – the maggots had 
mutated into giants due to poisoning by industrial waste being dumped by a nearby chemical plant. I recently bought “The Green Death” story on DVD and sadly the special effects have not stood the test of time!! The giant maggots had a distinct look of paper mache and the green slime bore an uncanny resemblance to the cleaning agent Swarfega!! However that did not impair my enjoyment in any way. In truth Jon Pertwee was such a charming, charismatic and engaging Doctor Who, that he carried the show with ease.
I was unclear quite why “The Green Death” story had struck a chord and remained with me for the intervening 40 years, until I watched it again on DVD. There are two reasons for it being memorable. Firstly 1973 was the year that the miners went on strike in the UK, forcing the country onto a three day working week and into the pitch darkness ( not in a coal mine but in our homes ) as power cuts struck every night. So the miners were very topical in 1973 Great Britain.
The second reason is less about History, which at the time was my favourite subject at school, and more about Biology which I was yet 
to start studying!! Yes, “The Green Death” was the last adventure that Jo Grant took with Doctor Who. The 10 year old Simon Sterland was devastated. I was totally smitten and in love with Jo Grant ( Katie Manning ) and I had lost her to scientist in Wales, who she decided to marry and set up home with.
More importantly Doctor Who had lost his sexy sidekick and cut a sorry, sad figure as he drove his vintage car “Bessie” away from the Welsh mining village without her. Somehow Doctor Who was never quite the same again and Jon Pertwee continued for another year as Doctor Who, before putting his foppish, dandy-esque cape away for good, to be replaced by the eccentric and brilliant Tom Baker ( 1974-81 ).
Recordpress would like to hear from you. Answer the three questions below and simply enter our Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Competition ( Prize details below ).
1) Who was your favourite Doctor Who and why?
2) Who was your favourite Doctor Who assistant and why?
3) Which was your favourite enemy or monster and why?
The author of the best reply to these three questions will WIN A PRIZE OF A FRAMED DVD OF THEIR FAVOURITE DOCTOR WHO STORY WITH A COMMEMORATIVE DOCTOR WHO 50th ANNIVERSARY PLAQUE.
E-mail your three answers to info@MyFirstRecord.co.uk All entries must be submitted with your name and e-mail 
address by the 30th October 2013. The winner will be notified shortly afterwards.
Alternatively if you cannot wait to celebrate Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary in November 2013, you can order the DVD of your favourite Doctor Who story; framed and mounted as a picture disc souvenir. You can also personalise it with an inscribed / engraved plaque……
ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/
Framed vinyl records, framed CDs and framed DVDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion ie a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day!! THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT!!
1) my favourite doctor was Tom Baker because he made my favourite episode ‘The Genesis if the Daleks’.
2) my favourite doctor who assistant is Jo, because when Jo who is a scientist, meets the 3rd doctor, she doesn’t know as much science as the doctor and it’s good to see how she changes while she is with him.
3)my favourite enemy/monster is the daleks as they have been around since the second ever episode and they have achieved the most out of all the monsters.
I love all episodes of Doctor Who, i am a massive fan.
1)Favourite Doctor was Tom Baker because he came across as so Alien,he never knew how he’d react and in his early seasons,could be moody and there wasn’t humour in the wrong places,like later on.
2)Favourite Dr Who assistant was Sarah-Jane Smith,she cared for the Doctor but they’s argue too,when with the 4th Doctor,sarah0Jane was reala nd you knew you’d lost someone special,when she finally left the T
TARDIS.
3)Favourite villan was Roger Delagado’s Master,it was the performance of Delgado’s life,his Master was evil but he always wanted the Doctor to support him and their rivalry was a joy,to watch.
1) Who was your favourite Doctor Who and why?
Favourite Doctor was Matt Smith. Quixotic and wild, yet with a deep melancholy. An excellent portrayal of an old man trying to act young by a young man
2) Who was your favourite Doctor Who assistant and why?
Donna Noble. I know she wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but instead of having an expositional accomplice, finally the doctor had a true foil for his wit.
3) Which was your favourite enemy or monster and why?
The Empty Child. A beautifully written combination of fear of the faceless, terror of contagion, and genuine pathos for the war orphans. beautifully done.