For me personally, I think there isn't a bad episode in 25 or 26. 7 and Ace are by far my favourite Doctor Companion dynamic the show has ever had. Such a shame the BBC cancelled the show just as it was in a new golden age

Great review, this was my Doctor and I loved these 3 seasons (ok we won't mention Time and the Rani too much)

Definitely on a high. Each season kept getting better and better, loved the new mysterious and 'dark manipulator' Doctor, Ace was a terrific companion... and then cancelled. Ghost Light was my favorite from his run.

My top 3 McCoys are Curse, Remembrance and Ghost Light. Can't bear season 24 or Silver Nemesis.

Well done for putting Greatest Show in the Galaxy first, it's my favourite 7th Doctor story too. I'm a sucker for rock documentaries and without knowing it, the story does this to show that at one point, The Psychic Circus was the best of the best, but what goes up, comes down, evil enters and the friendships are broken beyond repair, friends turn on friends, its a tragic tail, if you know where to look. Well done on your listings, were all allowed to have our own listings, so stick with it.

Now, I've always been a fan of the Seventh Doctor. Once Sylvester McCoy found his voice, the character was fascinating. If he only had started with stories more along the quality of earlier Doctors, he would be recognized as one of the best. But, he didn't and he isn't. His earliest stories were written for Colin's Doctor, and very incompetently rewritten to fit McCoy's personality. It was VERY badly done. Eventually, McCoy would grow into the role, and we would get a very different Doctor than has ever been depicted before or since. Silver Nemesis was terrible since it is practically a rewriting of Remembrance of the Daleks - one of the series' best Dalek stories. How the heck Colin's Doctor would have fit in Delta and the Bannerman is simply mindboggling, but I think it's the first real demonstration of McCoy's promise. Paradise Towers is actually one of my favorites, but they really didn't iron out Seven's personality until the following season. But I agree: the seeds for Seven's truly manipulative nature was set here, and eventually it would set him apart. Happiness Patrol is a story that could ONLY have worked during Seven's era. It is silly, insane, weird, and absolutely glorious. I didn't get it the first time I watched the episode, but I am fascinated by it now. How the heck they able to do that in Thatcher's England, I will never know. As I noted before, I didn't mind the regeneration sequence in Time and the Rani - it was probably the best they were ever going to manage. The story that follows is just silly and completely discredits the Rani - which probably explains why we never saw her after this. A pity - she was a far more interesting villain than Anthony Ainley's Master became, and she had a lot of potential, which was totally destroyed in Time and the Rani. Speaking of Anthony Ainley, it's a bit of a shame that he never really found his own voice until the last episode Survival. For too long, he was forced to play a clone of Roger Delgado or play the silly disguise artist. And the latter showed how little they needed him in those stories - he was just there because he was the Doctor's Moriarty, and so he HAD to be there somewhere. The anagrammatic names they constantly used to credit him before the reveal were just stupid, by the way. But Survival was a revelation. I enjoyed the story, and as the Master realized how far he had fallen under the planet's influence, you really start to feel for him. We wouldn't get THAT much invested in the Master until John Sims's delightful portrayal in NuWho. I have never been a fan of Mel since they never really developed her character, and we would never really get any kind of origin or really any closure. Having her leave with Glitz was just as stupid and ill-thought out as Leela's departure during the Fourth Doctor's era or ALL the companions from the Fifth Doctor's era. But they HAD to write her out since Bonnie Langford wasn't sticking around for more than one season anyway. But I still consider Ace to be one of the best companions. She is no screamer and is always ready to take action. "Ace! Gimmie some of that Nitro 9 you're not carrying!" The Doctor takes the time to know and understand Ace - far more than the Doctor's relationship with any companion since Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith. Before too long, he knows exactly what he is dealing with, and he and Ace really do develop what can be considered a true friendship. The Doctor and Ace made the final season one of the best of the series, and every story during this season was a classic, IMO. Ace is also the first companion to really be developed as a person and we get a lot of background for her - she is almost a prototype for the development of the companions during NuWho (even if they DID take it to the insane extreme before too long). True, I still don't think enough thought was put into the Ace as Dorothy-going-to-Oz that was clearly intended (supposedly, her full name was going to be Dorothy Gale, but I think that got lost), however, it was there. My one objection to Curse of Fenric (an absolute fave otherwise) is I don't think they really set up how much of a pawn she was intended to be. Yes, the hints were kinda established early, but I don't think Fenric pulled it off as well as it could have. As a suspense story, it is definitely one of the best of the series. This "companion as dark pawn" setup sorta worked with Turlough, though I thought it was a farce with Clara, but the writers had no clue what to do with either once their related storylines were ended. As for Ace, she really developed well as a character after Ghost Light and Fenric. She LEARNED from her experiences, and took her lessons well. If the writers were setting her up to eventually be admitted to the Gallifreyan academy (which I've heard from a number of sources), her experiences would have made a great primer, and her adventures after leaving the Doctor would have been fascinating. All in all, I think the Seventh Doctor was a triumph for the series, and it's kind of a shame that everyone found his voice and locked down his character, and really turned out stories that worked best for him, during that last season when no one at the BBC cared anymore. The potential for greater triumphs was set, and we wouldn't get them. A true shame.

For me, it's as if the Doctor's personality regenerated between McCoy's first and second seasons, going from Chaplinesque clown to Machiavellian schemer. Other than Ace's introduction, that first year for me was Who's nadir, while the final two years were the show at it's best (not counting Survival)

yay! I love Sylvester McCoy! his doctor reminds me of Patrick Troughton. I think my favourite episode from Doctor 7 is the Happiness Patrol, it's so wacky. Love you Ace!!

I would rank "Delta" lower (not enough plot for three parts, an oddity for Cartmel) and "Paradise" higher (some interesting social commentary).

Sylvester Mccoy's era puts me in mind of Troughton's in the sense that I'm not especially drawn to the persona but this hardly matters because the writing is so incredible. 1. Greatest Show in the Galaxy 2. Ghost Light 3. Remembrance of the Daleks 4. Survival 5. Happiness Patrol

12) Time and the Rani 11) Silver Nemisis 10) The Happiness Patrol 9) Paradise Towers 8) Dragonfire 7) Delta and the Bannerman 6) Battlefield 5) Survival 4) Ghost Light 3) The Curse of Fenric 2) Remberance of the Daleks 1) The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Excellent ranking video. T&TR is not great, but rather watch it over Twin Dilemma; Nice to see Greatest Show get some love, altho I wouldn't make it my #1 it is a very original visually strikimg story. McCoy era is my favourite along with Pertwee 👍

I'd have liked battlefield as the last episode, shifting it later in the series. Finishing the show with his friends. He'll take off in the TARDIS again, we know it, but not right now, he's having a break.

Greetings issac it is i the dalek emperor

The Doctor: I don't suppose you've completely ignored my instructions and secretly prepared any Nitro-9, have you? Ace: What if I had? The Doctor: And naturally you wouldn't be so insane as to carry it around with you? Ace: Of course not! I'm a good girl! I do what I'm told. The Doctor: Excellent. Blow up that vehicle! Ace: (smiles) Still one of the best Doctor/Companion parings of the series.

Battlefield #9?!? Your fuckin crazy. The brigadier shoots the destroyer of worlds in the neck!

Silver Nemesis isn't a masterpiece but it deserves better than 11 i think its enjoyable and a great supporting cast.

The Happiness Patrol at 6? You think it's better than Silver Nemesis and Battlefield? Madness, MADNESS I tell you...!

I wasn't impressed with the happiness patrol but it takes all sorts

I’m confused

I’m sorry but personally for me like the previous Doctor,this era of Dr Who has little to redeem it. It wasn’t for trying though. However most of the time it falls flat on its face. Colin could have worked given clear direction and what they tried with Sylvester was ham fisted making him practically Jesus like. I know I watched it at the time and it wasn’t a good time to be a fan of the show with it being ridiculed a lot in the media.

The issue here is that none of them are good. Badly written, weak cast and a complete miss in terms of characterisation.

Worse era worse than even peter boring Davidson thank the stars they cancelled it it's amateur pantomime at best