46The Gunfighters
The First Doctor
30th April - 21st May 1966
To some people it may seem as though my 'best' list is getting worse, and I imagine there aren't many people who would have expected to see the inclusion of The Gunfighters on the list, but I am going to fight it's corner nonetheless.
There are a great many people in fandom who like things to stay the same. They don't like when things change and they don't like when the formula is played with, and that is something that this story is guilty of. It tries something different. In fact, the same can be said of much of the third season, which overall was a lot less well recieved. Much of this is blamed on Jackie Lane/Dodo, but more of that later.
Back in the day, many stories which are held in high regard today, such as the Romans, recieved a very lukewarm reception due to the attempt at humour within the story. Undeterred, the show was at it again with The Gunfighters, and while it may not have gone down well at the time, I think it is something that the show should be commended for. Unlike many stories that try and fail to raise a smile, this is a story that has some genuinly funny moments and doesn't take itself too seriously. There is a sense that the cast know they aren't appearing in the best story ever written and so decide to just have fun with it, and it really shows in the characters. The plot, sometimes a little thin, is mostly very good and it keeps you entertained for the run. The actors play their parts well, even though some are perhaps a little on the 2D side and the sets are brilliant. On a show like DW where the budget was bare minimum, you'd be surprised by just how well this stands up in terms of the look and feel, and the story really wasn't constrained by the studio space.
But there are problems with it too, I admit. As I said before, some of the characters can come off a bit two dimensional and the writers have absolutely nailed every cliché you can imagine when writing some of them. The biggest annoyance for me though, is The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon. Again, they were trying something new, and that should be applauded, but the song is dreadful. It bookends each episode and creeps up on you in the middle of them too and it just sounds bad. The words are bad, the music is bad, and Lynda Barron, who can act the socks of most people, can't say the same of her singing. If it weren't for the song, this would have probably been higher up my list, but it's such a huge part of the overall story that it's unavoidable and get's irritating by the second episode. Other than that though, a story I like a whole lot.
As an aside, there is a period of about 6 months in 1966 when everything that was wrong with the show suddenly became the fault of Jackie Lane/Dodo. The stories were bad, the sets were rubbish, the episode was delayed by the news, etc. It's an easy scapegoat to use, and I have heard her be blamed for a lot, including the fact that many don't like this story, but as someone who has watched it a good few times over, I have to say that I think she puts in a good performance here (and to be honest I think she does most of the time, aside from some accent issues), so as well as defending The Gunfighters, while I am on my soapbox I will defend Dodo too. Ignore the rumours and watch it. You'll see both she and the story are actually pretty good.