Since the Pure Historical format was phased out at the start of the Patrick Troughton era, the Pseudo Historical format has ended up replacing it. We’ve certainly had some very skilled stories that manage to merge historical drama with alien elements rather well that are worth highlighting. I'm only going to be including stories where the history plays a part in the story as there are a lot of stories with a historical setting that is superfluous to the story being told. Let’s get started!!!!
10.) The Time Meddler (1965) written by Dennis Spooner
The William Hartnell era was very historically focused, and the Pure Historical format resulted in some of the best Doctor Who stories. However, the Time Meddler at the end of Season 2 provided the blueprint of what would become the Pseudo Historical. It was the first time history was merged with science fiction with much obvious attempt and I think it was very successful. Dennis Spooner manages to mix educational aspects into a fulfilling story, with a lot of real conflict and action in a way which makes you feel for the Saxons living through the turbulence of the time. I like the curiosity and intrigue that triggers in seeing out-of-place aspects in 1066 all hinging upon the Monk. The Meddling Monk is a brilliant menace, and Peter Butterworth’s comedic performance is what makes the character so appealing and enjoyable to watch. The comic mannerisms of Peter Butterworth and the Monk’s selfish and self-centred motivations creates the character. He is very likeable and is amusingly playing with history in the way we would all like to with the power of time travel. From this comes a worthy message on the responsibility of guarding history and the duty of a time traveller. I love the sparring between the Doctor and the Monk, and they are similar in a lot of ways, but the Doctor’s adherence to history and to justice is what separates the two. The real consequences and stakes are well laid out and the way we see what time travel entails through Steven as someone who is new to all of this is fascinating.
9.) The Haunting of Villa Diodati (2020) written by Maxine Alderton
Alien events influencing the creation of Frankenstein has Doctor Who written all over it. However, the Haunting of Villa Diodati has a very real foundation, the night by Lake Geneva in 1816 has a historic curiosity about it with all these well-known creatives telling each other stories and the written works we know that resulted in. I really love the way the historical figures are depicted; they are approached as real people with flaws and human motivations in a way which cuts to the truth of things. They are all relatively young people grasping with finding their way in the world, which is very relatable. The Haunting of Villa Diodati personifies what Doctor Who does best in that you have a confined setting with a scare factor and spookiness. You have a mysterious puzzle box which unfolds, but the atmospheric tension creates the backbone of the story. You have a fantastic villain with Ashad as the Lone Cyberman. His lack of emotional inhibitor means he has a shamed rage which he is motivated by which makes him a gripping character as you question what sort of twisted person would willingly choose to become like this. It asks intriguing and very challenging questions about the state of humanity. You have concise stakes topped off with a brilliant moral conflict for the Doctor with burden and consequences which lies upon her.
8.) The Fires of Pompeii (2008) written by James Moran
Pompeii is a very tragic historical tale and James Moran does a wonderful job with this episode of integrating historical fact with science fiction storytelling. I like the way the story uses superstition as something relevant and fitting for the time period and ties it into the alien threat. The Pyrovile are a fantastically underrated villain and menace. The transformation of human into stone is incredibly creepy and a horrible idea and has something tangible about it. The way it's treated as a religious sacrifice has an emotional sense of tragedy. You see, the alien corruption through characters like Lucius Dextress and the High Priestess who make for thrilling antagonists. You can see the various stages of transformation through different characters and the end cost and obscene loss of humanity of becoming a Pyrovile. The true heart and soul of the story, though, is the subject matter of Pompeii and the death from Mount Vesuvius. I adore the conflict between the Doctor and Donna with the Doctor’s adherence to the rules of time and preserving history conflicting with Donna’s want to help and sense of compassion. It puts a spotlight on the Doctor’s responsibility, burden and emotional turmoil as a Time Lord. It shows the tragedy and death the Doctor must endure and with the moral conflict and emotion at the end there is a lot of weight and death on the shoulders of the Doctor. The emotional centre is powered by the relatability of Donna’s care, as she keeps the Doctor grounded in his morals.
7.) Demons of the Punjab (2018) written by Vinay Patel
For Vinay Patel, this story is clearly one of personal identity and has a lot of meaning and emotion. It’s about shining a light on an overlooked part of history with the partition of India. I love the way we see the turmoil and consequences of this event simply through one ordinary family and feel the death and the tragedy through them. It’s a story of Yaz discovering the complications and emotional tragedy of her grandmother’s story and what she has been through to shape her experiences and her life. The marriage between Prem and Umbreen is obviously a very divisive union in the culture of the time, but you root for and feel for the characters and their certainty in their bond. The way religion has been used to divide and bring out extremism and hatred is felt vividly. I love the complicated and nuanced feelings of the aftermath of the war and what Prem has come back to with the contention of the conflict of what was being fought for. The conflict and complicated relationship between Prem and Manish as two brothers has a lot of conviction and truth and shines a light on the issues of radicalisation, highlighting how the popularising of extremist views can cause tragedy. The twist of the Thijarians having mended their ways and honouring the deceased ties well into the historic tragedy of the story and heightens the emotion of the point. It’s a story of heart-wrenching tragedy that feels very intimate with a spotlight on cultural identity and how it shapes somebody.
6.) Father’s Day (2005) written by Paul Cornell
Fathers' Day is a different story to anything else on this list. It doesn’t take place during a particularly significant time period or event. However, the period is still vital to the story and is a device to grow Rose as a character. It's through this story where Rose learns of the danger of tampering with and changing history and it’s a lesson in her own selfishness and the arrogance of using time travel as a tool for her own self interests. It explores a hole that has been shown in Rose’s family life in her lack of a father, as the story details what happened to him and explains and pieces together a lot of Rose’s character motivations in her want for a father figure. The 1980s period is well recreated, and the story shows the danger and severe consequences of changing history incredibly well with a lot of precision, thought, and precise storytelling. Shaun Dingwall does a terrific job of playing Pete Tyler as a creative but flawed individual; someone who is unreliable and possibly unfaithful and can’t seem to pull things together in the middle of a troubled marriage. There is a great believability to things, and I love the way the story shows the rose-tinted glasses of the way Pete Tyler has been morphed by Jackie into an admirable figure for Rose to look up to. Seeing Rose come to terms with the reality of who her Dad was and the truth of her parents' marriage has a lot of realism in it and valuable emotional development for Rose. The performance from Billie Piper is astounding. There is an emotional rawness to Rose, and you feel for her flawed decision making through her progression in the story.
5.) The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (2005) written by Steven Moffat
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances merges together alien threat and a historical environment in a way which feels genius and incredibly plotted. I really love the realness and humanity that is given to the WW2 time period. There is a real sense of hostility and danger on the London streets and an anxiety and fear in the mood of people with a sense of hopelessness. I love the way the story takes a necessity of the time with gas masks and turns it into something terrifying. It’s incredibly powerful, taking the innocence of a child looking for his mummy and making it scary. We can all connect with the threat; its motives have a tangibility and a relatability that means something to us. The story plays up the innocence in a way which crosses into creepy, and there are some well-played and terrifying scary moments with the power the child has. You have fascinating intrigue paired with a deeply suspenseful atmosphere and feel and the whole thing comes together beautifully. Nancy is a very engaging character throughout and the whole story comes back to her character, exposing the shame of being a mother out of wedlock in the 1940s. Captain Jack also makes his first appearance, and I really enjoy the conflict and competitive relationship between the Doctor and Jack. The optimistic ending is a turning point for the Doctor’s character in the Ninth Doctor’s arc of healing from the Time War and presents something very heartwarming.
4.) The Curse of Fenric (1989) written by Ian Briggs
The Curse of Fenric is a complicated story and has a lot of moving parts all running at the same time, but it's all very successfully interwoven and comes together dramatically very well. The consequences of war are shown incredibly through a lot of philosophical themes. Nicholas Parsons as Reverend Wainright is a highlight, with his conflict of faith and feeling the pressure on him of finding hope to comfort people. The early Cold War conflict also plays well into the story with characters with ulterior motives, and it’s depicted with a reasonable level headed nuance. This is all mixed in with gothic imagery, religious themes, and Viking mythology. There is a sinister sense of foreboding throughout the story, a suspense that is built up in the backstory that gives the story a backbone and substance. The Haemovores are very grotesque and villainous hench figures, but Fenric is at the centre of events. I enjoy the mysterious backstory and conflict between Fenric and the Doctor and their godlike power creates stakes. You also have a very emotional and human story for Ace dealing with her own trauma and her abusive relationship with her mother. The story emotionally tests and challenges Ace, struggling with her lack of trust in the Doctor and his scheming, with a fantastic performance from Sophie Aldred. Ace deals with her emotional baggage and achieves closure through the story.
3.) The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977) written by Robert Holmes
One of Robert Holmes' best stories, which sees the Phillip Hinchcliffe era of Doctor Who end at its highest standard. To address the elephant in the room, the depiction of the Chinese and use of yellow face is something I do condemn and is clearly unacceptable. Despite this, I still think you have one of the best written and crafted Doctor Who stories out there. You have Sherlock Holmes mixed with influences of Phantom of the Opera and the grisly realism of the real-life murders of Jack the Ripper. It emulates the gothic Victorian mood and style incredibly effectively. There is something very dark and disturbing about the atmosphere the story creates in the isolated Victorian streets, which is reflective of the predatory danger of Jack the Ripper and who he preyed on. Magnus Greel is the central villain played by Michael Spice who brings a brilliant unpredictability and untamed anger to the part, and I love his sparring and conflict with Tom Baker’s Doctor. You also have Li H’sen Chang and despite the unfortunate racist practice you have a nuanced character portrayed with an admirable sensitivity and then Mr Sin adds a sprinkling of sci-fi bonkers energy, which meshes well into the crafted feel of the story. Jago and Litefoot are also a clear highlight. Their characters have a wonderful comedic double act as people of different classes and make for a great team with a very Sherlock Holmes feel. It’s a murder mystery, Victorian science fiction adventure and a wonderful take on established genre elements.
2.) Human Nature/The Family of Blood (2007) written by Paul Cornell
Human Nature/The Family of Blood tells the rather inspired and captivating story of the Doctor becoming human and going into hiding. I love the way David Tennant portrays John Smith and approaches him as a completely different character. He is a sensitive and intelligent man with his head in the clouds whilst still being influenced by the values of the period. The story does an admirable job of portraying the conflicts and attitudes of 1913. It exposes nuanced racist and classist biases even in good people by the standards of the time and you have thought-provoking themes on war. It shows the shortcomings and wrongdoing of the patriotic glorification of war and military service in a way that feels powerfully baked into the story. Jessica Hines brings a lot of reality to Joan Redfern and the romantic relationship between her and John Smith is very believable with a lot of tragedy. You have a wonderful set of very inhuman villains with the Family of Blood led by Harry Lloyd as Son of Mine and they all feel greatly sadistic, creepy and alien with their hunter like instincts helping push the characters. The heart of the story is the conflict for John Smith in his sacrifice. You have a heartbreaking emotionally charged performance from David Tennant as John Smith as he is faced with giving up his whole life and identity, having to come to terms with the falsity of his existence in a way which challenges the morals and thoughtlessness of the Doctor.
1.) Vincent and the Doctor (2010) written by Richard Curtis
There is no other possible story I would be willing to put at the top of this list. Richard Curtis is a very influential writer and when he came to Doctor Who, he wrote with a real sparkle and emotion. Vincent and the Doctor transcends science fiction and is at simplest a brilliant piece of very relatable emotional drama that connects with people. Tony Curran was the perfect casting and does an amazing job of portraying Vincent Van Gough. The story doesn’t shy away from portraying the tortured depression of Vincent. It displays him as a complicated and fragile man with a sympathetic and understanding view of the impact and varying states of manic depression. The villagers have shunned him, mistreated him and labelled him as “mad” and it shows the importance of treating mental health with compassion, and the consequences bullying can have on someone’s mental state from a valuable historical perspective. Tony Curran portrays the part in a very intense and raw and human way, which has very emotional results. The Krafayis is the threat of the story but functions as a clever metaphor for depression. He has been rejected and shunned and only Vincent can see him reflecting how depression is only understood by those with the same struggles. It’s a story that distils Van Gough’s achievements and the life he captured in his art through his tortured mindset, and you also have a comforting and reassuring message on the difficulties of mental health and depression.
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