Thank you, Shady & Caractacus for reminding me about the Dr Who I used to know. It's been a long time since I viewed any episodes.
I forgot that Pertwee's earth-exiled Doctor was deliberately designed to be a 'Doctor Bond' and had all those gadgets like the sonic screwdriver, Bessie & the Whomobile. And yes, of course, UNIT, the recurring nemesis of the Master and the increased level of violent confrontations the Doctor pursued reinforced this.
These were certainly not coincidental. I rather meant the plots and the character motivations are often similar because, for instance, one megalomaniac often comes across very much like another, whether a story is set in the present day or in the future.
I rewatched every Pertwee & Baker series about 10 years back and was surprised how well the stories had endured over time. One thing I never did was relate them to Bond. I always, by default, I guess, compared Dr Who with other sci-fi series.
Pertwee was certainly the most vigorous. He had charm and a certain arrogant suavity which often translated into condescension or downright rudeness. He didnt suffer fools and was prone to outbursts of righteous anger. I enjoyed his interpretation even if the stories sometimes faltered. The best of his era (Inferno, Carnival of Monsters, The Green Death) is remarkable sci-fi.
Baker was a little more thoughtful. There was an element of wonder which he brought to the show. Aliens were not always so cut and dried / good and evil, the borders blurred a lot. As mentioned the three Philip Hinchcliffe produced seasons (12-14) predominantly took inspiration from horror stories and IMO were the high point of the show. The very best here (Robots of Death, Seeds of Doom, Genesis of the Daleks) are not just excellent sci-fi, but excellent dramas of their own.
Hartnell & Troughton never quite caught my imagination, despite moments of brilliance, while diminishing returns set in once John Nathan Turner took over production.
I wouldn't want to start a thread on Dr Who, but all you guys have brought back some very golden memories.
Thanks again, Magus, for opening the topic.