Season 14. A producer and scriptwriter in concert with their Doctor. A season that gets stronger as it goes along. A season with no weak serials. A four story run that can't be touched.

Nothing tops this season. I'll say it again. Nothing tops this season. It goes from strength to strength in terms of writing, acting, story, concept and execution. Season 14 culminated a three year run where the creative team of Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes were so in tune with Tom Baker, the evidence on the screen is all that's needed.

In terms of plot, The Masque of Mandragora is more set piece than solid story (unusual during the H & H period) - inside the helix, the chase, political intrigue, the masque, etc. As an argument between enlightenment and superstition, Masque works well, although it's definitely on the side of reason. You can also make the argument that Masque preaches tolerance over tyranny of all types (Frederico represents political tyranny, and Hieronymous is the symbol of ideological tyranny). The Doctor's advice to Guliano at the end to "keep an open mind" is a reaffirmation of the idea of tolerance and enlightenment going hand in hand, a common Doctor Who theme during the Tom Baker years.

Oh, by the way, Tom and Lis are brilliant in this one. But you knew that I was going to say that, right? You want to see the best ever TARDIS team in action ever? Watch Tom and Lis in this one.

The rest of the cast is just as good. Jon Laurimore feasts on a classic villain role as Count Frederico. Norman Jones is great as Hieronymous. Gareth Armstrong and Tim Pigott-Smith hold their own as Guliano and Marco, respectively.

We move on to The Hand of Fear. After an atmospheric prologue, the TARDIS arrives in the official BBC quarry - which is a quarry in the story as well instead of an alien planet - where after the Doctor and Sarah get trapped in an explosion, Sarah finds a stone hand in the wreckage. From this odd opening (it reminds me a bit of the opening of Tomb of the Cybermen) events spin off from here. It seems the stone hand is the only remaining bit of a Kastrian named Eldrad. And, being Doctor Who, Eldrad has both immense powers and issues.

The visuals are well done. Somehow, the BBC got permission to film in an actual nuclear power plant, which gives the story credibility. Even the sets for the reactor core, control room and decontamination room look well designed and plausible. The scenes set on Kastria are a bit duff, but are helped by atmospheric lighting.

The regulars are both on top of their game, but Lis Sladen steals the show, especially when she's possessed by the hand. Instead of going over the top, Lis goes for creepy. Brill stuff. Tom is on his game, as always and shines throughout. His exchanges with Judith Paris make the third episode special. Judith Paris gives a great alien performance, trusting and completely untrustworthy at once. She takes over in the third episode. Stephen Thorne is OTT as the male Eldrad, but considering his performances in both The Dæmons and The Three Doctors, this wasn't a surprise. The rest of the cast hold their own and don't embarrass themselves. Glyn Houston is deserving of much praise for the scene in episode two where he calls his family to say his goodbyes.

And then, after Eldrad trips over the Doc's scarf, we get the best leaving scene in Doctor Who history, bar none. Tom and Lis had a chemistry like none other on the show (and that includes the Tom and Lalla chemistry, which was amazing). Sarah bitches, with reason, and the Doc ignores her. And although we expect the Doc to use his charm to win her back after she's packed her bags, The Doctor gets the summons to come back home. Sarah, who's waiting to be charmed, is suddenly told she has to go. The look on Lis's face is priceless. There's no hug and no tears between them, but the raw emotion is there. Sarah leaves the TARDIS, parked in a cul-de-sac, suburbia for all intents and purposes. It's brilliant and full of real emotion and it gets me every time.

The Deadly Assassin is one of three true benchmark serials. The other two are An Unearthly Child and The War Games. The series was irrevocably changed after its airing, yet it stands alone. It also shows Robert Holmes pushing Who to its limits and moving it beyond a mere 'children's show'.

Holmes, in four twenty-five minute episodes, told the be-all and end-all story of the Doctor's home planet, leaving others to try and emulate him, and not really measuring up.

The truth, though, is despite all the trappings, all the background, all the things revealed about the Doctor's home world, The Deadly Assassin is a great detective story with a surreal battle of wills bridging the gap in the detective story.

And it's the battle in the matrix that sets this story apart. The Doctor is stripped of his charm, wit, and MacGuyver-like adaptability and forced to tap into basic survival skills in order to defeat - kill - his enemy. The world is populated with child-based nightmares given serious weight. A surreal world where one can be run over by a train, shot at by biplanes and hunted down like an animal. Thrust into this primal dreamscape, the Doctor is forced down into the level of his enemy, and through brute force, manages to survive barely.

The Deadly Assassin features the Doctor's biggest rival, the Master in his most evil and desperate form - a living corpse hanging on by hate and willing to destroy Gallifrey for his own survival. This portrayal is so far removed from the suave, cigar-smoking Bond-ian villain of Delgado or the comic book villainy of Ainley. It's an interpretation that was closest to Holmes's original intention for the character - a vile, corrupted version of the Doctor, the dark soul made flesh. Peter Pratt makes him sound like a man on the verge of death, consumed by hatred, moving beyond the static face mask he wears throughout the story.

Mixed into this battle of wills is a portrayal of the Time Lords as petty, political animals; fluid of truth and more interested in appearances and obtaining their power rather than venturing out and seeking the truth of the universe. Holmes shows us exactly why the Doctor left this static, pedantic place without ever having to resort to some silly backstory. The Time Lords of Gallifrey are a living anathema to the Doctor's core ideas of curiosity and truth. And in coming back to help his own people, despite their core differences, also is true to the Doctor's character in general.

The Deadly Assassin is at one a reaffirmation of the core beliefs of what makes the Doctor tick as well as showing how the character can be pushed. It's a benchmark show, not in only of terms of the big picture of continuity, but also in having an influence on every episode of Who going forward. Not since The War Games, could a story claim this. It's also one of the best stories of all time, a classic on any fan's list.

For some reason, The Face of Evil doesn't get much love. I don't understand why. An intriguing script, with top notch performances all around.

Tom Baker and Louise Jameson have great chemistry together. Louise manages to show toughness, inquisitiveness and charm over the course of four episodes. Tom shows a more aggressive side in this story (not really seen since The Seeds of Doom). He's also deeply concerned about the mess he's caused with the Mordee ship, and its consequences, contrary to conventional fan wisdom.

The story's implied theme is one of taking responsibility for one's actions. Xoannon won't take responsibility for the actions of its madness. The Sevateem blame all their troubles on The Evil One. The Tesh are hoping the Lord of Time will save them from the savage. And of course, it was the Doctor who caused the mess in the first place. Once he remembers what happened, he sets to work on correcting the problem. The Face of Evil - such a shame it wasn't called its original name "The Day God Went Mad" - benefits from a strong script and a cast who gives it their all...

Just like The Robots of Death.

There's a rare moment of a director really understanding how important rhythm is in scenes. After the Chubb is killed, the rest of the crew gathers to discuss who the murderer might be. The dialogue overlaps, people are cut off by other speakers, and the whole scene seems more realistic than normal.

The script is wonderful. Robots is a murder mystery, but its also about class, the continuing dependence on machines, and perceptions based on body language and other little psychological nuggets.

And what a look. Instead of drab overalls for the crew and shiny metal boxes for the robots, we have those wild art deco costumes for the human crew, and those soft spoken, almost "human" robots who look harmless at first glance.

Tom and Louise are brilliant. It's a nice touch that Leela, an instinctive person picks up on the body language clues, and also the inherent problem of existing with robots. Tom is less violent, but even more flippant than ever in this one.

The guest cast shines as well. Like in The Face of Evil, there is a sense of a group of actors understanding that to play Who right, you have to play it straight.

The season closes with The Talons of Weng Chiang.

Weng Chiang read like Bob Holmes Identikit: Double Act, check. Hustler/showman character, check. Second level villain in conflict with the main villain, check. Nods to past movies and/or literature, check. Dangerous experiments with time travel, check.

It's brilliant. On all levels. It's an instantly recognisable setting: Ripper London, with nods to Fu Mancho and Sherlock Holmes. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace. In fact we don't get the whole picture until episode five. It's not as tightly plotted as other Holmes stories, but the set pieces and the character interaction more than make for this.

Like many of the stories during the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era. Weng Chiang is a horror story, with some sci-fi bits tossed into the mix just to remind you this is Doctor Who, and not Dark Shadows.

Acting, like every other serial during this season, is top notch. Everyone in the cast is a scene-stealer. Tom and Louise are brilliant, and act like they've been together for far more than just three stories.

Okay, it doesn't get any better than Season 14. Six brilliant stories. A season that gets stronger as it goes along. A benchmark tale that changed Who as we know it forever. A scriptwriter and producer who knew what they wanted and got it from the scripts, the set design and the casts, both regulars and guests.