The quote comes form one Gareth Roberts (from an article included in Licence Denied), who was talking about the whole of the Graham Williams era during Tom Baker's run as the Doctor, but also applies to Season 17.

Season 17 is entertaining. Fun, humorous, with a TARDIS tag team on top of their game. So maybe the sets weren't all that great. But when were they ever really all that great in any era?

Why season 17 is brilliant is because all the stories are well told, tightly scripted and filled with big ideas. And it entertained the socks off the viewing public. ITV strike aside, the numbers told the simple fact that lots of people were watching DW in 1979, even after the strike ended. Nimon averaged 12 million per episode.

It all starts off with Destiny of the Daleks. Not as bad as fans claim it is. The acting is solid all around. Lalla and Tom have instant rapport. David Gooderson does a passable Davros, who's actually more menacing when not ranting - very similar to Michael Wisher's Davros in Genesis. What is most memorable to me is in episode three, where the Doc is all ready to kill Davros, and doesn't hesitate to set the bomb off once clear of the bunker. Fans make a big deal (rightfully so) of the Doc's assassination attempt on Davros in Resurrection. I just find it interesting that there's precedent for it in Destiny. One more thing, plus points for stedicam use and the Bo Derek-esque Movellans.

City of Death. It doesn't get any better than this. A story that deserves to stand alone outside of Doctor Who. A story that fires on all levels with such perfection that it crushes all competition as to what is the best ever Who story (only The Seeds of Doom comes close, IMHO). Funny, tightly plotted, brilliantly performed. A masterpiece on all levels.

One more thing about City of Death. For a while, this serial topped a few lists of Greatest DW stories. And a certain segment of fans flipped out, because City of Death isn't an "important" story, like The Deadly Assassin, Genesis of the Daleks, The War Games, The Caves of Androzani or Curse of Fenric. I'm not too sure if this was due to anti-Williams backlash, or because hard-core Anoraks hated that a comedy topped any Who related list. Though it seems that whenever I want to show a Who story to non fans to show what makes this thing of ours so special, they always get it after watching City of Death. Makes you think, doesn¹t it?

The Creature from the Pit is probably the weakest of the season. It's also the silliest. Between the Everest Bit, "We call it the Pit", the infamous rude moment between Big Tommy B and Erato, there are laughs galore, intentional and unintentional. Big Tommy B is loads of fun. Lalla is finding her way, and channels Mary Tamm's version of Romana in a few scenes. The rest of the cast vary in performance. However, there's a crackling little story - riffing off of Galaxy Four's idea of looks being deceiving - and wild ideas - the TARDIS towing stars - that make it fun.

Nightmare of Eden is the most mature story of the season, after City of Death. It's a brilliant mix of big concepts (the warpsmash, the CET machine) crackling one-liners (those bits between Tom Baker and David Daker's Rigg), and the drug angle, which is played with all seriousness. It's the lone solo effort of Bob Baker and hold together quite well. The whole cast is solid, despite Louis Fiander's mutable accent. And then there's that brill moment where Big Tommy B rejects Tryst's feeble explanation with two whispered words and a cold stare. No speeches are necessary, no explanation worth the time.

My first three Who serials ever were City of Death, Nightmare of Eden, and The Horns of Nimon. Made me a fan for life. So, in some respects, I get miffed when "experts" dismiss Nimon as silliness. You call it silly, I say it's brilliant. Why? Lalla steals the show. If you ever wanted to see a female Doctor in action, just watch Nimon. She gets all the Doctor bits to do, and plays it so straight, it's astounding. Big Tommy B is in fully comedy mode in a way not seen since The Androids of Tara. I love Graham Crowden as Soldeed (So there! :P). The rest of the cast is solid enough. And the story in itself is tight, well plotted and filled with good drama underlying the humour.

It's a shame that Shada wasn't completed, because what's left is a bit uneven. Although the concepts are brilliant, and the plot dense enough to justify six episodes. The scenes shot in Cambridge are brilliant looking. Tom and Lalla are their usual brilliant selves. The rest of the cast are solid, not spectacular.

So? Five completed stories that do nothing but entertain with humour and drama, and occasionally astound with big concepts. And one uncompleted story with potential. There's also a TARDIS team on top of their game in a way not seen since Big Tommy B travelled the universe with Lis Sladen.

Season 17 is underrated. I think it's brill. Hell, this is the season that made me a fan in the first place.

Says it all, methinks.