Which is the best Williams' season?

The Williams era can be a contentious one among fans, but which of the era's three seasons do you think was the most successful?

Season 15- Some fans who aren't fans of Williams nonetheless seem willing to regard this season as a keeper after all, simply as a farewell to the last of the Hinchcliffe/Holmes legacy and for being Leela's final run.

Season 16- Probably the most adventurous season of the three, and quite ambitious in its arc.

Season 17- Well, it boasts the return of the Daleks, and also City of Death, which some consider the era's finest hour and a half. Nightmare of Eden tends to have its fans too, as does Shada (if you think it counts).

15 is more of a mixture: stuff like Fendahl which I really like, then there's stuff that's just ok like Invisible Enemy or Underworld (but I don't dislike those as much as some).

So it would be between 16 and 17 which I think are more solid overall, and I think 17 just edges out 16. I think 16 has one real classic I would say is a 10/10 in Stones of Blood, but 17 has two with City of Death and Shada.

17, wild and crazy stuff. Plus Lalla.

16 isn't far behind, though. Both in my top 10.

Difficult to say for me because the quality was so variable from story to story although they were mostly not very good.

I would instinctively go for 15 but then the reputation of that relies heavily on Dicks' Fang Rock. Fendahl was okay - well acted by some (Ventham, Lill and maybe Fredericks) - but that was about it for me.

16 only had one story of real interest and even the second half of that went off the rails as if the production team realised they had a good story there and so sat round a desk and brain stormed how they could make it more boring (Stones). The other story of interest for me - Ribos - has nice writing and characterisation (Binro, the banter between Unstoffe and Garon, the scene between Unstoffe and Binro in the catacombs, the very first scene with the White Guardian) but otherwise its a bit of a snooze fest tbh.

And then there is 17. I don't even want to go there.

Its a good question and basis for a thread. I just think the season's are such that it is difficult to pick a good whole season. Maybe 16 purely on account of the casting of Mary Tam - a gorgeous, beautiful woman who outacted any companion during the whole of JNT's tenure despite the very poor quality scripts Graham and Anthony gave her and whose leading man was increasingly off with the fairies and seemed to care less and less about the show and the performances he gave.

For me S15 has 4 keepers. (Fendahl, Fang Rock, Sun Makers, Invisible Enemy)

S16 only has one. (Stones of Blood) Maybe two at push as Kroll is slightly less mediocre than the rest of the season. And Pirate Planet is a strong contender for worst Williams story.

S17 only has Destiny, and more because of its importance in the Dalek canon than it being essential viewing.
The rest I don't care about. Even City of Death, which I've never understood the love for, especially because of the cloying smugness of the Doctor and Romana.

So definitely S15 for me, absolutely no doubt.

Ultimately I think I have to go for 16. It has the biggest variety of adventure, and I think Ribos and Androids are particularly outstanding. Pity about the depressing Armageddon Factor finale though.

Season 15's a bit colorless by comparison, and Season 17, as much as I love City of Death and Lalla Ward, really suffers from Tom not giving a shit and starts to get samey fast in its last three stories.

I love Lalla Ward. She seems to bring dignity and a touch of class to everything she does. Her contributions to DVD commentataries are always a delight. However, in terms of her conributions to the series itself, I only really appreciated her in her JNT years where she gave good, solid performances. On season 17 she just became collateral damage to Tom's irresponsible attitude to the show. Hence I didn't mention her in my response above.

Season 15 because it has "Horror Of Fang Rock".

The rest is cbeebies shite.

Got to be 15 because of the still tangible hangover from the previous regime.

Fang Rock,Fendahl & Sunmakers take it, even though I enjoy Individual episodes from subsequent seasons like Ribos and City of death, as a whole 15 is the strongest season.
Besides which by the time Nimon rolled around the budget and the imagination was non-existent.

1: Season 16. Completely magical and adventurous. Tom and Mary make a great team and the season just feels fun and it's own entity with only the finale being a letdown. Still a mostly great season.

2: Season 17: City Of Death, Horns Of Nimon and Shada are classic comfort TV for me and Creature From The Pit is fun but Destiny Of The Daleks and Nightmare Of Eden are a bit iffy for me and have lost a bit of value on repeat viewing.

3: Season 15: Half and half. Three great stories (Well, 1 classic and 2 solid tales) and three complete clunkers. The season feels like a bit of a hangover after the excellence of 13 and 14 and feels like it hasn't found its feet style wise. Still a decent season, but the weakest of the era. Plus, Louise Jameson is always a plus!