I recently posted about the three Doctor Who pilot episodes, but in honor of the show’s 60th anniversary celebration, it seemed like a good time to also look back at some of the greatest hits. After all, even a time-traveling TV series can only turn 60 once.
So, below are my 10 favorite episodes of modern Doctor Who. I’m sticking to the current series because I’ve seen all of it. (I’ve watched a lot of the classic series, too, but not nearly enough to attempt any sort of ranking.)
As for the new specials that just aired, they’re fun to watch, but none of them make the cut for the top 10. “The Star Beast” gets things off to a rocky start, though it has some nice moments. “Wild Blue Yonder” gives us a solid Doctor Who story in the traditional mold; just cut that bizarre opening scene and we’ve got an excellent episode. “The Giggle” is highly entertaining, especially with Neil Patrick Harris playing an over-the-top villain—a type of role he excels at—but I just don’t know about that ending. It breaks the rules without earning the breakage.
Oddly enough, of the three, the one that does the best job of celebrating the anniversary is the one that’s just a standard Doctor Who episode (or as standard as Doctor Who can get). “Wild Blue Yonder” serves as a reminder of why this is such a wonderful series.
In any case, I’m optimistic about the new Doctor. Based on what we see in this trailer, Ncuti Gatwa exudes the right kind of energy. He feels like the Doctor but also distinct among Doctors, which is generally a good balance. Time will tell, though.
Before we venture into the future, let’s revisit the past …
The Top Ten
10. School Reunion (by Toby Whithouse; series 2)
The Doctor and former companion Sarah Jane Smith reunite, bridging the old and new series and infusing a nice sense of history into everything. It’s great fun that refuses to settle for just being a ratings gimmick, as Sarah Jane’s appearance spurs character development for the current cast, particularly by forcing Rose to confront the fact that life with the Doctor has an expiration date. Special guest star: Evil Giles.
9. Blink (by Steven Moffat; series 3)
A superb episode that introduces the perfect Doctor Who monster—statues that come alive when no one’s looking. This standalone story gradually pieces together a fascinating puzzle, and the Weeping Angels are at their creepiest and most menacing. We see them only as immobile statues, and our imaginations fill in the rest. Brilliant. The Doctor is barely in it, but instead we get a compelling guest protagonist played by Carey Mulligan early in her career.
8. The Day of the Doctor (by Steven Moffat; 50th anniversary special)
This is how you celebrate a half-century. Teaming up the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors would have been enjoyable enough, but playing them off John Hurt’s War Doctor takes it to the next level. While it would have been interesting to see the Eighth Doctor as the one who fought the Time War, the introduction of this “lost Doctor” makes sense; he functions as a stand-in for the more serious of the classic Doctors—the ones least like Ten and Eleven—showing how far he’s come.
7. The Waters of Mars (by Russell T. Davies; 2009 special)
The best of the 2009 specials generates excellent tension from that old time-travel conundrum: wanting to save good people who need to die in order for history to take its proper course. Here, the right thing to do is also the wrong thing in the grander scheme. Plus, the regular Doctor Who tropes are in excellent form, such as a base under siege (humanity’s first Martian base) and the familiar becoming monstrous (deadly water that turns people into soaking-wet zombies). But one trope is absent: There’s no companion to keep the Doctor in check. When he finally says to hell with the rules, it’s both heroic and terrifying.
6. The Eleventh Hour (by Steven Moffat; series 5)
The Eleventh Doctor receives the best introduction of any modern Doctor in what’s essentially a second pilot episode for the modern series (and it’s where I jumped on). The fairy tale touches are a nice change of pace, and the story establishes a unique Doctor/companion dynamic, in that he was Amy’s “imaginary” childhood friend who left her waiting for more than a decade. After those early, quiet moments, the momentum accelerates and Matt Smith quickly proves himself to be the right actor for the role.
5. Heaven Sent (by Steven Moffat; series 9)
It’s Doctor Who as a one-man show (almost), and it’s phenomenal—a time-loop episode so clever that it’s hidden in plain sight. Immediately after the death of his closest friend, the Doctor is transported into a strange castle that’s really one massive torture/confession chamber with seemingly no way out. Gradually, he pieces together a solution, only to discover that the exit is the ultimate torture. But he perseveres nevertheless, showing us so much about who he is. Peter Capaldi is in top form as he carries the entire episode single-handedly.
4. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (by Steven Moffat; series 1)
The TARDIS arrives in London during World War II, and the Doctor discovers hope within the darkness. The “Just this once, everyone lives!” ending was precisely what the Ninth Doctor needed, and it feels earned, with the resolution set up well in advance. The story leans into just how unsettling a gas mask can be, turning the ordinary into something otherworldly and, even then, still not what it appears to be. This one’s got charm, cleverness, and excitement to spare, plus the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness.
3. Human Nature/The Family of Blood (by Paul Cornell; series 3)
David Tenant’s finest performance as the Doctor—in which he’s a far cry from the Doctor for most of it. By stripping his identity away and forcing him to confront himself with human eyes, we get an effective character study of the Doctor. Juxtaposing the eve of World War I with the Doctor’s decision to return to a more perilous life works well, and the moment the Doctor returns, after being “away” for so long, is marvelous.
2. The Doctor’s Wife (by Neil Gaiman; series 6)
Of course Neil Gaiman would deliver a strong episode, but he exceeds expectations. It’s basically a love story between a man and his “car,” and yet it’s oddly touching—not to mention inventive, exciting, and perfectly paced. The TARDIS has been the show’s one true constant, and this episode pays due respect to that while pulling off something that really shouldn’t have worked: giving that old police box human form.
1. Vincent and the Doctor (by Richard Curtis, series 5)
Sometimes the best stories don’t involve saving the whole universe from obliteration. The best Doctor Who story comes from spending time with a troubled man destined for posthumous greatness. Here, we’ve got the joy of meeting a famous historical figure, shenanigans with a misunderstood monster, wacky gadgets, reflections on seeing the world as no one else does, an opportunity to introduce kids to the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, and a whole lot of heart. It feels like everything the original Doctor Who was meant to be, and then some.
Obviously, there are many more excellent Doctor Who episodes, so let me know your favorites (current or original series).