A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Ever since we saw him munching on fish fingers and custard, Whovians had been waiting to see Matt Smith’s eccentric Eleventh Doctor at Christmas. And Steven Moffat’s first festive offering didn’t disappoint, offering up a tragic love story in a quirky cyberpunk world. An obvious riff on Charles Dicken’s classic, “A Christmas Carol” adds magic and high-concept sci-fi with inventive creatures, amazing dialogue and great performances all-round. |
TURN LEFT
Featuring the long-awaited return of Rose (not including screaming out of television screens and fading away as she walks), “Turn Left” asks a massive question – what would happen if The Doctor died? What follows is a disaster movie style story going as far back as 2005, showing in turn the various attacks and invasions of Earth that happen throughout the series – but this time without anyone to stop them. As humanity is restricted and defeated time and time again, society sinks lower than anyone could have expected. What’s so great about “Turn Left” is that it provides a gritty story akin to Children of Men – with the added bonus of aliens. |
BAD WOLF/THE PARTING OF THE WAYS
The only tie in your voting results is between two consecutive episodes, and they just so happen to be the series 1 finale! Here we have the triumphant return of a Dalek fleet, the end of Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and the first appearance of David Tennant in a role he would become synonymous with. This two parter brought the answers we had craved since we first saw “Bad Wolf” scrawled across a city wall, the first (apparent) death of Jack Harkness and some sickening twists on classic game shows. “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways” provides an exciting and explosive ending to The Doctor’s television return. |
UTOPIA
Despite all indications that this would be another apocalyptic explosion fest, “Utopia” turned out to be a surprisingly low-key affair (the doomsday style thread remained present, but it was left bubbling away in the background). With Captain Jack back from the dead – and his own spin-off show – the focus is firmly set on the three leads in a dialogue heavy script. As those apocalyptic tones ramp up and several pieces from the whole series come together, we’re left with one of the greatest cliffhangers in Doctor Who history. It’s the slow burning tension and constant suspense that make “Utopia” a gripping watch. |
THE WEDDING OF RIVER SONG
With all of time colliding and the clocks no longer ticking, the day The Doctor dies has arrived! But of course, he’s not going down without a fight. A brilliantly bizarre adventure including Churchill as the Holy Roman Empire and the Orient Express travelling to Area 51 (relocated to a pyramid), “The Wedding of River Song” whizzes along at breakneck speed as Amy, Rory and River join The Doctor in a showdown with The Silence. The controversial reveal could well be the reason this episode didn’t rank higher, but there’s no denying series 6 didn’t end on a game-changing note with The Doctor playing dead as he avoids the oldest questions in the universe: “Doctor Who?” |
LAST OF THE TIME LORDS
“The Last of the Time Lords” forces The Doctor into the most desperate situation we’ve seen him in so far. The Master has taken over Earth, and is getting ready to wipe out human civilization. Meanwhile, The Doctor has been weakened and aged to the point where he’s just short of having conversations with himself and looking for his “preciousssss”. John Simm’s delirious performance as the psychotic Master keeps us glued to our screens in an epic conclusion to the third series. |
THE SATAN PIT
The second part of the Ood’s introductory story sees The Doctor come face to face with a gigantic Beast that claims to be the inspiration for the Devil in all cultures. As the largest monster The Doctor has ever faced, The Beast possesses, scares, and taunts its victims leading to a war of words between him and the legendary Galiffreyan. With one of Rose’s most heroic moments saving a spaceship crew from certain death and an operatic score, “The Satan Pit” is horror with grand scale and high stakes. |
THE SOUND OF DRUMS
Following on from “Utopia’s” shocking cliffhanger, “The Sound of Drums” brings the action back to the present with a Bourne Identity like espionage adventure. When The Doctor, Jack and Martha are made public enemy number one by the freshly elected Prime Minister Mister Saxon (an anagram of Master No. Six), they must go under cover to unearth his plan and try and save the world. The fact that they fail ramps up the stakes once again, setting up perfectly for the dizzy heights of “Last of the Time Lords.” Plus, that drum beat’s stuck in our head. |
LET’S KILL HITLER
Possibly the most explored time travel premise in history, the fandom took a collective gasp when “Let’s Kill Hitler” was announced as a title. We didn’t quite get the history changing assassination of a dictator we were expecting though (he was left in a cupboard). Instead, one of the last gaps in River Song’s timeline was filled as we see her attempt to murder The Doctor before giving up her remaining regenerations to save him. With the Mels revelation and a montage of Amy and Rory’s school years, “Let’s Kill Hitler” became one of the most surprisingly touching episodes of Moffat’s tenure so far. |
THE LODGER
Ranking above its series 6 counterpart, “The Lodger” is one of two episodes in which James Corden guest stars as Craig. With The TARDIS stuck in a sort of timey-wimey limbo, The Doctor must adjust to human life. He does so by lodging in Craig’s appartment, which just so happens to have a disguised spaceship perched on top of it. Toothbrushes become weapons, aliens excel at soccer and two actors share great chemistry – “The Lodger” is an often hilarious, sometimes touching episode which has a place in the fandom’s collective heart. |
HUMAN NATURE
With “The Lodger” seeing The Doctor pretend to be a human, “Human Nature” takes it one notch further by changing his whole biology and hiding his Time Lord “soul” in a fob watch. Assuming the role of Headmaster John Smith, The (human) Doctor falls in love with a school nurse. Meanwhile, a mysterious and vicious family of aliens begin hi-jacking bodies to hunt for the Time Lord. A rare romance story set against the backdrop of a gothic period horror presents the premise for one of the most unique Doctor Who episodes we’ve seen so far. |
THE SHAKESPEARE CODE
Frankly, we’re amazed it took the writers of Who so long to create a Shakespeare story. But when they finally got round to it, they certainly didn’t disappoint. Centering around the lost play “Love’s Labour’s Won,” “The Shakespeare Code” presents a tale of alien witchcraft, mysterious murders and J.K. Rowling saving the day several hundred years before she’s born. Narrowly missing out on a place in the Top 25, “The Shakespeare Code” presents several interesting observations about the playwright himself – as well as a surprising (albeit pleasant) attitude to Martha’s race. |
HONORABLE MENTIONS
There are many episodes that narrowly missed out on a place in the list, with places 45-55 being especially close. While they didn’t quite make the cut, special shout outs must go to “Planet of the Ood,” “Father’s Day,” “The Beast Below,” “Tooth and Claw,” and “The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe” – all of which are beautiful, brilliant, and terrifying in their own right. Finally, we must mention “Remembrance of the Daleks,” “City of Death,” and “The War Games”; the only Classic episodes to receive any votes in our readers poll. |
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