Well, here it is Doctor Who fans! Following yesterday’s part 1 of our readers’ 50 favorite episodes so far, we proudly present you with your Top 25! Where will your favorite rank?
So, there were some surprises in yesterday’s list, as adventures like “The Waters of Mars,” “Dalek” and “The Unicorn and the Wasp” ranked in disappointing places – failing even to break the Top 40. Trust us, there are plenty more surprises to come as we count down from 25 in order to crown our readers’ favourite Doctor Who episode so far.
Onwards and upwards. GERONIMO!
ARMY OF GHOSTS
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“This is the story of how I died,” announces Rose in the prologue of “Army of Ghosts.” While her death is more metaphorical than initially made out, this episode begins the most heart-wrenching departure we’ve seen on Doctor Who. It’s not long before The Doctor, Rose and Jackie Tyler find themselves in Torchwood HQ (the irresponsible London division, not the cheeky Welsh team who fight car-driving blowfish and sleep with each other). As four Daleks prepare for war with the Cybermen and all of human kind, we were glued to our chairs waiting for the second part. |
THE END OF TIME, PART 1
| The beginning of the end for The Tenth Doctor, “The End of Time, Part 1” has plenty of set pieces and epic moments. Everything from an unstable Master turning all of humanity into a projection of himself to the sinister return of the Time Lords cranks up the Richter scale to stratospheric heights. But despite all the grandiose, returning character Wilfred Mott keeps The Doctor grounded and pulls on our heart strings – creating the perfect mixture of action and drama. |
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THE FAMILY OF BLOOD
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Oh, the feels. With part 1 narrowly missing out on a place in the top 25, “The Family of Blood” takes everything up a notch. From the action and suspense of the scarecrow attack on the school, to John Smith’s tearful farewell (there’s a good reason David Tennant won awards for his performance in this episode), our hearts are working overtime until they’re left broken by the ending. The conclusion to one of the most unique stories we’ve even seen on Doctor Who has everything an episode needs and then some. |
DAY OF THE MOON
| In the opening minutes of “Day of the Moon,” Rory, Amy and River are apparently killed by Canton Delaware. But of course, this episode is full of twists, turns, surprises and general deceptiveness. Its genre bending narrative veers from sci-fi to horror to conspiracy so suddenly and so confidently that by the end we feel like we’ve watched a feature length movie. And of course, there’s the mysterious regeneration at the end of the episode – planting the seeds that are continuously sown throughout the series. |
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FLESH AND STONE
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Steven Moffat’s Weeping Angels always make for a terrifying adventure, and “Flesh and Stone” keeps us on edge throughout. Continuing from “The Time of Angels,” the adventure rattles on at breakneck pace (and plenty of soldiers get their necks broken as well). The sense of humour remains present – specifically with The Doctor’s conversations with Angel Bob – but it takes a backseat as Amy’s time begins to run out. If you maintain that you weren’t hiding behind the sofa watching this one, you’re lying. |
THE GIRL WHO WAITED
| A unique, high concept sci-fi story that manages to keep the drama present and the emotion touching is always a compelling adventure, and “The Girl Who Waited” is as good a science fiction tale as you will ever see at the movie theater. With Amy stuck in a separate time-stream on an alien planet, some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff leaves her trapped for 36 years. Rory breaks into the quarantine facility and tries to free her, but finds himself with both an older and present day Amy. As the rules of fixed points and paradoxes come in to play, the three must battle robots and Rory is forced to make a heart-breaking decision. |
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THE TIME OF ANGELS
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Ranking a little higher than its concluding part, “The Time of Angels” brings the spectacular return of River Song and a tribe of Weeping Angels that are more powerful than we had ever seen before. There’s a surprising amount of comedy for such a dark adventure, with the chemistry (and plenty of flirting) between Matt Smith and Alex Kingston bringing welcome relief from the murder, suspicion and body-horror. “The Time of Angels” is all the more impressive when you remember that this was Smith and Gillan’s first shoot – you can’t tell, as they give confident and assured performances throughout. |
A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR
| “A Good Man Goes To War” was Doctor Who‘s first mid-series finale, and it justified the format with all the action, twists and effects we’ve come to expect from a series climax. “This is the day The Doctor finds out who I am,” warns River early on. The eventual revelation left fans with their jaws on the floor, but not before our hearts and nails had received a beating from the Star Wars like battles and tragic loss of young Melody Pond. When The Doctor is shown the consequences (both moral and mortal) of his knee-jerk reactions, we can see that he’s a changed man. A wonderful array of supporting characters and quotability galore ensure this episode will be remembered for a long time to come. |  |
THE END OF TIME, PART 2
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The Tenth Doctor’s swansong has all of the action and apocalyptic stakes you’d expect after Part 1’s cliffhanger, but that’s not what we love it for. It’s the last fifteen minutes that mark Part 2 as something special, with David Tennant’s Doctor given an unprecedented chance to bid farewell to all of his companions. These short moments are poignant and touching, wrapping up not just Ten’s arc but also many of his companions. As he saves their lives, finds them partners, looks on from the distance, and (in the case of Rose) says hello, he grows weaker. “I don’t wanna go,” he says before regenerating. We didn’t want you to either, David. |
THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT
| “The Impossible Astronaut” marks the first time Doctor Who had filmed in America, and the gorgeous Utah surroundings lend scope and beauty to a mind-boggling series opener. Minutes into the episode, The Doctor is struck down dead and laid to rest. Later, an earlier version of himself swaggers into a diner and whisks his companions away to the 1960s. With President Nixon, the mysterious Silence, and a distress call from a trapped girl, we crash into an adventure of twists and turns aplenty. As the groundwork is lain for a puzzling series arc, we’re left scratching our heads and picking up our jaws from THAT cliffhanger. |
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THE STOLEN EARTH
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When the role call of Doctor Who stars’ names whiz across the screen at a frantic pace in the opening credits, we know we’re on for the reunion ensemble piece of the decade. And as the Daleks relocate Planet Earth and begin to invade, companions past and present assemble to protect the earth. But with his “children” fighting for their lives, The Doctor and Donna are left out of the loop in a desperate search. After an ecstatic reunion with Rose leads to tragedy, the turbulent events and adrenalin injected action comes to a crashing close – ready for the return of The Doctor’s most frightening adversary. |
MIDNIGHT
| “Midnight” is a clean break from many of the sci-fi conventions we’ve become accustomed to. No CGI alien, no chase, no clever reveal. Just people in a room, talking. Oh, and slow-burning, agonizing tension that builds to a downbeat climax. As one of a shuttle’s passengers is possessed by an unidentified monster, the assorted tourists find themselves turning against eachother out of fear. Using words as weapons, panic and suspense mount and not everyone gets out alive. This adventure was a big risk for Doctor Who, but it all paid off and great directing, writing and acting gave us one of the most terrifying things in television history. |
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THE PANDORICA OPENS
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A lengthy pre-credits sequence follows a message from the delirious Vincent Van Gough through time and space, eventually leading The Doctor, Amy and River to Stonehenge in search of the ominous Pandorica. Various aliens, monsters and villains gather as the box begins to open – and it’s revealed to be a prison for The Doctor. When a revived Rory turns out to be an Auton, things get worse. With The Doctor imprisoned, Amy murdered, River and the TARDIS caught in a looping explosion and the whole Universe coming to an end, it looked like the game really was up. Breathtaking scope and a range of clever concepts cement “The Eleventh hour” in our collective psyche. |
THE ELEVENTH HOUR
| New Doctor, new companion, new rules. After the spectacle of “The End of Time,” Steven Moffat grounded things back on Earth to introduce the wacky Eleventh Doctor. As the newly regenerated alien waltzes in and out of Amelia Pond’s life, he finds himself having affected a whole childhood just by being “five minutes” late. When he returns, the feisty Amy is all grown-up and in danger as her home plays safehouse to the escaped Prisoner Zero. Confident performances and masterclass writing guides us towards a thrilling climax. And as Matt Smith steps out of the (literal) shadows of previous incarnations and declares “I am The Doctor,” we find ourselves asking “David Who?” |
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JOURNEY’S END
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Davros is back, and has The Doctor right where he wants him. The assembled companions of the past fight the Dalek empire and save the earth (and indeed the Universe) from certain extermination. The mindblowing climax doesn’t pass without its casualties, and Donna is forced to forget her adventures and just how remarkable of a person she really is. This heartbreak is balanced by Rose finally getting her happy ending. “Journey’s End” is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish, veering from action set pieces to tender tearjerkers in the blink of an eye. |
DOOMSDAY
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Edging its way into the Top 10 is the series 2 finale where we bid farewell to the 2005 revival’s first companion. Picking up from predecessor “The Army of Ghosts,” “Doomsday” kicks off with a battle between the Daleks and Cybermen and the dialogue exchange we’d all been waiting for – “We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek! You are superior in only one respect.” “What is that?” “You are better at dying.” The Cult of Skaro unleash millions of Daleks, and humans are massacred in the crossfire. In order to prevent the destruction of Earth, The Doctor and Rose open the void and end the war at a great cost.
Well, you know the rest. The star-crossed lovers are separated in the parallel universes with no way of reconciling (well, not for another two series anyway). The Doctor burns up a sun “just to say goodbye,” for a genuinely harrowing closing scene. And frankly, the episode deserves its place just for those last five minutes. From the imagery of the two lost lovers clinging to the walls that separate them to The Doctor’s long lost “I love you” on Bad Wolf Bay, “Doomsday” is an iconic adventure that broke the hearts of many Doctor Who fans. |
THE BIG BANG
| After the universe ending in “The Pandorica Opens,” you might have been expecting a war against the assorted nasties of time and space. Instead, we got a relatively quiet four-hander which largely confined itself to a museum. The previous weeks’ cliffhanger was quickly tied up and the focus turned to rebooting the Universe and restoring everything that had fallen through the cracks. Armed with a mop, a fez, and the ultimate prison, The Doctor saves the day – but wipes himself from history in the process. The cleverest use of wedding day rituals you will EVER see restore him, and just in time to dance like your uncle at the Ponds’ wedding!
A puzzle box of a story ties the series together in a beautiful bow, while still leaving a few threads of intrigue. The genius writing, stylish directing and compelling acting make “The Big Bang” the highest ranking finale on this list. |
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THE DOCTOR DANCES
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The concluding part to John Barrowman’s Doctor Who debut is spine-tingling, heart-warming and rib-tickling all within the space of 45 minutes (and often all at the same time). As the mysterious gas mask zombies multiply and advance, The Doctor and Rose track down an alien spacecraft which contains the answers to both Jack and Nancy’s deepest secrets. The fraudulent ship Captain Jack intended to sell contained nanogenes, which tried to heal a dying Jamie and created the “virus.”
Owing a lot to both fairytales and genre horror, “The Doctor Dances” is terrifying and troubling, yet touching. Barrowman’s energetic performance landed him his own spin-off series and regular reappearances throughout Russel T. Davies’ tenure, but acting props must also go to Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston who lay the groundwork for series 2’s love story with their compelling chemistry. Still giving children nightmares to this day, the Gas Mask Zombies are one of the most memorable monsters and their origins are just as memorable as their disturbing appearance. |
THE DOCTOR’S WIFE
| One of the most anticipated stories for years, “The Doctor’s Wife” was penned by acclaimed Coraline writer Neil Gaiman. When The Doctor, Amy and Rory are drawn outside of the Universe by Time Lord distress calls, they find themselves on a living planet which uses its inhabitants as puppets. The episode then answers the cry of many a fanfiction as the TARDIS is personified. What follows plays out much like one of Gaiman’s novels, with all of the gothic atmosphere, horrific dread and quirky humour we’d come to expect from the man who brought us Stardust and The Graveyard Book.
This star-appointment is by no means a headline grabber, though. Neil is a life-long Doctor Who fan and spent two years crafting this script into the genius it became. Suranne Jones gives a riveting performance as Idris, flicking between outrageous flirting with The Doctor and frustration at being trapped inside a human mind at the drop of a hat. Fingers crossed Neil Gaiman writes for the show again, because “The Doctor’s Wife” is a sheer triumph. |
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FOREST OF THE DEAD
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It’s almost strange now, looking back at “The Forest of The Dead” and “Silence in the Library” – knowing all we do about River Song. Back then she was a mystery, as much a stranger to us as she was to David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. But looking back (having seen the rest of her life played out with Eleven), her exit is made all the more poignant.
A surprising amount of “Forest” is set within CAL’s virtual world, where we find out the consequences of Donna being saved from the library. As the Vashta Nerada begin to pick off the expedition crew one by one, The Doctor has several lives on his hands and he won’t be able to save everyone this time. When River chooses to sacrifice herself to save the others, we’re given a tearful farewell to a woman The Doctor doesn’t know yet. That her death is so poignant and heartbreaking when we’ve barely known her an hour and a half is testament to Moffat’s writing, and fully justifies his appointment as showrunner which was announced just before broadcast. |
THE EMPTY CHILD
| When a metal cylinder crashes to Earth, The Doctor and Rose chase it to London during the Blitz. There, they encounter a mysterious gas mask-clad child who is asking for his “Mummy.” The “gas mask zombie” displays its mysterious telekinetic powers and chases caring orphan Nancy through the war torn streets of London with Rose, The Doctor and Time Agent Jack hot on it’s heels.
This episode introduces John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, a role which he has since become synonymous with. While Jack may be a humourous bachelor, tension and horror drive this episode – and there are bucket loads of both throughout. From the light flickering menace of the young child to Nancy’s terror at her supernatural stalker, “The Empty Child” strikes the perfect balance between heart break, emotion, sci-fi themes and so much more. |
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THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE
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“The Girl in the Fireplace” presents one of the most unique concepts we’ve seen in Doctor Who. A futuristic spaceship is tied to the French house of a young Madame de Pompadour via the future chief mistress’ bedroom fireplace. The Doctor weaves in and out of her life and helps fight off mysterious Clockwork Robots who haunt her. The episode is an ambitious love story which explores the heart-break and anguish that knowing The Doctor can bring. A tragic ending brings the story full circle and rounds off a beautiful biopic of one of history’s most interesting figures.
The imagination and fairy-tale qualities of “The Girl In The Fireplace” bring a unique twist to the format, and the self-contained story could easily fill a feature length movie. When The Doctor realizes Reinette has passed, his crippling sorrow is evident. After Tennant and Myle’s bubbling chemistry, we really feel the character’s loss and anguish. He’s got a knack for choosing women with habits of disappearing under tragic circumstances. |
SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY
| The biggest library in the universe provides a surprisingly eerie backdrop for River Song’s final outing. When she and a team of explorers come face to face with The Doctor and Donna, she is hurt to see that the former hasn’t met her yet. Pitted against the psychological trickery of the Vashta Nerada (“count the shadows”), the team set up their defenses and begin to venture around the library. But as they go deeper into its shelves, Miss Evangelista is killed and mourned in a harrowing scene where her “echo” confesses her fears to Donna.
The high concept sci-fi and boggling mystery of River Song contribute towards a compelling episode that has all of the makings of a Doctor Who classic. While it may not quite reach the danger of “The Stolen Earth,” the cliffhanger in “Silence in the Library” is genuinely graphic and surely disturbing to the children watching. Moffat is known for his terror, and it doesn’t get much scarier than this. |
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VINCENT AND THE DOCTOR
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A deep and hard-hitting character study into the haunted life of Vincent Van Gough provides the best historical figure episode in Doctor Who‘s history (and that’s saying something, as we’ve seen a lot of them). When Amy and The Doctor visit him, the painter is a broken man with a load of “useless” paintings and no respect from his peers. The events of “Vincent and the Doctor” may be laced with humourous one-liners, but the madness and Greek-style tragedy of his character is deeply affecting and eventually touching.
The wobbly CGI chicken monster could well be all that denied Richard Curtis’ Who debut from reaching the top spot, as everything else was pitch perfect. From the allusions to Amy’s sadness at having lost (and forgotten) Rory, to Vincent’s screaming fits of craze and rage, “Vincent and the Doctor” brings the character-driven emotion to a beautiful episode with magic and charm aplenty. |
BLINK
| Well, no surprises there then. Easily topping the poll with over 68% of you choosing it as your favorite, Steven Moffat’s 2007 masterpiece adds our list to another of its victories. But the constant lauding from fans, critics and award voters shouldn’t make anyone complacent about the merits that “Blink” has. There’s a reason The Moff occupies seven places of the top 10 – his intricate plotting and sharp dialogue set him above the rest of Doctor Who‘s writers. It’s ironic, really, that a “Doctor-lite” episode should be chosen as the fan favourite episode about the 900 year old time traveller. Again though, that’s just testament to the characters of Sally Sparrow and Larry Nightingale; they can breathe without the Time Lord.
Star-to-be Carey Mulligan gives an understated performance as Sally, never letting the character veer into melodrama but still providing all of the passion and emotional investment we require from a lead. But it’s the Weeping Angels that “Blink” owes the majority of its success to. We’ve gushed enough about them in the past, but the fact that they regularly top Best Monsters polls just goes to show how much “Blink” and the Angels owe (and compliment) each other. Oh, by the way, don’t look at the image to the right for too long. That which takes the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel. Sleep well! |
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