Doctor Who's Top 10 Stories

Doctor Who's Top 10 Stories

It's been around for 50 years and since its inception it's become one of the most iconic staples of British television: Doctor Who. In 2005, former show-runner and producer Russell T. Davies persuaded the BBC to resurrect the show after its demise following a very (very) badly received made-for-television movie in 1996. 

Since then, Doctor Who has aired exactly 100 full episodes and The Doctor himself has gone through two regenerations. Christopher Eccleston's hard-as-nails Ninth incarnation of the Time Lord, David Tennant's more human interpretation and Matt Smith's current Eleventh Doctor have all had their fair share of fantastic narrative delights - as well as their fair share of stinkers - but here are the top 10 greatest stories from "New-Who."

10 - The Time Of Angels/Flesh And Stone

Series 5, Episodes 4/5

The Doctor: Matt Smith

The companion: Amy Pond

The plot: The Eleventh Doctor receives a mysterious summons from River Song, a woman who claims to have met The Doctor before in her past but not in his with him having met her only once before. Investigating a crashed spaceship which contains a Weeping Angel (a deadly life form that can only move when it is not being watched) The Doctor, Amy, River Song and a religious team of soldiers soon find themselves lost in an impossible labyrinth. To make matters worse, the group soon realise that they have been trapped by not just one Angel but by hundreds. 

Why it's awesome: Matt Smith's first series of Doctor Who was shaky to say the least - until this point. The Weeping Angels had only been seen in one episode so far and this Alien-inspired story was ideal for their return. Then there's the edge-of-your-seat, hugely gripping speech from The Doctor in the final moments: "If you have any plans on seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap. Me."

9 - The Impossible Astronaut

Series 6, Episode 1

The Doctor: Matt Smith

The companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The plot: The newly married Amy and Rory travel to Utah to meet The Eleventh Doctor. Upon their arrival, they and River Song witness his abrupt death at the hands of a mysterious astronaut. However, it soon becomes clear that the Doctor they saw die was an older version, as a younger Doctor soon makes himself known to them. Afterwards the group deals with an alien race known as "The Silence" under orders from President Nixon.

Why it's awesome: What a way to start a series! Killing off the show's titular character within the first ten minutes of its return is a really daring move by current show-runner Steven Moffat and it makes for one of the most shocking series openers in Doctor Who's history. "Just popped out to get my lucky straw..."

8 - Tooth And Claw

Series 2, Episode 2

The Doctor: David Tennant

The companion: Rose Tyler

The plot: The recently regenerated Tenth Doctor and Rose end up in Scotland 1879 where Queen Victoria invites them to the Torchwood Estate. Unknown to them, however, the estate has been overtaken by a group of monks who plan to have a werewolf infect Queen Victoria. The Doctor eventually discovers the plan, but it's too late -  the wolf is already unleashed...

Why it's awesome: This is still one of the most tense, action-packed episodes of Doctor Who to date. From the initial attack on the estate to the edge-of-your-seat corridor chases with the werewolf, the tension is relentless and, just to put the icing on the cake, this story lays the foundations for the very organisation that dramatically tears The Doctor and Rose apart: Torchwood. "I am not amused."

7 -  Bad Wolf/The Parting Of The Ways

Series 1, Episodes 12/13

The Doctor: Christopher Eccleston

The companions: Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness

The plot: The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack are suddenly transported onto a space station which forces people to take part in futuristic versions of television shows such as The Weakest Link and Big Brother; it's all fun and games until it transpires that contestants die if they lose. However, The Doctor soon discovers that the enemy behind the plan is actually his oldest foe: The Daleks. Enraged, he vows to wipe them out once and for all - but at what cost?

Why it's awesome: Sadly this marks the end of Christopher Eccleston's run as the Ninth Doctor, and many fans wish that he'd stayed for at least another series. That said, his final episode certainly sends him off brilliantly with a huge TARDIS vs. spaceship battle in outer space followed by a satisfying self-sacrificing regeneration. "You were fantastic - and d'you know what? So was I!"

6 - The Doctor's Wife

Series 6, Episode 4

The Doctor: Matt Smith

The companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The plot: The Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a mysterious, desolate planet where Time Lords have been led to be imprisoned and die. When the life of the TARDIS is pushed out by an intrusive force calling itself The House, the TARDIS places its soul inside a dying woman. For the first time ever, The Doctor and his ship communicate face-to-face in order to escape the dangerous planet.

Why it's awesome: Written by acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman, The Doctor's Wife is a superb piece of science fiction that focuses on the relationship between The Doctor and his iconic ship. Companions come and go, but the TARDIS will always be his, and The Doctor finally shows how ruthless he can be when his way of life is threatened. "Fear me, Doctor, I've killed hundreds of time lords." "Fear me. I've killed all of them."

5 - The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

Series 1, Episodes 9/10

The Doctor: Christopher Eccleston

The companions: Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness

The plot: While chasing an unmarked metal cylinder through the time vortex, the Ninth Doctor and Rose arrive in 1941 during the height of the blitz. Separated from The Doctor, Rose encounters a mysterious Time Agent called Jack Harkness, while The Doctor discovers a small boy in a gas mask stalking the streets calling for his mummy.

Why it's awesome: This is essential viewing for newcomers to Doctor Who, and is considered one of the definitive episodes of the show's first revived series. Steven Moffat's first ever contribution to the show has it all: humour, tension, jump scares as well as a satisfying conclusion, and this episode also features the first appearance of Captain Jack Harkness, a man who becomes integral to the overall universe of New-Who. "Don't drop the banana!" "Why?" "Good source of potassium!"

4 - Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End

Series 4, Episodes 11/12/13

The Doctor: David Tennant

The companions: Everyone!

The plot: Having been visited by Rose in an alternate reality, Donna warns The Doctor that danger is coming. The universe is beginning to crumble and 27 planets, Earth included, have been moved but with The Doctor predisposed and unable to help, Earth's defenders - led by Captain Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith and Martha Jones - come together to fight the threat and locate the Time Lord.

Why it's awesome: This is like The Avengers - Doctor Who style. While many would argue that the final episode Journey's End is a bit of an over-filled muddle, Turn Left and The Stolen Earth are fantastic stories that bring together everything from the Christopher Eccleston/David Tennant era of Doctor Who as a love letter to the fans. "You act like such a lonely man, but here you are with the biggest family in the world."

3 - The End Of Time Part 1/Part 2

2009 Specials, Episode 3/4

The Doctor: David Tennant

The companions: Wilfred Mott, Donna Noble

The plot: The end is coming for the Tenth Doctor. He has been warned that "he will knock four times," and the Time Lord has been running from his fate ever since - until he learns that The Master has been resurrected on Earth. The Doctor and Donna's grandfather Wilfred attempt to stop The Master's plan to use an "Immortality Gate" to recreate his DNA in every human on Earth - but something much worse is at stake, something that The Doctor could never have considered. The Time Lords are returning.

Why it's awesome: In many ways everything about this story is bittersweet. It's epic, it's huge, it ties up every loose end from the series in an emotionally satisfying way but at the end of it all is the departure of one of the best Doctors of all time, David Tennant. His tearjerking goodbyes to all of his former companions followed by his explosive regeneration is some of the best material the show has ever produced, and the manner of his departure sent many fans into fits of stubborn depression! "I don't want to go."

2 - Blink

Series 3, Episode 10

The Doctor: David Tennant

The companions: Martha Jones, Sally Sparrow

The plot: Young photographer Sally Sparrow enters an abandoned house to take pictures, but things soon escalate when she finds cryptic messages for her from someone called "The Doctor", made worse by curious statues which apparently move when she's not looking. She must decipher several more clues from The Doctor in order to find the truth behind The Weeping Angels, all while following one rule to survive: don't blink.

Why it's awesome: This is the perfect jumping on point for newcomers to Doctor Who, and the presence of Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan is used to great effect. Despite The Doctor being absent for the vast majority of the episode, this is still one of the most entertaining, tense, funny and quintessentially mysterious episodes of Doctor Who not just since 2005 but since its inception in 1963. "Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away and don't blink. Good luck."

1 - Human Nature/The Family Of Blood

Series 3, Episodes 8/9

The Doctor: David Tennant

The companion: Martha Jones

The plot: John Smith is a teacher in the year 1913 who dreams of adventure amongst the stars that involve an alien time-traveller called The Doctor. As John (who bears a striking resemblance to the Tenth Doctor) and Joan Redfern, a school nurse, develop their feelings for each other, a deadly alien family inhabit the bodies of four villagers with the intention of finding The Doctor and his TARDIS. School cleaner Martha Jones knows the truth, however, and she must protect the TARDIS and John Smith's true identity at all costs.

Why it's awesome: This is where David Tennant really really excels, playing a dual role as The Doctor and John Smith. The heartbreaking story of John's discovery that he is not a real person, just a template, is really well played out thanks to all of the performances from the central cast, Freema Agyeman really giving Martha some much-needed worth. The script is emotional without being cheesy, a science fiction story with a real human weight which manages to really develop the audience's perception of The Doctor as a person as well as his relationship with Martha. It's a brooding, tragic tale but it's simply brilliant in showing the life that The Doctor could have had. "What? Falling in love, that didn't even occur to him? What sort of man is that?"

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