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Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 12:15 AM

A few days ago, I read https://www.screencritics.net/ranking-new-doctor-episode-worst-best/ article from the beginning of December 2016, ranking the episodes from the revived series of Doctor Who. Some of it's spot on but other parts I totally disagreed with, and I thought I'd have a go at making my own list, and I'll be counting down my order in this very thread.

First up, some guidelines I've used! I'll be ranking every episode from Rose to The Return of Doctor Mysterio (neither The Pilot nor Smile will feature as they've not had long enough to settle in for me yet). Two or three parters count together, it's very rare that I'd consider separate parts of an episode to be significantly different in quality so makes sense to combine each story. This means that, for example, Aliens of London and World War Three (series 1) count together, as do Utopia, The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords (series 3). I've not considered The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived (series 8) as a two-parter, and Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent will all appear separately. Additionally, I'm only counting full TV episodes, no mini episodes or prequels or any of that sort.

Now, a bit about me and my general Doctor Who taste I started watching in 2006, it was the night School Reunion aired. I was 9 years old at the time and fancied giving it a go. I knew nothing about the show in advance but totally loved it. David Tennant was my first Doctor and remains my favourite to this date, and Martha is my favourite companion overall. It remains my favourite show to date, by quite a considerable margin, although I must admit that I've not ventured into the classic era much another fun fact is that I own a few hundred action figures from the show :') a nice little picture of the display I currently have (with many more in storage):



(my Rachel Stevens CD collection is to the left if anyone's interested in that too )

This will be kicking off shortly, I hope you'll find it an enjoyable read and I'd love to know if you agree or disagree with my placings!

Posted by: ♡ Heezus Froot ♡ 24th April 2017, 12:19 AM

Looking forward to this. I expect these to be at the bottom of your list: Fear Her, Love and Monsters, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, In the Forest of the Night, Sleep No More.

Fun fact: Fear Her was the first episode I ever watched. And it made me a fan. Imagine that.



The Girl in the Fireplace to win

Posted by: Harry♀ 24th April 2017, 12:43 AM

Excited to see this!

Posted by: DalekTurret32 24th April 2017, 11:17 AM

Looking forward to this!

My favourites:

Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday
Heaven Sent
The Magician's Apprentice
Dark Water/Dead In Heaven
The Pilot
The End Of The World
Rise Of The Cybermen
Mummy On The Orient Express
The Husbands Of River Song

I've only seen Series 1 (Episodes 1+2), Series 2, Series 8-10
Need to see more of the pre-Series 8 episodes.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 01:08 PM

108 Love and Monsters
Series 2, Episode 10
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Jackie Tyler

Coming in last place is the first "Doctor-lite" episode. What that means is that this episode was filmed at the same time as another (in this case, The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit), and it meant that David Tennant and Billie Piper weren't available to appear in much of this episode, so they barely feature at all. Instead it follows the story of Elton Pope, who met the Doctor briefly as a kid on the night his mother died. He meets up with other people who have been tracking the Doctor and they form a group called LINDA (London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency) to help trace him, although it becomes more of a social gathering. When a man called Victor Kennedy joins the group, the dynamic shifts and one by one, people stop coming to the meetings (which become a lot more like classes). It later transpires that Victor is a monster called an Abzorbaloff and has consumed team members Bliss, Bridget and Mr Skinner, before Elton's love interest Ursula is absorbed in front of his own eyes. Eventually the Doctor appears, and the Abzorbaloff is absorbed itself into the ground, but not before the Doctor does one final good deed for Elton, saving Ursula but... as a face on a slab of pavement :')

I actually don't hate the concept of the Abzorbaloff, it's kinda interesting and the idea of the group members disappearing one by one is good, but the portrayal is what lets it down. Peter Kay is a good actor but I don't think he worked as the Abzorbaloff, and the fact it was created by a CBBC viewer makes the whole thing feel amateurish. Also, I just don't particularly care for any of the supporting cast. Elton narrates the episode so we see things from his perspective, but I can't say I particularly cared about him or any of the team. The episode is padded a lot with scenes of LINDA socialising, so the actual monster action takes a while to start (despite the cameo appearance of the Hoix at the start). Ultimately I remember finding this just quite dull to watch, and for a while it was the only Doctor Who episode I actually didn't like. It's still a chore to watch these days I find, and I've given it many more chances over the years. Plus I won't even go there with the suggestion that Elton and the slab of pavement that is now Ursula have a sex life

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 24th April 2017, 01:35 PM

I liked that episode pretty much up to Peter Kay being revealed as Absorbaloff. It was quite interesting until then and then it seemed really tacky.

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 02:14 PM

that episode was terrible. appears at the bottom of most of these lists and rightfully so.

Posted by: LustForLife 24th April 2017, 02:15 PM

Love and Monsters was pretty bad but I don't think it's the worst they've had. It would certainly down there in the bottom 10 though for me. Just a lame premise and that came across in the execution of the idea.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 02:23 PM

107 The Crimson Horror
Series 7, Episode 11
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax

Just avoiding the bottom of the pile is this story from Matt Smith's final series as the Doctor. The Crimson Horror is an odd one, because it's told mainly from the point of view of the Paternoster gang of Vastra, Jenny and Strax as they investigate "the crimson horror", a cause of death where victims are dumped in a river with red skin. The victims' retinas retained the last image they had seen, and one victim had seen the Doctor just before death. Jenny infiltrates Sweetville, ran by Mrs Gillyflower and Mr Sweet, the latter of whom is never seen. Jenny finds the Doctor tied up, with red skin himself, although the process is reversible for him, as opposed to being fatal for humans. He was being kept as a pet by Mrs Gillyflower's blind daughter Ada, who called him her "monster". They later discover that Mr Sweet is a prehistoric red leech, from Vastra's time, that had employed Mrs Gillyflower as its host. The Doctor also finds out that Mrs Gillyflower had experimented on her daughter to find the right formula for "preserving" people from the "apocalypse", aka. a rocket that she'd set off that would poison the air and kill everyone except those who got preserved. After a chase sequence, Mrs Gillyflower is shot by Strax, and Mr Sweet is sqaushed by Ada's walking stick.

I'll be honest, I've not really rewatched this one too much, it's just not an episode I find all that interesting. It feels like a filler episode ultimately. The plot is all over the place and the concept isn't all that great either for me. Interestingly I feel like this one doesn't seem to be particularly hated among Doctor Who fans, not to the extent of some others anyway! On the positive side, I always enjoy the Paternoster gang, and Ada's story feels incredibly tragic, but aside from these, there's not a lot I can find to praise in this episode.

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 02:30 PM

I don't even remember that episode so it can't have been that great.

Posted by: Klaus 24th April 2017, 02:36 PM

Hyped for this!!

I hated Love and Monsters on first watch but have warmed to it slightly over the years. Definitely belongs near the bottom of any countdown though! Shocked to see The Crimson Horror so low. By no means among the best but it was probably my favourite episode out of quite a poor Series 7B. The first half is a lot stronger than the second half though, I really enjoyed following the story through the Paternoster gang's eyes.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 02:42 PM

106 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Series 7, Episode 2
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams
Also starring: Brian Williams

Once you've had an opening story with "every Dalek ever", how can you possibly top that? Dinosaurs, on a spaceship, apparently. I mean, this episode is exactly what it says on the tin, so that's one upside I guess. We see Rory's dad Brian for the first time, alongside guest companions Queen Nefertiti (!) and John Riddell. Together, they arrive on a spaceship that's a few hours away from crashing into Earth, and the Indian Space Agency (ISA) in the year 2367 threaten to launch missiles at it if the Doctor cannot stop it. When they arrive on the ship, they see dinosaurs are roaming around the ship. The Doctor, Rory and Brian go in search for the engine room, which seems to be a beach inhabited by pterodactyls, using the waves as hydro-power. Amy, Riddell and Nefertiti discover that the ship was designed by the Silurians, to escape the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, but there weren't any Silurians on board. The Doctor discovers there is one human on board, a man called Solomon, with two robots voiced by Mitchell and Webb. Solomon revealed that he intended to steal the dinosaurs for the black market, and when he discovers who Nefertiti is, he tried to kidnap her and leave in his own ship. After rescuing Nefertiti, The Doctor tricks the ISA into firing missiles at Solomon's ship instead, and Rory and Brian steer the ship away from Earth.

I think my main criticism of this is the fact it feels very overcrowded. There's no need for Riddell in the cast and Nefertiti isn't essential either I don't think. I wasn't totally sold on Brian at first (I warmed to him much more in The Power of Three, more on that later), although it doesn't help that there's a LOT of ideas crammed into this episode and there's not much time to focus on developing Brian's character. The dinosaurs ultimately feel a bit useless too, they're little more than a reason as to why Solomon was there in the first place. It's easily the weakpoint of series 7A, which otherwise I find pretty strong!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 02:44 PM

Thanks for all the comments so far guys, glad you're enjoying Perfect chance for me to geek out about my favourite show!

Ooh I would highly recommend filling in the gaps series 1-5 in particular are fantastic, and you'll find in this countdown that episodes from those series will likely be dominating

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 03:11 PM

105 Sleep No More
Series 9, Episode 9
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald

Now here's one I'm a bit conflicted on. Sleep No More is Doctor Who's attempt at a found footage episode. It's narrated by Rassmussen, lead researcher from the Le Verrier Space Station, who warns the viewer not to watch the video, before explaining that he's put together footage from the past few hours to explain recent events. A rescue ship arrives at the space station, and there's no sign of the crew. The rescue team bump into the Doctor and Clara, before they are chased by what Clara nicknames as "Sandmen". When they take shelter, Clara is pulled into a coffin-like pod, which is later identified as a Morpheus sleep pod, used by all but one of the rescue crew (Chopra refuses to use it). The creator of the pods, Rassmussen, is found hiding in one of the other pods, and the Sandmen appeared as they were testing the next generation of pods. The Doctor then figures out that the Sandmen are formed from the sleep dust in the corner of your eye. After escaping the Sandmen once again, and losing a couple of crew members, the Doctor realises that video signals have been transmitted from their points of view, but there are no cameras to have taken them. When he sees there is no camera from Chopra's point of view, the Doctor knows they are a result of Morpheus. They return to the escape pod and see Rassmussen there, despite apparently being killed earlier on. He claims to have the first Morpheus patient in a pod, but eventually the Doctor, Clara and the remaining crew escape, because the events feel too choreographed to be a real thread, and he disables the gravity, causing the Sandmen to disintegrate. The final shot sees Rassmussen talking to the camera, revealing he was a Sandman the entire time and that anyone who watched the video will now be infected, just before he disintegrates.

I must say, I don't feel like the found footage element worked for the most part. I'd have preferred it to just be told from a regular point of view. The Sandmen were an interesting idea but ultimately weren't particularly exciting or scary, and I don't think the story ever felt much more than a filler episode between the Zygon two-parter and the start of the finale in Face the Raven, just a relatively basic "base under siege" episode where the crew members are picked off one at a time. The ending is.... strange, and for a moment when I first watched I had to check it wasn't a two-parter because it's very open-ended, with the threat ultimately just being, well, left as it is. The final shot is incredibly creepy though, and I do admire them for trying something different with an episode, even if I don't think it really ended up as good as it could've been.

Posted by: King Rollo 24th April 2017, 03:18 PM

Great thread idea. I first started watching Dr Who in 1973 which was Jon Pertwee's third season out of 5. It quickly became my favourite TV programme and I have watched pretty much every episode since. I caught up on the stories from 1963-72 when they were shown on UK Gold in the 90s (the ones that haven't been lost,anyway).

As for 'Love And Monsters',that one wouldn't be bottom of my list because it featured a soundtrack of songs by my favourite group,ELO.

Looking forward to following this thread.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 24th April 2017, 03:44 PM

Crimson Horror was on I actually thought was good for a bad series. Dinosaurs was pretty lame and Sleep No More I think would be bottom of the pile for me. It was so BORING.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 04:12 PM

I can't remember that red episode ha.

And oh god that Love and Monsters was terrible.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship too. Doctor Who NEVER kills.

Posted by: HarryApa 24th April 2017, 04:24 PM

I have a soft spot for Love and Monsters I mean its not the BEST episode at all but its okay

The one I hate of the list so far is Dinosaurs On A Spaceship was just awful

I have not seen the found footage episode so cant comment and the Crimson Horror was alright

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 04:28 PM

the found footage one had the potential to be good but the Sandmen really let it down (I really don't buy that the sleep dust from your eyes somehow becomes a monster when you speed up the sleep process). The Matt Smith and Clara era is my least favourite too because of episodes like these.

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 04:40 PM

oh come on this thread is asking for it so let's get it out of the way

1. Season 2 (David Tennant + Rose)
2. Season 1 (Christopher Eccelston + Rose)
3. Season 4 (David Tennant + Donna)
4. Season 3 (David Tennant + Martha)
5. Season 5 (Matt Smith + Amy)
6. Season 6 (Matt Smith + Amy/Rory)
7. Season 9 (Peter Capaldi + Clara)
8. Season 8 (Peter Capaldi + Clara)
9. Season 7 (Matt Smith + Amy/Rora / Clara)

Tennant > Eccelston > Capaldi > Smith
Rose > Donna > Martha > Amy > Clara

(yes I rank Matt/Amy above Capaldi/Clara, though I prefer Capaldi as the Doctor, Clara and the writing let it down)

Posted by: Slick 24th April 2017, 04:46 PM

This is a good idea! I've tried to do a list like this so many times but it's so hard to compare episodes - there is so much variety across each season, let alone across the whole 9.

All episodes so far are understandably low, though I did quite like The Crimson Horror.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 04:47 PM

1. Series 4 (10/Donna)
2. Series 3 (10/Martha)
3. Series 1 (9/Rose)
4. Series 2 (10/Rose)
5. Series 5 (11/Amy)
6. Series 9 (12/Clara)
7. Series 8 (12/Clara)
8. Series 7 (11/Amy/Rory + 11/Clara)
9. Series 6 (11/Amy/Rory)

Tennant > Eccleston > Smith > Capaldi (although Capaldi's material is better than Matt ever got)
Martha > Donna > Rose > Clara > Amy > Rory (Donna is quite close behind Martha for me these days I must say, and I don't dislike any of these at all)

I think it's quite clear that I prefer the Russell T. Davies era to the Steven Moffat days that'll definitely be reflected in the countdown too.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 24th April 2017, 05:03 PM

Sleep No More was definitely an odd one, I have to say

I remember The Crimson Horror now you've described it I did quite like that one (but definitely not a standout)

I don't remember Dinasours on a Spaceship whateveer

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 05:07 PM

oh mess I forgot Season 8 was Peter Capaldi, put that above Season 7 now (though basically the first 5 seasons >>>)

Posted by: dandy* 24th April 2017, 05:42 PM

The only thing I'm certain of is that the season with Donna was the best one, I remember being incredibly sceptical about the whole thing and then found myself thinking wow at nearly every episode - it had everything from scary horror, ridiculous laughs, distinctive one off ideas and all topped off with a genuinely emotional ending.



As for the episodes featured so far, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is probably the worst episode of the lot for me. However THAT moment at the end of the Peter Kay one with the slab of pavement suggestion is by far and away the single worst thing out of any Who episode ever.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 24th April 2017, 05:48 PM

The Donna series was the first one I ever watched - I wasyoung so don't remember much of it but hoping for my memories to be jogged!

Posted by: Cody Burgess 24th April 2017, 05:56 PM

The Ninth Doctor arc and anything with Arthur Darvill are my favorites *.*

the latter is one reason why I was so into Legends Of Tomorrow

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 06:02 PM

WRONG!!!!

1. Rose/ Eccleston
2. Matt/ Amy/ Cory
3. Tennet/ Rose
4. Tennet and Donna
5. Matt/ Clara



6. Tennet/ Martha Jones SHIT!!!
7. Capaldi/ Clara SHIT!!!!!

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 06:02 PM

Any list that has Martha higher than 2nd last is WRONG. Terrible.

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 06:06 PM

but the Martha series has great episodes like the Human Nature 2-parter, Blink and the John Simm Master finale ;o

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 06:10 PM

104 In the Forest of the Night
Series 8, Episode 10
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

The second Capaldi episode in a row now, with the lowest episode of his first series as the Doctor. In the Forest of the Night was the first Doctor Who episode penned by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who also wrote Smile, which aired on the Saturday just gone. The episode sees Clara and Danny on a school trip with students at the London Zoological Museum, where they spent the night. They wake up to find London is covered in forest, and one of their students, Maebh, wanders off. She finds the Doctor, who has landed in Trafalgar Square. Clara later explains that Maebh has heard voices in her head ever since the disappearance of her sister Annabel. Maebh wanders off again, and when they find her safe, they are confronted by animals that have escaped from London Zoo. Maebh's medication wears off and the Doctor believes she's communicating with something. He activates a gravity field around Maebh and sees a number of glowing bug-like creatures that speak through her, and admit to growing the forest. As a solar flare is about to impact Earth, the Doctor gives Clara and Danny a choice - they can either stay behind, or take the students and leave with him to ensure their safety. They decide to stay behind, believing the trees will save them from the solar flare, although this is being hindered by the government's plan to remove the trees. With the help of the Doctor, Maebh reads a message composed by the students informing the government of the solar flare, and asks for her sister to return home. The trees later dissipate and the students return home, and Annabel returns home to be reunited with Maebh and her mum.

This episode has been called one of the all-time worst episodes by some Doctor Who fans and it's not particularly difficult to see why either. It feels a lot like a filler episode just before the all-important finale. The suggestion that humans will just "forget" about the trees before long feels silly too, alongside the escaped zoo animals. Ultimately it just doesn't do the trick, I don't hate it as much as many do but it's a long way from being a favourite.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 06:11 PM

Fixed for you

Posted by: LustForLife 24th April 2017, 06:14 PM

Series 4 - I loved the dynamic of The Doctor and Donna and the final three episodes were incredible. Every episode was really enjoyable
Series 1 - again the dynamic between 9 and Rose was really nice, very matey. I loved all the episodes as well, it was a very consistent series!
Series 5 - the revamp felt very fresh and exciting
Series 3 - apart from Martha being too lovesick, the story arc was fantastic. Very well crafted!
Series 2 - I enjoyed 10 and Rose but it felt too involved in their dynamic this series
Series 9 - The writing for 12 was much better this series and the story arc in general was much better
Series 7 - a real mixed bag, some really fantastic episodes and some real duds
Series 6 - the writing back to complicated and self indulgent here, it put a damper on the show for me
Series 8 - it didn't work very well, the writing for 12 was quite appalling and Clara became too dominant

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 24th April 2017, 06:18 PM

Tbh I quite liked In the Forest of the Night. I think it was the fact that I despised Matt Smith with a passion, so anything that came after that was amazing

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 24th April 2017, 06:24 PM

Series 3-Martha wasn't the most amazing companion but this was the tightest series with inspired stories and genuine shocks.
Series 4-Tennant/Tate is my favourite pairing. Some amazing episodes.
Series 1-loved Eccleston as a Doctor. Amazing recvival.
Series 5-another tight series. Moffat tried something new for the finale and it worked.
Series 8-warmed to Clara more in this series
Series 2-like a lesser series 1.
Series 6-got a bit soap opera but it was great to see lots of River.
Series 7-Amy/Rory got boring and Clara's initial story was lame.
Series 9-hated Capaldi and Clara in this, they were so tiresome.

Posted by: Chez Wombat 24th April 2017, 06:36 PM

Quite the mammoth task you've got here, but I'm looking forward to it! (Martha will always be dull though x)

The Crimson Horror I didn't dislike but I barely remember it at all so not crying to see it out. The others were all awful, the preachy and dull Forest... and utterly pointless Love and Monsters in particular are dreadful.

Yeah, this is why I utterly hate the episode. It's stupid enough as it is with dinosaurs, cartoony villains, robots on spaceships and all, but that was a majorly out of character moment for The Doctor which clearly showed the complete lack of authenticity and knowledge of the series that the script had at all. Let's hope the writer isn't let near another episode.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 06:40 PM

Thanks Chez and to everyone else for the great comments again, loving all the discussion so far!

Believe it or not, the writer of Dinosaurs is actually Chris Chibnall, the next showrunner (thankfully he's better episodes for both Doctor Who and Torchwood)

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 06:44 PM

That John Simm shit was ATROCIOUS.

Martha literally is a blackhole of personality. You can observe the writers meant for her to have one by her presence on the show sucking all the fun out of it, but it is unobservable.

Posted by: Klaus 24th April 2017, 06:45 PM

I've already said it to Joseph but I really like 'Sleep No More'. I understand the hate, with the found footage, the monster winning and the Doctor basically just running away for like the first time ever BUT I thought the whole thing was creepy and atmospheric. I genuinely really liked the final few moments too in respect that YOU watching were now infected. I thought it was a really creepy angle, it is a shame that there will be no resolution really. I also love 'Kill the Moon' from Series 8 which is like universally hated as well haha. I wonder which Series 10 episode I'll love while everyone hates!

'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship' is such a random episode. Definitely overcrowded, still don't see why they added those two extra side characters whilst the robots REALLY didn't work. They were just Mitchell and Webb...as robots.

'In the Forest of the Night' is probs my least favourite episode lmao. There's like no plot, no threat and no purpoae to any of the characters. The trees just go anyway and they leave the place immaculate :')

Where is 'The Rings of Akhatan' tho?

-x-

omg I can never do the series ranks. Possibly: 4 > 2 > 1 > 5 > 3 > 8 > 6 > 9 > 7

Series 2 is literally when I became OBSESSED with the show, even though I saw Series 1 when it came out, so that always will have that special connection for me. Series 4 just benefits from not having a weak episode really, maybe 'The Doctor's Daughter' but that still has some interesting elements where as Series 2 of course has Love & Monsters and Fear Her. The Slitheen kind of cast a negative shadow over Series 1 for me now, they definitely feel more like SJA villains now haha, I do still like the political aspect of the two-parter though.

Series 7 & 9 are quite similar for me in that they have some really strong highs (mainly in the first half for Series 7) but also some really low lows. I never got into the character of Me as much as they wanted me to and Clara's run of episodes in Series 7 is the worst the show has seen since its inception.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 06:45 PM

Oh no

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 06:48 PM

Lmao at Funky Dory being your top Rachek Stevens cd!! You don't listen to that still??

Also River Song's figurine looks like one of an Estonian prostitute.

Posted by: Klaus 24th April 2017, 06:50 PM

River Song definitely looks off

Love all the classic characters there as well though!!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 24th April 2017, 06:51 PM

Oh and just because:

Series 2 (Tennant and Rose were the ultimate pair for me, and nearly every episode (two very obvious exceptions aside) is amazing and that final double bill omg)
Series 3 (The Dalek two parter aside, this was mainly great across the board)
Series 4 (Still not a fan of Donna rlly, but it was a high quality series in general)
Series 1 (Has aged really well for what it is and Eccleston really was a great Doctor that should've stayed longer)
Series 9 (The best in a long time actually, the Clara/Doctor stuff wasn't as in your face and there were some real standout episodes)
Series 5 (Matt Smith is the clear weak link in the three Doctors I've seen alas so this was when I started losing interest, it was a decent series, but felt a bit of a letdown after four)
Series 7 (Had it's moments, but a bit sub-par/unmemorable and too much Clara)
Series 6 (Wayyy too much of that River Song bollocks, I'm still not entirely sure what the point of all of it was)
Series 8 (Just a very unmemorable series, a glance at the episodes shows I'd go back to about three of them about a push, they got Capaldi really wrong here in retrospect)

I'm not gonna try and deny my bias here, the first four series were some of the best TV I'd seen and it was compulsive viewing. It hasn't lost me yet though despite varying quality over the years.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 06:52 PM

Ooh Froot, you've reminded me to mention that I'll also be taking time to talk about SJA, as well as Torchwood and Class, along the countdown, and talk about the best and worst story from each

! I've not played the album since 2012 according to my last.fm x

River Song's figure is terrible, the hair looks like a wig they fixed it a bit on later editions though :')

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 06:55 PM

Unfortunately they've not made many of the classic companions would love for them to at least make a few more so Hartnell, Troughton and McGann can have someone

Posted by: Regina 24th April 2017, 07:17 PM

Voyage of the Damned >>>>>>>

Posted by: Slick 24th April 2017, 08:52 PM

1. Series 4
2. Series 2
3. Series 3
4. Series 6
5. Series 1
6. Series 7
7. Series 9
8. Series 5
9. Series 8

I've done this very quickly - each series varies wildly from episode to episode so if I properly thought about it, I'd be here forever. But generally, this is a good indicator. I thought Series 9 really was very strong but it's perhaps too early to rank it any higher than this.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 09:20 PM

103 Nightmare in Silver
Series 7, Episode 12
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald

Nightmare in Silver sees the Doctor and Clara take Angie and Artie, the kids Clara babysits, on a trip in the TARDIS to a theme park in space. The park is closed down when they arrive, and they run into a man called Webley, who shows him his collection of alien artefacts, including deactivated harmless Cybermen. Instead of going home, the Doctor opts to investigate some small silver insects, which turn out to be Cybermites that reactivate the Cybermen, who then partially convert Webley, Angie and Artie. After an attack from the Cybermen, the Doctor puts Clara in charge of the troops on site, as they are revealed to be incompetent, sent out as a punishment, while he goes to rescue Angie and Artie. To save them, the Doctor is partially upgraded himself, and opts to play a chess match with the "Cyber-Planner" in his mind. The army struggle to fight off the Cybermen, who are newly upgraded themselves and can repair problems immediately, but Clara and the troops' lives are spared as the Cyber-Planner uses the resources of the entire army to help it win the chess match, therefore rendering the army useless. The Doctor uses a hand pulser to remove the Cyber-Planner, and Clara rejoins him. A worker on the site called Porridge is recognised by Angie as the emperor, after she saw his picture in Webley's museum, and they are transported to a nearby ship before a bomb blows up the millions of Cybermen on the planet.

The issue with this is that the actual Cybermen don't feel totally utilised. The chess match takes up a lot of the time and it's ultimately pointless when neither the Doctor nor the Cyber-Planner actually win it. The new Cybermen are interesting but as of yet, I don't think they've had a proper chance to shine. In fact I don't think the Moffat era's utilised the Cybermen well at all, but more on that later. Ultimately this is one that just doesn't really work for me.

Posted by: HarryApa 24th April 2017, 09:28 PM

Yeah the Cyberman were not utilised well in this episode at all

Posted by: Klaus 24th April 2017, 09:29 PM

The problem with the new Cybermen is that the fact they can constantly upgrade to defeat a weakness means that they themselves are completely undefeatable. It means that we're left with bad solutions in both 'Nightmare im Silver' and the Series 8 two parter.

'Nightmare in Silver' was quite a mess of an episode and was similar to 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship' in that there were two many secondary characters. The kids in particular were AWFUL, both horrendously written and acted. So pleased that they never returned! The plot itself had so much potential, with it being on this old theme park world but it just became so dull & dry, especially when it resulted in a game of chess.

Posted by: LustForLife 24th April 2017, 09:35 PM

Yeah the Nightmare In Silver was an absolute mess :/ Placing the two kids at the centre of the episodes was an awful idea.

Posted by: Slick 24th April 2017, 09:36 PM

Nightmare in Silver *poop emoji*

Posted by: Chez Wombat 24th April 2017, 09:45 PM

In general, they haven't really done the Cybermen justice since new Who in the same way as the Daleks, that one is definitely a glaring example of that. They may as well not have been there for how much impact they actually had :/

Posted by: Slick 24th April 2017, 09:48 PM

After all of this time I think it's very hard to make the Daleks or the Cyberman a convincing threat. The last time the Cybermen were properly used, they played a crap second fiddle to Missy (which tbf, pretty much ANY villain would.)

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 24th April 2017, 09:55 PM

I didn't even BOTHER watching that episode. Missed a lot of that crap season tbh.

OMG at the season 8 finale. TRASH end.

Posted by: danG 24th April 2017, 09:57 PM

didn't like that episode either. the kids were pointless and awful and whilst Matt Smith did a good job of playing the two sides of the doctor that part did drag, and there have been better cyberman episodes.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 10:02 PM

I think the last time I felt the Cybermen were particularly well utilised was Army of Ghosts / Doomsday although the short sequence of the one-armed Cyberman chasing Amy in The Pandorica Opens was pretty cool. The difference between any of the others since then, and Nightmare in Silver, is the surrounding plot. It's just messy in this one sadly.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th April 2017, 11:50 PM

102 The Rings of Akhaten
Series 7, Episode 7
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald

Froot asked and he (eventually) received The Rings of Akhaten sees Clara's first proper outing in the TARDIS, so he takes her to an alien marketplace on the Rings of Akhaten, where they can observe a series of planetoids orbiting a planet, with a pyramid on one of them. Clara learns that the currency in this marketplace is "sentimental items", which appalls Clara at first. She gets separated from the Doctor and bumps into a little girl, Merry Galel, the Queen of Years, who is running away because she has to sing a song at a ceremony and is afraid of getting it wrong. After offering some words of comfort to her, Merry heads to the ceremony. The Doctor and Clara attend the ceremony, where the Doctor explains that a constant song is sung to keep an angry god asleep. As Merry sings, a beam of light envelopes her and she is pulled towards the pyramid ahead by an awakening mummy. The Doctor and Clara buy a space moped from the marketplace, using Clara's mother's ring as payment, and head to the pyramid. As they try to leave the pyramid with Merry, a group of creatures called the Vigil arrive. The Doctor manages to hold them in place long enough for Clara and Merry to escape the throne room, but the mummy breaks free and is revealed to be Akhaten itself. The Doctor faces the creature when he arrives back at the ceremony, realising it feeds off feelings and memories, and tries to overfeed it with the amount of Time Lord memories he has. This doesn't work, so Clara offers Akhaten the leaf that led to her parents meeting for the first time, and Akhaten implodes on itself with the amount of infinite potential it had, due to her mother's death when Clara was a teenager.

I had to look up a lot of this plotline as it's not an episode I've rewatched a great deal, and I found it pretty hard to condense the summary into a smaller paragraph strangely. Despite the fact there's a lot going on, it weirdly feels like the episode never really GOES anywhere. The threat never feels totally realised, and whilst it's good to learn some of Clara's backstory, the fact a simple leaf can overpower the Doctor's hundreds of years of memories feels ultimately very silly. There's not really much of a supporting cast to invest in either - it has the exact opposite problem to Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - and there's not much of a plot to make up for this. I'm not even sure there's much I could suggest to improve it really, just a pretty weak episode overall.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 01:30 AM

That was AWFUL. Another love saves the day. Ugh.

Posted by: LustForLife 25th April 2017, 01:33 AM

What an atrocious episode. It was laughably awful and one of the worst solutions they've ever had in Doctor Who.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 25th April 2017, 06:24 AM

I actually quite liked both of them, but glad we're getting the Matt Smiths out of the way anyway Have we had any from the stupidly confusing second Amy Pond series yet?

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 11:01 AM

Not yet! But don't worry, I have a lot to say on that one

Posted by: Iz~ 25th April 2017, 11:39 AM

Oh! I haven't seen any Capaldi (bar sitting through Deep Breath and not being ENTHUSED) so I can't comment on that (just can't deal with the show any more) though I may actually see once this is done about watching the highlights that you provide Joseph - as out of all things we mostly seem to have fairly similar tastes on Doctor Who, at least as far as I remember. This'll last until you put one of my treasured historical episodes absurdly low compared to what it deserves. But I love whole episode rankings like this, I dream about having the time to do a Game Of Thrones one once that's finished for example. So I'll follow and reminisce at the very least.

Thing is with the current series, I just don't want to sit through more redundant Dalek episodes or stuff like that In The Forest Of The Night thing, which from your description reads like another Fear Her (which I hope appears soon ).

I agree on all that I know so far except for The Crimson Horror, that was one of the few highlights of the last series I watched, mainly because I absolutely love the old woman villain from there, she's very watchable. And I think Rings Of Akhaten wasn't SO bad on a rewatch because of the music but it's not that good either. Love & Monsters and Dinosaurs On A Spaceship are irredeemable so I really agree with those.

Oh and....

Series 3 - Martha is really relatable for me, I honestly think she filled the role of a companion really quite perfectly - no taking over the show, no being absurdly special, just a normal person travelling with the Doctor. And this series is full of really good travelling episodes with no real obvious duds (except the Dalek 2-parter). For me, at least.
Series 4 - also very strong all the way through, I was basically in top DW fan mode during these days
Series 5 - got a little bit heavy on the universe thing but an exciting way to start Matt's career
Series 2 - lots of strong episodes but quite a few really weak ones I'm not interested in either
Series 7 - bit of a step up from six, got me briefly interested again before I gave up.
Series 1 - aged a bit poorly with a lot that isn't consistent with the following series
Series 6 - wreck this please, Joseph, only one episode I really care for

Posted by: Klaus 25th April 2017, 11:56 AM

No wonder you like the old woman in The Crimson Horror Iz considering its Olenna Tyrell

I think the worst part of The Rings of Akhatan is not even the leaf saving the world but the fact it nearly KILLED a person. I want to find a person who has had a leaf blow into their face which somehow causes them to step into the road and nearly get hit by a car.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 12:56 PM

There's definitely some fantastic Capaldi episodes, I'd say the overall quality of the two Capaldi series is higher than the final two Matt Smith series actually. Not to say there aren't a few duds as we've seen already though. If you are interested in getting back into the show, I'd suggest starting with series 10 which only began a couple of weeks back, it's a fresh start and a lot more RTD-like so far!

Oh and I've definitely got a lot to talk about when it comes to series 6, don't you worry


!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 01:18 PM

101 The Woman Who Lived
Series 9, Episode 6
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Ashildr/"Me"

Series 9 saw the introduction of a new recurring character played by Maisie Williams, a girl who gains immortality from the Doctor in the previous episode, The Girl Who Died. One episode later and we see the Doctor meet Ashildr again, 800 years later, under the alias of the "Knightmare" as she carries out a highway robbery, but fails as the vehicle drives off before the artifact can be taken. We learn that she still has a human memory and relies on her diaries to remember past events, including her first meeting with the Doctor, and simply calls herself "Me" now. They break into a house and successfully steal the artifact together, and the Doctor identifies it as "the Eyes of Hades", a way of opening a portal to the afterlife in Greek mythology. The Doctor is introduced to Me's ally, Leandro, an alien who promises to take Me to travel the universe if she opens the portal. A death is required for the portal to open, and Ashildr is willing to use her servant Clayton at first, but after tying up the Doctor, she hears that Sam Swift is about to be executed and opts to use his death instead. Leandro's deception is revealed as he actually wanted the portal to bring his people to Earth so they can invade. Me uses the final Mire medical chip on Sam Swift to save his life, and also grant him immortality, closing the portal but not before Leandro's people kill him for his failure.

This one for me is just very boring. There's very little action and I don't really find Ashildr/Me all that likeable or interesting. The actual threat is a total afterthought in the story and ultimately feels like little more than a filler episode in series 9. To its credit, it does manage some good dialogue between the Doctor and Me, and credit must be given to Capaldi and Williams for their portrayal, but there's nothing more of note in this episode unfortunately.

Posted by: danG 25th April 2017, 01:22 PM

I was never a big fan of Me either. Like the rest of Season 9, I've only watched these episodes once and not interested to go back to them.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 01:49 PM

100 Hide
Series 7, Episode 9
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald

Series 7 loses a fourth episode in the bottom 10, as Hide just scrapes the top 100. This episode sees the Doctor and Clara join some ghost hunters in a haunted house, one of which is psychic, who have photographic evidence of a ghost. When exploring the house, the Doctor and Clara find an area that is noticeably colder than the rest, and when they join the hunters Professor Palmer and Emma, a black disc has materialised, while Emma senses something crying out for help. The Doctor investigates this in the TARDIS, travelling back in time and taking photos of the Earth at the same spot at various different times. He realises the ghost is a time traveller named Hila Tacorian, who he believes is stuck in a "pocket universe" where time travels more slowly, and because of this, he cannot use the TARDIS to rescue her. Instead, Emma's psychic abilities are able to help open a portal to the pocket universe. When the Doctor travels through this portal, he finds Hila but they are both chased by an unknown creature. Hila travels back through the portal but the strain impacts on Emma and the portal closes, leaving the Doctor stranded. Clara manages to use the TARDIS to travel into the pocket universe, without landing, and rescues the Doctor just before the creature can get him. He realises that Hila is a direct descendant from Palmer and Emma, and then theorises that there is another creature in the haunted house, so returns to the pocket universe one last time to save the stranded creature there.

This one is probably the most forgettable episode of New Who for me, I've seen it a few times but I had to look it up to help me write the above summary because I kept getting it confused with The Sarah Jane Adventures episode The Eternity Trap which is also set in a haunted house :') It's not bad by any means, I just don't find it all that interesting and don't actually have too much to say on it, beyond finding it a bit confusing really. Alongside being the fourth series 9 episode to be eliminated so far, it's also the sixth Clara episode in a row, and eighth Moffat era episode in a row also

Posted by: HarryApa 25th April 2017, 01:54 PM

Both of those are kind of forgetabble

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 02:34 PM

Didn't watch either.

Gave up on Capaldi.

Posted by: Klaus 25th April 2017, 02:40 PM

'The Woman Who Lived' is so dull. It requires a real interest in Me but you can't do that after one episode where she wasn't even as predominant as many other guest characters have been in the past. The alien threat was clearly tacked on as a requirement.

I did enjoy 'Hide' but there isn't enough about it to make it stand out. There was a lot of potential there that I don't think was fully utilised.

I thought you've been watching Series 10!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 02:50 PM

99 The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
2011 Christmas Special
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The final episode in the bottom 10 is the lowest placed Christmas special, the second one to star Matt Smith. Companions Amy and Rory only feature at the end of the episode, after they finally reunite properly with the Doctor after he dropped them home at the end of The God Complex. In the mean time, the Doctor met up with a woman called Madge Arwell, who helps the Doctor get to the TARDIS after he's fallen to Earth from a spaceship, with a helmet stuck on backwards. The Doctor promises to repay her for her kindness, and does just that three years later, when he stands in as the caretaker at the house they evacuate to for Christmas. Madge does not recognise the Doctor as she had not seen his face before, but tells him that her husband Reg had died and didn't want to tell the children before Christmas. At night, one of the children, Cyril, sneaks downstairs to see a huge present in the living room, and opens it to find a portal, much like the wardrobe of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so he steps through it into another world. The Doctor and Cyril's sister Lily discover his absence and follow him through, eventually tracking him to a lighthouse-type building. Madge also goes through when she notices her children are missing, and bumps into three miners in spacesuits, who inform her that the forest will be melted by acid rain soon. Cyril bumps into a wood-like creature in the building, who places a metal crown on his head, but rejects him as he is too weak, same for the Doctor, who says the life forces of the trees are trying to escape through the crown. The miners teleport away while Madge directs their pod towards the lighthouse. The wood creatures see her as strong and place the metal crown on her, and she is able to fly the top of the lighthouse as an escape pod. During this, the kids find out about their dad's death, and Madge explains to them afterwards, but is interrupted by the Doctor. Reg had been saved by the escape pod and followed the light into the time vortex to be there with them in that moment.

I think this is a sweet story, perfect to be shown on Christmas Day, but as a Doctor Who episode it's not a particular highlight because it's another example of the alien story taking a backseat. Madge is likeable however and is realistic, but the wood creatures feel very underdeveloped and don't really prove to be much of a threat in the end, it's just a way of saving Reg and getting a happy ending for the family. Good Christmas fun but little more for me.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 03:07 PM

I am as season 10 is back to being good

I always give the new season a chance.

Omfg banner at top says GaGa has been reduced to 59p on iTubes!! Buy Lady GaGa's The Cure for 59p on itunes now

My gawd do they have to pose for elaborate artwork for every episode?? That must take an aaage.

Also not sure if Fear Her should be so high, but maybe it should be for how ikonek it is in its awfulness.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 25th April 2017, 03:52 PM

I really liked The Woman Who Lived actually!

Don't remember Hide whatsoever And I only vaguely remember TDTWATW. Maybe it was because I was only 11

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 04:16 PM

98 The Girl Who Died
Series 9, Episode 5
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Ashildr/"Me"

Just a few places higher than its follow-up episode, The Girl Who Died drops out of the running. It sees the Doctor and Clara captured by Vikings, and when the Doctor tries to escape by pretending he is Odin, a mythological god, but an image of "Odin" appears in the sky which foils the Doctor's plan. Armoured soldiers arrive and use technology to teleport the best soldiers, and Clara is taken alongside a young woman named Ashildr. The male Vikings are killed and drained of their testosterone, but Clara and Ashildr are spared and meet "Odin", who is actually the leader of the Mire race. Clara tries to negotiate peace but Ashildr declares war, to which Odin says they will attack within 24 hours and returns them both back to the village. The Doctor urges the non-warriors who were left behind to abandon the village, but they refuse, so he attempts to train them up. After this fails, the Doctor realises Ashildr is a storyteller, and then discovers they have electric eels, so uses these to form the basis of his plan. When the Mire arrive, he uses these to overload the Mire's armour and to power a magnet that could pull off their helmets. He modifies one and gives it to Ashildr, who relays images of her stories to the other Mire, who "see" a dragon in front of them, scaring them off. Clara recorded this and used it to blackmail Odin into leaving. The plan succeeded but it killed Ashildr, and he decides to save her life with a chip from the Mire helmet, giving her immortality.

I prefer this episode to the follow-up, as it has a stronger plot surrounding it and doesn't feel like an afterthought around the character moments. It's not the most exciting plot ever but there's a good mix of emotional moments, with the Doctor's angry rant about Ashildr's death, and comedy, as the Doctor trained the villagers. It's a pretty decent story, but I'd have loved to have seen the Mire pose more of a threat, as they're hyped up as one of the best warrior races in the universe but they come across as pretty useless in the end.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 25th April 2017, 04:33 PM

I quite liked that one as well!

Posted by: Iz~ 25th April 2017, 04:54 PM

How did I not figure this out?! Diana Rigg is pretty perfect <3



I am thinking of seeing part of 9 maybe, I'm interested in whatever Maisie Williams did. And from reading the synopsis of those episodes... Vikings sounds like a decent setting. But maybe I do just need to skip most of eight, the synopses for that look so uninteresting with the exception of one. I just don't know I'd be able to commit to keeping up with it even if I did just jump back in at 10 now.

Hide was quite cool as far as I remember, it had a nice wibbly timey plot. The C.S. Lewis rip-off felt like one of the weakest of the specials - and mostly those are other things I need to skip watching because there's only so many times I can deal with the Doctor at Christmas.

Posted by: Klaus 25th April 2017, 05:00 PM

I would at least recommend 'Mummy on the Orient Express' and 'Flatline' from Series 8!! Two quite unique and standout episodes that try something quite different. They're also by the writer of 'The Girl Who Died' aka the one above with Maisie.

Posted by: Iz~ 25th April 2017, 05:01 PM

Mummy On The Orient Express was the one that looked interesting to me so I'll definitely make a note to watch that one - and might as well for Flatline too.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 05:09 PM

I fell asleep during the mummy on orit0ent one. Terrible!!

I vaguely remember that Vikings one. So bad.

Fear Her HAS to be next unless it has a high, ironic position.

Posted by: dandy* 25th April 2017, 05:23 PM

I thought series 8 had some okay moments actually. Looking at Wiki, I would recommend 'Deep Breath', 'Time Heist', 'Mummy on the Orient Express', 'Flatline' and possibly 'Listen' too although I don't think that one actually lives up to expectations.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 05:34 PM

Listen, The Raven and the last episode and new season arr the ONLY Capaldi episodes you need to see. Rest are crap.

Posted by: Klaus 25th April 2017, 05:45 PM

Listen is an odd one, really interesting concept and the sequence with the bed sheet is one of the most chilling the series has ever seen. I think it would have perhaps been better without the Danny Pink storyline.

Thinking about it, I always erase Danny from my memory. Such a dry character that Series 8 would have been better without.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 06:11 PM

Agreed!

And his love wins the day part in the final was just gross.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 25th April 2017, 06:19 PM

Can't believe rings of akateen or whatever was even that high. Easily my worst.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 06:24 PM

Well there are a LOT of stinkers. I'd have put it worst too I thonk, but maybe Love and Monsters is worse.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 07:06 PM

97 Kill the Moon
Series 8, Episode 7
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

More Capaldi, and this time we see the Doctor taking Clara and her student Courtney Woods on a trip to the moon in 2049. They meet Captain Lundvik, who explains that her and her crew are on a suicide mission to destroy the moon after the gravitational effects caused much of humanity to be wiped out. They travel to an abandoned colony on the moon, to find it covered in cobwebs, and are attacked by giant spiders that kill Lundvik's crew. Courtney is sent back to the TARDIS and the Doctor explores a crevasse where the giant spiders are hiding. When he returns, the Doctor explains that the moon is actually a giant egg ready to hatch, and he leaves the decision of whether to blow up the moon or not in the hands of Clara, Courtney and Lundvik, who put it to a democracy with Earth. Despite people voting for the moon to be destroyed, Clara stops the countdown at the last second, before the Doctor arrives back and takes them away. He tells them they made the right decision, and they watch as the creature hatches and lays another egg, ie. a new moon. Clara is angered by this, as the Doctor abandoned her despite knowing which option they should take.

This episode is one that had a lot of potential. The spiders are a complete waste really, they're never really explained or utilised as well as they should've been. The idea of the moon hatching feels a bit stupid and the creature laying another egg immediately after it's hatched is even sillier and feels like a bit of a cop out. Courtney however was quite revelation and was nowhere near as annoying as I thought she'd end up being. I must say I don't really enjoy how the Doctor and Clara fall out. She's right to question him but I'd rather just see the Doctor and the companion travel together and have fun, rather than argue and fall out.

We've finally got the second lowest RTD episode coming next, any predictions for what it might be?

Posted by: danG 25th April 2017, 07:16 PM

Fear Her surely?

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 07:26 PM

Didn't watch that crap.

Damn another episode promo shot!!

Those must bore them stiff!!

Yah gotta be Fear her!!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 07:53 PM

96 42
Series 3, Episode 7
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones
Also starring: Francine Jones

Sorry guys, it's not Fear Her's time yet! The second lowest RTD era episode comes from 42, the lowest episode from series 3 in my rank. The Doctor and Martha receive a distress call from the S.S. Pentallian, a spaceship that is close to crashing into a star. The Doctor and Martha, alongside Kath McDonnell and her team, have just 42 minutes to reach the bridge controls. The issue is, there are 30 doors before the bridge that are deadlock sealed, and general knowledge questions must be answered to get further. Martha teams up with crew member Riley to answer the questions (while also phoning her mum for some help). Meanwhile, one of the ship's crew, Korwin McDonnell, Kath's husband, has been infected by something that is causing his body temperature to soar. He becomes possessed and picks off the team one by one, including recruiting crew member Ashton to help. Martha and Riley have to hide in an escape pod to escape Ashton, who activates the pod and sees the two of them hurtling towards the star. The Doctor saves them but not without getting infected himself, during which he learns that the star is living and the crew have been using it for fuel. Kath encounters Korwin, and after she tries to get through to him, they fall out of an airlock together, towards the sun. The crew dump the fuel, and the star lets the Doctor go.

My issue with this episode is that it's always felt like a lesser version of The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit. Crew member getting infected, picking them off one-by-one, it's been done before and better. The supporting cast are decent, and Martha's scene in the escape pod when she phones Francine, knowing that may be the last time she speaks to her mum, is heartbreaking, but otherwise it's an alright filler episode and nothing more.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 08:13 PM

Sounds crap.

The Satan Pit was terrible and too religious too.

At least Fear Her is ikonek.

Posted by: HarryApa 25th April 2017, 08:19 PM

42 SOOOOOOO low I really liked it was a faveourite from the Martha era

Posted by: Iz~ 25th April 2017, 08:33 PM

Nay! 42 was really good - yes it was a little less good than The Impossible Planet but that's one of the classics, so 42 is at least a midtable episode. The pub quiz element really sticks with me, that was at least unique, and there's the fact that the episode takes off a bit from 24 by adopting the format of a (mostly) time-matching episode and it did feel very perilous as you're messing with a sun, one of the biggest forces of nature possible.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 08:34 PM

95 Fear Her
Series 2, Episode 11
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler

OK OK, here it is guys, Fear Her is finally out, and it's time for an unpopular opinion: I don't hate it. In fact I kinda enjoy it, it's an enjoyable final outing for the Doctor and Rose before things get serious in the finale. We see the duo arrive in 2012, on Dame Kelly Holmes Close, just as the 2012 Olympics are going on. They realise that people are going missing, and decide to investigate. It leads them to a young girl called Chloe Webber, who has numerous drawings in her room, notably of the people that have gone missing. The Doctor hypnotises her and finds out she's possessed by an alien called an Isolus, who is lonely and wants friends, so befriended Chloe. The Doctor and Rose try to find the capsule it arrived in, and if they can give it power, the Isolus can leave Chloe. Chloe however draws the Doctor and the TARDIS, leaving Rose alone to find the pod. She digs up a freshly laid patch of road and finds the pod, before the drawing of the Doctor suggests that she needs to get it to the Olympic torch, so she gets nearby and chucks it in. The missing children re-appear, and the Isolus leaves Chloe, although the drawing of her father in her wardrobe begins to come to life due to Chloe's emotions. Her mum Trish is able to calm her down and the drawing of her dad is stopped. We then see the Doctor pick up the Olympic torch and run with it himself, lighting the Olympic Flame.

I can understand why people aren't so keen on this. It's yet another episode where love and harmony and all that saves the day, and it's always quite a weak solution I find, but I quite enjoy the supporting cast here and particularly the comedy scenes (including "fingers on lips" and the Doctor unable to step out of the TARDIS due to bad parking at the start of the episode ). It's far from a favourite of mine but hey, I think it gets a bit of a hard time, and Chloe and Trish's relationship is really quite lovely.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 08:38 PM

Ha ikonek!

OMg I keep forgetting it was set in 2012 but the episode came BEFORE 2012 when that was still a long way off in the future!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 08:39 PM

Indeed, this makes me feel old (ignoring the fact I was 9 when the episode aired and 15 in 2012 x)

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th April 2017, 09:35 PM

94 Let’s Kill Hitler
Series 6, Episode 8
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

Finally we reach the first episode from series 6 to drop out (leaving series 1, 4 and 5 as the only ones with 100% of their episodes left), and it's the opening episode for series 6B. Let's Kill Hitler opens with Amy and Rory creating a crop circle to attract the Doctor's attention, which succeeds, and they are joined by their childhood friend Mels, who Amy named her daughter Melody after, and is the reason Amy and Rory got together in the first place. Mels is on the run from the police after stealing a car, and escapes with the others in the TARDIS after holding a gun to them. They arrive in 1938 Berlin, where a shapeshifting robot manned by humans has infiltrated Adolf Hitler's office, ready to torture him near the end of his life. Hitler is panicked when the TARDIS lands and aims his shot at the Teselecta's human disguise, but hits Mels and she regenerates.... into River Song! River had been trained to kill the Doctor, and kisses him with lipstick that contains poison, which will kill him within the hour. Amy and Rory follow River, and the Teselecta follows them, knowing that the Doctor's death is a fixed point in time (as we saw in The Impossible Astronaut). The Teslectra brings Amy and Rory on board, while taking Amy's appearance, to get close to River, but before it can attack, the TARDIS materialises. When the crew refuse to step down on their plan to attack River, Amy sets the ships antibodies to attack them, but they teleport away leaving Amy and Rory to face the antibodies alone. River rescues them, and saves the Doctor's life by sacrificing her remaining regenerations.

This episode is one that feels like it exists solely to fill in some plot gaps. It establishes the origins of River Song, shows Amy and Rory that they knew their daughter their entire life, and sets up the Teselecta ready for the twist in the finale. Beyond this, there's not much to it. Hitler is a total gimmick, and while there are some very nice character moments, and the Teselecta is cool, but it lacks a proper storyline to it I think.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 09:46 PM

I love that gimmicky episode!!

Posted by: danG 25th April 2017, 09:47 PM

'42' being THAT low and lower than 'Fear Her' invalidates the entire countdown

I really liked '42' anyway. I get the 'Impossible Planet' comparison but I really liked the real-time aspect of this episode (with it being 42 minutes long), an original concept for Doctor Who.

A filler episode? Perhaps, but good filler.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 25th April 2017, 09:49 PM

Well, it's not like Far Her is particularly high tbh - and it is ikonek in a bad way!

Posted by: Klaus 25th April 2017, 09:52 PM

As I said before, Kill the Moon is my controversial favourite of Series 8. I completely get that the ending is ridiculous, with the moon being an egg which immediately hatches a new egg exactly the same size BUT I feel the path that gets to that point is really strong. Courtney is actually excellent and a lot better than I expected, really adding to the plot. The production is also AMAZING, the way they added effects to the scenes shot in Tennerife make for some of the most impressive shots the show has seen. I think that's a really uderrated aspect of it.

I maybe wouldn't have placed '42' as low but it is quite a poor knock off from my favourite episodes.

Posted by: LustForLife 26th April 2017, 09:36 AM

I liked Let's Kill Hitler. Sure it's gimmicky but it was a good fun episode

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 11:43 AM

93 The Snowmen
2012 Christmas Special
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswin Oswald
Also starring: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax, Clara Oswald

2012's Christmas special saw the Doctor hiding out in Victorian London. He'd just lost Amy and Rory and is avoiding all human contact. We're also introduced, at the very start of the episode, to a young boy who builds a snowman, and the snowman begins to speak to him. The young man grows up to be Dr. Simeon, who we meet later in the episode. The Doctor meets a young woman called Clara Oswin Oswald, and while he tries to make her forget the encounter, Strax's incompetence with the memory worm doesn't allow this to be completed before snowmen pop up and attack them. The Doctor instructs Clara to picture the snowmen melting, and they do so in front of them. The Doctor then leaves, and Clara follows him, finding he has parked the TARDIS on a cloud. The next day she meets with Vastra and Jenny, before returning to her job as governess for two children, one of whom is having bad dreams about the previous governess returning from the dead. The Doctor investigates Dr. Simeon and finds a large snowglobe in his office. He speaks to the Great Intelligence, the entity that spoke to Simeon via the snowman when he was young. The Doctor visits the pond, and the frozen body of the old governess attacks Clara and the children. Dr. Simeon arrives with more snowmen and demands the body of the governess, which is being used as a template for ice creatures that will not melt. The Doctor and Clara try to escape, but the ice governess pulls Clara off the cloud, and she falls to the ground. The Doctor then tricks Dr. Simeon with the memory worm, which causes the Great Intelligence's power to be stopped. Clara later dies, before uttering the words "run you clever boy and remember", which causes the Doctor to investigate further as he remembers Oswin Oswald from the Dalek asylum saying these words before her death.

This might not be a favourite of mine but much like The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, it's a really nice story for Christmas, and Clara Oswin Oswald is likeable, particularly in her scenes with the children. Strax is hilarious in the comedy moments, particularly with the memory worm scene near the beginning, and the snowmen are an interesting idea. My criticism is that it feels a little bit long to me and kinda drags a bit, but otherwise it's a generally enjoyable episode.

Posted by: Mack 26th April 2017, 11:58 AM

That 'Dalek' episode from the first series was very poor indeed and that flashback episode with Rose's dad in the second series just didn't work at all.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 01:34 PM

92 Robot of Sherwood
Series 8, Episode 3
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald

Robot of Sherwood saw the Twelfth Doctor's first trip into the past, after Clara insisted that she wanted to meet Robin Hood. The Doctor was adamant that he didn't exist and was purely fictional, but when they arrive, the Doctor doesn't just come face to face with Robin Hood, he challenges him to a duel, using a spoon :') They go to meet Robin's merry men, but the Doctor is still in disbelief. They all attend an archery competition held by the Sheriff of Nottingham, but it ends up being yet another match between the Doctor and Robin. The Sheriff orders his knights to take the Doctor, as he was intrigued by him, but when Robin cuts off one of their arms, he realises they're robots. They allow themselves to be captured, and are chained up in the cellar. Clara is taken to meet with the Sheriff, leaving the Doctor and Robin to bicker. Clara manipulates the Sheriff into revealing his plan - he saw a spacecraft crash and has been repairing it since for himself. The Doctor and Robin escape and go to locate the spacecraft. The Doctor realises here that the engines are leaking, causing the area to be more like Sherwood Forest. Clara and the Sheriff arrive at the ship, and Robin saved Clara by jumping out of the window into the water below. The Doctor is captured again and is held captive in the gold refinery. He leads a revolt with the other prisoners against the knight robots, and Robin, Clara and the merry men arrive to help face off against the Sheriff, who perishes after a sword fight with Robin. The ship does take off but doesn't have enough power to leave the atmosphere, so the Doctor, Clara and an injured Robin work together to fire a golden arrow to give the ship one last power lift. Despite the Doctor thinking Robin is a robot, he realises he is actually real, but the story is remembered as a legend.

This episode's a pretty fun romp I think, a lot of people criticise Capaldi's Doctor for being overly grumpy in his early days and I don't disagree really, but it does make for some pretty amusing scenes in this episode. The Robin plot is interestingly handled, and it's good to see him come full circle by the end with the Doctor. The actual alien plot once again feels a bit sidelined however, and the spaceship idea feels quite weak, but otherwise it's an enjoyable episode, not a classic but fun nevertheless.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 26th April 2017, 01:46 PM

That Robin Hood one was aaaawful.

I liked that Xmas episode though, perfect for Xmas Day!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 26th April 2017, 01:59 PM

I liked The Snowmen, I remember Clara being a very good companion in that one. Also how she said 'It's smaller on the outside' as opposed to the usual 'It's bigger on the inside'.

I will agree that the Robin Hood one was a little odd though

Posted by: danG 26th April 2017, 02:03 PM

wasn't a fan of the Robin Hood episode. Even by Historical standards it was a weak episode (soz Iz but the historicals generally are the worst, The Girl In The Fireplace being the obvious big exception)

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 26th April 2017, 02:13 PM

Girl in the Fireplace was a rip off of Masque of the Red Death.

Posted by: Iz~ 26th April 2017, 02:17 PM

I mean, quite apart from me being a historical loon I find most DW aliens so cartoony and ridiculous, I'm just not the biggest fan of the series' original future lore - they can be good too, they just need to have some sort of good human element. I prefer it for its ability to use interesting historical settings to meld the sci-fi element with. And when they're pretty serious like The Snowmen (and god knows Victorian England is a setting that the show has overused just a little) it's really quite powerful, I definitely recall that episode as the best I ever liked Clara and it's one of the better Christmas specials.

No, they're not all good, and as I haven't seen Robot Of Sherwood I can't speak for that, but then Robin Hood as a story has never really been my favourite as far as legends go, when Star Trek did a Robin Hood episode that was pretty awful. The whole robot thing does not seem ENCOURAGING either.

Posted by: Klaus 26th April 2017, 02:17 PM

Not usually a fan of the historicals either or even Robin Hood but I actually enjoyed 'Robot of Sherwood'! I agree that it's probably the best use of the inital grumpy Doctor.

The Snowman is one of the better Christmas episodes but it is a bit of a mixed episode. The stairway to the clouds is really beautiful and the entrance to the new TARDIS is done brilliantly. Victorian Clara is also amazing and she really should have been the proper companion, shows the trouble was in the writing and not Jenna! Elsewhere though there is some dodgy production with the Ice woman being tragically bad even when the episode debuted. The big snowglobe could not be any less threatening either. Pretty impressive that Ian McKellen voiced the Great Intelligence though!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 04:23 PM

91 The Doctor’s Wife
Series 6, Episode 4
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

In this episode, the Doctor receives a distress call in a communication cube from another Time Lord, so he traces the signal to a rift that goes outside the universe. They land in what looks like a junkyard, before the TARDIS shuts down and its matrix disappears. They meet the inhabitants: Uncle, Auntie, Idris and a green-eyed Ood called Nephew. Idris is intrigued by the Doctor but is locked up by Nephew. While Amy and Rory return to the TARDIS, the Doctor finds that Uncle and Auntie are assembled from parts of many species, including Time Lords, hence the signal. They're controlled by the asteroid, named House, which is what removed the TARDIS matrix to feed off the artron energy. House transfers itself into the TARDIS and plays mind games with Amy and Rory, while the personality of the TARDIS has been put into Idris. Her body doesn't have long to last without House's support, but she manages to help the Doctor create a makeshift TARDIS to save Amy and Rory. Idris gives Rory directions via a psychic connection to the old (RTD era) console room. The gang reunite and the safety protocols of the TARDIS transfer them back to the main console room, where a dying Idris releases the TARDIS matrix back into the console, destroying House.

This is probably quite a controversial opinion as I've seen a lot of love for this episode online, but it's never really done it for me. Series 6 suffers a lot for me by being overly complicated in parts, and this episode is an example of that for me. There's a lot happening and it took a few rewatches to totally understand what was going on. Idris is just a bit annoying I find too, although the idea of the consciousness of the TARDIS being transferred to a human is a cool idea and I'll always respect them for doing something different. The Amy and Rory scenes inside the TARDIS are great too even if I wasn't totally sure what was going on at first. I definitely don't hate this episode but it's simply not a big favourite.

Posted by: Klaus 26th April 2017, 04:32 PM

omg NOO!!! Such a brilliantly unique episode, bringing new ideas to the show!!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 04:34 PM

But it's so confusing

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 05:47 PM

90 The Curse of the Black Spot
Series 6, Episode 3
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Just above The Doctor's Wife is the episode that preceded it. The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive on a pirate ship in the 17th century following a distress call, stranded in the ocean. The crew are being antagonised by the Siren, a blue humanoid creature that marks her victims with a black spot on the hand once they're injured. The victims are lulled into a trance-like state, where they want to go towards her, and their death. Rory cuts himself when he arrives but the Doctor and Amy keep him from moving towards the Siren. The Doctor realises that the Siren is using water as a portal, so they need to go to the driest part of the ship - the artillery. They find Captain Avery's son Toby on ship, he'd stowed away and had a fever. The Doctor attempts to investigate with the TARDIS but it dematerialises by itself, and when another shipmate is killed, they realise that reflective surfaces are what the Siren is using as a portal. After Toby and Rory are taken, the Doctor theorises that they are not dead, and must prick themselves to be taken too. The Siren's touch doesn't kill, but takes them to a ship, invisible in the same location as the pirate ship. They find all the people who were taken, being cared for by the Siren who is the medical nurse of the now abandoned ship. Amy convinces the Siren to release Rory into her care, and her and the Doctor have to resuscitate him to keep him alive. Captain Avery stays on board the ship, as Toby and the others are unable to leave, and pilots it away to explore the stars.

This is another example of a filler episode really. It's pretty good filler at that, the pirate ship setting allows for a good claustrophobic feel and the Siren is an interesting villain, but I feel the conclusion is slightly weak. Rory dying once again became a running joke at this point and I'm unsure of how I feel about the Siren actually being a medical nurse, caring for the crew that were previously thought to have been killed. Overall, a decent enjoyable episode and on the bright side, it's not super duper confusing like many of the surrounding episodes :')

Posted by: Iz~ 26th April 2017, 06:06 PM

Doctor's Wife never did it for me, didn't feel connected to the setting and it all felt so... abstract. However, Curse Of The Black Spot was a rare highlight in series 6 for me because of pirates and a fairly decent threat at the start. I mean, not the best pirates I've ever seen and a bit fillerish once the threat turned out to be a computer (it's always a computer, can't just be a simple legendary monster, must be an alien computer) but it was a nice distraction from the main plot which I was not into.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 26th April 2017, 06:18 PM

Omfg skipped that awful pirates episode.

And that Doctor Wife one was trash.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 06:36 PM

89 The Name of the Doctor
Series 7, Episode 13
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald, River Song
Also starring: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax

The series 7 finale kicks off with Madame Vastra and Jenny preparing for a "conference call" with Strax, River Song and Clara in a dream state. Vastra informs the others of something she was told by Clarence DeMarco, a villainous murderer who had been seeing visions of masked men - "The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave, and it is discovered". The masked men, known as Whisper Men, break into Vastra and Jenny's house, and Jenny is killed while in her dream state. The rest of them wake up, and the Doctor is with Clara. She tells him what happened, and he knows he must go to Trenzalore, where his grave is located. An echo of River appears on Trenzalore to Clara, giving her directions of where to go and what to do. After being chased by the Whisper Men, the Doctor, Clara, Vastra, Strax and a revived Jenny meet Dr. Simeon, who is possessed by the Great Intelligence, who says he will kill the Doctor's allies if he does not whisper his name, to open his grace. The echo if River whispers his name after the Doctor refuses, and they walk in to see the Doctor's timestream. Dr. Simeon walks inside, scattered across the Doctor's live, to kill him across time. Clara realises she has to follow Dr. Simeon, remembering what the Doctor had told her about her previous incarnations, and Dr. Simeon is defeated, with Vastra, Jenny and Strax saved. The Doctor reveals he could hear and see River all along, but didn't out of pain as it was after her death. He then walks into his timestream to save Clara, and the episode closes with a glimpse of the War Doctor.

This is very much an episode of two halves for me. I love the conference call aspect, and the idea of Jenny being killed while in her dream, being so clearly terrified, was an excellent idea. However when we get to Trenzalore, it all goes very messy and continuity heavy. By this point, I'd stopped caring about Clara's echoes and ultimately I feel it bogged down her first run as companion, and we never found out how the Doctor and Clara got out of his timestream. I guess it wraps things up nicely but as a standalone episode it has to be quite low down unfortunately.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 26th April 2017, 07:21 PM

I think The Name of the Doctor was a good episode (don't really remember the other so they can't have been great)

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 10:07 PM

88 The Return of Doctor Mysterio
2016 Christmas Special
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Nardole

The most recent episode in the countdown now! The Return of Doctor Mysterio sees the Doctor meeting a young boy named Grant in New York, 1992. He assists the Doctor with a plan of his, but swallows a wish-granting gemstone, thinking it is medicine, and this grants his wish to become a superhero. Before the Doctor leaves, he makes Grant promise not to use his powers. The Doctor returns to New York in 2016 with Nardole to investigate Harmony Shoals, where he bumps into researcher Lucy Fletcher. They figure out that the place is being run by aliens - living brains, in fact, that can transplant themselves into any creature when necessary. The group are rescued from the aliens by a superhero named The Ghost, who takes Lucy home, then returns as the nanny for her child without her knowing anything about his double life. The Doctor tracks him down again, before getting on board the alien ship, while Lucy prepares for an interview with the Ghost, still unaware it is Grant. The ship is set to crash on New York, with the plan being that everything but the Harmony Shoal building is destroyed, leading the world leaders to think that they'd be safe inside Harmony Shoal buildings and the aliens can then take over. Grant stops the ship from crashing, revealing his identity to Lucy.

I must confess, I've only seen this episode once so far (waiting for the series 10 boxset which it should be on... ) so of course I can't say how well it holds up with repeated watches, but nevertheless, I find it a very fun episode. It's perfect for Christmas, a nice little story with some good action. Although I wouldn't want this type of episode regularly, I think it worked as a one-off and the supporting cast were pretty strong (and this is normally one of my biggest criticisms of the Moffat era). I'd be interested to see these aliens again actually, at the forefront of a story this time as opposed to sharing it with the superhero storyline.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 26th April 2017, 10:14 PM

That superhero episode was DIRE. Thankfully series 10 has been a big improvement thus far.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 26th April 2017, 10:16 PM

Think I fell asleep during that Xmas one.

Name of the Doctor was nice -a bit of a rip off of an anime, but ok.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 26th April 2017, 10:24 PM

Yeah, I did!! I was asleep during nesrly all of it it was so boring.

Posted by: HarryApa 26th April 2017, 10:51 PM

I agree i'd like to see the aliens again from the xmas episode just gone but it was a fun ep but nothing amazing was slightly boring in places

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 26th April 2017, 11:42 PM

87 Victory of the Daleks
Series 5, Episode 3
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond

The first series 5 episode drops out, leaving only series 1 and 4 with all their episodes in tact! Victory of the Daleks continues from the end of The Beast Below, where the Doctor was summoned by old friend Winston Churchill. The Doctor however arrives late, so Churchill has instead enlisted the help of Professor Edwin Bracewell. They show the Doctor their latest weapon against the Germans, which the Doctor immediately recognises... as a Dalek! Bracewell believes he invented the "Ironsides", as does Churchill, and they don't believe the Doctor when he tells them otherwise. He attacks the Daleks, shouting "I am the Doctor and you are the Daleks!", which activates a Progenator device on a nearby orbiting Dalek ship. The Daleks reveal that they in fact created Bracewell, and teleport to their ship. The Doctor follows in the TARDIS while Amy stays behind on Earth. These Daleks plan to create a whole new race of themselves, made of pure Dalek DNA, unlike these ones which were created by Davros' cells. The Daleks fire an energy beam at the Earth, turning the lights on when they need to be off during the air raid. The Progenator makes five new Daleks, all in different colours: Supreme (white), Eternal (yellow), Strategist (blue), Scientist (orange) and Drone (red), who exterminate the older models. Amy meanwhile thinks of a way to stop the beam, and with the help of Bracewell, modifies some spitfires so they can be flown in space and destroy the beam. The Doctor decides to leave the Daleks in order to save Earth, but not before they announce that Bracewell is in fact a bomb. The Doctor has to convince him that he is in fact human at heart to stop the bomb going off, with Amy's help.

This is definitely quite a mixed episode for me. Churchill makes for excellent viewing and Bracewell is very likeable too, but the main problem lies with the new Dalek models. The garish bright colours were a TERRIBLE decision, they don't look scary in the slightest and they did absolutely nothing threatening in the end, it was almost a waste of time to include them at all. The spitfires in space idea feels stupid too really. I think if this were a two-parter they may have been able to add more of a story for the Daleks but ultimately they didn't have time. Bonus points for Daleks serving tea though.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 26th April 2017, 11:51 PM

The spitfires thing was riiidiculous. Shoulda been a 2 parter.

Posted by: Iz~ 27th April 2017, 12:02 AM

I'd have liked the coloured Daleks if they stuck with what I saw was the original idea of making the different colours different Dalek classes which would all be treated differently in the show and have differing attitudes and responses in how they approach Dalek modus operandi #1 - exterminate. Like, the red daleks are the literal redshirts, the orange scientists would be either totally insane in that they make up Reality Bomb ideas or be the one Dalek willing to listen to reason and then one of the others is an 'Eternal' class, whatever that means. Like, variety, if we must endure screeching Dalek voices again. That never came across in this episode which was part of the problem, it just seemed like garish Daleks for no reason - although they could have definitely chosen better palette choices to represent these classes.

Churchill was great, as was what we saw of the underground war cabinet but yes, not the best episode.

Oh and Jenny dying briefly during The Name Of The Doctor had me gripped because of the creepy way she died and the fact that I was always looking forward to her appearances on the show, she was a cute necessary human foil for the alien Vastra and Strax.

Posted by: HarryApa 27th April 2017, 12:30 AM

Yeah I agree the great bright colours were such a missfire :/

Posted by: Dexton 27th April 2017, 11:27 AM

A lot of dislike for Capaldi as a Doctor judging by this thread alone, and I can't help but blame it almost entirely on the writing. Peter Capaldi is a brilliant actor and would have potentially been an amazing Doctor (Which he still could be by the looks of Series 10 so far, shame its a bit late considering he's leaving after this one). Even Clara, who is my least favourite companion to date, could have been utilised so much better than she was had the writing not been atrocious. Anyway, enough complaining. As with pretty much every Doctor Who fan ever, my favourite Doctor from the revived series was David Tennant. Aside from the series with Rose (I'm probably alone in saying this but I just don't like her as a companion) almost every episode was great. Donna was amazing as a companion also and I would highly recommend Series 4 to anyone new to the show.


Something that hasn't been said here yet for whatever reason, my top 5 monsters/villains/aliens introduced in revived series:

Weeping Angels >> Ood >> Vashta Nerada >> The Silence >> Adipose/The Flood

Great ranking by the way, I'll be keeping tabs!

Posted by: LustForLife 27th April 2017, 12:10 PM

The superhero Christmas one was awful. Poor supporting characters and pretty weak storyline. Really disappointing after a whole year off to come back with that :/

I enjoyed the setting of Victory of the Daleks but it fell really flat once the coloured Daleks arrived. I wasn't a huge fan of a spitfire going into space either!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 27th April 2017, 12:52 PM

86 A Christmas Carol
2010 Christmas Special
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Moffat's first Christmas special saw the Doctor meet a man called Kazran Sardick. He is summoned by Amy and Rory from their honeymoon on a spaceship, which loses control passing through the electric clouds of a planet. The Doctor realises that Kazran controls the atmosphere but refuses to listen to him, so takes inspiration from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and visits Kazran in the past, as a young boy. They are attacked by a shark that swims in the atmosphere, and swallows the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. The Doctor recovers part of the sonic but the shark is injured. Young Kazran offers a solution to help the shark, taking the Doctor to his father's cryogenic freezing facility, where humans are stored as security for loans. A girl named Abigail is released, and she sings to the shark to soothe it, while the Doctor uses her cryo-unit to take the shark back to the atmosphere. Kazran promises Abigail that they will see her every year on Christmas Eve, and indeed they do - the Doctor takes them both on a trip every year, and when he's in his late teenage years, Kazran falls in love with Abigail. However, after Abigail whispers something to Kazran, he requests that they stop, and ultimately old Kazran still refuses to help after this. Amy visits Kazran as a hologram, showing him how many people he will be allowing to die, as the "present" aspect. The Doctor then tells Kazran about his future - Abigail had an incurable disease when she was frozen, with only one day to live. The Doctor has brought young Kazran with him, and this makes old Kazran realise how much he has become like his father. He then agrees to save the ship, but the controls do not work and they unfreeze Abigail once again, getting her to sing into half of the sonic screwdriver, resonating with the other half inside the shark which can disrupt the atmosphere and save the ship.

I quite liked how they took inspiration from Charles Dickens in this episode, it allows for a different type of Christmas special compared to the ones we were used to from RTD. My issue with this is that it feels like it loses itself along the way and ultimately drags a little bit, certainly on first watch. It's grown on me with repeated watches though I must say, it's a heart-warming tale, and much like a lot of the Moffat Christmas specials, it's enjoyable as a one-off story.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 27th April 2017, 02:19 PM

Oh, I liked that Catherine Jenkins one!!

Jjeesus wept at all these elaborate promo shots for individual episodes though -what a time suck!!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 27th April 2017, 02:34 PM

85 Into the Dalek
Series 8, Episode 2
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

The second Capaldi episode saw the Doctor save fighter Journey Blue from her shuttle, which was being attacked by Daleks, and return her to the command ship. Journey asks the Doctor to help assist their patient - a Dalek, but not any Dalek, one that actually detests its own race rather than every other race. He picks up Clara from school, asking for her help. Alongside Journey and two soldiers, they get miniaturised and inserted into the Dalek, nicknamed Rusty by the Doctor, via the eystalk. One of the soldiers is incinerated by the antibodies inside the Dalek, and the Doctor uses this to direct them to the Dalek's waste centre. Rusty speaks to the Doctor about witnessing the creation of a star, and he uses the sonic screwdriver to seal the crack causing these thoughts, and Rusty reverts to its usual way of thinking, attacking the base and calling for reinforcements from the main Dalek ship. The Doctor enlists Clara's help to reawaken Rusty's memory of the star's creation, so she opens its cortex vault and presses at memories until the right one hits the spot, while the Doctor links Rusty with his consciousness and shows him the beauty of the universe. Rusty sees the Doctor's deep hatred for the Daleks, and exterminates the reinforcements it called for, becoming "good" again. Once the Doctor, Clara and Journey are out of Rusty, it declares that he is not a good Dalek, the Doctor is.

This is another one where I admire the show for trying something new, particularly with the Daleks when they can feel quite tired in some episodes. I remember the concept of this leaked a while before it aired and I thought it was a dreadful idea, but it was pulled off much better than I thought. Having said that, it's not perfect, and I find it stretches the imagination VERY far with the perfectly sized corridors in the Dalek it was enjoyable for sure though, and I like how the idea of a "good Dalek" was questioned - it's still a killing machine, just aiming its firepower in a different direction.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 27th April 2017, 03:07 PM

Into The Dalek and the Mysterio special I really enjoyed.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 27th April 2017, 06:36 PM

I really liked Into the Dalek - the part that stood out for me was when one of the soldiers chose to die to give the others a chance of surviving, I really liked that.

Posted by: Klaus 27th April 2017, 07:13 PM

The Curse of the Black Spot really is a poor episode, especially with that major continuity error of the crewmate disappearing as well as the seen it before ending (Rory dyung was just :')). The Return of Doctor Mysterio is definitely amongst my least favourite episodes, it was SO dull to sit through and the superhero element really didn't work for me.

The Name of the Doctor was quite interesting as an episode, I'm not sure it worked as well as it should have done but it was a brave thing to do and of course that ending is brilliant! I really hated A Christmas Carol on first watch but I've REALLY come round to it with later watches and its amongst my favourite Christmas episodes!

Into the Dalek was something that I think the writers found and believed was more interesting than it actually was! It was nice to explore something new with ththe Daleks but I don't really care about whats inside it, especially when it is an alien in metal casing. There were some exciting aspects, and I did like the intercut with Missy but the ending of plugging in some stuff fell a bit flat. It also removed the Daleks as an actual threat really haha.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 27th April 2017, 07:33 PM

84 Tooth and Claw
Series 2, Episode 2
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler

Tooth and Claw sees the Doctor and Rose land in 1879, in the Scottish moors. They meet Queen Victoria, who is travelling by road because a suspected assassination attempt has blocked the train line. The Doctor introduces himself as Dr. James McCrimmon (a nod to the Second Doctor's companion Jamie), also donning a Scottish accent, and Queen Victoria invites them both to join her in her travels. She stops by at the Torchwood Estate for the night, owned by Sir Robert MacLeish, but what she doesn't know is that sinister monks have taken over the building. After Rose tries to investigate, she is captured and thrown into a dark room with many of the other workers. They are being faced by a man in a cage, who, when the full moon is out, turns into a werewolf. The Doctor saves her just in time, and alongside Queen Victoria and Sir Robert, they go on the run. The monks are armed outside the building so they cannot escape, and instead run to the library. By reading books in the library, the Doctor realises that the building has been designed as a trap for the werewolf, and with the use of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, they can kill the alien werewolf lifeform and revert the man back to being human. Sir Robert sacrifices himself so that the others can reach the observatory, and with the help of the telescope and the diamond, the werewolf is trapped in the concentrated light of the moon. The now reverted human begs for the Doctor to increase the concentration and kill him, so he obliges. The Queen finds she has a cut from the werewolf, but insists it's nothing. She later knights the Doctor and Rose as Sir Doctor of TARDIS and Dame Rose of the Powell Estate(!!), before banishing them, and she founds the Torchwood Institute.

This is a pretty fun runaround episode, exactly what Doctor Who's all about at its core, and I do enjoy it when I watch. However I can't say I find myself going back to it a great deal. The werewolf is pretty cool and a genuine threat, and Queen Victoria is played excellently by Pauline Collins. The comedy moments are enjoyable too, with the Doctor and Rose's bet to see if the Queen will say "I am not amused", and the suggestion that the Royal Family might be werewolves :') overall, a good enjoyable episode, but there are many many better ones, not much more I can say!

Posted by: dandy* 27th April 2017, 07:33 PM

Glad to see Victory of the Daleks out, I really didn't care for their Mini One Series style makeover and entirely agree that the bright colours had the effect of making them look novelty and lose any sense of threat.

No major casualties for me so far, I do recall quite liking The Doctor's Wife and 42 even if I can't say that I've thought twice about them since they first aired.

Posted by: Iz~ 27th April 2017, 07:46 PM

Aww no, Tooth And Claw is one of my highlights of series 2. I think that's where that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbl6DML5E6E&ab_channel=imaginary92 (1:15 on) that Series 2 had when the werewolf was set free first came about (to return gloriously in The Satan Pit 2-parter a LOT). And werewolves are some of the essential monsters in folklore for me, very scary and effective when done right and it certainly is here, I'd say this is one of the scariest episodes of DW I can think of.

Plus, Queen Victoria was great and all the atmosphere it has with being in the remote Scottish highlands (didn't the werewolves in Being Human also come from Scotland?), the whole history of the werewolf coming to Earth before so well laid out, the decades-long plan of the diamond coming to fruition and it feels like a really well-planned out set piece. And there's the founding of Torchwood and the tongue-in-cheek attempt to suggest the royals are all now lycanthropic. I love it.

Actually, there is one thing bad about it, that 'we are not amused' running joke was awful but I'm chalking that up to my dislike of Rose rather than a dislike of the episode.

Posted by: HarryApa 27th April 2017, 08:42 PM

I have to admit I have never been a massive fan of Tooth and Claw but I never go back to it tbh. I guess the reason being there are better werewolf stories.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 27th April 2017, 08:51 PM

83 Cold War
Series 7, Episode 8
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald

In 1983, a Soviet submarine is sailing near the North Pole during the Cold War. In the cargo, a sailor begins to prematurely defrost a block of ice that is said to contain a mammoth, but what is inside actually attacks and kills him. The submarine starts to sink, and the TARDIS arrives. The Doctor manages to prevent the submarine from sinking but the TARDIS dematerialises. The Doctor, Clara and the crew come face to face with an Ice Warrior, the first appearance in the show since 1974. The Ice Warrior is named Grand Marshal Skaldak, and despite the Doctor encouraging the crew to be peaceful, Stepashin knocks Skaldak out. The Doctor knows that Skaldak will avenge this, and they chain him up. Clara volunteers to reason with Skaldak, who realises that he was frozen for 5000 years and has no family anymore. He had previously submitted a signal calling for back-up but stopped after hearing this, believing there was nobody out there. Skaldak escapes from his armour and kills three crew members, which the Doctor believes is because he has nothing left to lose. Skaldak plans to launch a nuclear missile to ignite a thermonuclear war and eradicate humans for what they have done to him, but is stopped when a tractor beam from an Ice Warrior ship beams him up.

I think this is a pretty solid base-under-siege style episode. The supporting cast aren't very memorable but I like the Ice Warrior, and as someone who's not seen many classic episodes, this is the only time I've seen the race (so far...). The conclusion is a bit rushed and the reasoning for the TARDIS dematerialising (the Doctor accidentally reactivated some emergency protocol) is a bit weak, but it's certainly more enjoyable than a chunk of series 7.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 27th April 2017, 08:59 PM

That's the one where they can magically speak Russian right? Yeah...

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 27th April 2017, 09:01 PM

Into The Dalek was poop. Skipped that episode as it looked TERRIBLE.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 27th April 2017, 09:03 PM

I didn't see that ice warrior episode for aome reason. Probably looked pap.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 27th April 2017, 09:06 PM

You don't like the best ever companion but lust over personality-devoid Martha bloody Jones?! FLEERRP!!!

Posted by: Klaus 27th April 2017, 09:07 PM

Aww I like Tooth and Claw, one of the best historicals and some really creepy moments too!!

Cold War was a bit disappointing, really atmospheric but they shouldn't have removed the Ice Warrior from its armour.

The TARDIS automatically translates?

Posted by: Iz~ 27th April 2017, 09:10 PM

Precisement. Martha is excellent because she's attractive because she represents what the companion should be, a normal, everyday person along for the ride who ends up doing amazing things without any romance, without being so special the universe will bend for her and just thinking about that gets me bored already.

Cold War was okay, I never got that much out of it, I feel it could have been a little better - although that guy stanning Ultravox from a Russian sub was cool to see.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 27th April 2017, 09:12 PM

Rose is the PROTOTYPE for the new companions.

Martha is sooo bland and uttery dull that she could literally NOT be worse.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 27th April 2017, 09:41 PM

82 A Good Man Goes to War
Series 6, Episode 7
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song
Also starring: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax

The mid-series finale for series 6 sees the truth about River Song revealed, as the Doctor and Rory track down Amy after it's revealed she had been replaced by a flesh imposter. The Doctor realises that Amy was being held on Demon's Run, a top secret military base held on an asteroid ran by Madame Kovarian and inhabited by Headless Monks, and he enlists the help of some old allies, including Dorium Maldovar, and introducing Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax. River Song declines to help, knowing the time is near where the Doctor will learn her identity. The Doctor and his allies infiltrate the base, and Rory goes to save Amy and Melody. The Doctor realises that Melody was conceived in the time vortex, so she is "human plus Time Lord". The group are attacked by Headless Monks, in an attack that sees Dorium beheaded. Kovarian reveals they have fallen into her trap, and baby Melody dissolves into flesh, being yet another duplicate. River arrives, and realises that she is in fact Amy and Rory's daughter, so he heads off alone to track down Melody.

The series 6 arc wasn't really a huge favourite of mine, it was very drawn out and totally messy, and unfortunately this episode is bogged down by being totally draped in this story arc. The Headless Monks are cool enemies and I'd be intrigued to see them in a story where they're more central to the plot. The River Song reveal was pretty good, not something I actually saw coming (although it was spoiled for me in advance, not by choice!). Otherwise it's quite messy, the pacing is all over the place and there's a lot to keep track of with the plot. By the time the series returned with Let's Kill Hitler, I'd totally forgotten a lot of this too :') a good set-up ruined by a heavy series arc.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 12:32 PM

81 Night Terrors
Series 6, Episode 9
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The Doctor receives a message on his psychic paper in this episode, from a frightened 8 year old boy called George. He, Amy and Rory split up to find where he lived on a council estate, and the Doctor finds him, with his father Alex. George had been frightened of many things for his whole life, and anything scary is put, metaphorically, inside his wardrobe. Amy and Rory however take the lift, and are taken down into what appears to be a doll's house. They are found by life size peg dolls, which transform Amy into a doll. After Alex shows the Doctor some old photos, the Doctor notices that George's mum Claire did not appear to be pregnant in the weeks leading up to George's birth, and Alex then remembers that Claire cannot have kids. George feels scared after the Doctor realises that he is an alien called a Tenza child, and puts them both into his wardrobe, where they meet Rory in the doll's house. The Doctor suggests that George is scared that Alex and Claire will send him away, so Alex rushes to embrace his child, which calms him down and everything is restored to normal.

I find George's story pretty sweet I must say, and Alex is very likeable. Much like The Curse of the Black Spot, this is a welcome break from the heavy series 6 arc, but otherwise it's pretty bog standard for an episode. Very interesting concept, and the threat is very much at the forefront of the episode. Solid but not a big favourite.

Posted by: HarryApa 28th April 2017, 12:42 PM

I think I need to watch series 6 as I dont remember seeing this episodes or not

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 02:29 PM

I'll continue this later on (post-chart show) but in the mean time, a reminder of what's in the top 80! Any particular faves you'd like to see nice and high?

A Town Called Mercy
Aliens of London / World War Three
Amy’s Choice
Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Asylum of the Daleks
Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
Blink
Boom Town
Closing Time
Dalek
Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks
Dark Water / Death in Heaven
Deep Breath
Face the Raven
Father’s Day
Flatline
Gridlock
Heaven Sent
Hell Bent
Human Nature / The Family of Blood
Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
Last Christmas
Listen
Midnight
Mummy on the Orient Express
New Earth
Partners in Crime
Planet of the Dead
Planet of the Ood
Rise of the Cybermen / Age of Steel
Rose
School Reunion
Silence of the Library / Forest of the Dead
Smith and Jones
The Angels Take Manhattan
The Beast Below
The Bells of Saint John
The Caretaker
The Christmas Invasion
The Day of the Doctor
The Doctor’s Daughter
The Eleventh Hour
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
The End of the World
The End of Time Pts 1 and 2
The Fires of Pompeii
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Girl Who Waited
The God Complex
The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood
The Husbands of River Song
The Idiot’s Lantern
The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
The Lazarus Experiment
The Lodger
The Long Game
The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar
The Next Doctor
The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
The Power of Three
The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People
The Runaway Bride
The Shakespeare Code
The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone
The Time of the Doctor
The Unicorn and the Wasp
The Unquiet Dead
The Vampires of Venice
The Waters of Mars
The Wedding of River Song
The Zygon Invasion / The Zygon Inversion
Time Heist
Turn Left
Under the Lake / Before the Flood
Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords
Vincent and the Doctor
Voyage of the Damned

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 28th April 2017, 02:33 PM

Idk names but that one where Clara has died and The Doctor is stuck in that capsule for billions of years. Also the first two where River Song is introduced and that guy repeatedly shouts 'Oy, who turned out the lights!'

EDIT: Just looked them up, I'm thinking of Heaven Sent and Silence In the Library/Foresst of the Dead

Posted by: Iz~ 28th April 2017, 02:37 PM

I am so surprised and pleased A Town Called Mercy is still in the running. And I do have a certain minimum where I shall require Vincent to be, I won't say but that better be high x

Night Terrors was abysmal, everything about it was wrong (the dolls) and annoying (the kid).

Posted by: HarryApa 28th April 2017, 02:41 PM

I am hoping to see a lot high particularly The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit and Silence In The Libary/Forest Of The Dead also Blink to go far!

Posted by: LustForLife 28th April 2017, 02:53 PM

I liked Tooth and Claw, it's certainly one of the better historical ones. Really fab episode!

A Good Man Goes To War was a bit too sensationalist but I did enjoy it.

Night Terrors was pretty bad, certainly worse than some of those below it.

Posted by: Regina 28th April 2017, 02:58 PM

tbh

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 03:00 PM

Night Terrors is a lot worse than some jt's above!!

That Melody Pond one was a good episode, but the whole arc was confusing and I kept thinking I'd lost a part of it or another. By the next episode I was back to being confused by forgetting a lot too!!

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 03:04 PM

My fave is the Bad Wolf two parter, the London blitz two parter with Rose, the one where the Ponds snuff it, the arc heavy Good Man Goes To War, the mannequin one of season one, the one where Rose comes back with a gun and the one in Pompeii and the Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens ones.

Posted by: Klaus 28th April 2017, 03:29 PM

I do like the set up for A Good Man Goes to War and it very much does its job as a mid-season finale! Not really something you can watch as a standalone though and there was a lot more potential for the Headless Monks! Still, a very ambitious episode and of course that interesting shock at the end!

The kid is Night Terrors was extremely annoying! I would probably put it in a similar position as you, a good concept but I feel it was probably quite restricted in terms of budget and making it child-friendly. Possibly with a couple more re-writes it would have been a stronger episode.

The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit MUST be at least Top 10 please, along with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and Blink!! Rooting for Last Christmas too but I'm scared it will soon become a victim to the Christmas massacre

Posted by: Dexton 28th April 2017, 03:36 PM

My favourite would definately come from Series 4 (inc. VOTD) , but I'm not sure which one exactly because they're all so good!

Other than those from Series 4 I think The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, Blink, and Heaven Sent deserve to be high on this list!

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 04:30 PM

Oh Blink was great, as was the one with Melody on that planet where Rory sies again. I preferred that to Blink tbh,. All theWeeping Angels episodes were amazing.

TheImpossible Planet was trash and too religious.

Posted by: 777666jason 28th April 2017, 04:59 PM

Silence of the library 2 parter is mine river was fantastic until we found out more about her imo

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 06:13 PM

80 The Wedding of River Song
Series 6, Episode 13
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

Yet more series 6 now, and this time, it's the finale. We start off in an alternate timeline, where there are pterodactyls roaming the skies, Churchill is the Holy Roman Emperor of the UK, and the time is stuck at 5:02pm. Churchill asks for his soothsayer, and brings a scruffy looking Doctor out, who explains the events that led to this moment. The Doctor attempted to track down the Silence to figure out why he must die, encountering the head of Dorium Maldovar and the Teselecta on the way. When he accepts his fate, River Song inside the astronaut costume refuses to shoot him, therefore changing a fixed moment in history, causing all of time to happen at once. The Doctor and Churchill are saved from numerous Silents by Amy, who takes him to a pyramid, where the Silence are kept in tanks and Madame Kovarian is tied up by River Song. Everyone wears an eyedrive so they don't forget the Silence when they turn around. The Silence break free and overload the eyedrives, killing anyone wearing one, although this includes Madame Kovarian after Amy refuses to save her. The Doctor and River "marry" on the rooftop and as they touch, time begins to revert back to normal, with River killing the Doctor on Lake Silencio. However, what Amy, Rory and River aren't aware of is that the Doctor actually replaced himself with the Teselecta, so he wasn't killed after all.

I've mentioned already how the series 6 arc felt overly confusing and messy, and this is heavy with tying up the loose ends so it's no surprise this isn't a big favourite of mine. The idea of time happening at once was quite a fun twist although it was initially quite confusing I found! The best part is when the Doctor finds out about the Brigadier's death - a very sad moment but a touching tribute to Nicholas Courtney.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 06:52 PM

Unmemorable and boring.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 09:33 PM

79 The Vampires of Venice
Series 5, Episode 6
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The Doctor seeks out Rory at the start of this episode, interrupting his stag do to tell him that Amy kissed him (as we saw the end of Flesh and Stone). He then decides to take the couple on a date to Venice, but before long, they bump into a man called Guido, who says he's not heard from his daughter Isabella since she joined the Calvierri school for girls. Amy goes undercover in the school and allows the Doctor and Rory inside, but is captured by Rosanna Calvierri and her son Francesco. They have teeth like vampires and appear to drink Amy's blood, but in fact they are replacing it with their own, converting her to their own kind. Amy kicks Rosanna's device and briefly sees her true alien form. Isabella helps Amy and the others escape but the sunlight prevents her from leaving, as she has already been partially converted herself, and she is later killed by aliens that live in the canal by the castle. The Doctor returns to question Rosanna, who identifies herself as a Saturnyne, and reveals that she plans to sink the city into water and convert the humans to "sisters of the water". The Doctor regroups with the others, but they are attacked by some of the transformed girls. Guido sacrifices himself, killing the girls in an explosion. Rosanna activates the device that will flood Venice, but the Doctor climbs to the top of the tower while Amy and Rory face off against Francesco. When defeated, Rosanna jumps into the canal, to be consumed by her own kind.

I think this episode is pretty solid, it's bread and butter for Doctor Who really and not tied up in an ongoing arc like we'd see in later Moffat series. Much like the other "supernatural" influenced stories like Tooth and Claw, we see that the supernatural beings, vampires in this case, are actually aliens, and it works quite well as a plot I'd say. Isabella and her father make for good supporting characters, although the biggest flaw in the episode comes from the CGI as the Doctor climbs the tower It's no Doctor Who classic (like many around this section) but it's solid, the type of episode I enjoy, just not among the very best.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 09:38 PM

Eh, that was ok.

Posted by: Chez Wombat 28th April 2017, 09:41 PM

I really don't remember any of these Series 6 ones, reminding me how much I tuned out for that whole thing. As well played as she was, I'm honestly glad River's gone, it was her that all this confusing stuff revolved around.

I did enjoy The Name of the Doctor, though it was flawed (and I don't remember why his name was actually important at all lol) and Tooth and Claw, though that might have been my Season 2 bias.

(Also, Rose>>>>>everyone, Meek knows it)

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 09:51 PM

78 A Town Called Mercy
Series 7, Episode 3
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

By mistake, the Doctor, Amy and Rory end up in a small town in the USA called Mercy in this episode. Quickly, the Doctor notices that a ring of stone and wood surrounds the town, and that they have electricity 10 years too early. They find out that the residents are being kept inside the town by a figure called the Gunslinger, who wants the town to turn over "the doctor". This doctor is known as Kahler-Jex and is being held in jail within the town - he's an alien lifeform who has helped the residents out after they rescued him when his ship crashed. The Doctor offers to get the TARDIS and evacuate the town, while the town's marshal Isaac distracts the Gunslinger with Rory. On his way, the Doctor finds Jex's ship, and sets off an alarm in it. He finds out that Jex is from a team of scientists that experimented on people, turning them into cyborgs, and when the Gunslinger arrives at the ship, the Doctor realises he is one of these cyborgs. It turns out that the Gunslinger is programmed not to harm innocent people and is just wanting to avenge what Jex did to him. However, he demands of the Doctor that the next person to step out of the town must be Jex. The Doctor drags Jex out of the town, despite Amy protesting, and as Jex is about to be shot, Isaac jumps in the way and is killed himself. His final action is to give his marshal badge to the Doctor so he can protect the town instead. Overnight, the residents form an angry mob outside, but the Doctor devises a plan. When the Gunslinger arrives, the villagers confuse the cyborg by running around with the same facial markings painted onto them. Jex flees to his ship, but instead of taking off, he activates self destruct, while the Gunslinger stays as the town's new marshal, needing a place to protect.

This episode never seems to get mentioned a lot I've noticed. It's a shame actually because I think it's pretty interesting, I like the idea of the Gunslinger being a victim after initially being suspected as the villain. Jex is portrayed superbly by Adrian Scarborough, and for a western episode, it could've been a lot more clichéd than it actually was. Solid episode, only the second from series 7A to be eliminated in fact!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 09:52 PM

The Doctor's name had to be spoken in order to open his tomb, so the Great Intelligence could intercept his timestream! (it took me a few rewatches to get this)

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 10:08 PM

77 The Long Game
Series 1, Episode 7
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler, Adam Mitchell

His luck had to run out sometime! Christopher Eccleston's lowest story is here at #78. It continues from the conclusion of Dalek, which sees Adam join the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS. Rose takes him for a bite to eat while the Doctor investigates. He meets Suki and Cathica, who tell him they're on Satellite Five, the centre of all news channels on Earth in the year 200,000. The Doctor, Rose and Adam then watch the news transmission process, with Cathica sat in the middle of the room with Suki and others around the outside. Cathica clicks her fingers and opens a hole in her forehead, exposing her brain, before beginning the infospike. Information streams into her brain and transmits from there. Afterwards, Suki is promoted to floor 500, the top floor of the space station, where only the best are said to be invited. When she gets there, she meets the Editor, who has realised that she is an imposter, trying to find out the truth about Satellite Five. She is reduced to a working drone, who sits at the computer on floor 500, barely conscious. The Doctor and Rose hack into the computer before travelling up to floor 500 themselves, where they find the walls are not made of gold, but in fact it is freezing cold while the heat is being vented to lower levels. Meanwhile Adam has his own chip installed, so he can store information about the future and bring it back to the present. The Doctor and Rose are captured by the Editor and introduced to the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe (I know that off by heart ), which controls every human on the Earth. Adam's infospike allows the Editor to learn more about the Doctor, but Cathica overrides and allows the top floor to defrost, therefore ruining the optimum temperature for the Jagrafess and causing it to explode. The Doctor suggests the human race will accelerate now, before dropping Adam home, ashamed.

This episode tries to cram a lot into 45 minutes. The infospike idea is excellent and I think the character of Adam was portrayed really interestingly - not every companion is travelling for the right reasons, and this is something I've appreciated more with rewatches actually. The biggest letdown is the Jagrafess - it's not really utilised very well and it just looks a bit..... useless? We don't see much of it or what it can do, and I think if we had a better alien at the end of the episode, it'd be higher. Bonus points for the ending, where Adam's mum clicks her fingers and his forehead opens :') This leaves series 4 as the only series with all of its stories intact!

Posted by: Iz~ 28th April 2017, 10:23 PM

I mention A Town Called Mercy a lot because it was one of the best episodes the show did before I stopped watching!!! That ending speech gives me chills, because of the whole legacy of the Gunslinger lasting through the ages. The whole remote western town has a strong sense of community that comes across really quickly and it has a wonderful moral dilemma of this alien doctor who's done atrocities, paired off against a cyborg, it all has a very Star Trek (particularly the original series) vibe, as in, classic sci-fi used as discussion and introspection on ourselves.

Vampires Of Venice is solid, Venice is a cool setting and they did well enough in periodising it. The Long Game, I find it works better in conjunction with Bad Wolf - as in, two episodes set a century apart in pretty much the same place, adds a double meaning to the title 'The Long Game' and a sense of foreboding when you know what this place will turn into later on, Simon Pegg was good in it, I always remember thinking the treatment of Adam was overly harsh for what he did, one strike and you're out because you're not an attractive blonde girl - but then Eccleston was portraying a harsher Doctor.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 10:24 PM

Can't remember any of it, except the clicking forehead.

Season 2 shoulda been ahead of season 4 tho!!!

Posted by: HarryApa 28th April 2017, 10:25 PM

I really Like the Long Game and I love the Editor (well of course I will since Simon Pegg is my fave actor) I love how the controlled woman is the one who brings the editor down with the building

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 10:27 PM

76 Hell Bent
Series 9, Episode 12
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Ashildr/"Me"

We'll start to see more RTD era episodes start to drop out now, but first, here's another Moffat episode. This time, it's the series 9 finale. Hell Bent carries on directly from Heaven Sent, although we see the episode narrated by the Doctor in an American diner, talking to a woman who looks remarkably like Clara Oswald. The Time Lords are aware of the Doctor's return to Gallifrey as the cloisters have been set off, but the Doctor himself hides away, waiting for them to track him down. The Time Lords make many attempts to speak to him, but he refuses until the Lord President, aka Rassilon, finally gives in. The Doctor tells him to get off his planet, and when the Gallifreyan military side with the Doctor, he reluctantly leaves. The Doctor now devises a plan to rescue Clara, taking her out from the second before she dies and restoring her partially, with no pulse and no need to breathe. The military general insists that it is only temporary but the Doctor has other ideas, and runs off with Clara into the cloisters. They try to escape, but when the general and Ohila of the Sisterhood of Karn give chase, Clara distracts them for long enough so that the Doctor can steal another TARDIS. They go to the end of the universe to see immortal Me, to talk about the hybrid prophecy. The Doctor realises that it's a human and Time Lord hybrid - him and Clara, and that together, they are a dangerous combination. He plans to wipe Clara's memory of him a la Donna, but she refuses, and they press the button together like a lottery. Ultimately it is the Doctor who forgets, and later we see him wake up and talk to Clara in the diner, without fully knowing who she is. The diner is revealed to be her TARDIS and she leaves with Me to travel the universe, before eventually going back to her death.

I like a lot of the elements of this episode. The Doctor's return to Gallifrey was really well shot, and his chat with Clara in the cloisters was fantastic, particularly when she realised how long he'd spent in the confession dial to retrieve her. My issue is that it tries to cram in so many ideas that ultimately it's a bit of a mess. Furthermore, I really loved Clara's ending in Face the Raven. It's not often we see a companion die, and we saw the culmination of a series-long plotline of Clara taking way too many risks. The ending is happier in Hell Bent perhaps, but I'm not sure it really works as well or has that emotional impact. I think with a bit of fine-tuning though, this could've been an incredibly epic finale, it's just all over the place despite being enjoyable.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 10:31 PM

Oh I really liked that episode.

No WAAAY is that super repetitive one, and WAAAY over the top one, where he kills himself over and over and punches through a f***in wall of DIAMOND for NO REASON, higher!!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 10:49 PM

A quick interlude now to talk about the first of the three main New Who spin-offs (I mean, has anyone actually watched 'K-9'??)! With Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures having been off air for a number of years, the path was clear for a new spin-off, and Class filled that gap. Created by Patrick Ness, the show was set to follow the lives of Charlie, Ram, April, Tanya and Matteusz, alongside their physics teacher Miss Quill, as they dealt with a rip in time located at the famous Coal Hill School, or Academy as it is now. The show was mainly aimed at the teen/young adult market, and was released initially to BBC Three, or the iPlayer as it simply is these days, before being given a pretty terrible slot late night on BBC1. Among the Doctor Who fanbase on other forums I've visited, Class has received pretty mixed reviews, and its future beyond series 1 looks very uncertain at this stage.

I was very hyped for a new Who spin-off. I totally loved The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood recovered really well after a shaky start (more on these later), so was gagging for something to fill that gap. Class got off to a decent start, lots of potential established in episode 1 with a solid cast, with the clear highlight being Katherine Kelly as Miss Quill ("leave us, we are DECORATING" is the quote of the series). Sadly it didn't quite seem to pick up the pace until the final few episodes and despite some cool concepts, series 1 leaves a LOT that needs to be improved if a series 2 gets the go-ahead, including scrapping the awful Shadow Kin and not forcing the more adult themes so much.



Worst Story: Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart / Brave-ish Heart
Series 1, Episodes 4 and 5

I really quite liked the character of April so was interested in a story centred around her, but sadly this was overshadowed by how awful the Shadow Kin are. They look like budget Pyrovile (you know, the rock monsters from Doctor Who episode The Fires of Pompeii), and I certainly struggled to understand the overly deep alien voice. This is before we get to the scene where April and Ram have sex, and because the Shadow Kin leader Corakinus is linked to April, he wanted to satisfy his urges with another one of his kind. The first part of this story actually builds fairly well otherwise, with April's criminal father turning up after being released from prison, while she struggles to control Corakinus' influence over her. The love scenes with Ram felt quite shoehorned in though, I must say. The best part of this episode was the killer petals, and they were more of an afterthought to get Quill to meet up with Ms. Ames, the new headteacher.



Best Story: The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did
Series 1, Episode 7

I said above that Katherine Kelly was the best thing about this show, so it makes sense that my favourite episode was the one focused around her. Quill proves to be the most complex character they have, imprisoned by Charlie as a punishment, like they would do in his now almost-extinct race. This story sees Quill go on a mission to remove this punishment, an Arn in her head, from her, and enlists the help of Ames and a shapeshifting alien named Ballon. The scene where the Arn is removed is extremely and unnecessarily gruesome but otherwise Katherine's a superb actress and I barely even noticed the other cast being mostly absent. Having said that, the preceding episode (which focuses on what the teens did during this time period) was pretty strong too and comes a close second in this!

Posted by: Klaus 28th April 2017, 11:02 PM

What annoys me the most about Class is that there was no Doctor Who connection. Torchwood & SJA still had the style of Doctor Who but interpreted it to fit their relevant audiences. Class was clearly thought of first and then had DW attached to it in order to increase viewers (not that it helped). Shoehorning in the Doctor, Coal Hill and that ending does not make it associated to Doctor Who, especially when there is literally zero chance of a second series after no one watched it.

It was good in terms of defining all of the characters and making them all have their own personalities but the plots were pretty shit, especially the AWFUL Shadowkin who sadly dominated the series. Episodes 4/5 really were the worst and incredibly uninteresting. It was quite a shame because I actually enjoyed the third episode too.

I literally could not care less for the series though and I won't ever be watching it again. I treat it the same as Torchwood: Miracle Day and pretend it didn't happen.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th April 2017, 11:06 PM

What doesn't help Class for me is that not long after, I started getting into Teen Wolf, which is aimed at the same demographic, except they actually do it way better. The relationships that form generally felt more natural than say, Ram and April.

The funny thing is, Matteusz was probably the best teen character and he wasn't even main cast the fact he questioned Charlie regularly was important as nobody else seemed to have a problem with Miss Quill basically being his slave!

Posted by: HarryApa 28th April 2017, 11:13 PM

Matteusz and Qull were the best characters for me too

Posted by: Chez Wombat 28th April 2017, 11:22 PM

Yeah, I didn't mind the first episodes of Class, but they didn't enthuse me to carry on, the characters just didn't seem enough to invest in without the Doctor there (and, perhaps the cynic in me, but they did seem awfully like diversity box ticking). If it's never heard from again, I wouldn't be shedding tears.

Hell Bent was decent, but looks so poor coming after Face the Raven and Heaven Sent and don't get me started on that Clara ending...

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 28th April 2017, 11:49 PM

I didn't waste time on it as I KNEW it'd be appalling.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 29th April 2017, 07:53 AM

Liked quite a few of them! Still interesting to see whether Clara with make another appearance before she 'dies'.

Posted by: danG 29th April 2017, 10:08 AM

I didn't bother with Class, it didn't look at all interesting and the poor reception didn't help either.

Posted by: Slick 29th April 2017, 01:50 PM

Now that all of the obviously terrible episodes are out of the way, this countdown is all over the place.

I'm a huge fan of River Song so I'm probably bias but I think 'The Name of the Doctor' and many of the Series 6 episodes mentioned so far deserve to be much higher.

I agree that many of the Capaldi episodes are amongst the worst though, and lots of Tennant to come, which is good!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 29th April 2017, 07:34 PM

I actually really like River as a character! Alex plays the part to perfection, it's just a shame that a lot of the episodes she played a big part in are very much tied up in the series 6 arc, which I'm much less fond of really.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 29th April 2017, 07:56 PM

75 Closing Time
Series 6, Episode 12
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams
Also starring: Craig Owens, River Song

The penultimate episode of series 6 saw the Doctor travelling alone, having dropped Amy and Rory off at their new house at the end of the previous episode. On his farewell trip, he pops in to see old friend Craig Owens, now with son Alfie (or Stormageddon as he likes to be called). It's not long before the Doctor sniffs out trouble, as he gets a job in the toy section of a department store. They find the store is infested with silver rats, or Cybermats, and that inside a broken down lift, there's a portal to a Cyber ship. After capturing a Cybermat and finding that the ship is actually below the shop, currently reactivating its crew with the shop's power, Craig is captured and begins to be upgraded, but Alfie's crying restores him and this leads to the Cyber ship exploding. The Doctor slips away after saying goodbye to Craig.

Among the hit and miss series 6, it was really nice to get episodes like this. Bread and butter Doctor Who, and I've always found Craig pretty likeable, so Closing Time makes for quite a fun watch even if it's not totally essential and the conclusion/entire Cyberman plot is pretty weak. The scene where the Doctor sees Amy and Rory in the shop was my favourite, it seems to break his heart to not just run up to them.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 30th April 2017, 12:41 PM

74 The Next Doctor
2008 Christmas Special
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Jackson Lake, Rosita Farisi

A lot of hype preceded the 2008 Christmas special, particularly with the title of The Next Doctor and the news that David Tennant was leaving his role as the Doctor. We see the TARDIS land in Victorian London, and immediately, the Doctor hears someone shouting for him. In actual fact, it's for another Doctor, who our very own Doctor expects is his future self. The problem is... he has no recollection of his former self. Together they try to capture a Cybershade, but ultimately it's Rosita who has to save them both. Together they investigate the house of a dead man, Jackson Lake, and find "infostamps" stored, while they get attacked by a Cyberman. The Next Doctor kills the Cyberman by using the electrical impulse of the infostamp. They regroup at the Next Doctor's base, where he shows the Doctor his TARDIS - Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style, ie. a hot air balloon. The Doctor realises that the Next Doctor is actually Jackson Lake, a man who opened the Doctor's infostamp and consumed all the information after his wife died and his child was abducted by the Cybermen. They infiltrate the lair of the Cybermen, where orphans are working to power the machine. They evacuate the kids, and themselves, before the CyberKing rises out of the Thames and begins to destroy London. The Doctor uses Jackson's TARDIS to ascend over London, and after reasoning with the human side of Ms Hartigan, her emotions seep through and the ship begins to get destroyed. He uses a dimensional vault to transport it into the time vortex, so it doesn't damage London.

After three great Christmas specials, this one never felt quite as good, particularly after the hype. The story of Jackson Lake is heart-warming and Ms Hartigan is played to a tee by Dervla Kirwan. It's kinda ruined by the CyberKing at the end, it looks a bit rubbish and I think it's a pretty weak conclusion in the end. Nevertheless, it's another episode that's well-suited to its Christmas theme, and it's a solid episode.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 30th April 2017, 01:03 PM

73 New Earth
Series 2, Episode 1
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler

The opening episode of series 2 saw the Doctor take Rose to New Earth, the new home of humans after the original Earth was destroyed. They visit a hospital, ran by cat people, after being summoned by the Face of Boe. Rose, however, is intercepted by a young man called Chip, later revealed to be working for Lady Cassandra, who is hiding away underneath the hospital. Using a psychograft, Cassandra transports her mind into Rose's body, before rejoining the Doctor. He suspects that something is off with Rose, and after they discover many seriously ill patients, experimented on by the Sisters of Plenitude, locked in pods in the intensive care unit of the hospital, she knocks him out and locks him in one too. Rose/Cassandra releases some of the pods, with the infected patients and the Doctor, so that she can escape the Sisters of Plenitude. However, they open every pod and risk the spread of every single disease to all inhabitants of New Earth. The Doctor demands that Rose is brought back to him, so Cassandra transfers herself into his body instead, and this back and forth continues throughout the episode. The Doctor grabs every vaccine he can and mixes them together, using the disinfectant system in the lift to spread the cures amongst the diseased. The Sisters of Plenitude are arrested, and Cassandra transfers herself into Chip, who is dying. The Doctor and Rose take her to see herself, when she was younger, and Chip/Cassandra becomes the last person to call her beautiful, before she finally dies, in her own arms.

Cassandra was an excellent villain in series 1 and I really enjoyed seeing her back in this episode. The idea of patients being experimented on by nurses was great too and it saw series 2 off to a pretty fantastic start. It's not one I rewatch much but it's fun, and the final scene with Cassandra visiting herself was very touching.

Posted by: Slick 30th April 2017, 01:18 PM

I adore that final scene with Cassandra.

Posted by: Klaus 30th April 2017, 01:28 PM

Closing Time had a really poor plot in regards to the Cybermen. They were just there and that solution was dreadful. The episode does recover due to Matt Smith though, his scenes with Craig and working in the Department store are excellent!

I also found The Next Doctor to be a big let down after the hype. I've never warmed to Jackson Lake, both on first viewing and rewatches, and so I never was really able to envisage him as the Doctor anyway. The CyberKing plot is also really messy and a but Jump the Shark. Miss Hartigan was great though as were the images of the Cybermen in the graveyard!

New Earth was a great first episode I felt. A light hearted reintroduction to the characters and helping to establish Ten & Rose's relationship. The body swap thing was fun and the ending with Cassandra was actually really well done. It was good to get that extra dynamic and exploration of a character after maybe being a bit two-dimensional () in The End of the World.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 30th April 2017, 01:44 PM

72 The Beast Below
Series 5, Episode 2
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond

Amy's first trip in the TARDIS saw the Doctor take her to Starship UK, where humans are currently living to escape the deadly solar flares of Earth. Amy follows a young girl, Mandy, who seems upset, while the Doctor investigates the ship's engines, having noticed that it doesn't seem to be powered by normal engines. He meets Liz 10, a masked woman who has also noticed the oddities with the engines. After Amy is caught snooping in an out of bounds section, she is taken to a voting booth. A video shows her the truth about Starship UK, and she is allowed to vote to protest, or to forget. Amy chooses forget, and the Doctor arrives with Mandy. Mandy explains that every adult is shown the video every 5 years, and they always choose to forget. The Doctor hits the protest button, and he and Amy are sent down into the mouth of a giant creature - the Star Whale. When they escape, they team up with Liz 10 to avoid the Smilers, which guard the ship. They are taken to the Tower of London, where it's revealed that Liz 10 is actually Queen Elizabeth X, with her body clock slowed to retain her appearance. The Star Whale had Starship UK built around it when it arrived at Earth, and the pain centre of its brain is exposed to give it shocks of electricity. Liz 10 is then given a choice - she can forget once again, or she can abdicate, and the Star Whale is set free. The Doctor is ready to render the Star Whale brain dead when Amy realises that it hasn't eaten any children, and therefore must have a heart. She forces Liz 10 to press the abdicate button, and the electrical shocks stop, but the Star Whale does not move - it's voluntarily carrying Starship UK.

The Beast Below was a pretty good follow-up to The Eleventh Hour. We learnt more about both Amy and our newest incarnation of the Doctor, and I enjoyed the twist of the Star Whale actually voluntarily helping out, so it was imprisoned for no reason. Liz 10 is one of the most memorable supporting characters of Moffat's era also, and it certainly had enough to keep me intrigued until the end.

Posted by: HarryApa 30th April 2017, 02:59 PM

My favourite of these three is new earth I really like Cassandra as a character. Evil yet funny I loved her last scene too very touching.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 30th April 2017, 03:31 PM

71 The Unquiet Dead
Series 1, Episode 3
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler

The first historical episode of the new series saw the Doctor and Rose arrive in Cardiff in 1860, where Mr Sneed, the undertaker, is having problems with zombies. He and his assistant Gwyneth follow the previously dead Mrs Peace to see Charles Dickens in the nearby theatre, just as she had planned to before her death. The Doctor and Rose arrive just as they capture Mrs Peace, and they kidnap Rose after she follows them. The Doctor and Dickens follow them back to the funeral parlour, where Rose is being tormented by Mrs Peace and newly deceased Mr Redpath. The Doctor realises they are being possessed by gaseous creatures, that have come through the rift that runs through Cardiff, and psychic Gwyneth is able to channel them through a seance. The creatures introduce themselves as the Gelth, who are few in number after the Time War. In the morgue, Gwyneth volunteers to be the portal between the Gelth and the current universe, ready for them to come through and live in the deceased humans. However, once they come through, they turn on the Doctor and Rose, killing Sneed, while Dickens cowardly escapes. Dickens however returns when he realises that turning on the gas will pull the Gelth out of the bodies, saving the Doctor and Rose, but it's too late for Gwyneth, who blows up the house to kill the remaining Gelth.

This episode's taken a few rewatches for me to enjoy I think, particularly as I've gotten older and can appreciate the character moments a bit more. Dickens is particularly interesting, as he's initially displayed as someone who ignores what's in front of him, and is a coward in his actions, but ultimately saves the day. Simon Callow plays the part to perfection, and Eve Myles is superb as Gwyneth too. If I'd done this rank a few years ago, this would've undoubtedly ended up lower, but a recent rewatch (plus a read of the Shooting Scripts book for series 1) has seen it grow a lot, first time I'd seen it in quite a while in fact!

Posted by: HarryApa 30th April 2017, 03:50 PM

I have liked The Unquiet dead more on each watch through!

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 30th April 2017, 04:39 PM

New Earth should be a LOT higher.

No waay is that Charles Dickens one lower than that pandering, pretentious Shakespeare one!!!

Also, The Beast Below was good and memorable. It should be higher than the Impossible Planet. Every wpisode here should be hogher than that tbh.

However, talking of HUGE MAMMOTH SPACESHIPS, all countres would have pooled resources. Scotland would not have had its own as it could not afford it/ have the resources. Same for rUK. All of Europe would have been in ONE.

Posted by: Klaus 30th April 2017, 04:54 PM

As the temporary Buffy/Charmed of t seet, I might have to Buffy/Charmed you off t seet Michael if you keep criticismg The Impossible Planet.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 30th April 2017, 04:56 PM

OMG!!!!! THIS!!!!

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 30th April 2017, 04:57 PM

What!!!

But it SUCKS!!!

Posted by: Iz~ 30th April 2017, 06:05 PM

The Unquiet Dead is rather wonderful. The first episode to mention the Time War, it hinted at something bigger in the mythology of the series and this was way before it got all jumbled and messy. And it lays groundwork for Cardiff having a big role to play with Torchwood and god the universe just felt so well connected and planned out in the first 4 seasons.

Plus Charles Dickens is a lovely first historical character to visit - the strength of authors and artists in something like this is you can make tons of feelgood references and show them to be unexpected badasses, I see this one as the template for the also good Shakespeare Code and the masterpiece of Vincent.

Wasn't so keen on New Earth because Cassandra just gets ridiculous after actual humans show up.

Posted by: LustForLife 30th April 2017, 06:14 PM

The Unquiet Dead was a great episode! It's definitely one that I think was better with repeat views. As Iz says, it laid down the foundations for Torchwood as well. All very cleverly planned out.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 30th April 2017, 07:01 PM

70 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
Series 7, Episode 10
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald

This episode saw the TARDIS captured by a salvage ship, after he took off the ship's defences to teach Clara how to fly it. As they're captured, Clara notices a small egg-shaped device roll across the floor. She picks it up and it burns her hand. After they crash, Clara is lost within the TARDIS and the Doctor begins a rescue mission with the three brothers on the salvage ship, one of whom is an android. One of the brothers, Gregor, tries to steal a valuable part of the TARDIS, which sees them trapped in a loop of corridors as the TARDIS protects herself. Clara meanwhile is persued by a deformed looking creature. She believes she ends up in the console room, but in actual fact it's a mind trick from the TARDIS. The Doctor manages to save her from the console room echo, but there is a leakage of time due to the theft incident and they need to reach the Eye of Harmony in order to repair it. Tricky is revealed to not be an android after all, and that it was just a trick played by Gregor and Bram. They are chased by creatures on their way to the Eye of Harmony, and trapped by them. Gregor identifies one as Clara, and the Doctor reveals they are themselves from the future, trying to stop that future from happening. Both remaining brothers transform into a conjoined creature, while the Doctor and Clara face what looks like an uncrossable chasm, when in actual fact it's a safety measure, and when they jump, they reach the engine room. Clara looks at her burnt hand to see a message - "big friendly button". They go back to the point of the disaster to activate the egg-shaped device, or the magnetic beacon, and the Doctor travels through a time rift to give it to his earlier self to prevent the events from ever happening.

This is one episode where the "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" thing actually works pretty well I think. It took a couple of watches for me to totally understand what was going on, but the monster action was good and the interaction between the brothers was solid, even if I didn't find most of them all that likeable on their own. It was great to see more of the TARDIS than just the console room too. My one issue is that ultimately, the entire thing is prevented by the press of a button, which is never the strongest conclusion but nevertheless, a good solid episode among a very hit and miss series 7B.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 30th April 2017, 07:20 PM

Lmaooo at their complex promo shots

Nope didn't see it as sounded shet

Posted by: DalekTurret32 30th April 2017, 08:49 PM

Metaphysical Engine is my favourite Class episode.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 30th April 2017, 08:54 PM

The Beast Below was a good episode, like the fact that the whale was doing it voluntarily. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS was nice enough, I don't like the fact that none of the three remember it but at least they didn't really die.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 30th April 2017, 09:02 PM

69 The Caretaker
Series 8, Episode 6
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

The Caretaker sees the Doctor joining the staff at Clara's school, as, well, the caretaker. He tells Clara that he's seeing to some business but isn't very specific, but after some snooping, Clara finds out that he's trying to deal with a deadly killing machine called the Skovox Blitzer by luring it to the school, before someone else sees it, attacks it and it kills the entire planet. The Doctor later meets Danny, and incorrectly assumes he's a PE teacher as opposed to a maths teacher, although he believes Clara's love interest is another teacher, who bears a striking resemblance to his previous self. Danny, working late, interrupts the Doctor's plan to capture the Skovox Blitzer, and almost gets himself, Clara and the Doctor killed. Clara then has to explain everything to Danny (although at first she tries to lie), and also to the Doctor that it's Danny who she's seeing. The Doctor plans something else for the next night, after parents' evening, although the Skovox Blitzer materialises too early. Clara distracts it and leads it to the Doctor, who gets it to self destruct by accident, leaving Danny to help get it to power down.

This is another Moffat era episode where the alien plot feels very much shoehorned in, but that's my only real criticism of this one. The character moments are strong and it's interesting to see how Clara deals with Danny finding out about the Doctor and the life she leads. The Skovox Blitzer is totally naff really though, one of the greatest killing machines of the galaxy? :') Generally though, for what feels a lot like a filler episode, it's very enjoyable.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 30th April 2017, 09:08 PM

That. Was. Shit.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 1st May 2017, 11:20 AM

PE Man.

Posted by: Klaus 1st May 2017, 11:28 AM

Journey... was a great idea but a bit poorly delivered. The Caretaker needed more to it, the threat was just laughable and the episode's purpose was obviously to get Danny to know about the Doctor. As I said though, I really hated the Danny storyline so the episode is just a misfire for me. I really hated the fact the Doctor kept calling him PE, it was SO forced.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 1st May 2017, 11:57 AM

Thanks for the comments guys it's unlikely I'll find a moment to post more results today so we'll resume tomorrow!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 2nd May 2017, 05:34 PM

68 The Idiot’s Lantern
Series 2, Episode 7
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler

The Doctor and Rose land by accident in London 1963, and notice that unusually, most houses seem to have TV antennas, which is unusual for this time. They speak to Mr Magpie who's selling the TVs, and he explains that it's for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. They witness someone being escorted away with a towel over their head, and the Doctor and Rose follow on a moped, but fail to catch up with the vehicle. They speak to the Connolly family - father Eddie, mother Rita and son Tommy. Eddie is quickly revealed to be the "man about the house", shouting Rita or Tommy down if they speak out of turn, but the Doctor and Rose put him in his place. They are introduced to Grandma Connolly who is locked upstairs, with her entire face missing. She is then captured and the Doctor follows them again, while Rose investigates Magpie Electricals again. Rose encounters the Wire, an alien living in an electrical form to escape persecution. It feeds off people's minds, and gains energy so it can regain a physical form, and takes the form of a presenter on the TV screen. Rose's face is consumed, while the Doctor meets with the police. After the Doctor sees Rose's face missing, he angrily confronts Magpie, who leaves him, Detective Inspector Bishop and Tommy at the hands of the Wire, although it only consumes Bishop's face. The Wire transfers itself to a portable device, and Magpie takes it to the Alexandra Palace transmitter, where it will feed off the minds of every person watching the coronation. The Doctor follows them up, capturing the Wire on a Betamax tape and restoring the faces of everyone taken. Rita kicks Eddie out of the house after finding out he reported her mother to the police.

This was one of the earliest Who episodes I saw, and I remember being pretty gripped by it at the time. With further rewatches, it hasn't held up quite so well, and feels like a filler episode between the Cyberman and Ood two-parters, but nevertheless I enjoyed the Wire as a villain. Tommy was an excellent supporting character, and I've appreciated the undertones of Eddie's potential domestic abuse more with rewatches as I've grown up, especially as the "I am talking" lines could easily have been played for comedy.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 2nd May 2017, 05:42 PM

Good episode, except for the Disney restoration ending.

Posted by: Klaus 2nd May 2017, 05:51 PM

I love the whole look of that episode, particularly with Rose & the Doctor riding the motorcycle! A fact I later found out is that all the shots are filmed at an angle!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 2nd May 2017, 06:14 PM

67 The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon
Series 6, Episodes 1 and 2
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

Now for the first two-parter to drop out! The first story of series 6 saw the Doctor sending letters in TARDIS blue envelopes to Amy, Rory and River to meet at Lake Silencio in Utah. The Doctor meets them there, and they enjoy a picnic, before a man appears in the distance and an astronaut comes out of the water. The Doctor walks over to it, and it kills him permanently. The man in the distance is revealed to be Canton Everett Delaware III. He received the fourth envelope, with Amy and Rory getting the second and River the third. He assists them in burning the Doctor's body. They head to a diner, speculating over who received the first envelope, before meeting the Doctor - an earlier version of himself, who has no idea what the others have just seen. Together they head to Washington in 1969, meeting an earlier version of Canton alongside President Nixon, who are both dealing with a series of phone calls from a scared girl. Together they work to locate the girl, while Amy meets a Silent in the toilets, forgetting her encounter as soon as she looked away although she took a photo of it to remember. The Doctor tracks down the location of the girl and he heads there in the TARDIS with River, Amy, Rory and Canton. Rory and River find a TARDIS console room similar to the one we saw in The Lodger, while Amy confesses to the Doctor that she is pregnant. The astronaut appears and Amy shoots it, too soon to realise that the little girl is inside the astronaut costume.

Day of the Moon jumps ahead three months, with Amy, Rory and River all being tracked down by Canton and captured alongside the Doctor. In fact, he was helping to reunite them, and together they realise that there are Silents all over the world. The Doctor plants a nanorecorder in everyone's hand, so they can record what they see so they don't forget, and he instructs them to mark on their hands every time they see a Silent. The Doctor alters a command module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft while Amy and Canton visit a nearby orphanage, to find where the girl was taken from. Amy sees a photograph of her and a baby in one of the rooms, and Amy is abducted by the girl and the Silence. River analyses the now-empty spacesuit and deduces that the girl must have incredible strength to have forced her way out of it. Canton speaks to a Silent he shot and captured, recording it saying "[...] you should kill us all on sight". The Doctor uses Amy's nanorecorder to track her down, and they find her in the Silents' TARDIS console. He plays Canton's recording during the moon landing, and the human race turn on the Silence. They save Amy and head for the TARDIS, and the final shot of the episode is the little girl beginning to regenerate.

I really quite enjoy part 1 of this episode, it's a little confusing in places but I think it set up a great story with some great characters like Canton. The Silence make for great villains, an excellent concept from Moffat, and they're possibly the closest we've had to an iconic new villain during Moffat's tenure? Sadly, episode 2 ruined it for me, dragging its placing in this reveal down significantly. Instead of answering questions from episode 1, it opted to ask more questions and leave a lot of the audience wondering what on earth was going on. There was a lot happening across both episodes and none of the answers we did get actually felt very well explained, to me at least.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 2nd May 2017, 06:32 PM

I loved that episode!

Great two-parter, especially with drawing lines every time they see a Silence.

Posted by: Klaus 2nd May 2017, 06:37 PM

I actually thought the second part was a lot stronger than the first but I guess it does depend on your view of the whole of Series 6's theme which I actually enjoyed! The visuals for the whole story were amazing! Not only filming in the US but the contstruction of the Oval Office as well as the old children's home. The latter really was the most creepy and spooky the series has seen, matched with the Silence it really was quite a scary episode overall (scary in going out at 7pm on primetime British TV terms of course ). The Silence are brilliant inventions and it is kind of a shame they were so integral to the overarching plot in that we'll probs never see them again.

Also, starting with the death of the Doctor is quite a bold move. I just wish I hadn't heard about it beforehand!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 2nd May 2017, 06:49 PM

That was just before it all became complicated...

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 2nd May 2017, 06:49 PM

I'm glad the Silence won't be back (on earth anyway) so as not to overuse the. Like the Ood, they are better as one-offs, just like the Star Wars monks they had.

Posted by: HarryApa 2nd May 2017, 08:07 PM

The Idiot's Lantern is good but I don't think it has held up well like others have.

I agree actually about that two parter episode one was very good and the Silence is near enough Moffat's best creation from his era however the second ep wasn't as good. Felt more complicated

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 02:13 PM

66 Under the Lake / Before the Flood
Series 9, Episodes 3 and 4
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald

The Doctor and Clara arrive on an underwater base in 2119, where a team of people are being haunted by two ghosts, one of whom was killed just days before the TARDIS arrived. They find the team hiding in the base's Faraday cage, which the ghosts cannot enter. The base switches from night mode to day mode, and the ghosts disappear. The Doctor is intrigued by the ghosts, and plans to capture them in the Faraday cage. When they get trapped, acting commander Cass is able to lip-read what they are mouthing - "the dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple". The Doctor says these are galactic co-ordinates to somewhere on Earth, and the more ghosts there are, the stronger this signal will become. Furthermore, only those who looked at the glyphs (in what looked like part of an alien ship that is located in the base) can be harmed by the ghosts. The Doctor, Clara and the others head for the TARDIS to investigate, but the ghosts override the system and flood a section of the base, trapping Clara, Cass and Lunn. The Doctor heads off with O'Donnell and Bennett, and the others witness another ghost outside the base, in the water - the Doctor.

The events continue in part 2. The Doctor arrives in 1980, before the flood occurred, and meets with the original ghost before his death, a Tivoli known as Prentis, next to the ship that is located on board the underwater base in 2119 - revealed to be a hearse, carrying the dead Fisher King. The writing had not been carved into the wall at this point. Clara sees that the Doctor's ghost is uttering a list of their names, in the order that they will die. The Doctor discovers that the Fisher King isn't actually dead, and it kills Prentis, before carving the writing on the wall. After O'Donnell is killed, the Doctor tries to head back to the future, but the TARDIS won't allow it and instead jumps back half an hour, so he and Bennett have to observe earlier events. In the future, O'Donnell's ghost steals Clara's phone so she can't communicate with the Doctor, but as Lunn hasn't seen the writing, he can't be harmed by the ghosts and goes to retrieve it, getting captured himself. Clara and Cass go out in search of him. The Doctor meets the Fisher King, who says the ghosts are calling to his people, so they can attack Earth. He tricks the Fisher King and captures it, but his own whereabouts is unknown as Bennett is taken back to the future in the TARDIS by the emergency protocols. The Doctor arrives in the future via a stasis chamber they brought on board, and the ghosts become trapped in the Faraday cage again. The Doctor's own ghost was revealed to be nothing more than a projection via the sonic sunglasses from inside the stasis chamber.

Unfortunately this is another story where the second half totally ruins the excellent first half. The Fisher King is a total non-threat in the end and the excitement levels just don't hold up, plus it all gets a bit confusing, hence why my summary there is probably the longest one I've written so far, so much important information to cover! Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed the inclusion of the bootstrap paradox. I really do enjoy the first half anyway, I love how the plot builds up and the ghosts make for really interesting villains, plus it has one of the strongest supporting casts in Moffat's era so far. The little touches like the Doctor's cards so he's polite in difficult situations are great too.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 3rd May 2017, 02:27 PM

I really liked that one! I liked the build-up of the characters, they were all quite unique and interesting!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 02:33 PM

65 The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People
Series 6, Episodes 5 and 6
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

After being caught in the waves of a "solar tsunami", the TARDIS arrives on Earth in the 22nd century. They're on a remote island, and they find a factory inside an abandoned castle, where they pump a highly corrosive acid to the mainland. The crew in the factory are revealed to be using a self-replicating fluid to create doppelgangers of themselves, known as "gangers", controlling them from special harnesses so they can operate in the more dangerous areas of the factory. The gangers are seen as disposable bodies by the crew. The Doctor offers to take the crew away to protect them from the solar tsunami, but Miranda Cleaves, head of the base, refuses until they get orders from the mainland. An electrical strike hits the castle and renders everyone unconscious. They awake to find there's no sign of their gangers, but their personal belongings have been rummaged through and the TARDIS has been sunk into the ground by acid. Cleaves and Jennifer are revealed to be gangers themselves, with Jennifer being able to contort or stretch her own body where necessary. Cleaves is working in secret with the other gangers, planning to kill the humans. The Doctor tries to unite both sides, but the human Cleaves kills one of the gangers and any attempt at peace is ruined. Rory hears Jennifer scream and separates from the group, while the Doctor and Amy meet a new ganger in the chapel - the Doctor himself!

The Almost People sees Amy not trusting the ganger Doctor, especially after he asks her about the Doctor's death that she witnessed in The Impossible Astronaut. The Doctors split up in an attempt to find Rory. Meanwhile, ganger Cleaves realises she is suffering from the same terminal illness as human Cleaves. Ganger Jennifer kills her human counterpart, and manages to fool Rory into thinking she is human. She lures him to a console, claiming it will restore power when in fact it would make the acid dangerously unstable. She then convinces him to lure the others into the acid storage chamber. Ganger Doctor manages to convince Ganger Jimmy and the others that they should work with the humans, with Jimmy's son calling him on his birthday, but Ganger Jennifer is outraged by this. They free the trapped humans and are all chased by Jennifer, who transforms herself into a monster. They come across the TARDIS, which has fallen through from outside after the acid corrosion, and they all escape while Ganger Doctor and Ganger Cleaves fend off the creature. Amy's distrust of the Doctor was revealed to be misplaced, after he switched shoes with the ganger Doctor. The sonic screwdriver turns the gangers of the Doctor, Cleaves and Jennifer all back to liquid. Meanwhile, the Doctor stabilises the remaining gangers' forms on the TARDIS, whilst curing Cleaves of her terminal condition, and then drops them off. To the horror of Rory, Amy is revealed to be a ganger and has been for a long time, and the Doctor arrived at the factory on purpose to investigate the gangers.

I absolutely love the idea of the gangers, and particularly the question of morals and how "human" they actually are. Sadly some of this is ruined by them not being utilised to their full potential, the Jennifer ganger in particular getting a bit ridiculous towards the end, but otherwise I thought it was quite a solid plot and definitely one of the better series 6 episodes! The cliffhanger was excellent too, and set up the mid-series finale very well.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 02:55 PM

64 Last Christmas
2014 Christmas Special
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

Capaldi's first Christmas special saw the Doctor and Clara come face to face with... Santa Claus?! After they meet Santa on Clara's rooftop, the reunited duo head to the North Pole, to meet a team of people who are attempting to save their fellow crew members from crab-like creatures. The Doctor identifies them as Dream Crabs, aliens that induce pleasant dreams on their victims as a distraction while they eat their brains. Clara is attacked by a Dream Crab and is sent to a dream world, where Danny Pink is still alive. She ignores the Doctor's attempts at communicating with her, wishing that the dream world was real. The Doctor willingly falls victim to a Dream Crab so he can enter Clara's dream and rescue her. Danny tells her that she must move on with her life, and they wake up, killing the creatures. The Doctor later deduces that the team members are actually the crew themselves, and they are in fact dreaming right now, further emphasised by the presence of Santa Claus. The team realise that the first word of the same page on the same book is different for them all, and they force themselves to wake up. Once they've "woken up", Clara realises they met Santa before arriving at the base, and therefore they are still dreaming. Santa assists them in waking up, taking them on his sleigh. Each person wakes up in a different place, revealing they never actually met in the first place. Clara stays on the sleigh for too long, and when the Doctor arrives to wake her up, she is revealed to have aged many years. Once again though, this is a dream, and the Doctor and Clara reunite for more adventures.

On paper this looks like a typical overly confusing Moffat story but it's actually pretty brilliant. The Dream Crabs are fantastic villains and make for a thoroughly interesting watch, while also providing closure to the ending of Death In Heaven where the Doctor and Clara lie to each other. I didn't really see much point of bringing Danny back but it did make for a good dream scene nevertheless. I was sceptical of how they'd include Santa in the story but once again, it surprised me by how well it worked, and the final shot of a tangerine in the real world was a great image to end on. I don't actually rewatch this one much but it's Moffat's second best Christmas special for me, with only The Husbands of River Song left to come.

Posted by: HarryApa 3rd May 2017, 03:10 PM

Omg that xmas special is in my top 5 of the xmas specials

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 03:19 PM

63 Time Heist
Series 8, Episode 5
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

The Doctor and Clara find themselves on an alien planet, and have no recollection of how they got there. They are there with a hacker called Psi, who has an augmented brain, and Saibra, a shapeshifter. They watch a recording of themselves agreeing to the short-term memory wipe, and are given a mission - to break into the Bank of Karabraxos and steal certain items. Using Saibra's shapeshifting abilities, they enter the bank as customers. A man who has been considering criminal activity in the bank is approached by Ms Delphox, who brings out the Teller, an alien prisoner which turns his brain into soup. As they delve further into the bank, they see more clues from the Architect who sent them there, including six personal disintegration units. They pass the Teller's room, and it locks onto Clara, who is instructed to keep her mind totally clear. Saibra becomes the target and uses the disintegration unit so she's not turned to soup. Ms Delphox releases the Teller later to chase them, and as it locks onto Psi, he also uses the disintegration unit. The Doctor and Clara manage to break into the vault in a moment where the bank is vulnerable due to solar flares - something planned to a tee by the Architect. They recover two items - a device to help Psi recall some lost memories, and a serum to help Saibra control her shapeshifting abilities. They are captured by Ms Delphox before they can retrieve the final items, but are rescued by Psi and Saibra who were actually teleported. The final thing they recover is in the Karabraxos vault, and there they find Madame Karabraxos, who looks exactly like Ms Delphox. She has cloned herself to run her own bank, and hides out below. She packs the most valuable items and tries to escape, leaving the Doctor and co to the Teller, but he gives her the phone number for the TARDIS to call when she is old and full of regret. With the help of the Teller, the Doctor recalls that the time heist was planned by an elderly Karabraxos, and planned by the Doctor, who himself was the Architect. The final item they retrieve is another Teller creature, and the Doctor saves them both, setting them free.

This is one of the series 8 episodes with the most rewatchability I think, something which will play a part in the reasons behind why a lot of the forthcoming episodes are so high. The plot was interesting to follow and Keeley Hawes was excellent as Ms Delphox and Madame Karabraxos. The twists and turns, particularly the reveal of who the Architect was, were unpredictable for me and the Teller was pretty cool.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 03:31 PM

62 The Bells of Saint John
Series 7, Episode 6
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald

Clara calls for help with her wifi, getting through to a man called the Doctor, who arrives at her house. The number was revealed to have been given to her by "the woman in the shop", and it leads the Doctor to the original Clara at long last. After she clicks on the wrong wifi connection, she is uploaded to the cloud, but the Doctor manages to cancel the upload just in time and he keeps watch over her house. The people behind the upload cause a plane to crash, so the Doctor takes Clara to stop it, before they go to a cafe to figure out exactly what is happening. Clara tracks the uploaders to the Shard, before she is finally uploaded fully while Miss Kizlet distracts the Doctor. He rides a motorbike up the Shard and into her office, but it's revealed that this was actually the server that uploaded Clara, and it uploads Miss Kizlet. This forces her to demand a download for everyone, and it's revealed that she is working for the Great Intelligence, which reverts her mind to being that of a young child.

Steven Moffat said this episode was possibly the most "average" episode of his tenure, and he was probably right really, it's a bog standard episode but that doesn't mean it's bad. It sets the scene for the rest of series 7B well and gives a good introduction to the original version of Clara, plus it does what Moffat does well by turning something ordinary (shadows, statues, cracks in walls) into something terrifying, this time it was wifi. The actual alien threat turned out to be a bit uninteresting in the end but it made for a good watch and it's certainly one of the better episodes of a hit and miss 7B!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 04:06 PM

61 The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar
Series 9, Episodes 1 and 2
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Kate Stewart

After every plane just stops in the sky, as if they'd been paused, Clara heads to UNIT to meet with Kate Stewart. There, they are contacted by Missy, who arranges a meeting with Clara to show her the Doctor's confession dial. She teleports herself and Clara to 1138, where the Doctor is hiding out, knowing his death is approaching. The three of them are tracked down by Colony Sarff, who takes them to what looks like a Dalek ship. The Doctor meets with Davros, while Clara and Missy attempt to escape, and find themselves on Skaro. They are captured and taken to the Daleks, where they appear to be exterminated while the Doctor watches on.

Clara and Missy in fact escaped via a teleport, and are outside the Dalek city now. The Doctor refuses to believe they were killed and goes to meet the Supreme Dalek while sat in Davros' chair. The Supreme Dalek insists she is dead, and Colony Sarff recaptures the Doctor. Missy and Clara enter a Dalek "sewer", where decaying Daleks are left. They capture a Dalek and Missy gets Clara to sit inside, so they can infiltrate the city. Davros opens his natural eyes and wants to see the sunrise for the final time before his death, playing with the Doctor's emotions. The Doctor uses some of his regeneration power to help Davros, but this rejuvenates the entire Dalek race. Missy manages to escape the Supreme Dalek after going back there with Dalek Clara. The Doctor says he knew about the plan the whole time, and the sewer Daleks are revitalised too, breaking through the city to attack their own race. After they escape, Missy tries to convince the Doctor to leave Dalek Clara, but he rescues her and tells Missy to run, before she gets captured by the Daleks once again. Throughout the two episodes, we see the Doctor attempting to save young Davros, and at the end of the episode, thanks to Dalek Clara, we see him teach young Davros the word "mercy", because it's what saves her life.

I actually bumped this one up a few spots last minute as I felt I was being a bit too harsh. Ultimately, this is a pretty great opening two-parter packed with some really excellent moments, notably most of the Doctor/Davros scenes and Missy's initial meeting with Clara. It's not perfect though - the pacing of the first episode is all over the place, and they waste far too much time on the Doctor's guitar stuff. The Daleks are severely underused and actually a bit RUBBISH throughout, and it's very continuity heavy. Nevertheless, the main cast are all superb, including Michelle Gomez who is always a joy as Missy. Her trying to get the Doctor to destroy Dalek Clara was a great moment, especially when he realised she was lying to him. I also loved the surprise of Davros' return!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 04:11 PM

THE TOP 60

Aliens of London / World War Three
Amy’s Choice
Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Asylum of the Daleks
Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
Blink
Boom Town
Dalek
Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks
Dark Water / Death in Heaven
Deep Breath
Face the Raven
Father’s Day
Flatline
Gridlock
Heaven Sent
Human Nature / The Family of Blood
Listen
Midnight
Mummy on the Orient Express
Partners in Crime
Planet of the Dead
Planet of the Ood
Rise of the Cybermen / Age of Steel
Rose
School Reunion
Silence of the Library / Forest of the Dead
Smith and Jones
The Angels Take Manhattan
The Christmas Invasion
The Day of the Doctor
The Doctor’s Daughter
The Eleventh Hour
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
The End of the World
The End of Time Pts 1 and 2
The Fires of Pompeii
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Girl Who Waited
The God Complex
The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood
The Husbands of River Song
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
The Lazarus Experiment
The Lodger
The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
The Power of Three
The Runaway Bride
The Shakespeare Code
The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone
The Time of the Doctor
The Unicorn and the Wasp
The Waters of Mars
The Zygon Invasion / The Zygon Inversion
Turn Left
Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords
Vincent and the Doctor
Voyage of the Damned

Everything left is great but which episodes do you want out next?

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 3rd May 2017, 04:26 PM

Oh I loved the first part! The second un yeah your summary shows it: complicated.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 3rd May 2017, 04:27 PM

I liked the Flesh too!!

Rest are CRAP on this page.

Impossible Planet out NOW!!$

Posted by: Klaus 3rd May 2017, 06:38 PM

I agree that Before the Flood was quite disappointing ointing in comparison to Under the Lake! The first one had a really great build up albeit a bit slow but then the second lacked the impact in terms of the villain and other elements. The bootstrap paradox was quite a good idea though and the sequence with the ghost coming after the deaf character was fantastic! Overall, there was maybe a bit too much running back and forth though, I got so tired of them going lets go back to the Faraday chamber (?) by the end!

The Rebel Flesh was another great idea, especially with all the moral discussions! I agree that Jennifer's character was basically ALL over the place though which didn't really sit that well.

Last Christmas is fantastic, my favourite Christmas ep and it should be much higher! I was initally put off at the fact Santa was in it but he's a great plot point in the context of it all. I had no idea where it was going and loved all the twists and turns with the Dream crabs being really great monsters and actually quite creepy! Shona was also fantastic and I was gutted at her ending. Again, the parts with Danny were the only real disappointment.

Time Heist was a fun episode, fell a tiny bit flat for me but I can't really put my finger on why. It was a great concept amd Keeley Hawes is always fantastic.

The Bells of Saint John is just like the rest of 7B. Should be good but falls flat. Particularly in regards to the villain/threat this time. It was obviously trying to do a Rose/Partners in Crime style episode but it didn't really work out.

The Witch's Familiar is an absolutely fantastic episode but it is really let down by the preceding episode. I really hated that whole medieval, guitar, tank segment and the episode is just filling time until that cliffhanger really. TWF really is fantastic though, brilliant dialogue between Davros and the Doctor and Missy and Clara together was so good, especially Clara in the TARDIS was incredibly tense!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 3rd May 2017, 07:51 PM

Last Christmas was my favourite Christmas special, did well to divert from the traditionally light hearted tone to add something a lot darker and more mind-bending, certainly not what I expected when I saw Nick Frost playing Santa!

A lot of Season 9's two parters suffered from a fantastic opener and a disappointing closing, those being no exception! The Zygon one thankfully got it right both times.

Very good selection, but these all need to leave soon:

Aliens of London / World War Three
Boom Town
Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks

Posted by: Iz~ 3rd May 2017, 08:02 PM

Yes on those two parters (some of the worst 2-parters ever done) but no for Boom Town, that was a surprisingly fun little outing, still holds up in my mind.

I sort of care for the ganger 2-parter as it was fairly in the classic Who group of people is trapped style but it was still not the best of that sort of thing.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 08:05 PM

60 Boom Town
Series 1, Episode 11
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness
Also starring: Mickey Smith

Your wish is my command Chez Boom Town saw the Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack make a pit-stop in Cardiff, with Rose calling Mickey so he could bring her passport. The tone of the episode is pretty light-hearted until the Doctor spots a familiar face in the newspaper - not only is she alive, but Margaret Blaine is the Mayor of Cardiff. After managing to corner her, they plan to take her back to Raxacoricofallapatorious, despite the fact she'd be executed for her crimes. She introduces them to the Blaidd Drwg ("bad wolf") project, where the Doctor and Jack find an extrapolator, or a "pan-dimensional surfboard", which Margaret was going to ride into space after blowing up the planet. Margaret requests one final dinner, so she goes to eat with the Doctor, trying to kill him a few times but being outsmarted each and every time. Meanwhile, Rose and Mickey go for a walk, and when Rose discovers Mickey has a new girlfriend, she's less than impressed, not having considered the impact her travels with the Doctor will have had on Mickey. After Jack's meddling with the extrapolator causes the rift to open, Margaret reveals that was her plan B all along, and, holding Rose hostage, she plans to leave on the extrapolator still. However, the heart of the TARDIS is pulled open, and it regresses her back to being an egg.

I actually considered this one of my least favourite episodes for a while. Understandable I guess, it's not the most monster-heavy episode and as a kid, I certainly cared more for those moments than the character moments. However, with many rewatches, and the fact I'm reading the script right now, it's really pretty excellent for what is just a filler low-budget episode before the huge finale. The TARDIS team enjoying a quiet moment near the beginning is really fun to watch, while Annette Badland is a joy as Margaret. The plot isn't the best ever but nonetheless, it's a way more enjoyable episode than I used to think and it does a really solid job.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 08:27 PM

59 Deep Breath
Series 8, Episode 1
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax, Eleventh Doctor

Capaldi's first outing saw the TARDIS being coughed up.... by a dinosaur in the Thames. Start as you mean to go on Vastra, Jenny and Strax are surprised to see a newly regenerated Doctor, but not half as much as Clara, who struggles to accept her friend's new face. The Doctor recovers in bed before making a run for it, just in time to see the dinosaur being incinerated by the authorities. He runs off once again, leaving Clara worried. She eventually spots an advert in the paper for a meeting location, after he's found a new outfit courtesy of a tramp. They realise they're surrounded by humanoid robots, and are descended into a lair. The Doctor realises that he is a cyborg, and they head off to investigate further, but the Doctor and Clara are separated as the cyborgs begin to wake up. To survive, Clara has to act like a cyborg, holding her breath, but she struggles and is captured. The Doctor manages to save her, and along with the Paternoster gang, fights off the cyborg army. The Doctor follows the leader, the half-faced man, back up to the restaurant area, as the restaurant takes off as a ship. The Doctor warns him that he will have to end his own life, or be killed to save the people below. We see the half-faced man fall to his death, but we do not know whether he jumped or was pushed. Clara receives a phone call from the Eleventh Doctor, just before he regenerated, confirming it is him and asking her to move on with his new incarnation.

Deep Breath is a tad messy in places, and the dinosaur was totally unnecessary, but otherwise I think it made for a good introduction to Capaldi's Doctor. It was a nice surprise to see the clockwork robots return from The Girl in the Fireplace even if they didn't feel quite as scary this time, and the final scene with the Eleventh Doctor was a lovely touch. Strax provided some excellent comedy moments and I once again thoroughly enjoyed the presence of the Paternoster gang. I'm not sure it really needed to be quite the length it was but it was mostly enjoyable!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 3rd May 2017, 08:30 PM

Any episodes involving the Slitheen were just awful I mean I know they were supposed to be repulsive, but that didn't make them any less lazy! Right down there with the Absorbaloff.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 09:02 PM

58 Planet of the Dead
2009 Easter Special
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Lady Christina de Souza

We meet Lady Christina de Souza at the start of this episode, stealing a valuable golden chalice from a London museum. With the police in pursuit, she hops onto a London bus and meets the Doctor. The bus is transported through a wormhole, landing on a desert planet many miles away. Together, with the other passengers - Angela, Nathan, Barclay and couple Lou and Carmen - they work to find a solution to get the bus back through the wormhole. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Christina meet a stranded ship belonging to a couple of Tritovores. Christina retrieves a diamond with metal clamps attached to it, but it almost caught by a deadly metal stingray, many of which are fast approaching the bus. The Doctor explains that they devour entire planets, while creating energy to power a wormhole that can transport them to the next planet. The Doctor asks for the help of UNIT scientist Malcolm, who works to find a solution to close the wormhole after they return to Earth. The Doctor and Christina manage to fly the bus back through in the nick of time, with a few stingrays following them through. UNIT shoot them down and Malcolm closes the wormhole. The Doctor helps Christina escape the police, and she flies the bus away.

I found this a really nice fun adventure before the pretty heavy episodes that were to follow later in the year. Christina was very likeable I found and the supporting cast were good too, and the Tritovores were utilised well. Malcolm was on the verge of being annoying but thankfully I found him pretty amusing, and it was good to see Captain Magambo again after Turn Left. The flying bus was a bit silly but the crashed bus in the middle of the desert made for an excellent aesthetic! Solid episode overall.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 3rd May 2017, 10:14 PM

I am Clara Oswald! I am a Dalek!

Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar was a great episode

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 3rd May 2017, 10:48 PM

Thatbfirst capald one was saved by all rhe other characters in it.

That one with Aunt Babe wasn't great.

Can't remember that bus one.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 10:59 PM

57 Listen
Series 8, Episode 4
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

In Listen, we see Clara on her first date with Danny, but they get off on the wrong foot and offend each other when it comes to a discussion about Danny's military history. Clara returns home to find the Doctor, who wants her help to figure out why everyone in the universe has the same bad dream - a hand reaching out from under the bed and grabbing your foot. He uses the TARDIS' telepathic link with Clara, to take them back to her youth, but her mind is a mess after the date with Danny and instead it takes them to his personal history, when he went by his birth name of Rupert. Rupert is scared of something under his bed - a creature that scampered out from underneath when they looked away. Clara suggests that he places his toy soldiers around his bed to protect himself, subconsciously giving him the idea of joining the military when he's older. After this, Clara returns to her date and patches things up with Danny, but accidentally reveals knowledge of his past that he had not shared with her, and he leaves. The Doctor then introduces her to Orson Pink - one of Danny's descendants who became stranded at the end of time. Orson possesses one of Danny's old soldier toys and gives it to Clara. They go back to the end of time and are faced up against a creature that represents fear. The Doctor faces this entity alone but Orson has to rescue him when the air containment facility is breached and he is rendered unconscious. They try to return to Clara's time again, but are taken to a barn. Clara finds a child crying alone in his bed, and hides underneath when she hears people coming. She later finds out that it is the Doctor, and when he gets up to leave the bed after the adults have gone, she reaches her hand out to grab his leg so he doesn't meet his future self. She reassures him not to be scared and that he is dreaming, so he returns to bed and Clara makes the older Doctor promise to never look where they were.

This episode involves a lot, but the pace never feels rushed or confusing at any point, which is pretty great considering everything that happens. Danny was never a favourite character of mine but I quite enjoyed his story with Clara in this episode, and the fact we never really saw a proper alien threat didn't bother me. The twist of Clara planting the bad dream of the monster-under-bed into the Doctor's head was an excellent twist I thought! This is definitely an example of where a bit of experimenting in Who can pay off, and whilst it's not one I rewatch often, it's certainly an episode that paid off for me.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 3rd May 2017, 11:37 PM

A v good episode!

What do y'all think was ootseed??

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 3rd May 2017, 11:49 PM

Good question!! I don't think it's anything we've seen before, just one remaining creature at the end of the universe that's causing havoc or something perhaps.

Posted by: HarryApa 4th May 2017, 12:47 AM

Time Heist, The Bells of St John, Boom Town, Deep Breath are all great. Not seen Listen in a while but I think i enjoyed it

Posted by: Mack 4th May 2017, 12:44 PM

It's Aunt Babe as a Slitheen.

I thought Annette Badland had been in Doctor Who.

Posted by: Regina 4th May 2017, 12:54 PM

This countdon has made me want to revisit this show *.* I saw its on netflix but some episodes appear to be missing

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 4th May 2017, 01:54 PM

I watched Listen last night on Netflix! Absolute classic and should be higher hur.

Itbis missing the two parter where the second worst modern doctor regens

Posted by: Klaus 4th May 2017, 01:57 PM

omg it really is a mess on Netflix. The 2009 specials and Series 7B aren't there and then 'The Day of the Doctor' and 'The Time of the Doctor' is placed on the end of Series 8?? God help anyone who has never seen the show before and is watching it for the first time on there.

Posted by: Regina 4th May 2017, 03:23 PM

WTF mess.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 4th May 2017, 04:12 PM

56 The Lodger
Series 5, Episode 11
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond
Also starring: Craig Owens

The Doctor is left stranded on Earth after the TARDIS refuses to land, and with the help of Amy who's stuck on board, they track the disturbance to the first floor of a flat. The Doctor becomes Craig Owens' lodger in the flat below, trying to act normal and fit in without whatever's above catching a whiff of his Time Lord presence. He learns that Craig is stuck in the friend zone with Sophie, the woman he loves. He joins the football team with Craig, who slowly becomes irritated at the Doctor being better than him. Meanwhile, people are being lured off the street to the flat above and being killed. After Sophie is lured upstairs, the Doctor forces Craig to admit his love for her, as she is being tested as a pilot for a TARDIS-like ship upstairs due to her desire to escape (and move abroad). They kiss and the ship implodes, leaving Craig's flat as a one-storey building like it always was.

This is very much a filler episode really but considering the whole concept, with James Corden starring, I really expected a lot worse! Craig is very likeable and the concept doesn't feel forced or OTT at any point. The alien threat isn't particularly great but it's not a total afterthought, not enough to put me off the episode anyway. Much like Boom Town, it's a nice fun episode before things get serious in the finale.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 4th May 2017, 04:23 PM

55 The Power of Three
Series 7, Episode 4
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams
Also starring: Kate Stewart, Brian Williams

This is the final story in the bottom half of the results! The Power of Three sees Amy and Rory contemplating over how they have two lives - normal life and Doctor life, and that ultimately, they need to choose. They are disturbed by the Doctor's arrival when loads of black boxes appear over the Earth, seemingly harmless. UNIT arrive at Amy and Rory's house, with the Brigadier's daughter Kate introducing herself. They all keep watch over the boxes for days and nothing happens. After he gets bored, the Doctor decides to depart, leaving Rory's dad Brian in charge of watching the cubes. Over the following year, the Doctor continues to visit Amy and Rory, and the cubes are barely noticed by anyone, until one year after they arrived, they begin to activate. Each cube provides a different function, but all are collecting information or acting in self-defence. Rory and Brian help out at the hospital while Amy and the Doctor head to UNIT Headquarters in the Tower of London. All of the cubes begin a countdown, and when thy reach zero, one-third of the human population seems to suffer cardiac arrests, including one of the Doctor's hearts. At the hospital, they see that Brian has been captured by two figures with distorted faces. The Doctor, Amy and Rory follow them on board a ship, and are met by a hologram of a Shakri, who intends to use the cubes to wipe out humanity. The Doctor reverses the impulse that caused the cardiac arrests, before the feedback causes the ship to explode. Amy and Rory then make a choice - they decide to travel with the Doctor as opposed to normal life.

This is one of the most FRUSTRATING episodes for me. It builds up excellently. The cubes are really cool threats and I love the idea of a "slow invasion", and it's fun seeing the Doctor trying and failing to adapt to a slower pace of life. Brian feels like a much more natural inclusion in this episode too. However, the reveal of the Shakri and the solution are awful, and ultimately ruin what could be a big favourite of mine. I genuinely missed the conclusion when watching the first time as I got distracted for a minute :') So ultimately it's got a great concept with superb ideas but the conclusion really lets it down.

Posted by: dandy* 4th May 2017, 05:14 PM

I agree that the Power of 3 was a great concept that was entirely ruined by the ending being rushed and too much of a boring solution.

I remember at the time debating with Mr D* about whether people would really just accept things like they do in the episode and I found it really rather believable - I remember citing the uprise of wind turbines all of the country as an example of how people just accept things once they get used to them. Fully expecting wind turbines to give us all cardiac arrests one day.

Posted by: Klaus 4th May 2017, 05:25 PM

Deep Breath was slightly too long, especially considering its the longest single episode of NuWho and longer than the 50th special!!! Once it gets going though, its really great. I loved that they brought back the Clockwork Droids unexpectedly and added a really tense twist with them!

I agree very much with those comments for The Power of Three! Brilliant set up but the ending was waaaaay too rushed to the point where I can't even remember it. That's a good discussion Dandy, I do think that, because they showed no threat, people would get used to it over time.

Posted by: dandy* 4th May 2017, 05:39 PM

SEE!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 4th May 2017, 05:57 PM

Planet of the Dead! That's the one where one guy decides just to jump back through the hole and ends up as a skeleton right?

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 4th May 2017, 06:21 PM

!

I totally agree with you also D*, after a while people would totally just accept something as initially weird as the cubes, life goes on and they weren't causing harm!


Yeah that's the one!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 4th May 2017, 06:49 PM

54 The Time of the Doctor
2013 Christmas Special
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Amy Pond

Thousands of aliens are orbiting one planet, after a message was sent across time and space which nobody could translate. The Doctor picks up Clara, who's preparing Christmas dinner, and they head to the Papal Mainframe, a space church headed by the Doctor's old friend Tasha Lem. She put a forcefield over the planet, and allows the Doctor and Clara to explore further. They find themselves surrounded by Weeping Angels in the snow, and the Doctor summons the TARDIS. They head to a village called Christmas, which is located in a truth field so nobody can lie. They find a crack in time where the message is coming from, and Handles translates the message as "Doctor who?". The crack in time leads to Gallifrey in a pocket universe, and the Doctor realises that their reappearance could start another Time War with the aliens orbiting, so he opts to stay and guard the town as the translation spreads. He tricks Clara into returning home with the TARDIS after finding out the planet is called Trenzalore, but clings onto the TARDIS as it dematerialises and the TARDIS takes 300 years to return back. The Doctor tells her that he has no regenerations left and is willing to spend the rest of his life guarding the town. They are summoned back to the Papal Mainframe, now known as the Church of the Silence, and discover that Tasha is now a Dalek puppet. After the Doctor helps her rediscover her humanity, she helps them escape from the Daleks, back down to Trenzalore. He tricks Clara once again and returns her home, before she is picked up by Tasha. The Daleks are preparing to attack the town and kill the Doctor. Clara whispers to the Time Lords through the crack, pleading with them to help out. As the Daleks launch their attack, the Doctor is given a new regeneration cycle, and defeats the Daleks. He heads back to the TARDIS, his ageing body regressing back to its younger state. He sees a vision of Amy before he regenerates.

This one doesn't seem to be hugely popular on the internet, and I can understand why. It's a total mess and the pacing is all over the place, and I was really disappointed with it on first watch. Clara's scenes with the family aren't great for the most part and it's probably a bit too long. However, with rewatches, I've grown to appreciate the majority of the episode, particularly the scenes of the Doctor guarding Trenzalore. Handles is a surprisingly great little addition to the episode too, and the regeneration scene is beautifully done - "I'll always remember when the Doctor was me" was delivered perfectly by Matt Smith. A chaotic end to a chaotic era but with plenty of great moments if you sift through it on a couple of rewatches.

Posted by: Slick 4th May 2017, 10:16 PM

The Lodger is the last poor episode that was left so I'm glad to see that out of the way, although I'd rank it as one of the most forgettable so #56 is too high.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 09:17 PM

53 The Husbands of River Song
2015 Christmas Special
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: River Song
Also starring: Nardole

After a case of mistaken identity, the Doctor is expected to perform major surgery on King Hydroflax, to remove a valuable diamond, the Halassi Androvar, from his head. Hydroflax is married to River Song, who doesn't recognise the Doctor in his twelfth incarnation as she had previously only met up to number eleven. River reveals in private that she wants his entire head, not just the diamond, but Hydroflax overhears. As he is part-cyborg, he removes his head, and River steals it before teleporting with the Doctor. Meanwhile, Hydroflax beheads Nardole for information on River Song. The Doctor and River head to the TARDIS, but cannot take off with part of Hydroflax inside and part of him outside, so they have to let the cyborg part in. They arrive at a starship restaurant called Harmony and Redemption, with the TARDIS and Hydroflax's body deadlock sealed. River meets with an alien who wants to buy the diamond, but isn't aware that it's still lodged inside Hydroflax's head. When Hydroflax catches up with River, she finally recognises the Doctor, and they escape from the ship as it crashes onto Darillium. After being knocked unconscious, the Doctor awakens before River and plans a date watching the singing towers of Darillium for one night, which is 24 years long.

What gives this episode the edge over the other Moffat Christmas specials is the rewatchability factor. It's incredibly rewatchable and a lot of fun, with an interesting plot to boot. River Song is always a joy and I think her chemistry with Capaldi's Doctor was even better than with Tennant or Smith's. If it's the last we see of River, it's a fitting end to her story and I'm glad we got one final outing with her after The Name of the Doctor. Hydroflax isn't the best or most inventive villain but it makes for enjoyable viewing, and the scene of the Doctor walking into the TARDIS pretending he's seeing it for the first time was superb. Doesn't quite compare to Who classics but it was certainly my favourite Christmas special for a while!

Posted by: LustForLife 5th May 2017, 09:18 PM

This was a cute episode and certainly one of Moffat's better Christmas ones.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 09:35 PM

52 The God Complex
Series 6, Episode 11
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The TARDIS becomes sidetracked and lands in an old-fashioned hotel in this episode. The Doctor recognises it as an alien structure that looks like a hotel, and they meet a group of people - Rita, Howie and Gibbis, plus Joe who has been turned mad by the mind games of the hotel and has been tied up for his protection. They explain that inside the hotel, there is a beast that will consume every guest after luring them into a room which contains their worst nightmare. This brainwashes them and they begin to praise the beast, willingly giving themselves up to their death. Joe is soon killed by the creature, and Howie becomes possessed after entering his room. They use Howie to lure the Minotaur creature into the salon. This allows the Doctor to realise that the hotel is a prison for the Minotaur too, and the fears in each room are harmless illusions. Howie is killed and Rita is too, after beginning to praise the creature. The Doctor regroups with Amy, Rory and Gibbis, and theorises that the three that were killed all believed in something, as part of their faith. The hotel rooms were designed to challenge their faith, and Gibbis and Rory are safe because they don't possess any kind of faith. However, Amy's faith in the Doctor brought them to the hotel, and she becomes possessed. The Doctor breaks her trust by telling him he is just a mad man with a box and not a hero, and the Minotaur collapses. The hotel is then revealed to be a simulation, and the TARDIS is located nearby.

I think this is a pretty excellent episode, it's not one I revisit much hence why it's not as high as it could be but the concept is great and the plot is at the centre of the episode throughout. The supporting cast are all great individually and the Minotaur is pretty interesting. However, the conclusion is a little bit forgettable, I had to look up how it ended despite having rewatched this episode quite a bit. Nevertheless it's enjoyable and one of the eeriest episodes of the Moffat era for sure.

Posted by: HarryApa 5th May 2017, 09:42 PM

The Husbands of River Song was amazing

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 10:01 PM

51 The Lazarus Experiment
Series 3, Episode 6
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones
Also starring: Francine, Tish and Leo Jones

The Doctor lands the TARDIS in Martha's flat, the morning after they left, ready to drop her home after a few trips. However, he's stopped from leaving when he hears an elderly man on the TV, Professor Richard Lazarus, say that he plans to "change what it means to be human". Martha is invited to his launch, as Tish works as his PA, and brings the Doctor as her +1. Lazarus states that he is going to "perform a miracle", and steps inside his machine. When he steps out, he is much younger, although the Doctor had to stop the machine from overloading. Everyone is amazed, but the Doctor is worried about the side effects, and is proved to be right when he finds Lazarus' lady friend Lady Thaw shrivelled up and dead. The Doctor and Martha notice that Lazarus' DNA is fluctuating, and worry about Tish, who is about to be attacked by him on the roof. They see Lazarus mutate into a monster, and it chases them down to the party. Martha and Tish evacuate the building while the Doctor faces off against Lazarus, leading him away from the party. The Doctor and Martha end up trapped in the Lazarus machine, but the Doctor reverses its polarity, firing back against the Lazarus monster, seemingly killing him. However, after he sees the ambulance staff drained of life, the Doctor pursues Lazarus to Southwark Cathedral, and against their mother's wishes, Martha and Tish rush to help the Doctor. They lure him to the top of the cathedral while the Doctor plays the organ on the loudest possible volume, causing the creature to drop to the ground, killing Lazarus for good. The Doctor then decides to take Martha in the TARDIS full-time.

I guess this could be another filler episode really but it sets things up nicely leading into the finale, including Francine being worried for her daughter in the presence of the Doctor. The Lazarus monster isn't the best ever but the showdowns both with the Doctor in the lab, and with Martha and Tish in the cathedral, were shot really well and made for tense chase scenes. A fairly underrated episode I think!

Posted by: LustForLife 5th May 2017, 10:05 PM

The God Complex was a very interesting and had some good moments!

Not a fan of The Lazarus Experiment, I found it a bit lame.

Posted by: Slick 5th May 2017, 10:49 PM

The Husbands of River Song One of the best Christmas specials.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 10:52 PM

Torchwood was developed throughout 2005 and 2006 as a post-watershed spin-off for Doctor Who, starring John Barrowman as the popular Captain Jack Harkness and airing on BBC3. Jack headed up a team in Cardiff at Torchwood Three, investigating aliens that come through the rift, alongside his team Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), Owen Harper (Burn Gorman), Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). The first series also starred Indira Varma as Suzie Costello, initially announced as a regular but killed off in episode 1 in a shock twist (before a return from the dead in episode 9). Series 1 saw mixed reviews, most notably criticising the overly adult themes and how forced they were. Series 2, now airing on BBC2, saw the death of Owen Harper, before being revived, as well as Martha Jones crossing over from Doctor Who for three episodes. Owen (again) and Tosh were killed for good in the finale, leaving Jack, Gwen and Ianto to star in series 3.

Everything changed for series 3, with a shorter episode run and a brand new supporting cast, and the tide seemed to turn for Torchwood. Critical acclaim came pouring in for Children of Earth, and a fourth series was picked up, this time in conjunction with US network Starz. Torchwood: Miracle Day aired in 2011 over 10 weeks, with new team members Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) and Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins). The series was put on indefinite hiatus after series 4 and despite many calls for a revival, including from Barrowman, there seem to be no plans for a fifth series.

Torchwood was VERY hit and miss for me. Series 1 is all over the place - most of the characters felt pretty unlikeable and the stories were ropey. Series 2 however saw a bit of an improvement. The stories felt more impactful and the OTT swearing and sex was hugely toned down. Children of Earth was a major step up, absolute quality from start to finish (read on for more on that), but it didn't really continue with Miracle Day, which I adored the concept of but I don't think it was executed as well as it could've been. The shining star throughout it all though has been Eve Myles, and despite some iffy moments throughout series 1 (I don't care for the Gwen/Owen affair at all), she's always given excellent performances and really made Gwen came to life. Would be great to check in on her, and Jack, at some point in the future, even just a solitary special episode to wrap things up properly.



Worst Story: Day One
Series 1, Episode 2

OK I'm not really sure there's much I need to say beyond "sex monster" here, but I'll refresh your memories :') After Gwen accidentally releases a gaseous alien from a crashed ship on her first day at work. It possesses a young woman called Carys, who then seeks out people to have sex with. The alien feeds off the orgasmic energy and kills the man she's having sex with. Carys' story is almost tragic but it's totally ruined by such a terrible concept. It's incredibly forced, and proves that the post-watershed slot for the episode seemed to be too much of a focal point - an issue that's present throughout the whole of series 1 actually. Also, a quick fun fact for this episode: I wasn't allowed to watch Torchwood at first (bearing in mind it began airing when I was 9 years old), but when I was after a couple of years, I was still banned from watching this episode. Kinda wish I was still banned, not one I revisit unless I'm intent on doing a full Torchwood marathon There's not really much more I can say about this episode so let's move on.



Best Story: Children of Earth
Series 3

I think once the writers flushed the forced-"adultness" thing out of their system, Torchwood made some excellent stories, particularly the final three of series 2. Adrift is one I overlooked at the time, finding it a bit boring, but it's a tough watch these days and I find Jonah's story incredibly sad. Fragments is great from start to finish, filling in the back stories of the team was a great move, particularly with hindsight after what happens at the end of the finale. Exit Wounds is a thrilling watch. The actor behind Grey isn't great but it's action-packed and Owen and Tosh's deaths hit me hard. However, when it comes to THE best story, there's no competition.

Series 3 of Torchwood saw the show move to BBC1, with the episodes cut down from 13 to 5, all to be aired over the space of a week. This initially seemed worrying for Torchwood, despite the promotion. However, I think the story spoke for itself here, and the writers managed to produce an absolute beauty of a story. The five-part story saw aliens speaking through every child on earth, delivering the message "we are coming". Meanwhile, after the hub was blown up, Jack, Gwen and Ianto become fugitives, on the run from agent Johnson and her operatives. I loved that we didn't just see things from Torchwood's perspective, but also through that of the government and how they handled the impending disaster with the 456. It ended up a harrowing tale of loss, where we said goodbye to Ianto (prompting a huge fan reaction and even a shrine for the character on Cardiff Bay), and we see Jack make his darkest move yet - sacrificing his own grandson to save the lives of every other child on the planet. Few shows would be brave enough to show the death of a child, and with the build-up and the aftermath, it was incredibly emotional and well scripted/acted.

Another favourite scene of mine came from Frobisher's final moments. We see him usher his wife and his kids to a room upstairs, having been told that he must sacrifice his kids to the 456 to set a good example to the media. However, once we see them enter the room, we hear three consecutive gunshots, followed by a fourth. This is the kind of scene that differentiates Torchwood from Doctor Who. It was beautifully directed and very difficult to watch, leaving behind some important questions - was this the right move for Frobisher or was it chicken of him? I still don't know the answer really, it's something I think about each time I watch it, but I don't think there's an easy answer.

There's not even a comparison between series 1 and series 3 of Torchwood for me. It's almost like two different shows. Instead of shoehorned sex, swearing and gore, we see the post-watershed timeslot put to good use, taking themes that apply to the real world (drug addiction most notably) and applying them to a sci-fi concept, on a huge scale. It all comes together to make not just the best Torchwood story but one of the best Whoniverse stories I've seen.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 10:52 PM

(I intended to write about SJA at this point but subconsciously started typing about Torchwood and ended up here lmao x)

Posted by: Klaus 5th May 2017, 11:00 PM

Children of Earth is some of the best few hours TV has ever seen.

I liked Series 1! Loads of my favourite eps are from there, maybe because it was one of the first 'adult' things that I watched. Cyberwoman, Countrycide and the finale are all excellent. I love how dark the first two are in particular, especially with the complete lack of remorse in Countrycide. Series 2 had some strong points but also a few weaker points. Martha is a bit redundant in her final ep haha.

Miracle Day is clearly the worst episode story though x

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 5th May 2017, 11:03 PM

Oh I liked the hotel one!

That River Song one was ok.

That Lodger one shoulda been so much lower

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 5th May 2017, 11:05 PM

What is Lazarus Experiment doing so high!!!

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 5th May 2017, 11:05 PM

Torchwood was shet.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 11:07 PM

Oh I didn't really focus so much on the good points of series 1, cause it did have some. I particularly liked Captain Jack Harkness, the episode that is, and Cyberwoman gets too much flack! A lot of it just felt quite forced to me though, and series 2 makes for a much better watch with the adult elements slotting in better.

Miracle Day would win an award for most wasted potential but I can't say I didn't actually enjoy it to an extent

Posted by: Klaus 5th May 2017, 11:14 PM

Yep, that's why I dislike it so much. A fantastic concept but I was waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a payoff. Then all it turned out to be was a massive vagina in the middle of the Earth.

The ending of one of the middle episodes where she's burned alive is a fantastic moment though because it was so dark and had me shocked! I've never ever rewatched Miracle Day though but its such a huge disappointment.

Posted by: Iz~ 5th May 2017, 11:19 PM

I miss Torchwood. I loved the ending set of episodes to Series 2, everything from Owen's first death onwards is gold, as is Children Of Earth. I think I appreciated the more 'ensemble' feel that it had, as well as being a little bit more adult than Who, gives much more of a thrill to the whole thing.

Miracle Day suffered from a) them already killing off most of the original crew without good replacements, b) built on a premise that was gonna get flawed pretty quickly if you didn't handle it right and they didn't, and c) American.

It was sort of enjoyable?

Posted by: Chez Wombat 5th May 2017, 11:40 PM

Children of Earth and Miracle Day are like two different shows, the gap in tension, gripping viewing and writing between the two is SO huge, I couldn't finish the latter, saddening

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 5th May 2017, 11:43 PM

It is a shame because the concept of Miracle Day is excellent, and there's SO much stuff to cover, but I don't feel like it ever truly touches on quite how impactful it'd be on the human race with the overcrowding, lack of supplies, etc. We hear about it but we don't SEE it, it should've been way more vital than it actually was. The conclusion was a damp squib too and I never warmed to Rex (I loved Esther though and her death had me heartbroken). Regardless, it had some good moments throughout - Vera's death was harrowing as Froot said and whilst I think they spent too much time on him, Bill Pullman was superb as Oswald Danes.

Posted by: LustForLife 6th May 2017, 11:08 AM

I loved Torchwood, easily the best of the spin-offs until Miracle Day happened :/ Like others have said, it was like two completely different shows. Series 1 and 2 were great being based in Cardiff and Children of Earth was incredible as a mini-series with a longer storyline.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 01:20 PM

50 The Doctor’s Daughter
Series 4, Episode 6
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble, Martha Jones

The Doctor, Donna and Martha are taken by the TARDIS to a tunnel on a planet called Messaline. They meet soldiers who work for General Cobb, and they force the Doctor's hand into a progenation machine, creating a young woman who is effectively his daughter. She is born with the knowledge of how to fight in a war against the Hath, and in a method to protect the others, she causes an explosion that seals the tunnel but traps Martha with the Hath. The Doctor, Donna and Jenny meet General Cobb, a man determined to wipe out every Hath creature on the planet. He explains that the war has been going on for generations, and locks the trio up after the Doctor inadvertently shows them the directions to the Hath. Martha meanwhile begins to plan a route back to the Doctor by going over the dangerous surface of the planet, while the Hath also see the directions to the humans. Martha is accompanied over the surface by Peck, who saves her from a quicksand-like substance and dies. After they escape, Donna notices a series of numbers in each section of the underground tunnels and takes note, while Jenny manages to survive deadly laser beams. The Doctor struggles to accept that Jenny is his daughter but eventually plans to take her with him to see new worlds. Donna realises that each series of numbers is the completion date for that section, and that the earliest date was only a week in advance - the war had lasted a week. They reunite with Martha and attempt to end the war by showing both sides what they're fighting over - a terraforming device that will make Messaline habitable again. He smashes it and the war is over, except for Cobb who fires at the Doctor. Jenny jumps in the way and takes the bullet, dying in her father's arms not long after he finally accepted her. The Doctor drops Martha back home, and once he leaves, Jenny wakes up, not dead after all, and takes a rocket to explore the universe.

So series 4 finally loses an episode! The Doctor's Daughter may be the weakest of that series but it's still an episode I enjoy a lot. Jenny is very likeable and her death scene was unexpected and really quite sad. I'd still love to see her show up again at some point! The Hath look pretty cool although it always bothers me how Martha seems to understand them :') Speaking of Martha, as someone who's a big fan of her, I really can't defend the scene where Peck dies and she's crying, I always cringe at that. Nevertheless, I enjoy much of the rest of the episode, and Donna really shines as she figures out what the numbers in each room mean.

Posted by: Klaus 7th May 2017, 01:25 PM

omg yes, I always laugh at that Peck dying scene!! That whole segment is just so bad. The fact they talk through bubbles just didn't work because Martha having to respond to that just makes it so awkward and cringworthy, especially as you say, she can randomly understand them.

The other elements were good though, Jenny was an interesting character and its a shame she hasn't been seen since!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 7th May 2017, 01:26 PM

The Doctor's Daughter is one of the ones from that series that I really remember (being the first series I ever watched) - I always have her coming back in the back of my mind

Posted by: Slick 7th May 2017, 01:42 PM

They should definitely have brought back the Doctor's Daughter by now. I wonder if Georgia Moffett is still acting?

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 02:19 PM

She hasn't been for a little while going by Wikipedia, but I'd love it if they could get her back for an episode at least in the future, there's definitely a lot they could cover.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 7th May 2017, 02:37 PM

She's married to David Tennant irl isn't she?

Was never too fussed on that episode.

Joseph you've made me raid my mum and dad's house whilst they're away and thus far I've stolen all the Christopher Eccleston episodes.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 02:39 PM

That's right! Peter Davison's daughter marrying David Tennant, you really couldn't make it up

Great decision *.* plenty of Eccleston left, plus I'm currently reading the script of Bad Wolf

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 7th May 2017, 02:41 PM

I plan to stop at the Pandorica episodes but I bet I make it all the way to series 9

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 02:43 PM

I'll be the bad influence that says to watch them all

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 02:43 PM

49 Mummy on the Orient Express
Series 8, Episode 8
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink

The Doctor tries to make things up to Clara after the ending of Kill the Moon with one "final" trip in the TARDIS, this time to the Orient Express in space, first teased in the closing moments of series 5. They learn about the death of Mrs. Pitt, who spoke of a mummy in her final moments. While Clara speaks to Mrs. Pitt's granddaughter Maisie, the Doctor speaks to the ship's engineer Perkins. Perkins is suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death also, as well as the ship's automated command system Gus. Clara and Maisie become trapped in the storage car, while a chef is killed, also after talking about a mummy. The Doctor looks at video footage and noticed that both deaths occurred exactly 66 seconds after lights flickered, following a myth about the "Foretold". After one of Captain Quell's men is killed by the Foretold, the Orient Express illusion disappears and Gus reveals that they are in a laboratory to figure out the mystery of the Foretold. After Captain Quell is targeted, the Doctor figures out that the Foretold is targeting those that are medically vulnerable, and that Maisie is likely next due to her grief. When Maisie sees the Foretold, the Doctor draws on her memories so the Foretold will target him instead. He identifies the Foretold as a modified soldier of a long-since-finished war, and salutes him, telling him they surrender. The Foretold salutes back and dissolves into dust. Gus attempts to suffocate the passengers after they are no longer needed, but the Doctor teleports everyone to the TARDIS.

Aside from the story of Clara's disapproval of the Doctor, which I found quite unnecessary really, I really enjoyed this story. The Foretold is an excellent monster, and a unique take on a mummy villain. Perkins is likeable and I like the added threat of Gus too. Most of the Clara/Maisie scenes are pretty forgettable for me but the Doctor and Perkins are extremely watchable.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 7th May 2017, 02:47 PM

What I liked about that episode was Foxes's extremely hyped but eventual non cameo it was so pointless!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 02:47 PM

I forgot this !!! it was so blink and you'll miss it :')

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 7th May 2017, 02:58 PM

48 Flatline
Series 8, Episode 9
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Rigsy, Danny Pink

Double series 8, and this time it's the first appearance of Rigsy. After the TARDIS lands in Bristol instead of London with some weird energy reasons, the Doctor become trapped inside as it shrinks in size. It's down to Clara to investigate, and she enlists Rigsy, who's doing community service nearby, to show her to a flat that's been locked from the inside, with no sign of the owner. They then visit the flat of the first disappearance, alongside PC Forrest, and are attacked by a creature in the walls and floor. PC Forrest is consumed by the Boneless. Clara and Rigsy shelter themselves on a hanging chair, which they swing out of the window to escape. They race to stop the community workers from painting over the missing people murals in the alley, as they are in fact what remains of the missing people thanks to the Boneless. They are chased by the creatures, who begin to gain a 3D form. After they find themselves trapped due to flattened door handles, the Doctor makes a device in the TARDIS and passes it to Clara to un-flatten them. The TARDIS drops out of Clara's bag and onto a traintrack, with an oncoming train on its way. Clara manages to stop the train but the TARDIS is put into siege mode, and Clara uses the train to try and ram into the creatures. When this fails, they use the Boneless' power against them as they restore the TARDIS and the Doctor banishes them.

This was another excellent concept in series 8 I think. I enjoyed the different personalities of the supporting cast and it's one of my favourite episodes for Clara too. The Boneless are pretty great threats, once again something we've not really seen before, but sadly they were defeated way too easily by the Doctor. Shame because everything leading up to that point had been great. Nevertheless, it's my second favourite story from series 8, with only Dark Water / Death In Heaven left!

Number of stories left per series:

1: 7
2: 5
3: 7
4: 9
5: 6
6: 1
7: 2
8: 1
9: 3
Specials: 6

Posted by: dandy* 7th May 2017, 03:05 PM

Both of those episodes were great, really enjoyed them. I'd have preferred it if the mummy one stayed on the orient express rather than become a lab experiment but that was a minor niggle as the story was intriguing and the mummy had a real sense of threat.

I'm not sure what is left but I'm surprised there are potentially so many episodes that were better than those... that said, I can't actually always remember what they were from the titles alone so there could well be.

(ps high finishes for Blink and the Library ones please)

Posted by: LustForLife 7th May 2017, 03:07 PM

I really liked Mummy on the Orient Express, it was one of the best episodes in Series 8! On the other hand, I wasn't too keen on Flatline. There was far too much Clara

Posted by: Chez Wombat 7th May 2017, 03:11 PM

Mummy... and Flatline were the two highlights from a very poor series definitely, the timer used in the former particularly was a brilliant effect.

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 7th May 2017, 03:39 PM

That daughter one was awful. Really cheesy.

Glad she died.

Also why is that and an episode aboot a sex pest alien so high??

Posted by: Tippin Virginia 7th May 2017, 03:41 PM

Flatline and Mummy were so BORING

I fell asleep during Mummy. Absolute crao attempt to force a story out of a throwaway line from an earlier episode as they ran out of ideas.

Posted by: Slick 7th May 2017, 04:15 PM

Flatline is one of Capaldi's worst.

Posted by: HarryApa 7th May 2017, 04:30 PM

I Love the Doctor's Daughter really great episode I guess the main thing that was the issue was the fact Martha could randomly talk to the Hath :')

Mummy On The Orient Express and Flatline also good!

Posted by: Mack 7th May 2017, 09:35 PM

Flatline one of two bright sparks from Series 8.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 8th May 2017, 04:11 PM

I like Orient Express and Flatline

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 8th May 2017, 04:24 PM

Both decent episodes!

Posted by: 777666jason 8th May 2017, 04:36 PM

Just curious is there any episode you like

Posted by: 777666jason 8th May 2017, 04:45 PM

I agree with the Torchwood comment the series 1 episode countryside was the stand out for me it could have easily been taken from any great drama was shocking how monsters arnt allows aliens

Series 2 was better series 3 better still

Miracle days biggest problem was it was one story over 10 weeks if it was condensed to 5/6 episodes it would have been better and maybe having another story arc over the other 4/5 episodes

Loving the countdown Joseph keep it up

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 04:46 PM

The ones with Donna, although v low budget - omg that beetle - and all of season 1 and season 2 and a lot of the Xmas episodes. 70% of the Matt Smith episodes, love the River Song arc, and Listen.

Posted by: Klaus 8th May 2017, 04:47 PM

Mummy & Flatline were both brilliantly inventive and inspired! The Mummy looked so creepy and the countdown was such a clever idea, the same for the Boneless in them being 2D monsters. I do agree that Clara & whatsherface's scenes in Mummy were very forgettable. The Doctor and Perkins make up for that though and then also Clara and Rigsby in Flatline of course too.

I heard that his favourite is The Impossible Planet!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 04:48 PM

÷!!!!!!!
How you dare EVEN

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 05:26 PM

!!

Cheers for the comments once again guys, glad you're all enjoying! 47 fantastic stories left, next one on its way ~

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 05:47 PM

47 The Christmas Invasion
2005 Christmas Special
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler, Harriet Jones

The first Christmas special of the modern Doctor Who series saw the proper introduction to David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. The TARDIS crash lands at the Powell Estate, and after the Doctor collapses, he's nursed by Rose and Jackie at home. However, it's Christmas time, so Mickey takes Rose out to do some shopping. They're attacked by Santa Claus robots and when they return home, they see a new Christmas tree has been delivered...which attacks them! Rose whispers to the Doctor, who wakes up and saves them, before identifying the robots as Pilot Fish, nothing more than scavengers but they're simply the smaller fish arriving before the big shark, so to speak. Meanwhile, Harriet Jones, now Prime Minister (yes, you know who she is), is working with UNIT to speak to an alien race known as the Sycorax, who later use blood control to send everyone with the A+ blood type to the top of a tall building. Harriet is brought on board, as is the TARDIS, after the Sycorax ship arrives. Rose attempts to reason with the Sycorax but fails, and thanks to spilt tea, the Doctor awakens in time to save her. He challenges the Sycorax Leader to a sword fight, and despite getting his hand chopped off in the process (and it regrowing thanks to the regeneration energy), the Doctor wins and sends the Sycorax away. When back on Earth, Harriet gives the command to blow up the ship, angering the Doctor.

There was a lot to cover in this episode and it could easily have rushed certain parts or been a total mess, but the pace is actually spot on. The Doctor obviously isn't up and about for the whole episode but we see enough of him to get a grasp of what we're in for with the new incarnation, and Penelope Wilton is always excellent as Harriet Jones. I remember the Sycorax mainly for how stupidly rare the action figure of the leader got at one point :') but they were good threats and I'm glad they touched on the fact they speak a different language.

Posted by: Klaus 8th May 2017, 05:53 PM

The Christmas Invasion is very good for sort of carrying on those themes from the first series, the political aspect, the idea of this new world dealing with an alien threat. It did it very effectively and having the Doctor unwell for most of the episode worked very well too. It was a risky move that paid off!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 05:53 PM

That was a fun episode!

It would have been improved by having a better doctor and not like the second worst one but oh well.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 06:15 PM

46 The Unicorn and the Wasp
Series 4, Episode 7
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble

The Doctor and Donna attend a garden party in the 1920s, where they bump into Agatha Christie! Coincidentally, the day history says that she disappears for 10 days. Before long, they hear of a murder being committed, as Professor Peach's body is found in the library. The Doctor poses as a police officer from Scotland yard and questions all of the guests with Agatha, coincidentally all of whom have an alibi. Meanwhile, Donna investigates upstairs, in a room where Lady Eddison locked herself away for many months, and is confronted by a giant wasp. It kills housekeeper Miss Chandrakala, and when trio regroup, the Doctor is poisoned with cyanide. He flushes it out of his system, but it inspires him to try and poison the wasp with pepper, as the piperine in it can work as an insecticide, so he puts it on everyone's meals. The lights go out before the wasp's identity can be revealed however, and it kills Lady Eddison and Colonel Curbishly's son Roger. The Doctor and Agatha reveal their findings to the house. Lady Eddison locked herself away because she was impregnated by a Vespiform, and her necklace links her telepathically with the child she gave up. The child is actually present in the room, revealing the Vespiform's identity as Reverend Golightly. Agatha grabs the necklace and lures it to a lake, but Donna grabs it and chucks it in, with the Vespiform swallowing. As Agatha and the wasp were linked, due to Lady Eddison reading her book, Agatha suffers amnesia, and the Doctor drops her off at the Harrogate Hotel 10 days later, hence the amnesia.

This is one risk that paid off for the show I think. A murder mystery episode could've been terrible and sure, it was packed full of clichés, but they added to its charm I think. Donna was the highlight, particularly during the Doctor's cyanide poisoning and the reveal of the killer. Fenella Woolgar is excellent as Agatha and the supporting cast are all pretty watchable. Another great aspect was how they linked Agatha's disappearance into the plot. Overall. not the type of episode I'd like to see them repeat but as a one-off, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 06:27 PM

Oh I loved that episode!

Especially the giant wasp and Agatha.

They tried to use her unexplained history which was bizarre and didn't work too well.

Probably their best historical after the warepiaodes and Dickens.

That Shakespeare one was pretentious PAP and the doctor was at hois absolute worst in that one. Shoulda been a lot lower.

Posted by: dandy* 8th May 2017, 06:34 PM

Buzzjack's favourite episode!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 06:37 PM

! I looked back at this the other day seems like such a random winner!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 06:38 PM

I woulda voted it to win!

Posted by: Klaus 8th May 2017, 06:49 PM

omg I forgot about that. Definitely very random! It's a great fun episode, that does have a lot of fun with the murder mystery element and makes great use of Agatha Christie. However, there are so many other standouts that it doesn't quite compete! I would probably put it in a similar position to Joseph or maybe slightly higher.

Hopefully we can do something similar to the Ultimate rate soon, althoigh obviously leave a substantial amount of time after this countdown.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 08:18 PM

45 The End of the World
Series 1, Episode 2
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Jackie Tyler

For her first trip, the Doctor takes Rose to Platform One, five billion years in her future, to witness the death of planet Earth. They are joined by numerous alien guests, including the Forest of Cheem, the Moxx of Balhoon, the Face of Boe and the so-called last human, Lady Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17. Rose feels overwhelmed by this and talks to a plumber, Raffalo, who works on the space station, just moments before she's killed by robot spiders. The Doctor helps Rose to feel more connected to home by upgrading her phone so she can speak to Jackie. Meanwhile, the robot spiders continue to sabotage Platform One, killing the Steward. The Doctor and Jabe, of the Forest of Cheem, investigate while Rose talks to Cassandra, infuriated by her bitterness. After she storms off, Rose is knocked unconscious by the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, and awakens in one of the viewing rooms as the sun filter descends. The Doctor fixes the sun filter but cannot get Rose out, so instead he uses a captured spider to find out the culprit. First it leans towards the Adherents, but they are merely robots, working for Cassandra. She teleports away after getting the spiders to turn off the shields and gravity satellites on the station. The Doctor and Jabe head to reactivate the shields, but they are located beyond three very large spinning fans. The Doctor gets through the first two with help from Jabe who slows them down, but the heat causes her wooden body to burn, and the Doctor takes a leap of faith through the final fan, restoring shields. Upon his return, he reverses Casandra's teleport, and without her bodyguards to moisturise her, her skin dries out.

This was the perfect follow up to Rose I think. We see plenty of great looking aliens (although a lot of them are underused, would've been nice to see more of them!), and Cassandra was a genius invention, particularly when you consider the plastic surgery element. Some of the smaller moments of the episode really shine too, including Rose's chats with Cassandra and Raffalo, as well as her questioning the Doctor on exactly who he is. Bonus points for "air from my lungs" and Toxic being an old-Earth classic ballad

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 08:21 PM

Ooh I LOVE that one, where they play Toxic, and Cassandra is a bitch.

should be HIGHER

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 08:39 PM

44 Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks
Series 3, Episodes 4 and 5
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones

The Doctor and Martha go from New New York, to 1930 New York. They explore a mystery in Hooverville, a place in Central Park where homeless people were living. There they meet Solomon, the leader, and Frank, and together the four of them volunteer to take on a job for Mr. Diagoras, in the sewers of New York. Mr. Diagoras meanwhile is in cahoots with the Cult of Skaro, who are pushing for him and his workers to complete the Empire State Building. In the sewers, the Doctor and friends are chased by pig-like humanoid creatures, and Frank is taken whilst the others escape into a theatre, where they meet Tallulah, whose boyfriend Laszlo is also missing. During her performance, the Doctor inspects a brain-like object they found in the sewers, while Martha almost ruins the performance by pursuing another pig slave, which results in her kidnap. The Doctor and Tallulah head back into the sewers while Martha is placed with the other missing humans, including Frank. They are scanned for intelligence by the Daleks - those with low intelligence become pig slaves, those with high intelligence form part of the Final Experiment. The Doctor joins them after sending Tallulah back, but she gets lost. Dalek Sec and Mr. Diagoras become one as part of a new way for the Daleks to evolve, what with only four existing, and when the Doctor, Martha and Frank arrive at the laboratory, the new Dalek Sec steps out of its casing.

Part 2 sees the Doctor confronting Dalek Sec, creating a diversion for the others to escape. They head back to Hooverville but are attacked there by the Daleks and pig slaves, in a battle which sees Solomon murdered, until the Doctor surrenders and returns with them. He hands Martha his psychic paper, and alongside Tallulah and Frank, they head to the top of the Empire State Building to remove a piece of Dalekanium from the mast. The Doctor agrees to help the Daleks create new human hybrids, only when he learns that the humans they've captured are brain-dead already and cannot be saved. After the other Daleks stage a mutiny against Dalek Sec, the Doctor and pig Laszlo escape and re-join Martha. The Doctor heads to the mast but they're pursued by pig slaves, so Martha and the others use pieces of metal to transfer a lightning strike to the metal lift, and electrocute the pig slaves. The Doctor fails to remove the Dalekanium piece, but instead clinged to it, allowing the human Daleks to have a tiny bit of Time Lord DNA in them - something which saves his life during a showdown in the theatre. Dalek Sec is killed but the human Daleks kill Thay and Jast, leaving only Caan alive. The Doctor manages to save Laszlo's life, and he goes to live in Hooverville with Tallulah.

Controversial opinion time: I actually really enjoy this story! I must say first, it's far from perfect. The Dalek Sec Hybrid creature was a decent idea but terribly executed (and the "reveal" of it was ruined by Radio Times featuring it on their front cover before the episode aired ). However, I really like the supporting cast (even Tallulah despite her occasional annoying moment), and the pig slaves are excellent creations. I'm glad the other Daleks questioned Dalek Sec's authority after he evolved, because ultimately a Dalek and human hybrid goes against everything they stood for. I can understand why it's not so popular for sure, but I personally find it incredibly rewatchable and despite its flaws, I enjoy it a lot.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 8th May 2017, 09:04 PM

43 The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood
Series 5, Episodes 8 and 9
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The Doctor, Amy and Rory land in Wales in 2020 by accident, and encounter a mining operation led by Nasreen Chaudhry. Nasreen and her co-worker Tony Mack have been digging for minerals that haven't been seen in years, but a problem occurs when Amy is pulled in through the ground. Meanwhile, Rory is with Tony's daughter Ambrose and her son Elliot, who are investigating missing bodies from graves. Together, they are alerted about creatures living under the earth and that the drill is affecting them. Three creatures travel up, and after barricading themselves in a church, Elliot is kidnapped and Tony is injured. The Doctor and Rory capture one of the creatures - a Silurian named Alaya. The Doctor and Nasreen travel down below the Earth's surface to the Silurian colony, while Amy, Tony and Ambrose guard Alaya. Amy meanwhile awakens on what seems to be an operating table, next to Mo, Elliot's dad. The episode ends on a cliffhanger of the Doctor and Nasreen seeing how many Silurians there are - a whole civilisation, mostly dormant, but being woken by the drill.

Cold Blood sees the Doctor and Nasreen captured, and taken to a Silurian doctor, Malohkeh. In Malohkeh's absence, Amy and Mo escape, and see Elliot in one of the chambers, all wired up. The Doctor and Nasreen are sent to court by Restac, leader of the Silurian warrior caste, as are Amy and Mo when they are captured after stealing weapons to defend themselves. Restac's superior, Eldane, is awakened by Malohkeh and calls a halt to proceedings. The Doctor tells Rory to bring Alaya down safe and sound, but Ambrose had killed Alaya already after she refused to help an injured Tony. Malohkeh returns Elliot to his parents, while The Doctor gets Amy and Nasreen to negotiate with Eldane about how they can co-exist on the planet. Before they head down with Alaya's body, Ambrose and Tony re-activate the drill, so it would kill the Silurians after 15 minutes. Alaya's body is returned and Restac is furious, calling off proceedings, and the others go on the run from Restac and her army. The Doctor and Eldane figure out how to destroy the drill before it hits them, and Tony stays behind to get a cure for his injury. Realising her feelings for him, Nasreen insists on staying too. As the others return to the TARDIS, they see a giant crack on the wall next to it, before a dying Restac shoots Rory. His body is absorbed by the crack, and despite the Doctor's best attempts to ensure Amy remembers him, she forgets he ever existed.

The new Silurians got a lot of flack online I seem to remember, but I can't really comment on that front because I've not actually seen the originals at any point. I actually like the design anyway, and I liked how it portrayed that not all Silurians are villainous, much like humans. Ambrose was a particularly interesting character, what with her murdering Alaya after she refused to help her dad, and I really liked Nasreen. The ending was a huge twist and it was well executed too, certainly the best of Rory's many deaths

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 8th May 2017, 09:11 PM

I literally watched that last night. Not a good episode, except from the light taking Rory at the end.

It was completely unexpected.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 8th May 2017, 09:25 PM

I enjoyed Christmas Invasion (my favourite part was the weaponised Christmas Tree)
And The End Of The World too (my favourite part was when the Doctor was dancing to Tainted Love)
Plus I need to see all of the Daleks episodes that come before Series 8

Posted by: Mack 8th May 2017, 09:57 PM

Enjoyed all of the mentioned episodes from today in different ways.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 9th May 2017, 01:53 PM

42 The End of Time Pts 1 and 2
2009 Christmas & 2010 New Year's Day Specials
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Wilfred Mott
Also starring: Donna Noble, Sylvia Noble, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Captain Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler, Alonso Frame

Trying to avoid going to his death, the Doctor finally arrives on the Ood-Sphere to meet Ood Sigma. He learns from the Elder Ood, a psychic, that the Master is returning, and that Wilf is important to events. Simultaneously in the present day, Lucy Saxon tries to prevent the Master from being resurrected, causing an explosion in the prison. The Doctor arrives too late to stop it but pursues the Master to a wasteland, where Wilf has tracked him. They sit down and catch up over a coffee, and Wilf tries to get the Doctor to save Donna and help her remember, but ultimately he can't. When the Doctor finally catches up to the Master, he's kidnapped by Joshua Naismith's people and taken to the Naismith Mansion, to assist with getting the Immortality Gate up and running. The Doctor and Wilf reunite, much to Sylvia's distaste, and head to the mansion, meeting two members of the Vinvocci race - Rossiter and Addams. The Master uses the Immortality Gate to set a template for the human race - himself, and subsequently every human being transforms into him, with the exception of Wilf who's shielded and Donna who is part Time Lord. The episode ends with the Narrator being revealed as a Time Lord, who states that it is the day they return - "For Gallifrey! For victory! For the end of time itself!"

The Doctor and Wilf are tied up at the start of part 2, but are rescued by the Vinvocci and teleport to their ship. Meanwhile, the Lord President attempts to make contact between Gallifrey and Earth by sending a white point star after planting a noise in the Master's head as a child - a four beat drumming sound. Wilf attempts to give the Doctor his gun, to save his life, but the Doctor refuses, until he learns of the white point star. They pilot the Vinvocci ship against missiles back to the Naismith Mansion, and the Doctor jumps out. When he arrives, the Lord President and other Time Lords have arrived, and Gallifrey is materialising above Earth. The Doctor needs to decide which one to fire the gun at - the Master or the Lord President. Ultimately, he chooses to shoot neither but break the link, and send the Time Lords back. The Master saves the Doctor and goes back with the Time Lords. However, due to Wilf's selflessness, he became stuck in the isolation chamber. If Wilf pressed any button or tried to get out, radiation would be vented in. Ultimately, the Doctor sacrifices himself to save Wilf, and the regeneration begins. He drops Wilf off before completing a whistle-stop tour seeing all of his companions - Martha and Mickey (now a married couple), Sarah Jane and Luke, Captain Jack (setting him up with Midshipman Frame), Joan Redfern's daughter Verity Newman, and finally, Rose and Jackie before they'd met him the first time. The Doctor then regenerates in the TARDIS after uttering his final words - "I don't want to go".

A bit like Matt Smith's final episode, this was a bit of a mess and totally all over the place and certain points. The Master's skeletor thing is a bit silly and the Naismiths ultimately feel little more than a plot device. However, there are many fantastic moments that outweigh these. Wilf is always a joy but Bernard Cribbins puts in his best performance to date in this story. The moments between the Doctor and Wilf in the cafe and on board the Vinvocci ship are beautiful (shout out particularly to the Doctor saying he'd be proud if Wilf was his dad), and the fact that it was Wilf who ultimately led to his regeneration was a chilling touch, wonderfully directed. The Vinvocci are fun (lots of love for Sinead Keenan) and the final tour for the Doctor was emotional, I loved all the nods to the past. Minus points for Timothy Dalton's spitting at the end of part 1.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 9th May 2017, 02:09 PM

Can't even remember it.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 9th May 2017, 03:49 PM

41 Aliens of London / World War Three
Series 1, Episodes 4 and 5
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler, Harriet Jones, Toshiko Sato

After a couple of trips, the Doctor takes Rose home for a visit. It's the night after she left so she expects her mum to barely notice she's been gone, but when she arrives home, she learns she's actually been gone for an entire year, and the Doctor miscalculated. Jackie is furious at Rose, and Mickey was arrested for suspected murder. Meanwhile, a spaceship crash lands in the Thames and after destroying Big Ben, and puts the nation on red alert for aliens. The Prime Minister has gone missing and after the cabinet cannot be flown in, MP Joseph Green becomes acting PM. Another MP, Harriet Jones, who had a meeting with the PM before the spaceship, witnesses Joseph Green, Margaret Blaine and Oliver Charles unzip their skinsuits and murder General Asquith. The Doctor heads to the hospital where a supposed alien body is being held, and meets Dr. Sato (aka Toshiko from Torchwood!), who has examined a pig creature - a genetically modified Earth pig, meaning the ship came from Earth in the first place. The Doctor and Rose are taken to Downing Street after Jackie reports him, and the Doctor alongside other alien experts are electrocuted using their ID cards by the real aliens - the Slitheen.

The Doctor saves himself by removing his own ID card and placing it on the General Asquith Slitheen. Rose and Harriet are pursued by Margaret Slitheen, and the Doctor saves them in the nick of time. They lock themselves in the cabinet room, calling Mickey and Jackie for help. Jackie is being pursued by a Slitheen herself, in the guise of a police officer, and he arrives at Mickey's house to kill her. The Doctor, Rose and Harriet pool their knowledge to figure out a way to stop them, and he realises they can use vinegar against them. Mickey chucks a load of acetic acid-based foods over the police officer Slitheen and it explodes. Meanwhile, the other Slitheen are arriving at Downing Street, and Joseph asks for the nuclear codes to save the Earth from a supposed alien threat (in reality, they were going to use them to blow up the Earth and sell it). The Doctor asks Mickey to hack into UNIT and fire a missile at Downing Street, wiping out the Slitheen. To protect themselves, Rose figures out that they need to hide in the small cupboard to have a chance of surviving. The missile hits and Downing Street is blown up, with the trio surviving under the wreckage. Harriet tells the press that the alien threat is over, and this leads to her being elected as the new PM.

Again this seems to be an unpopular opinion but I really do enjoy the majority of this story. It's incredibly rewatchable and I rather enjoy the Slitheen - farting aside, that is. It loses marks for the stupidity of farting aliens, I know Doctor Who is a family show and needs to appeal for kids but this takes the biscuit. Penelope Wilton and Annette Badland are excellent in their roles as I've mentioned for both their re-appearances (and of course we still have one more Harriet appearance left).

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 9th May 2017, 03:50 PM

THE TOP 40

Make your predictions! What will be out next? What will WIN?

Amy’s Choice
Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Asylum of the Daleks
Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
Blink
Dalek
Dark Water / Death in Heaven
Face the Raven
Father’s Day
Gridlock
Heaven Sent
Human Nature / The Family of Blood
Midnight
Partners in Crime
Planet of the Ood
Rise of the Cybermen / Age of Steel
Rose
School Reunion
Silence of the Library / Forest of the Dead
Smith and Jones
The Angels Take Manhattan
The Day of the Doctor
The Eleventh Hour
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
The Fires of Pompeii
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Girl Who Waited
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
The Runaway Bride
The Shakespeare Code
The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone
The Waters of Mars
The Zygon Invasion / The Zygon Inversion
Turn Left
Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords
Vincent and the Doctor
Voyage of the Damned

Posted by: danG 9th May 2017, 04:31 PM

Haven't watched any of Season 1 for ages, but I remember enjoying Aliens of London a fair bit (it was an improvement over the 2nd and 3rd episodes anyway), even the farting (I was 7).

Posted by: Iz~ 9th May 2017, 04:53 PM

Thank God Aliens Of London and Daleks In Manhattan are out, two fairly terrible two parters with stupid threats and insulting aliens and the latter is the worst Dalek thing I've ever seen, I got bored stiff watching it (particularly coupled with those horrific 30s accents from the New Yorkers).

End Of Time was pretty good, I love Ten's farewell, even if it was a bit self-congratulatory and overlong, it's no less than the best Doctor deserved.

Posted by: burbe 9th May 2017, 06:09 PM

Harriet Jones *.* Such an icon of RTD era!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 9th May 2017, 06:14 PM

I really liked that last Tennant episode! Wilf was always my favourite character though

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 9th May 2017, 06:18 PM

Breaks my heart. Every time.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 9th May 2017, 06:21 PM

I loved Daleks in Manhatten and that season 1 two parter.

Man season 1 is just leagues ahead.


I thiiink Bad Wolf will win followed by a Donna episode

Posted by: HarryApa 9th May 2017, 11:41 PM

Catching up!

I love the Unicorn & The Wasp and The Christmas Invasion the later is probs my fave XMAS episode!

Cassandra is a great character for the two episodes we saw we had her in she was a vain bitch LOVE her Oh and just the idea of Britney's Toxic being a old earth classic ballad had me STITCHES

Never been massively fussed about the two double eps after it, good watches but thats it.

The End of time part 1 and 2 and Aliens of London/World War Three was amaizng!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 12:42 PM

40 Voyage of the Damned
2007 Christmas Special
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Astrid Peth
Also starring: Wilfred Mott, Alonso Frame

After the Titanic crashed into the TARDIS at the end of series 3, the Doctor repairs the walls and goes on board to investigate. He realises it's actually a spaceship made to resemble the actual Titanic, and meets a waitress, Astrid Peth. He hops on board an expedition down to Earth to observe the traditions of Christmas and takes Astrid with him. They're joined by the ship's historian Mr. Copper, married couple Foon and Morvin and alien Bannakaffalatta. Astrid is spellbound by her first trip to an alien planet, although the streets are deserted due to the past two Christmases, as pointed out by... Wilf! The teleport signal breaks and they return to the ship, not long before Captain Hardaker orders his team to step down from the bridge of the ship. The ship's shields are turned off and meteors crash into it, killing many guests. The Doctor and his new friends, plus businessman Rickston Slade, survive the crash but the Captain is killed (but not before he could shoot Midshipman Frame for trying to save the ship). The Doctor guides the others through the ship, attempting to reach the bridge, but are pursued by the ship's robots - the Heavenly Hosts. After Morvin falls to his death, the Doctor must see everyone over a narrow bridge that goes over the ship's engines. The Hosts attack them while they're on the narrow walkway, and Bannakaffalatta sacrifices himself, using his cyborg power to kill the hosts. Foon jumps with the one remaining Host in tow. The Doctor then separates from Astrid, Mr. Copper and Rickston so he can find who's in charge. He gets to deck 31, and learns that the person in charge is Max Capricorn, owner of Capricorn Cruiseliners, but at this point he's just a head in a box as a life-support system. Max explains that he plans to crash the Titanic into the Earth and bankrupt his own company after they voted him out. Astrid however followed the Doctor with a teleport bracelet and uses a forklift to drive Max over the edge, into the ship's engines, but when the brake gets stuck, she follows him in. The Doctor finally reaches the bridge, stopping the collision with Earth in the nick of time, before attempting to save Astrid with the teleport bracelet. Her atoms are preserved and the Doctor sets her free, allowing her to fly through space. He gives Mr. Copper a lift to Earth so he can begin a brand new life.

I remember feeling a bit disappointed by this episode when I watched it the first time. I think it's mainly because Astrid didn't quite have the happy ending I really wanted her to (bearing in mind I was 10 when it aired first ). However, with rewatches, it really is as epic as Russell T. Davies wanted it to be when he wrote it. The Hosts are excellent threats and I love the disaster movie theme. The supporting cast are all varied and developed rather well considering the time restraints, my favourites being Mr. Copper, Midshipman Frame and Foon. Furthermore, Astrid was a great one-off companion and Kylie played the part excellently, her sacrifice was heartbreaking. The one thing that lets it down is the conclusion really, I didn't find Max Capricon all that exciting a villain in the end, plus the Buckingham Palace stuff is a tiny bit silly. I really enjoy rewatching this episode anyway, it's a huge grower! Sorry it's not higher, Regina

Oh and a shoutout to Mr. Copper's line near the end, said to the Doctor about Rickston: "Of all the people to survive, he's not the one you would have chosen, is it? But if you could choose, Doctor, if you could decide who lives and who dies... that would make you a monster." Great stuff.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 12:56 PM

39 Rose
Series 1, Episode 1
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler

Where it all (re)started! Rose follows the story of its title character, as we see an introduction into her life - her mum, her boyfriend, her job at Henrik's department store in London. Rose is asked to pass the Lottery money to Wilson, the caretaker, but as she goes to find him, there's no sign and she's instead attacked by the stored shop window dummies. She's saved in the nick of time by a stranger who tells her to "run", and they escape. He introduces himself as the Doctor and tells Rose to forget him (all while she's holding a plastic dummy arm that he pulled off), before he blows up the store. Rose wakes up the next morning, no job to go to, but the Doctor arrives, tracking a signal given out by the plastic arm. It attacks them both, but the Doctor deactivates it. Rose follows him as he leaves but after a chat, he tells her to forget him once again, and he vanishes. After Rose does some research, she visits a man called Clive who's shown an interest in the Doctor. Mickey waits in the car, but is swallowed by a bin (!) and a plastic replica is made to replace him. It takes Rose to a restaurant, prying for more information on the Doctor, but when he shows up, plastic Mickey begins to attack. The Doctor brings Rose to the TARDIS for the first time and they escape to elsewhere in London, looking for a huge round emitter - the London Eye! They find an underground lair nearby and head down. They find Mickey as well as the Nestene Consciousness, which is controlling the plastic dummies (or Autons). The Doctor tries to reason with it but the Autons grab him as the Nestene sets off the signal. Clive is murdered in front of his wife while Jackie is attacked. Rose uses her gymnastic skills to swing down and knock the Doctor's anti-plastic into the Nestene, blowing it up. They leave in the TARDIS and the Doctor offers Rose a chance to travel with him. She declines, but when the Doctor says it can travel in time, she kisses Mickey goodbye and heads for the adventure of a lifetime.

This episode does everything it needs to - establish new Doctor and new companion, provide a fairly interesting threat, and most importantly, be accessible to capture a brand new audience to those who watched the show when it was first on. Of course, as we're now 12 years on and the show is still hugely popular, it's safe to say Rose did its job. It's rewatchable and a lot of fun, if very silly at times (the burping bin notably, plus the fact Rose didn't notice how ridiculous Auton Mickey looked). The plot isn't the most exciting they've ever done but it's a perfect introduction, or re-introduction to the series.

Posted by: Regina 10th May 2017, 12:57 PM

Aw I really liked these ones The human Dalek was a cool concept and I liked finally seeing Martha doing something other than being kidnapped or lusting over the Doctor.



NOOOOOOOOOO WHY JOSEPH WHY. I WENT THROUGH SURGERY LAST WEEK I DESERVE A HAPPY ENDING FOR MY FAVE EPISODE..

Kylie was an amazing companion *.* I imagine if she wasn't in the middle of promoting and touring X she'd have been on for a good while. Her death was truely heartbreaking, right up there wth the "end" of Donna in season 4. Both deserved more. It's nice to see Kylie acting in something that's not utter bollocks
The Titanic meets The Poseidon Adventure theme was lbrilliant and Russell Tovey in uniform *.*

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 10th May 2017, 12:58 PM

Bannakaffalatta - best alien name ever.

Posted by: HarryApa 10th May 2017, 01:17 PM

Rose is such a glorious episode from start to finish. Does what it needs to estsblish the series again

The Voyage of the Dammed was ace too. Not in the same way but astrids ending was heart breaking but great.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 02:39 PM

38 Planet of the Ood
Series 4, Episode 3
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble

The Doctor and Donna arrive on the Ood-Sphere, home of the Ood, last seen in The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit. They come across an Ood lying in the snow, dying. They comfort him in his final moments, just before its eyes glow red and it dies. They head towards civilisation, jumping in on a business meeting headed by Solana Mercurio. Meanwhile, after a series of issues with the Ood, the CEO of Ood Operations, Mr. Halpen is called to the planet. Alongside Dr. Ryder and his faithful servant Ood Sigma, they inspect a "rabid" Ood which has been infected by the Red Eye phenomenon and he orders its death. The Doctor and Donna escape the business meeting and discover that the Ood aren't just servants, but slaves. They find themselves in a warehouse, full of storage units containing Ood just standing there. Donna is captured and placed in a container full of Red Eye Ood, while the Doctor is antagonised by Commander Kess and a giant claw. Solana stops him in time, informing him that Mr. Halpen wants the Doctor alive, and they're captured. However, the Ood walk free from an open container and the Doctor and Donna escape with Solana. After Solana gives away their location and is killed herself, the Doctor and Donna find natural, unprocessed Ood in a cage stored away. They hold a second brain in their hands instead of a translator orb. The Doctor allows Donna to hear their song, and she is moved to tears, shocked at how badly they are being treated. The duo are captured and handcuffed in Mr. Halpen's office, and left to the fates of the Red Eye Ood. The Doctor and Donna save themselves with the key words - "the circle must be broken" and coining the name "DoctorDonna". They pursue Mr. Halpen to Warehouse 15, to find a third giant brain connecting all of the Ood telepathically - except the telepathy is being dampened by electricity. Halpen plans to blow it up, and when Dr. Ryder reveals he is a member of Friends of the Ood, Halpen chucks him over the barriers and into the brain. However, Halpen has been slowly converted into an Ood himself by Sigma, replacing his hair tonic with a different mixture. Sigma promises to look after Halpen, and the Doctor stops the bomb from going off. He restores the Ood's telepathy, curing the Red Eye and stopping the Ood from being slaves.

This seemed like quite a bog-standard run of the mill episode when I first saw it, not really considering the issue of slavery when I was younger. With rewatches as I've grown up, I've picked up on it more and it's portrayed excellently. Catherine Tate gives one of her best performances when the Doctor allows her to hear the Ood song, as she looks genuinely moved. Her reaction is well-written too, very human and realistic. Halpen is a good villain and his transformation to Ood kind was slightly disgusting to watch but a deserved outcome for him. I also loved the twist of Solana dropping the Doctor and Donna in it, I was hoping she'd be an ally but it was a shocker when she didn't help them out. The Ood are definitely one of the most iconic monsters of the new series so far and this story helps prove why, quite an underrated gem!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 02:57 PM

37 Gridlock
Series 3, Episode 3
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones

The Doctor decides to take Martha on a trip to the future, revisiting New New York. This time, it's not beautiful scenery they see. It's a dark alleyway, where pharmacists are selling mood patches to people. Martha is kidnapped by two people and taken onto the motorway by a couple, and the Doctor hops on board with a cat man called Brannigan and his wife Valerie. He learns about the motorway, where Brannigan, Valerie and their kids had travelled only 5 miles in 12 years. Martha learns that she was required by this couple, Milo and Cheen, so they could use the fast lane, where three passengers are required. The Doctor jumps down from car to car to try and reach the fast lane, but when he reaches the bottom, he only sees a cloud of smog, no way of reaching Martha. Milo, Cheen and Martha are attacked by crab-like creatures, the Macra, as they travel through the fast lane. The Doctor is taken by Novice Hame, who followed him down the cars, to the Senate of New New York. She tells him that a powerful drug, Bliss, wiped out the entire surface population in minutes and to protect everyone, the undercity and motorway was sealed off entirely. She shows him to the Face of Boe, who offers to give up his life to provide the energy needed to re-open the motorway seal. When Martha is dropped off after the motorway opens, the Doctor and Novice Hame are tending to a dying Boe. He whispers his last words to the Doctor - "you are not alone".

This was another massive grower for me. I originally considered it a huge dud in series 3 but the more I watched it, the more I've appreciated the quieter moments. Everyone on the motorway singing is a really touching moment, showing that no matter how bad things get, everyone down there was in the same boat. I loved Martha questioning the Doctor on his life too, it was nice to see him open up to her after she realised she knew virtually nothing about him. The macra weren't all that exciting but they didn't prove too vital a part of the plot anyway. Overall, a really quite touching story.

Posted by: Regina 10th May 2017, 03:02 PM

I loved this episode (Planet of the Ood) I think Donna had the biggest character change/development of all the companions and this one shows how much her time with the Doctor changed her. Makes it all the more sad when her memories of all this are wiped.

Gridlock was a bore but Milo was hot

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 10th May 2017, 03:02 PM

Planet of the Ood is another one I liked! I don't remember much of it though other than that guy being turned into an Ood, and I liked the character of Ood Sigma as well.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 10th May 2017, 03:34 PM

Gridlock.

Gridlock higher than Rose?

Really?

GRIDLOCK with MARTHA JONES??

No.

Rose should be high top20 and not lower than a single Martha Jones one.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 03:35 PM

Martha is AMAZE and you will deal x

Posted by: Regina 10th May 2017, 03:46 PM

When she's not being a love sick puppy Martha was amaze, she was just unlucky to be inbetween Rose and Donna who were brilliant companions

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 03:58 PM

Agreed! My only real criticism of Martha has been her lusting over the Doctor, which felt unnecessary and I've always been against romance between the Doctor and the companion. Otherwise she was fantastic, and I'll speak in more detail about why Martha is my favourite when we get to episodes like Human Nature!

Posted by: Iz~ 10th May 2017, 04:04 PM

Gridlock was incredible television, perfect with those scenes in the alleyway with the Doctor reminiscing about Gallifrey, very sad in those moments, instead of a gimmick planet that happened to have cat people New Earth now feels like a classic planet (now mostly a dead planet, quite like Gallifrey in that respect) with an almost Kafkaesque setting of people living in their cars on a motorway for years on end, and in that it's great fun moving around all of the cars and seeing their stuff - and Brannigan is a fab guest star. One of my favourite transitional moments in Series 3, it's where Martha truly starts coming into her own as a character and one of the main reasons why I consider that particular series the high watermark of the new series.

Planet Of The Ood is also fairly wonderful, not quite as standout to me as Gridlock, but a good set of issues discussed in it, a good setup for the brief arc of the Ood being this set of slightly creepy prophecy aliens for the remainder of Tennant's run.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 10th May 2017, 04:07 PM

She has 0 personality and the episode was as much a chore as actually sitting in traffic.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 10th May 2017, 04:07 PM

Impossible Crapnet next please.

Posted by: Klaus 10th May 2017, 06:40 PM

I do get the criticisms for Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks and I do remember at the time thinking why would they be wanting to be human, when humans are basically so inferior to them BUT there are a lot of other interesting aspects that help to increase my enjoyment of it. The Radio Times did spoil the reveal but I remember being so freaked out by the cover yet never affected by the actual Dalek Sec hybrid in the show. Its quite a fun episode and not one to be taken too seriously.

I appreciated The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood more with rewatches but I think it is slightly too slow and lacks some action sequences that it needs. It is good for, again, exploring how humans would react to a different intelligent race, and having the twist that they were here before us adds something extra to that. The fact that she dies to really adds that special factor to it. I think the negotiation scenes were very over ambitious though!!

Both the finale episodes for the 10th and 11th were a bit disappointing. I guess its hard to get it right, especially as its the only time that the Doctor actually dies but neither are particular standouts. The Time of the Doctor is definitely the most disappointing, The End of Time had a lot more special and engaging moments for me. I liked that there was a big set up and the cliffhanger was really good. It was also great that we FINALLY got a glimpse of the Time Lords and the showdown between the Doctor, the Time Lords and the Master is fantastic. I did love the idea that he was able to survive that but ended his life to save Wilf. The final 15 minutes was perhaps a bit self-indulgent but I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was the perfect send off for not only Ten but for the RTD era. The moment with Rose in particular was really special

As I said before, the Slitheen are definitely now more suited to SJA which they appeared in. The farting is just totally unnecessary but they did have a really great look as a NEW MONSTER that really helped for publicity. The political side of Aliens of London/World War Three was actually really excellent and a brilliant way to reboot the series by having this alien invasion and learning about how the world would react to it.

Voyage of the Damned is a very good at doing its premise of Disaster Movie: Doctor Who style and that is a great line from Mr Copper at the end. The supporting cast was great (hi Duke) and its always interesting to see the show doing something new.

Rose was the most important episode of the show's history and, as you say, the fact that the show is still on air today shows how successful and good the episode was. I think the best idea the show has taken was placing the entire focus of the first episode (and series really) on Rose as it enabled it to be relatable and we could be introduced to all of the show's aspects at the same time as her. Having Mickey and Jackie really helped with that as well and the companion's family is the one thing that is hugely missing from Moffat's era.

The End of the World really helped with that too. It was a great decision to have that first step be the future and to showcase various different alien creatures. The plot may not be the most exciting with rewatches but it definitely was great in its purpose to showcase the series again.

The Ood are such eye-catching monsters and, especially as they star in my favourite story, I was so excited to see them return. They're certainly one of the most successful creations of nuWho! I do love the themes within it, the corporate aspect, dealing with slavery etc but maybe the Doctor and Donna being unnecessary to the plot slightly lets it down. There are lots of good sequences in it though (Donna trapped in the container, the Ood song, Solana's loyalty to the company, bad guy turning into an Ood). I also like Donna questioning why the Doctor didn't do anything to help them in The Impossible Planet too.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 10th May 2017, 07:28 PM

nEW wHO OFTEN GOES TOO FAR INTO FANTASY THAN SCI-FI, AND THE oOD ARE ONE CASUALTY OF THIS.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 07:57 PM

36 The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
Series 4, Episodes 4 and 5
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble, Martha Jones
Also starring: Sylvia Noble, Wilfred Mott, Rose Tyler

Martha calls the Doctor back to Earth to help investigate ATMOS - which stands for Atmospheric Omission Systems - after numerous cars are found being driven into bodies of water, and all of which have an ATMOS system installed. It reduces the carbon emissions from a car to zero, and naturally has had a wide reach already over the world. Martha, now working for UNIT, heads inside the factory to question the personnel. Two soldiers investigate a hidden room where they're confronted by an alien, who brainwashes them to work as drones. The Doctor heads off to the Rattigan Academy, owned by the developer of ATMOS, a young genius named Luke Rattigan. He goes with Ross Jenkins, a UNIT soldier, and drops Donna home on the way. The Doctor finds out that Luke is a spoilt brat, and General Staal teleports in. The Doctor identifies him as a Sontaran, and escapes with Ross. Staal overrides the ATMOS system in their car to counteract what the Doctor says, and when he figures this out, he orders it to drive into the river, therefore stopping it and saving them both. Martha is captured and cloned by Commander Skorr, with the clone infiltrating UNIT. The Doctor arrives back at Donna's, and the ATMOS systems all begin to release a toxic gas. Wilf gets inside their car to move it, but becomes trapped, choking to death.

Sylvia comes to Wilf's rescue by smashing the windscreen with an axe. The Doctor and Donna head back to UNIT, and Donna heads to the TARDIS to shelter from the toxic fumes. The Doctor speaks to General Staal, and UNIT prepare to launch a missile at the Sontaran ship, but clone Martha prevents it each time. The Doctor takes clone Martha to the TARDIS to find it's been procured by the Sontarans, so he gets in contact with Donna. He guides her step-by-step to return to Earth, while he discovers the original Martha, having known all along that the other Martha was a clone. The clone begins to die as the real Martha wakes up. When Donna and the TARDIS return, they hop using the teleport from the ATMOS factory to the Rattigan Academy, where they produce an atmospheric converter to clear the air of the Sontaran gas, which is suffocating the world. Once he's done this, the Doctor takes the atmospheric converter, preparing to sacrifice himself in order to destroy the Sontarans. However, Luke switches places with him and dies in his place.

Naturally I was looking forward to this episode a lot, although I expect for different reasons to a lot of the fanbase. Most would've been hyped for the long-awaited return of the Sontarans, but as someone who's seen very few classic episodes, I was more interested in Martha's comeback! I loved the scene near the beginning when Donna and Martha meet for the first time, and Donna actually steals a lot of the best moments. Her conversation with Wilf about what she's seen, deciding not to tell Sylvia, and then on the phone to Wilf while she's stuck in the TARDIS, feeling helpless. The Sontarans were good although "sontar ha" was probably a bit overblown. Loving the nods to the past in this episode also - the Doctor's "are you my mummy?" joke, the Valiant's re-apperarance, and most notably the second Rose cameo of the series!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 10th May 2017, 08:05 PM

I agree with this in principle (especially with rubbish like Robot of Sherwood with Robin Hood actually being real :/), but I don't think the Ood are a problem with this. They're a great creation actually, it's good that we had an intimidating looking alien race that actually weren't out to be supreme and instead are exploited by us.

Don't really remember the Sontaran two parter very well (Strax can get very annoying, but he's alright in small doses), was a big fan of Gridlock, who'd have thought there'd be that much tension from just being in a motorway!

Posted by: Regina 10th May 2017, 08:13 PM

I'd have put this much higher.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 10th May 2017, 08:25 PM

35 Rise of the Cybermen / Age of Steel
Series 2, Episodes 5 and 6
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith
Also starring: Jackie Tyler, Pete Tyler

Forgetting Mickey was holding a button on the TARDIS for the Doctor, the trio are sent plummeting into a parallel universe, where there are zeppelins all over the sky, and importantly, Rose's dad is still alive. Mickey feels left out so heads off to find his gran, and the Doctor reluctantly accompanies Rose to find her dad. Meanwhile, John Lumic is seeking approval for his new creations, an upgrade to humanity to accompany his ear pieces that deliver news and updates to the human race. The President of the UK rejects his plans. The Doctor and Rose pose as waiters at Jackie's 40th *ahem* sorry, 39th birthday party, while Mickey meets his nan, who's dead in his own world. Before he gets the chance to speak to her properly, he's kidnapped by two people, Jake and Mrs. Moore, who mistake him for his parallel world counterpart Ricky. Together, the four of them head to the Tyler household, where they see metal men arriving. The party is interrupted by them, identified by the Doctor as Cybermen, as they delete the President and numerous others. Jackie hides downstairs in the cellar while Pete runs with Rose and the Doctor, who meet up with Mickey and his new friends. They surrender to the Cybermen, who refuse and intend to delete them.

The Doctor saves the day by using a spare part of the TARDIS, the only part that survived the trip to the parallel world, to fire at the Cybermen and give them a chance to escape. Mrs. Moore arrives with her van and they get away. Lumic activates the ear pieces and anyone wearing one is hypnotised into walking towards the Cyber factories. The group head towards Lumic's zeppelin. Ricky is killed after being chased by Cybermen, leaving Jake angry. The group split up - the Doctor and Mrs. Moore head down into the cooling tunnels to get underneath the factory, Rose and Pete go through the front door with fake ear pieces, and Jake reluctantly gets Mickey's help to get on board the zeppelin to cancel the earpiece signal. Mrs. Moore is murdered and the Doctor is captured, as are Rose and Pete after they learn Jackie has been upgraded. Lumic is upgraded himself after his health continues to deteriorate, and he becomes the Cyber Controller. The Doctor, Pete and Rose are taken to him, and while he talks, the Doctor drops hints to Mickey. Mickey's watching them via CCTV, and he realises he needs to get a code that can break the emotional inhibitor of the Cybermen. He sends it to Rose's phone and the Doctor plugs it in. All of the Cybermen realise what they've become and the factory begins to blow up. Mickey and Jake pilot the zeppelin away, with the Doctor, Rose and Pete clinging onto a ladder. The Cyber Controller attempts to pursue them but Pete cuts the rope with the sonic screwdriver, sending it plummeting into the burning factory. Mickey insists on staying behind to assist the fight against the Cybermen, well aware of the fact that Rose now only has eyes for the Doctor.

Referring back to the countdown that inspired me to do this topic, I was quite shocked to see this two-parter only about 90th on their rank. I've always found it incredibly gripping and very tense. I guess it's never bothered me that these aren't the same Cybermen as the classic ones, considering they're manufactured by Cybus Industries who convert the humans, and come from a parallel universe. Nevertheless, I think this is the episode where the Cybermen are at their scariest. When they pursue Jackie down into the cellar of her house, it's edge of the seat viewing, and the upgrading process is shown to be just as terrifying as it should be. Another favourite scene is when the Doctor and Mrs. Moore are talking to the Cybermen whose emotional inhibitor has broken. It's heartbreaking as it realises the person it used to be, and really hammers home exactly what the Cybermen are. Really great story, feels very underrated to me!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 10th May 2017, 08:37 PM

Oh that was a good episode!

Slay Roooose

Posted by: Iz~ 10th May 2017, 08:41 PM

I do think that Cyberman 2-parter, on reflection, has a lot of fun and horror behind it, though I attribute that mostly to the rather interesting parallel world, brilliant setting for such a huge modern Cyberman takeover and their best story by far in the new series. The Sontaran two parter is similarly good although not quite as terrifying and it's where I first started to note signs of fatigue for 'saving the planet' type stories.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 10th May 2017, 08:51 PM

I wept when Mrs Moore died tbh.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 10th May 2017, 11:22 PM

I enjoyed Rise Of The Cybermen
DELETE!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 11th May 2017, 03:49 PM

34 The Shakespeare Code
Series 3, Episode 2
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones

For her first trip in the TARDIS, the Doctor takes Martha to Elizabethan London, to witness a performance of Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre. The author of the play, William Shakespeare, tells the crowd that the sequel Love's Labour's Won will premiere the following night. Unknowingly, he announced this under the influence of the Carrionites, a witch-like species using voodoo to control Shakespeare. The Doctor is worried by his announcement, knowing Love's Labour's Won was lost, and goes to meet Shakespeare. Martha is starstruck, and Shakespeare takes a shining to her. After Lynley bans the play from being performed as he cannot approve the script, Lilith, a housemaid and Carrionite in disguise, uses a voodoo doll of him to drown him on dry land. The Doctor recognises it as witchcraft, but he and Martha try to sleep. Meanwhile, Lilith entraces Shakespeare into finishing the play, adding the verbal code needed to activate the crystal ball that will allow all Carrionites into Earth. Another housekeeper, Dolly, sees Lilith and dies of fright, but her scream awakens the Doctor and Martha, who see a witch flying away. The next morning, they speak to the architect of the Globe Theatre, Peter Street, in a mental hospital named Bedlam. He tells them that it was under the influence of witches, and Mother Doomfinger arrives to kill Peter. The Doctor uses the ancient power of the name on Doomfinger to send her back. The Doctor then orders Shakespeare to stop the play from being performed while the Doctor and Martha track down the witches. Lilith stops one of his hearts and escapes, while Shakespeare fails to stop the play. Reuniting after the portal has been activated, Shakespeare tries to use his words to close it and stop the invasion. Martha assists with the word "expelliarmus" and the portal is shut, leaving Doomfinger, Bloodtide and Lilith stuck in the crystal ball. The Doctor and Martha bid goodbye to Shakespeare, but are chased back to the TARDIS by... Queen Elizabeth I!

This is exactly what I like to see in a historical episode really. Shakespeare is put to great use and is portrayed really well by Dean Lennox Kelly, and I enjoyed the Carrionites as a threat also. It's a pretty fun episode for the most part and classic Doctor Who, taking a mythical threat and turning it into something alien. The ending with Queen Elizabeth I is amusing, and I wouldn't have been too gutted if we didn't get a resolution to that but it's kinda cool now we've been filled in on the back story in The Day of the Doctor!

Posted by: Regina 11th May 2017, 03:53 PM

I didn't like this much tbh

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 11th May 2017, 04:09 PM

The sontaran one rings a bell now you mention it! That Luke character does stick out in my mind a bit.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 11th May 2017, 04:16 PM

Thatw as awful and the Tennent Doctor was at his pretentious worst and preaching in it. awful. Should have been much lower and the lowest historical.

Posted by: Iz~ 11th May 2017, 04:23 PM

Indeed, that's what I love to see in historicals. Like with the werewolf, that the Carrionites are some ancient threat that is interpreted as something supernatural by the people of the time is cool.

It might not be the best historical but it's a fun ride with all the classic Shakepeare references dotted here there and everywhere about the script. It humanises Shakespeare a bit and he does need a bit of that what with most people probably just resenting him for making English lessons a bit dull these days. And the use of Love Labour's Won as the plot point is nice as it is a real historical mystery and part of what I love these historicals for is making me aware of these unsolved historical mysteries that I can speculate about (even if the likelihood is that it was just another name for some other Shakespeare play that didn't stick as well as the actual title did).

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 11th May 2017, 04:30 PM

sHAKESPEARE EPISODE IS ANOTHER TRAGEDY OF dOC wHO TRYING TO BE TOO FANTASY TOO.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 11th May 2017, 04:46 PM

Ignore his COMPLETE lack of charisma and boring, monotone voice; I mean, he is a youtuber, after all.

However, he says the creature in Listen was a FLOOF and that there was nothing outside the space station at the end.

I actually completely agree with his analysis. It is very well-reasoned and based on a short story that Moffat wrote. Listen is obviously a tv adaptation of that short story. The creaure we see fits the Floof description perfectly. Also, a child would NEVER act like that. It was psychotic behaviour. He thinks the Floof could have killed the if they looked at it directly. I don;t. It is too small and weak.

Posted by: burbe 12th May 2017, 10:37 AM

I enjoyed the Sontaran and Cyberman two parters - they were both good fun and decent 'threat to Earth' storylines.

I've never been a huge fan of the Shakespeare one. I think it's just like witches, really? Doctor Who feels better than that. But I did enjoy Shakespeare!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 12th May 2017, 10:00 PM

33 The Girl Who Waited
Series 6, Episode 10
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Now for my favourite episode from series 6! The Girl Who Waited sees the Doctor take Amy and Rory to Apalapucia, a top holiday location. However, they are unaware that the entire planet has been hit with a deadly plague named Chen7 which kills its victims within a day, although only affects beings with two hearts. When Amy gets trapped, separated from Rory and the Doctor, they realise they are able to watch her live out her life in an accelerated timestream, or a "kindness centre" for the relatives of the infected. Rory sets off on a mission to track Amy down, while the Doctor has to stay in the TARDIS so he doesn't get infected. He uses the glass lens from the kindness centre to track her down, and Rory takes it with him. Amy meanwhile has to take shelter from the Handbots, which are designed to administer medicine, but it would be fatal to Amy or Rory. She hides in a vent where they cannot detect her. Rory eventually tracks down Amy but finds his wife has been waiting for him for 36 years. In that time, Amy has become bitter and resentful of both the Doctor and Rory for not tracking her down sooner. The Doctor, from the TARDIS, urges Amy to help them find her younger self but she refuses, knowing her current self would cease to exist. Rory uses the lens to talk to a younger Amy, in the same location 36 years ago, to convince her older self to help with the rescue. She agrees, but only if both Amys can be taken. The Doctor says the TARDIS could sustain the paradox, so older Amy helps with the rescue. The Doctor synchronises the two Amys' thoughts and brings them into the same timestream. Together they have to fight off Handbots to reach the TARDIS, with older Amy doing much of the fighting. With young Amy and Rory back in the TARDIS, the Doctor cloces the door, having lied to older Amy. Rory must decide which version of his wife to take. Older Amy says goodbye to him, and tells him to take young Amy.

This episode really felt like a breath of fresh air in series 6 for me. I loved seeing Rory get a chance to shine on his own, rather than being a spare part to Amy like he often was during his tenure as companion. The Doctor lying to older Amy was a great twist but kinda heartbreaking, particularly as I don't think it was in doubt that Rory would pick young Amy instead, so I went from disliking how bitter Amy had become, to really feeling sorry for her. The Handbots were cool additions although not the most exciting threat, it was much more character focused and sometimes I think these episodes lack a cool, exciting villain, but this episode didn't suffer from that all for me. Definitely one of the best performances from both Karen and Arthur, particularly when the two Amys were talking to each other, a great scene!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 12th May 2017, 10:16 PM

32 Face the Raven
Series 9, Episode 10
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Rigsy, Ashildr/"Me"

The Doctor and Clara get called back to Earth by Rigsy, who wakes up with no knowledge of the previous night, and a mysterious countdown on the back of his neck. The Doctor scans him with the TARDIS and finds out that he's had contact with aliens, and the countdown on his neck is counting down to his death. Clara insists that they must try something to help Rigsy, and together, they look out for somewhere aliens could be hiding in London - a trap street. Clara finds one, and the trio investigate. They are met by Ashildr, who explains what happened the previous night. Rigsy was sentenced to death for allegedly killing Anah, a member of the Janus race, and was retconned to forget about the trap street. The tattoo on his neck is a chronolock, which gives him time to say his goodbyes before being killed by the Quantum Shade, which takes the form of a raven. The Doctor and Clara think that Rigsy was framed, and investigate. Clara learns that the chronolock can be passed on, so she hitches a plan to take Rigsy's chronolock and they'll be fine after Ashildr promised her safety. They speak to Anahson, Anah's daughter, who confirms that Rigsy has indeed been framed, so that he could bring the Doctor to her. They discover that Anah is actually alive, in a stasis chamber, and to unlock it, the Doctor must give up the TARDIS key. As he does so, a teleport bracelet is clamped onto his wrist. Ashildr is horrified when Clara reveals that she's taken the chronlock from Rigsy, stating that the terms of the agreement change when it's passed on and it cannot be removed. Clara says her goodbyes to the Doctor, telling him not to get angry or avenge her death, and she faces the raven, collapsing to the floor, dead. The Doctor is then teleported to an unknown location.

The strength of this episode lies mainly with its conclusion I think. Clara being killed off was an incredibly bold move and it was executed fantastically. Her goodbye scene was emotional and the lead up to her death was fitting after the hints we'd been given throughout series 9. The rest of the episode is pretty good too, I love the idea of aliens hiding in trap streets and I think there could be scope to explore this idea further in a future episode. Rigsy was a good addition once again, and it was probably my favourite appearance of Ashildr, who I never totally warmed to otherwise. Such a shame that the wonderful ending was kinda dampened by Hell Bent - as much as I like a happy ending, Clara's death felt much more emotionally impactful without the Hell Bent events.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 12th May 2017, 10:19 PM

Both of those episodes were really boring.

Fsce the raven was better, but not so high.

Posted by: HarryApa 12th May 2017, 10:24 PM

I really like the cyberman two parter really brings home what cybermen are really about I also like Face The Raven and The Shakespeare Code both great stories and plots

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 12th May 2017, 11:16 PM

31 The Runaway Bride
2006 Christmas Special
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble
Also starring: Sylvia Noble

After a tearful goodbye to Rose, the Doctor is immediately thrown into a new adventure after a bride appears in the TARDIS. Her name is Donna and she demands that she's taken back to the wedding, getting furious with the Doctor when he tries to explain where she is. The Doctor lands the TARDIS but nowhere near the church - near a town in fact. Donna tries to find money for a taxi, so the Doctor gets it for her, but notices some familiar robot Santas, aka pilot fish. He distracts them and runs to get Donna, to find she's already in a taxi, being driven by one of the robots! He rescues her on the motorway, and gives her a biodamper so she can't be seen. She returns for the wedding reception, but is tracked down by the pilot fish as the biodamper doesn't hide the ancient huon particles inside her. After an attack from explosive baubles, the Doctor destroys the robots with incredibly high sound waves. The Doctor then discovers that Donna's workplace, H. C. Clements, is owned by the thought-to-be-defunct Torchwood Institute. Donna and fiancée Lance accompany him there. They visit a secret underground floor and find a laboratory, experimenting on huon particles. They are joined by the Empress of the Racnoss, an ancient race of spider-like aliens. Lance betrays the Doctor and Donna and they escape in the TARDIS, looking back to the creation of Earth. They see the first rock that kickstarted the planet's formation was actually a Racnoss ship, and the Empress was trying to awaken her species from the centre of the Earth with the huon particles. They return to the lair and Donna is kidnapped. She learns that Lance was preparing her as a sacrifice, slipping huon particles into her coffee every day, but Lance is sacrificed first. The Doctor saves Donna and floods the base, killing the Racnoss. The Empress ascends to her Webstar ship, which attacks London but is destroyed by the army. Donna saves the Doctor by telling him when to stop, and they escape. She refuses the chance to travel with him but urges him to find someone after losing Rose.

Donna is a big favourite character of mine, and one of my favourite things about her character is how much it progresses. We see it right from the start of this episode. She's shouty, loud and incredibly obnoxious at the start, but she mellows towards the end, having seen a race be wiped out (whatever the reasons) and after learning the man she loved was deceiving her the entire time. That aside, I find it a gripping episode, lots of Christmas cheer with some great comedy moments ("stop bleeping me!") and an interesting threat. I loved Sarah Parish as the Empress of the Racnoss, she was a great villain, although I guess the one thing that ruined her was the fact she barely moved from the spot she was in, but I guess that can't be helped for practical reasons Overall, a really fun Christmas episode and lots to revisit, hence why it's the highest Christmas special for me!

Posted by: Klaus 12th May 2017, 11:18 PM

I still find it bizarre that they got an established actress to be coated in red and prosthetics and be part of a giant spider!!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 12th May 2017, 11:20 PM

Donna's a great character and love thst episode.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 13th May 2017, 08:56 PM

LOL watching Bad Wolf (still to come) and I was expecting Tanya Branning and Elaine the Pain but when I realised f***ing NEW MICHELLE FOWLER was the floor manager in the Weakest Link I almost DIED.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 13th May 2017, 09:46 PM

Omfg Tanya AND Michelle in it?! I had no idea either was in it!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 14th May 2017, 03:52 AM

!!!!!! omg I watched Bad Wolf the other day and it still didn't click

Sorry for no new posts today guys, had about 5001 things to do :') 30 more stories to come plus a SJA review after #26 is posted.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 14th May 2017, 12:59 PM

30 Vincent and the Doctor
Series 5, Episode 10
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond

The Doctor and Amy visit the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where many famous paintings and works of art are displayed, including those of Vincent van Gogh. The Doctor notices a dark figure in the church window of the The Church at Auvers painting that shouldn't be there, so in the TARDIS, they pay a trip to Vincent. They first meet him in a cafe, where he's being thrown out for once again being unable to pay. A girl is murdered outside the cafe and the locals blame Vincent and his insanity - an outcast in society. Amy is surprised to learn that his paintings are worth nothing to anyone. Amy is attacked by a creature that only Vincent can see outside, and when he's fought it off, he draws it for the Doctor, who identifies it as a Krafayis. The Doctor and Amy join him as he paints the nearby church, knowing the creature will appear because they saw it in the painting in the gallery. When the Krafayis shows up, the Doctor goes in to deal with it, but he's followed by Amy (against his wishes) and they become trapped. Vincent fights it off again, and it impales itself on Vincent's easel when it lunges at him. Vincent sympathises with it as it dies, knowing it was in fact blind, lonely and separated from its pack. As a final treat for Vincent, the Doctor and Amy take him back to the museum, and ask curator Dr. Black to explain the impact of Vincent, alongside his own personal opinion. Vincent is overwhelmed by where his art ends up, having seen his paintings hung up on the walls and hailed by Dr. Black as the greatest painter, and one of if not the greatest man who's ever lived. They return Vincent back home and revisit the art gallery one more time, with Amy hopeful that there are more paintings and they've prevented Vincent's suicide. Unfortunately that's not the case, but the Krafayis is no longer in the church painting, and there is a new message on the famous Vase with 12 Sunflowers painting - "For Amy".

I watched this episode a week or so ago because I wanted to do it justice in my write-up, and I know Iz in particular is a big fan. It's not actually an episode I rewatch all that often but every time I watch, I adore how touching a story it is. The historical jokes weren't quite so omnipresent (see: the "I am not amused" gags in Tooth & Claw, the constant Poirot/Marple name dropping in The Unicorn & The Wasp, etc), and it focused instead on telling a hugely impactful story about the struggles of Van Gogh. The way it portrays Vincent and his personal struggles is superb and Tony Curran was excellent in the role. The creature is good, not the most memorable really but I enjoyed Vincent sympathising with it in its final moments. However, the best scene for me, and indeed one of my favourite New Who scenes overall, will be the Doctor and Amy taking Vincent to the art gallery, to see his paintings on display many many years later. The direction is top notch and it's a genuine goosebumps moment every time I watch. Really good stuff.

Posted by: Klaus 14th May 2017, 01:05 PM

Vincent and the Doctor is another episode I've really grown to love. I never really appreciated it on first watch because I was just expecting the traditional Doctor Who episode but its much more than that! I love that it really examines the life of Van Gough and helps make the monster part of that. It doesn't really matter that the monster isn't memorable because the episode is about Vincent.

I too ADORE the gallery scene at the end. It is beautifully done and always melts my heart.

Posted by: Iz~ 14th May 2017, 01:22 PM

The gallery scene where Vincent sees the impact of his creations and hears Dr Black's speech is by a long way my favourite single scene in the entire series, no hyperbole - making this episode 2nd on my overall list, and it moves me to tears every single time I watch it. The entire episode spent ages on Vincent having low self-esteem, doubting himself, believing what the people he knows in his own time tell him, that he's awful, all building up to this moment where possibly one of the greatest creative minds to have never discovered his own fame does so in a really pure moment, the Doctor using the power of time travel for some absolute good, to help a desperate man in the last months of his life know that he will be remembered.

The true strength of historical episodes are rarely the monsters, but more the power of the interactions between the Doctor/companions and the historical figure and this was done to perfection. I'm no art history expert but it is moments like this that make me appreciate it.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 14th May 2017, 01:45 PM

29 The Fires of Pompeii
Series 4, Episode 2
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble

For Donna's first proper trip in the TARDIS, the Doctor takes her to Ancient Rome. However, they soon realise they're in Pompeii, the day Mount Vesuvius erupts. Instantly this causes a problem between the Doctor and Donna - the former insists that it's a fixed event in time and they cannot stop it, but Donna argues that they should do all they can to save people. Wanting to leave, the Doctor is annoyed to realise that a merchant sold the TARDIS to a man called Caecilius. They meet Caecilius and his family - his wife Metella, their son Quintus, and their daughter Evelina, the latter of whom has been sworn to the Sibylline Sisterhood, a group of soothsayers. They are expecting the arrival of Lucius Petrus Dextrus, the local angur who has arrived to collect a sculpture, which turns out to be an oversized circuit board. Lucius displays psychic abilities, identifying the Doctor as a Time Lord and forseeing "something on your back" for Donna. After he leaves, the Doctor and Quintus head to Lucius' house to investigate, and find a number of circuit boards, which create an energy converter. Meanwhile, Donna speaks to Evelina, trying to convince her about the volcano's imminent eruption, but the Sibylline prophecy does not forsee it. A creature follows the Doctor and Quintus back after a heated argument with Lucius, and it rises out of the floor - a magma creature. Donna is kidnapped as a sacrifice, and the Doctor tracks her down to the Sibylline, where he meets the High Priestess, a woman who has been turned entirely to stone by a race called the Pyrovile, with the rest of the sisterhood on their way to that too. The Doctor and Donna escape the only way they can - through the volcano. They confront Lucius, who reveals that they plan to convert Earth into the new home for the Pyrovile, after Pyrovilia was lost. The Doctor and Donna hide inside what turns out to be an escape pod, and realise that they either have to erupt the volcano themselves and destroy Pompeii, or see the whole world conquered by the Pyrovile. They make the tough decision to erupt Vesuvius, but Donna insists that they save Caecilius and his family, and in a touching moment, the Doctor saves four people from the town who start a new life in Rome.

Episodes that deal with "fixed events" can be hit and miss, because sometimes it leads to a rather confusing plotline (see the entire series 6 arc with the Doctor's death), but I think this episode deals with it perfectly. Vesuvius has to erupt, it's a significant event, and everyone must die, but the prophecies don't see it coming. Why? Because it's not in the current chain of events. The Doctor and Donna making Vesuvius erupt in order to save the entire world was a huge twist and not one I saw coming, and much like Vincent, it was the character moments that really sold this episode to me. Caecilius and his family are great as supporting characters (particularly fun when you remember Capaldi's first line in Doctor Who wasn't "kidneys!" but in fact "modern art!") and Catherine Tate puts in a superb performance as she argues with the Doctor and defends what she believes should happen. The Pyrovile are pretty cool but overall they felt a bit underused. That didn't matter too much to me when the main selling point was the volcano anyway, and it's got a lot of rewatchability for me too. Shout out to the scene in the above picture, on the hill top, watching the eruption from afar.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 14th May 2017, 02:25 PM

Love Fires of Pompeii. Truly the episode that proved Catherine Tate to any doubters.

Posted by: HarryApa 14th May 2017, 02:40 PM

Both Fires of Pompeii and Vincent And the doctor are in my top 20 Incredible episodes

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 14th May 2017, 02:44 PM

Pompeii and Vincent are pretty bad. Don't care for eithrr. Vincent is more preaching from Doc Who. Boring.

Still not as bad as Tennent. He must br the worst doctor come to think of it,

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 14th May 2017, 02:45 PM

Tennant >>>>>

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 14th May 2017, 05:02 PM

Michael do you even like DW?

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 14th May 2017, 05:13 PM

The goodepisodes.

Not when he is basically a god in a fantasy episode and preaching about something and on his high horse. Tennet was the worst for that. He was always right. His way or the highway. He felt no qualms about disposing a government and ending a golden age just because someone challenged him. His words would jot hsve ended her government. At all. Imagine saying it about Mad May now for example. More ridiculous pandering to the Tennent godlike Who.

Posted by: Regina 14th May 2017, 05:30 PM

Fires of Pompeii is one of the best examples of why Donna is the best companion tbh.

Posted by: Iz~ 14th May 2017, 06:10 PM

Fires Of Pompeii is fantastic for my Roman geekery, the family in there is even from a Latin textbook, at least the parents and Quintus. And even though it was a little kitschy, (like, the Romans would have known what a volcano was, Etna in Sicily (not to mention the island Vulcano) erupted during that period all the time) it was a decently fun look at Roman culture, plus a very good moral dilemma. I like this introduction to the fixed points in time, it worked well as a concept within this episode.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 15th May 2017, 07:02 AM

Love Fires of Pompeii - it was only the second I actually watched and it made me realise that The Doctor doesn't always save people

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 16th May 2017, 01:06 PM

28 Dark Water / Death in Heaven
Series 8, Episodes 11 and 12
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Danny Pink, Kate Stewart, Osgood

We're thrown in at the deep end in the series 8 finale, as we see Danny Pink's final moments before being hit by a car and dying. Clara is understandably distraught, and tries to take the Doctor to an active volcano - the only place TARDIS keys can be destroyed properly. Every time he says no to bringing Danny back, Clara throws a key in, until they are all gone and the reality of her actions hits her. Thankfully, the entire sequence was a dream as the Doctor was one step ahead of her the entire time. He forgives her and promises to do his best to find wherever Danny is now, so uses the TARDIS telepathic circuit again. They are taken to 3W, a facility that helps with the afterlife. They see skeletons on display in water tanks, almost as if they're on display. Meanwhile, Danny is in the afterlife, speaking to a man called Seb, who asks if he's being cremated. The Doctor and Clara meet Missy, an android, and then speak to Dr. Chang, who helps Clara speak to Danny in the afterlife. They learn that the dead in the afterlife still feel every emotion that their body is going through, so cremation is a big issue. Missy instructs the tanks to activate and the water drains, revealing that the water only displays organic matter and the tanks are in actual fact full of Cybermen! The Doctor and Dr. Chang confront Missy, who's not an android after all, and she kills Dr. Chang before heading outside with the Cybermen - revealing they are in fact inside St. Paul's Cathedral. Clara is cornered by a Cyberman in the office, while the Doctor learns Missy's true identity - the Master!

Missy is captured by Kate Stewart and Osgood who arrive on the scene, while the Cybermen take off and blow themselves up, scattering themselves over graveyards. Meanwhile, Clara attempts to save herself by posing as the Doctor, so that the Cybermen keep her alive. The Doctor is taken to a UNIT aircraft, where he learns that he's President of the entire planet while on board. Missy kills Osgood, and attempts to kill Kate, while the plane is targeted by Cybermen. She teleports away and the Doctor falls out of the plane, ensuring he lands in the TARDIS. Clara is taken to a graveyard by a rogue Cyberman, that she learns is actually Danny, retaining some of his emotions. He pleads with her to turn the emotional inhibitor on, and the Doctor arrives to tell her not to, because he'd kill her. However, he changes his mind when he learns that the only way he can find out about Missy's plans is by turning the inhibitor on. Missy arrives and gifts the Cyber army to the Doctor, but after Clara turns Danny's inhibitor on, the Doctor gives the Cyber control to Danny and they self-destruct, stopping the rainfall and pollination. Missy is seemingly killed by one remaining Cyberman - the Brigadier, who caught Kate as she fell and saved her life. The Doctor and Clara meet up at a later date, lying to each other, and they part ways.

This story got a lot of complaints because of the horror-like plotline of the dead still feeling everything their body goes through, right down to cremation. To me, this was an incredibly chilling twist, and I also loved the idea of an army of Cybermen being made from the dead. It's a shame however that the Cybermen were pretty underused in the end, ultimately serving as little more than a plot device to bring Danny back for one final scene with Clara. The graveyard scene was emotional though, despite me not being a huge Danny fan. Missy was the star of this episode though, Michelle Gomez always puts in a fantastic performance and she is delightful to watch. I also loved the volcano scenes, and notably where the Doctor forgives Clara after - "do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?". A thrilling two-parter and worthy of being my favourite series 8 story.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 16th May 2017, 01:22 PM

27 The Angels Take Manhattan
Series 7, Episode 5
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

We kick start this episode with the Doctor, Amy and Rory chilling in Manhattan, before Rory goes off to find some coffees. The Doctor is alarmed when his book references a man going to get coffees and landing in the past, realising that the book is actually referencing events that are happening in parallel with the present. He and Amy try and travel back to the 1930s but struggle, and Amy insists they should read ahead but the Doctor warns her off, knowing that anything they read will have to happen. Rory meets River Song, who is undercover as Melody Malone, the main character of the book. River is grabbed by the wrist by a Weeping Angel while Rory is thrown into a cellar with baby Angels. River uses her vortex manipulator to allow the TARDIS through but the Doctor refuses to help River having seen the chapter titles - Amelia's Last Farewell being one of them. He demands that she gets herself out to change the future after learning that he's meant to break her wrist to get her out. They find Rory has been captured again, and River breaks her own wrist to get out, therefore not changing the future. They track Rory down to a nearby hotel, and when they catch up with him, they find an older Rory lying in bed, just before his death. Chased by Angels, he and Amy end up on the roof, where they are caught by the Statue of Liberty, a Weeping Angel itself! Rory decides that he needs to jump off the building to change time and save himself, and Amy insists on jumping with him. Time changes when they jump and they end up in a graveyard, all alive. However, one final Angel sends Rory back in time after he sees his gravestone, and after a tearful farewell to the Doctor and River, Amy allows herself to be taken too so she can be with Rory. The Doctor learns that Amy likely published the Melody Malone book, and could have included an afterword - one final message. She asks him to return to visit young Amelia, to re-assure her that one day, he'll see her again, and take her on amazing journeys in space.

Whilst I don't think the Weeping Angels have been used quite as well in any of their re-appearances as they were in Blink, The Angels Take Manhattan remains a fantastic story and the Angels always make for great threats. The Statue of Liberty Angel feels a bit unrealistic but nevertheless pretty scary, and the baby Angels were very chilling in the cellar with Rory. River is always fantastic too, but of course the focal point of this episode was Amy and Rory's departure. It was a fitting end for the couple I think, with Amy's final scene with the Doctor being particularly heartbreaking.

Posted by: DalekTurret32 16th May 2017, 01:28 PM

Dark Water/Dead In Heaven's one of my faves

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 16th May 2017, 03:12 PM

26 Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords
Series 3, Episodes 11, 12 and 13
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness
Also starring: Francine, Clive, Tish and Leo Jones

The only three-parter (so far) of the new series kicked off with the Doctor and Martha in Cardiff, for a pit stop. The Doctor takes off when he sees old friend Captain Jack Harkness running towards him, but when Jack jumps onto the outside of the TARDIS, they're sent flying millions of years into the future. They learn that Jack is immortal, and find they're at the end of the universe, on a planet called Malcassairo. Amongst the ruins of the planet, they spot a man being chased by savage creatures known as the Futurekind, and they head for the nearby silo, where humans are taking shelter before they can board a ship to a planet called Utopia. The Doctor meets Professor Yana, who's working on the rocket with his assistant Chantho, but he's unable to finish it. The Doctor helps out to get it ready, with Jack using his immortality to enter a high radiation room to remove the engine clamps. He learns that Rose brought him back to life, and there's nothing he can do to change back. Meanwhile, Professor Yana keeps zoning out, hearing a drum beat with certain words acting as triggers - regeneration, TARDIS, etc. Martha sees he has a fob watch exactly like the Doctor's in Human Nature, and she runs to tell him. Yana opens the fob watch, revealing that he is in fact the Master, and attacks Chantho. He lets the Futurekind in, and Chantho shoots him before she dies. The Doctor, Martha and Jack arrive back, struggling to keep the Futurekind out, while the Master regenerates inside the TARDIS, taking off.

The Doctor, Martha and Jack use Jack's vortex manipulator to teleport back to the present day, with the Doctor having locked the TARDIS so it can only travel between the present day and where they were at the end of the universe. They see the Master on TV in his new regeneration, having won the election under the guise of Harold Saxon! They head to Martha's house but find a bomb waiting for them, and Martha's family are taken in for questioning. They're forced to go on the run, hiding from the Master. The Doctor modifies their TARDIS keys so they can act as perception filters, so while they aren't invisible, they're harder to notice. Meanwhile, the Master is setting up the first meeting between Earth and the Toclafane, an alien race, but the Doctor doesn't recognise them and they kill journalist Vivien Rook after she finds out the true identity of the Master. The first meeting takes place on board the Valiant, led by the President of the USA. The Doctor, Martha and Jack teleport on board, to find the TARDIS has been converted into a paradox machine. They watch the first meeting, where the President is assassinated by the Toclafane, Jack is captured and the Doctor is aged significantly. Martha teleports away alone after the Doctor whispers in her ear, but promises she'll return.

We see Martha again one year later as she returns to the UK, having travelled around the world. She teams up with Tom Milligan, a doctor, who takes her to see Professor Docherty. Together, they capture a Toclafane, and see that it is a young boy, Creet, that Martha met on Malcassairo. They realise that the Toclafane are in fact the humans that were heading to Utopia, killing their ancestors with the help of the paradox machine. Meanwhile, the Master's reign of terror continues, and the Doctor is aged to look all 900 years of his life, now a tiny creature kept in a cage. The Jones family are kept as slaves and Jack is chained up, and despite an attempt to take over, they do not manage it. Martha heads to a street in London to stay the night, but Professor Docherty gives away her location and the Master tracks her down. He kills Tom Milligan and captures Martha. She reveals that her plan was to spread the word of the Doctor, and using the Archangel network, they manage to restore the Doctor, who tries to forgive the Master. Jack destroys the paradox machine, causing the Toclafane to blink out of existence, and time restores back one year. Francine points a gun at the Master but the Doctor persuades her to put it down. Despite this, he's shot by his wife Lucy, and the Doctor burns the Master's body. They drop Jack off at Torchwood and Martha decides to stay behind at home to help rebuild her family.

This episode seems to get a bit of criticism for the resolution alone and I can understand why. The power of thought bringing the Doctor back like that wasn't the best solution ever, it's a tiny bit of a cop out. Nevertheless, this three-parter is a fantastic watch I think. Utopia on its own is a great episode with a really interesting concept - human refugees all living in the hope of a place called Utopia. Whilst I knew the Master was returning, I had no idea he'd be Professor Yana! The Sound of Drums built on things really well, I loved the idea of the Doctor and friends being on the run, and John Simm is fantastic to watch. What I like most about Last of the Time Lords however is Martha. It proves exactly why she's my favourite companion. She walks the Earth for a man that barely even notices she's there half the time. The whole lusting over the Doctor thing was generally dull and is my only critique of Martha but it does enhance episodes like this one. I also loved the little touches, like Lucy Saxon's change in personality between episodes 12 and 13. She's a broken woman by the end, for whatever reason, and ultimately the Master's treatment of her is his downfall. Martha's exit is triumphant and I'm glad she made her point before she left the Doctor. "This is me, getting out"

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 16th May 2017, 03:26 PM

Sound of Drms is rap.

Angels Take Manhatten should be top20.

Also Dark Water is ABSOLUTTTE CRAP

Robots. Who love. Robots. From rain. Danny Pink's rbot nose stretched across his face. Gross. Bizarre. Utter shit.

Posted by: HarryApa 16th May 2017, 04:25 PM

All the two recent episodes are amazing but my fave of the bunch I think would probs be Angels Take Manhattan I actually love the two other angel's episdoes as well as blink.

Posted by: Klaus 16th May 2017, 04:46 PM

I love the themes in Dark Water/Death in Heaven and I think it really reinforces the dark side of the Cybermen. They are definitely underused though overall which is a shame considering the great set up. I also liked that we got the return of the two part series finale which really helps the show to go out with a bang! As usual though, the Danny stuff is not something I could warm too and I didn't like the Brigadier Cyberman either. Of course the story gave us Missy though who I adore. She's absolutely fantastic in the story and killing Osgood shows how dark she really is under those humorous tones! Her and Peter are brilliant together and I'm looking forward to her return in this series!

Angels is a really great send off for Amy & Rory. I love the atmospheric setting and how River is introduced. I love how they play with the departure of Amy/Rory and that jump off the building is an incredible sequence. The Statute of Liberty thing is very much a ridiculous stretch but it does look good

The Series 3 finale does have its highs and lows. The story underlining Utopia is really interesting and that twist with Professor Yana is certainly very well played and a truly shocking moment. I then very much enjoy the fugitive theme in The Sound of Drums and how the Master has placed himself in such an important position with the viewer left questioning what his plan is. The Toclafane make for a then very dark tone and I think it's a great aspect that we actually do see the end of the world in Last of the Time Lords. However, that whole Doctor God complex thing for the conclusion is very :/ and casts a shadow on the story. I too do like Lucy's character and how she ultimately is the one to 'kill' the Master. I think the actress brings a lot to the role, making it a lot more interesting that it might have been and she really earns that twist at the end. I love her sort of awkward dancing when the Master unleashes the Toclafane.

Posted by: Regina 16th May 2017, 04:49 PM

John Simm was the best thing about the last 3 eps of season 3. It all felt a bit underwhelming for such an iconic villains return though.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 16th May 2017, 05:18 PM

In 2006, the Children's BBC proposed the idea of a Doctor Who spin-off, starring a younger Time Lord and his adventures. Russell T. Davies disapproved of the idea and suggested a series following former companion Sarah Jane Smith after her return in Doctor Who episode School Reunion. Reports of the spin-off appeared before School Reunion had actually aired, also suggesting that K-9 was to feature, and it was confirmed to be in the works in August 2006 under the working title Sarah Jane Investigates. The first episode aired on New Year's Day 2007, as a standalone episode starring Elisabeth Sladen alongside young actors Tommy Knight, Yasmin Paige and Porsha Lawrence Mavour as "the boy", Maria Jackson and Kelsey Hooper. Invasion of the Bane was well received and the full series was to follow later in the year, although Porsha was dropped from the cast after Kelsey proved unpopular. The episode saw Sarah Jane adopt "the boy", grown by the Bane, as her son under the name Luke Smith.

The first series saw Daniel Anthony join the cast as troublemaker Clyde Langer, who became Luke's best friend. Yasmin Paige left the show after the first story of series 2 and was replaced by Anjli Mohindra, playing Rani Chandra. Tommy Knight's appearances were reduced from series 4 due to the actor's exams in real life. Part way through the filming of series 5, the sad news of Elisabeth Sladen's death broke. She had suffered with cancer, and as a mark of respect, the BBC opted to show the three stories out of six that were filmed for series 5. These episodes saw the introduction of Sky, Sarah Jane's adopted daughter. The show finished with the story The Man Who Never Was in 2011, with a montage and the caption "the story goes on...forever"

I adored watching The Sarah Jane Adventures when I was younger, and I rewatched the episodes last year too. For a kids show, it was remarkably mature at times and rarely felt silly or stupid (although these moments did occur). Elisabeth Sladen always put in a wonderful performance as the incredible Sarah Jane Smith, and the characters of Luke, Maria, Clyde and Rani were all excellent additions too. It's the most consistent spin-off too I'd say, with Torchwood having a messy first and last season with some brilliant moments in between. Most SJA episodes were enjoyable and the quality was consistent most of the way through. I was never too enthusiastic about Sky in the final half-series but I expect Sinead Michael would've grown into the role, much like Tommy Knight did. Elisabeth Sladen's death made me feel incredibly sad, and I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear during that final montage at the end of The Man Who Never Was. A wonderful show with a wonderful star, who is missed very dearly.



Worst Story: Mona Lisa's Revenge
Series 3, Episodes 9 and 10

This was one of the episodes that veered a bit too much towards silly, for me. The episode sees Clyde win a competition for one of his drawings, and his class wins the chance to go to a museum to see the Mona Lisa. However, the Mona Lisa comes to life and swaps curator Mr. Harding's assistant Miss Trupp for herself in the painting. She puts Sarah Jane into a painting and uses a Sontaran gun from Clyde's drawing to hunt down the others, before she tries to unleash a beast in the basement, which she calls her brother. Mona Lisa is restored to her painting thanks to Clyde's drawing skills. Ultimately it feels very silly and like an interesting concept that doesn't actually get explained very well. Suranne Jones is a great actress but as Mona Lisa, I found her pretty irritating, and the fact that Sarah Jane is missing for most of the two-parter doesn't really help. It's not awful as such but by the standards of SJA, it's definitely the weakest (and I'd struggle to pick the next weakest I must say).



Best Story: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith
Series 2, Episodes 9 and 10

There are loads of episodes I could've picked for this spot. Particular favourites include The Day of the Clown, Death of the Doctor, The Empty Planet, The Curse of Clyde Langer, and the other two Trickster episodes Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? and The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith. However, the one that stood out in my mind the most was The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith - the second of the Trickster trilogy.

Sarah Jane and the team chase down a young boy named Oscar to find he came from a portal in time, that leads to the day Sarah Jane's parents die. Against her better judgement, she and Luke go through the time fissure to meet them, going under the names Victoria and David Beckham (!). Meanwhile, Oscar comes back through the fissure when Rani and Clyde investigate Sarah Jane's absence. He's revealed to be the Graske, working for the Trickster. Sarah Jane sabotages her parents's car with her sonic lipstick so it can't drive off, saving their lives. They return through the fissure to see the world has collapsed due to the Trickster. Rani and Clyde sheltered themselves from the events and find Rani's mum Gita working for the Graske, whom they discover is a slave for the Trickster. They promise to help set him free from the Trickster's power. They return through the portal to find Sarah Jane and Luke, who are worried as to what to do next. Sarah Jane's parents realise who she is and tell her to fix the car. They tell Sarah Jane that they're proud of her and drive off to their fate, destroying the Trickster.

I love the emotional impact this story has. It's a bit like Father's Day in Doctor Who actually, which is a big fave of mine (no surprise as it's in the top 25). The Trickster has always been a good villain and the themes are more mature than your average CBBC show for sure, going to prove that SJA was more than just any old kids show. Elisabeth Sladen gave one of her best performances too, particularly in the quieter moments where she's talking to Luke about her parents.

Posted by: Klaus 16th May 2017, 05:50 PM

The Sarah Jane Adventures was really good for, like Torchwood, adapting what made the main series so successful but adapting it really well for the target audience. I think what makes it more special is that it doesn't undermine the audience either, it deals with some really strong issues and is a solid drama in its own right. I've never rewatched any of them (might actually do so though!) but there were a lot of great stories. The Trickster trilogy was particularly strong and the Doctor stories were also done really well, particularly The Death of the Doctor which brought back the icon Jo Grant.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 16th May 2017, 06:03 PM

It was actually pretty boring and veered off to Dobby fantasy territory for no reason AGAIN.

The SJA were pretty good for a kids' drama. I had to laugh at Ranni knowing who Lady Jane Grey was and how she knew that from very few ckues: a woman in a tower ha.

Dark Water was the moment it jumped the shark for a LOT of viewers and when ratings collapsed. Just ugh.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 16th May 2017, 06:07 PM

Also, rewatched Fires of Pompeeii the other day.

Boooriiiiiing.

Also the Romans SO DID have a word for volcano!!!

The best SJS episode HAS to be Death of the Doctor however. But how would those birds have entered the Tardis anyway even with the key? It repels unauthorised lifeforms. Another q: if that technology is all it tskes to get the key, then why did others not use it to get in? Doctor is easy tocapture and never armed ... If it's just the lack of a key stopping people from getting in, then why did the Sontarans not enter when Donna left the door OPEN when alone on their warship??

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 16th May 2017, 06:14 PM

And then why do the Daleks say, 'Impossible, only the Doctor can fly the Tardis!', with a whole big thing about how River is the only other person who can thanks to the Tardis teaching her directly?

What episode was it that it taught her? Whilst the fact was treated as super important, the event itself was glossed over like a freefalling Westlife manipulated no.1.

Posted by: Klaus 16th May 2017, 06:21 PM

I think the purpose was just to show that like this character is of such huge importance to the Doctor but obviously we don't know why or who she really is yet and neither does the Doctor!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 16th May 2017, 07:05 PM

The Angels Take Manhattan was a high point of Series 7, they are pretty much the ultimate Doctor Who villains of the new era for me and haven't yet been overused so any story involving them has the potential to be a classic. The Statue of Liberty as an angel is a laughable prospect but it didn't cheapen them as a whole, and the send off was great, their method of 'killing' was certainly the right emotional one for Amy and Rory.

I rewatched the series 3 three parter recently (I'm watching all of 1-4 thanks to this thread, impact *.), Utopia and The Sound of Drums are incredible and one of the few moments in the series where the Doctor is truly outmatched, but Last of the Time Lords lets it down him rising like some Jesus Christ figure is just way too far, as was Martha's 'journey', and then everything getting reset anyway is such a copout. Still, John Simm was amazing as The Master, looking forward to his return.

Posted by: 777666jason 16th May 2017, 07:42 PM

At its best the SJA could outperform doctor who it self story wise was a shame about Liz sladen the 5th series was just getting along good I know they ended it because of Liz but. I believe the others were superb enough actors if we were to revisit Bannerman road in the future

We need a new spinoff or at least bring back Torchwood to TV not just audio

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 16th May 2017, 07:45 PM

It would be nice to check in on Rani, Luke and Clyde one day but equally I quite like the idea of Sarah Jane still being alive in-universe, defending the earth, and I'm not sure how they'd revisit them without changing that

Posted by: lewistgreen 16th May 2017, 07:50 PM

Um we have Class?

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 16th May 2017, 08:05 PM

Not for much longer at this rate

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 16th May 2017, 08:18 PM

A surprise regeneration somehow?



The Rory and Amy seasons are pretty fantastic overall - the whole River story is my favourite arc and storyline ever in Doc Who, and the angels my favourite enemies. It's true - every episode they have been in has been a classic. I loved the Fall of the Byzantium when they are talking about a two-headed race but going through a maze of one-headed statues. I didn't even click the first time and again the second time a few years later!

Tennant's doctor is the worst. They have him like some super powerful messiah who preaches and is never wrong and changes the world how he wants. AWFUL.

Posted by: Iz~ 16th May 2017, 08:25 PM

Utopia et al is a pretty epic way to conclude Series 3, I found a few parts of it a little cheap but the horror of the Toclafane and the seizure of power by the British PM/Master, and using the fact that it all gets undone to have a legitimate disaster happen to the UK/the world and the aftereffects of it, that was rather good because that sort of stuff was never going to happen without a reset button so I don't mind that being a part of it.

Posted by: Iz~ 16th May 2017, 08:27 PM

We DO have things in common! We nitpick historical inaccuracies in entertainment shows just the same.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 17th May 2017, 06:28 PM

25 The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
Series 5, Episodes 12 and 13
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

The series 5 finale saw the Doctor and Amy find a message on the oldest cliff-face in the universe, which the TARDIS translates to a familiar saying - "Hello Sweetie". They follow the co-ordinates next to it to find River Song in Roman England, posing as Cleopatra (!!!!). River shows the Doctor a Van Gogh painting that she acquired, entitled The Pandorica Opens, which depicts the TARDIS exploding. They go to Stonehenge to find out more about the Pandorica, and locate it in a hidden lair underneath. It's a giant box ultimately, not doing anything more than sitting there, but alien races begin to arrive in the sky after it transmits a message. The Doctor and Amy are attacked by parts of a Cyberman (the Pandorica's guard), which electrocute the Doctor and knocks him out. Amy has to fight against the Cyberman, and is saved by a revived Rory, but she faints. The Doctor realises that Rory is an auton, and is confused as to how he is there. To save time, the Doctor warns off the aliens with a speech about how he's keeping guard, while River takes the TARDIS to find out more information, realising that everything links back to Amy, including her boyfriend and her favourite topic at school. She tells the Doctor that the Pandorica must be a trap, engineered by Amy's memories, but he is captured by the Daleks, the Cyberman, the Sontarans, and many other enemies he's faced off before, and dragged into the Pandorica - which has opened to reveal itself as a prison. River becomes trapped in an exploding TARDIS, while the auton part of Rory activates and he shoots Amy.

The Big Bang opens with young Amelia being drawn to the nearby museum, where the Pandorica is on display. She's encouraged by sticky notes to stay until the evening and the Pandorica opens again, revealing Amy inside. We learn that Rory was given the sonic screwdriver by the Doctor, to go and get his earlier self out of the Pandorica. He then puts Amy inside and, as he's plastic, he decides to keep guard over Amy for 2000 years until it's healed her. In the present day, the TARDIS' explosion has caused the whole of creation to cease existing, except for the Earth. The Doctor reunites with the two Amys and Rory, setting up his own rescue, and they're then chased by the stone Daleks, reawakening now the Pandorica's reopened. They see a future version of the Doctor fall down the stairs and die. The Doctor then saves River from the TARDIS using the teleporter, before being shot by a Dalek and teleporting back to earlier on. They return to the body to see that he's moved, and River tells Amy and Rory about rule 1 - the Doctor lies. The Doctor is wiring up the Pandorica, so he can fly it into the heart of the explosion and save time, but at a price - his life. After a tearful farewell to Amy, the Doctor completes his plan, and begins to revisit his timeline in reverse. After sitting by Amelia's bedside on the night they first met, the Doctor skips the rest of the countdown and steps through a crack in time, closing them for good and restoring anything they previously took, including Rory and Amy's parents. However, Amy's strong connection brings the Doctor back and he attends Amy and Rory's wedding, before taking them off for new adventures.

While a lot of the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey episodes can often be quite difficult to sit back and enjoy, this is one example where it works a treat. Firstly, The Pandorica Opens has a really good build-up. The Pandorica has a lot of mystery to it and the reveal of it being a prison was great, although obviously not so great if the Doctor can get out with one quick use of the sonic screwdriver The return of Rory was a nice surprise too, and River Song as Cleopatra is fantastic :') the use of all of the aliens at the end of episode 12 feels a tiny bit silly, some of those races surely wouldn't be anywhere near each other. However, I loved the Cyberman versus Amy scene, definitely one of the best Cyberman uses of the Moffat era (despite only being for a couple of minutes!). The back-and-forth teleporting aspect of episode 13 worked well to resolve the plot but remain engaging and easy to follow.

Posted by: Klaus 17th May 2017, 06:51 PM

The Pandorica Opens is an absolutely fantastic episode. From the amazing opening sequence to THAT ultimate cliffhanger, it is what a finale should be about. Therefore, I kind of didn't appreciate the understated The Big Bang at first because it was odd to go from an all guns blazing episode to five people running around a museum. With rewatches though, I do appreciate it a lot more and it is actually a really inventive way to do things and also kind of the right way for the story.

It does still confuse me to this day as to what it means for the Series 5 timeline and whether those stories happened or not!

lmao thats just a normal show with the Doctor Who label slapped onto it. Plus, it's not that great and basically no one watched it

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 17th May 2017, 07:05 PM

The Pandorica Opens two parter is amazing - especially that cliffhanger!!

The only problem is the sonic screwdriver opening an impenetrable prison! Surely if it waa built to stop a Time Lord getting out, Time Lord technology, especially the one weapon he ALWAYS HAS, would have been factored into the design?

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 17th May 2017, 07:22 PM

The Pandorica Opens was definitely an interesting one! Although Amy's parents being alive and with her her whole life after she grew up living with her aunt bc her parents died signalled the start of the complications...

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 17th May 2017, 07:30 PM

And then we never even hear about Amy's parents again :')

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 17th May 2017, 07:42 PM

This is something that always bugged me....but Moffat's stuff is full of this.

We never see the aunt. The parents never appear again. Rory's dad didn't even feature in their final episode though they did attempt to rectify this. Clara's family were seen so sporadically that you can't remember who is who and the backstory is contained as the only interesting part of a pretty naff episode. The family she was a nanny to literally disappear without mention (or at east a memorable one) and I'm pretty worried we'll never see Bill's adoptive mum ever again....

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 17th May 2017, 09:42 PM

So did season 5 actually um happen? As the Weeping Angels etc are all back so couldn't have fallen into the gap?

Posted by: Klaus 17th May 2017, 10:53 PM

Yep, this is certainly a feature that I feel is a big loss to Moffat's era! Rose/Martha/Donna's family really helped to earth the characters and create that greater sense of returning characters. Moffat seems to have replaced the families with the companions still actually having a life which doesn't really work as well. I did think that they were stepping in the right direction through featuring Bill's foster mum in the first episode but, I agree, I doubt anything more will actually come of that.

Bringing back Amy's mum and dad, only to never feature them again is such a buzarre decision. Especially when, as people have said, the reason why Amy met the Doctor is kind of because her mum and dad weren't there. The finale is really confusing as to the actual timelines that happened

Posted by: 777666jason 18th May 2017, 05:09 PM

Well technically but if you didn't have a 5 minute cameo from the doctor in episode one you wouldn't even know the shows were connected

SJA had Sarah Jane
Torchwood had captain jack
Nobody from class appeared in doctor who to me that's not a spin off

And as Joseph said its looking highly unlikely to be renewed

So we would need a need one




Pandorica opens Is fantastic the big bang was good but flawed with many things from the ending just forgotten why introduced Amy's parents just to retcon her back story


Did it not get undone in the angels take Manhattan the final scene was her sitting in her harden as a child again

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 18th May 2017, 05:11 PM

But how did it get undone??

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 07:47 PM

Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey

Next result coming imminently!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 08:25 PM

24 The Zygon Invasion / The Zygon Inversion
Series 9, Episodes 7 and 8
Doctor: Twelfth
Companion: Clara Oswald
Also starring: Kate Stewart, Osgood

The Zygon Invasion picks up on a plotline that was first touched on in The Day of the Doctor. Zygons were allowed to live on Earth, shapeshifting into human form to keep their presence secret, and if the ceasefire was broken and the Nightmare Scenario is initiated, there's the Osgood box, named after Osgood herself of course. Osgood and her Zygon doppelganger became friends, always refusing to admit which was which, but one was killed by Missy and the other left UNIT and was kidnapped by the Zygons in the American town Truth or Consequences. Before this, she alerts the Doctor of the Nightmare Scenario, and he investigates. He tries to call Clara but can't get in touch, leaving messages, and he heads to UNIT headquarters in the Tower of London. Clara meets him there, and they split up. The Doctor goes to Turmezistan (where Osgood was last tracked to) via the Presidential aircraft (as seen in Death In Heaven), Kate heads to Truth or Consequences, and Clara and UNIT operative Jac stay where they are. The Doctor meets up with other UNIT operatives, who are tricked by the Zygons into entering a building, as they pose as their loved ones. They are killed and the Doctor heads in alone, finding Osgood, a prisoner underground. He helps free her and kidnaps a Zygon that attempts to attack them, taking them both to the aircraft. Kate is attacked by a Zygon in the abandoned town of Truth or Consequences, and Jac is killed when Clara is revealed to be a Zygon in disguise, known as Bonnie. Bonnie then attempts to fire at the aircraft, to kill the Doctor.

Clara, while unconscious, is mentally linked with Bonnie, and she attempts to prevent her from successfully wiping out the Doctor. Unfortunately, one of the missiles hits the aircraft, but the Doctor and Osgood remain safe with a parachute. Bonnie meets a peaceful Zygon in London, and causes his body to unwillingly revert to Zygon form in public, filming it and sending it viral. The Doctor gets a text from Clara's phone, and he deduces that Bonnie was unaware of the text being sent and Clara still has some control. The Doctor is able to deduce, with help from Clara, where Bonnie is keeping her original's body and heads to London. The Doctor and Osgood find the man that Bonnie antagonised, suffering with his form partially converted to Zygon form, and he opts to kill himself instead of being discovered. They reunite with Kate, and head to locate Clara. However, Clara has already been forced to help Bonnie locate the Osgood box, revealing its location to be the Black Archive, and she has taken Clara's pod with her. Kate reveals herself to be a Zygon in disguise, but is actually double bluffing so that she could stay alive. They follow Bonnie to the Black Archive and the truth about the Osgood boxes is revealed - there are two of them. An ultimatum each for humans and Zygons. Intent on stopping the war, Kate stands at one box and Bonnie stands at the other. The Doctor tries to talk them both out of it, telling them that the Osgood boxes exist to prevent the consequences that exposing or killing the Zygons would cause. He talks about the consequences of the Time War, and after they back down, they realise that the boxes were empty the entire time, and their memories are wiped to ensure the Osgood boxes remain a means of keeping the peace. Bonnie joins Osgood, shapeshifting into a copy of her, but they refuse to admit which one's which again.

This episode sees one of Capaldi's absolute best moments - his speech at the end of The Zygon Inversion. The passion Capaldi puts into his performance is outstanding and it's a moment that will be remembered after he leaves as one of his very best. The story as a whole makes for great viewing, the Zygons are interesting villains for sure and I'm really glad they picked up on the plotline of The Day of the Doctor. The idea of Zygons living among humans on Earth is great, and I loved all the twists and turns related to the Osgood box. Osgood herself is fantastic, and Jenna pulls off the role of Bonnie very well. It's actually the second highest Capaldi story in the countdown, with only Heaven Sent remaining!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 19th May 2017, 08:33 PM

I loved the Doctor's speech about how some of them aren't killers and just wanted to live peacefully, especially with what was going on in world news at that time.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 08:36 PM

Oh yes, I forgot to mention actually just how relevant the storyline is to all the news stories about refugees! Something Doctor Who's always been pretty great at is talking about news stories but replacing them with alien plotlines instead, and this episode is a really great example of that.

Posted by: burbe 19th May 2017, 08:52 PM

The Zygon two-parter was amazing! One of Capaldi's finest moments and really entertaining couple of episodes.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 08:53 PM

Can't even remember it/ didn't watch it.

Crap.

Shoulda been much lower!!

I have a question!!!

If the TARDIS is so big on the inside, with a swimming pool, bedrooms, etc, then surely its mass and volume is huge even if its circumference isn't? That said, why do people move it around so easily? Like, a few Sontarans push it about easily, but can you imagine pushing the weight of a swimming pool, let alone a spaceship, between four or five people!!! It just makes no sense.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 08:55 PM

No waaaay should Heaven Sent be still to come!!

Nearly ALL of Capaldi's should be near the BOTTOM as the jumping the shark PITS!!!

Except Listen and some of this season.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 08:55 PM

23 The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone
Series 5, Episodes 4 and 5
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, River Song

The Doctor and Amy find a message written in Gallifreyan on an object in a museum, that leads them to River Song, who uses the TARDIS to escape from a mission on the Byzantium ship, which was on course to crash. They land on the planet it crashed into, and River tells the Doctor that there was a Weeping Angel in the heart of the ship. She shows them a four-second clip of it, on repeat, and they meet Father Octavian and his clerics, who join them on a mission into the Byzantium. While the Doctor and River read up on the angels, Amy is captivated by the clip, but is horrified when it begins to move inside the clip. The Doctor learns that the image of an angel becomes itself an angel, and they race to get Amy out. She's also advised not to look into its eyes, as the angel is able to enter via the eyes like doors. Amy manages to pause the clip during the tiny section where the angel isn't on screen, and she escapes. To get to the Byzantium, they must travel through the "Maze of the Dead", filled with loads of decaying statues. They use a gravity globe to make it accessible for them. One of the clerics, Bob, is killed by the angel and said angel begins to talk to the Doctor using his voice. He learns that the statues around them are all angels. Trapped, the Doctor fires a gun at the gravity globe and tells everyone to jump.

Once they've jumped, they find themselves now using the localised gravity, so they've been able to escape the angels which are currently restoring themselves and becoming stronger. They enter the Byzantium, and as they make their way to the control room, the Doctor and River realise that Amy is counting down. She's being controlled by the angels after she looked into its eye. As the angels try to break into the console room, the Doctor and others hide in the ship's oxygen centre, a forest. As the Doctor, River and Father Octavian head to the secondary control room, the clerics guard Amy who must keep her eyes closed. However, the clerics vanish one by one as they walk into a crack in time, and are wiped from existence. The Doctor then guides Amy towards him, but she must still keep her eyes closed. She walks past some angels, but trips over and is teleported away just in time by River. They cause the artificial gravity to fail and the angels are sucked into the crack in time, healing Amy. River teases that they'll meet again soon, when the Pandorica Opens. The Doctor drops Amy home briefly, and she tries to snog him, setting off alarm bells as it's the night before her wedding.

I worried that the Weeping Angels may be ruined in a repeat appearance but thankfully they weren't. In fact, they were actually strengthened I think with the mythology surrounding them. I love the idea of "anything that contains the image of an angel becomes itself an angel", and the angels controlling Amy was a great plotline. Angel Bob was chilling too, such a calm voice opposed by the threatening, dark words of the angels. River was excellent in her second appearance too, and the cracks in time plot got fleshed out a bit further which was great. It loses points for the final scene of Amy trying to come onto the Doctor, always makes for uncomfortable viewing actually. That aside, it's a fantastic two-parter and Moffat certainly delivered in continuing to make the Weeping Angels one of the best monsters Doctor Who has seen.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 08:56 PM

Time Lord technology I guess they can get away with ignoring the rules of physics when it comes from an alien planet

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 09:00 PM

I can get the circumference being smaller than the volume using timey wimey technology, but not hiding the mass, too!!

That was a GREAT episode. One of my favourite two-parters, and I love everything with River Song. The thing with the two-headed angels no having two heads was very well done.

When did Amy come on to the Doctor though??? Makes no sense either!

Alsooo, I NEVER understood the bit with the gravity globe and how it saved them. Any info??

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 09:08 PM

22 Smith and Jones
Series 3, Episode 1
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Martha Jones
Also starring: Francine, Clive, Tish and Leo Jones

The start of series 3 is shown through the eyes of Martha Jones, a medical student at the Royal Hope Hospital. She's seen on the phone to her entire family - parents Francine and Clive, separated with the latter having a younger girlfriend called Annalise, and siblings Tish and Leo. In the street, a man stops and takes his tie off in front of her. She's left confused, but it doesn't stop there, as she gets to work and sees the same man in one of the hospital beds, except he has no idea about that incident. The entire hospital is taken to the moon, and the Doctor enlists Martha's help to get to the bottom of things. Also in the hospital is Florence Finnegan, who is an alien called a Plasmavore, which drinks blood. She consumes the blood of Dr Stoker, Martha's boss, so she can appear human. Outer-space police known as the Judoon, which look remarkably like humanoid rhinos, arrive and begin to scan everyone. The Doctor and Martha run away from them, as the Doctor would register as alien and they'd kill him. They're chased by two of Florence's "slabs", and one is killed by radiation. So that the Doctor can pursue Florence, he kisses Martha, who's taken a shine to him. She registers as human but with a trace of non-human, and this buys the Doctor more time as the Judoon question her. The Doctor confronts Florence, who drinks his blood, assuming he's human. She drains him of blood but the Judoon scan her and figure out she is alien, and execute her. However, she's already modified the MRI scanner to destroy all life. The Judoon take off, and Martha uses CPR to revive the Doctor. He turns off the MRI, and carries a struggling Martha, as oxygen is getting low. The hospital is sent back to Earth, and the Doctor asks Martha to come with him for one trip. To prove he can travel in time, he travels back and takes his tie off in front of her

This episode is just the kinda thing I love from Doctor Who. The Judoon are great aliens and I liked them not being villains as such, but still having questionable morals in terms of how they deal with criminals. Anne Reid was excellent as Florence, and the episode serves as a perfect introduction to Martha. It's quite a "bog standard" episode I guess, and whilst it isn't my absolute favourite from series 3, it definitely set the standard high and makes for really great viewing. Two more series 3 stories remain!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 09:11 PM

Yeah she came onto him in the final scene of Flesh & Stone! Really makes no sense especially as we see how much she loves Rory going forward. Uncomfortable and comes out of nowhere.

The gravity globe I assume made it so they could stand in the Maze of the Dead properly, as the local gravity heads in a different direction? Shooting the gravity globe changed this, and they were instead stood on the ceiling when they jumped. It's not explained all that clearly in the episode and it's my one critique of the plot really, taken me a good few rewatches to understand!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 09:23 PM

Oh so they were using a gravity globe to get through and not stand on the ceiling the entire time???

That just sounds like a deux ex machina plot point to save them when they have no way out at the end.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 09:26 PM

21 Amy’s Choice
Series 5, Episode 7
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

The Doctor arrives to see Amy and Rory, who have settled down in Leadworth for a quiet life. Amy's pregnant and Rory has a ponytail (proving that #longhairdontcare doesn't work for everyone x), and they're happy in their lives. However, things get confusing when they fall asleep and wake up in the TARDIS, travelling with the Doctor as normal. They continue to switch between the two worlds and learn of two threats - the Eknodine in Leadworth, a species of aliens living inside old people, and the TARDIS' systems failing in the other world, causing them to hurtle towards a frozen sun, sending temperatures plummeting. They are antagonised by a being that calls itself the Dream Lord, which tells them they need to pick which world is real. They become conflicted, particularly as the Eknodine close in and temperatures plummet further in their respective worlds. Amy takes the decision into her own hands after Rory is killed by the Eknodine, deciding that the other universe must be real. The Dream Lord admits they were right, and withdraws. The Doctor however has issues with this, and realises that the "real" world isn't real after all, crashing the TARDIS. They wake up in the TARDIS, where the Doctor explains that the Dream Lord would've had no control over the real world, and was a manifestation of his darker side, influenced by psychic pollen that drifted into the TARDIS.

This is a perfect example of where a more experimental Doctor Who episode really pays off. I love the mystery over which reality is actually real, and the Dream Lord made for fascinating watching, helped by Toby Jones' fantastic portrayal. In a standard episode I'd find the Eknodine weak villains but as part of a bigger plot like in this episode, they're utilised pretty well. Karen Gillan puts in a great performance also, particularly after Rory's death (Rory's first death, guys! A momentous occasion). I also didn't think that both worlds would be dream worlds, so I enjoyed that final twist. Incredibly rewatchable and proof that straying from the "norm" can really work in Doctor Who.

Obviously this was such an influential episode as Katy Perry's taken inspiration from the Eknodine for her album cover

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 19th May 2017, 09:26 PM

THE TOP 20

Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Asylum of the Daleks
Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
Blink
Dalek
Father’s Day
Heaven Sent
Human Nature / The Family of Blood
Midnight
Partners in Crime
School Reunion
Silence of the Library / Forest of the Dead
The Day of the Doctor
The Eleventh Hour
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
The Waters of Mars
Turn Left

Any winner predictions? What needs to be out ASAP?

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 09:33 PM

The Girl in the Fireplace
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
Heaven Sent
The Waters of Mars

All TRASH

Ooh so that's what Amy's Choice is - I always skip it on reruns!

It was alright. Nowhere near as good as the Fall of the Byzantium

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 09:33 PM

HA!

Ha ikonek episode!!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 19th May 2017, 09:34 PM

That Smith and Jones episode was crap, as were all of Martha's. Why is it so high???

Radical Martha TROLLS

Posted by: Chez Wombat 19th May 2017, 09:42 PM

I weep for you.

Posted by: Klaus 20th May 2017, 10:47 AM

The Zygon two-parter was really great and is exactly the sort of Doctor Who I love. It really did capture the intense political thriller feel and it was able to tackle relevant issues really well. It felt like a much more strongly handled Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. It was a neat little twist that it was something that had happened many times before.

The Angels two-parter was also brilliantly done and really taking Blink in the opposite direction by producing a big budget story rather than the more intimate Blink. It was perhaps a bit of a get out by using the crack to resolve the story but, on the other hand, I think it did well to really incorporate the long-running arch into the story and the crack added an extra tension to it, through to soldiers being completely erased. There were so many other great ideas within the episode (an image of angel becomes an angel, Amy turning into an angel, having to walk past the angels with eyes shut) that it is definitely one of my favourite stories! I do agree that Amy coming onto the Doctor at the end spoils it a bit as it is so random and out of character.

Smith and Jones would be nowhere near as high for me. Nice little story but nothing special, never really warmed to the Judoon either.

Amy's Choice is such a fantastic story idea. It was done really well through the transitions and the idea that its Rory vs the Doctor's world. It really encapsulated the idea of dreams feeling SO real and it ended up creating two really tense scenarios. A brilliant (if dark!) conclusion too.

A brilliant Top 20 overall!! Would like to see Human Nature/Silence in the Library/School Reunion out next and The Impossible Planet to win!!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 20th May 2017, 02:34 PM

Ooh I'd forgotten The Waters of Mars was still to come! Amazing story!

The Weeping Angels one was good, not as great as the original story though

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 20th May 2017, 07:11 PM

Impossible Planet out NEXT

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 20th May 2017, 07:11 PM

Don't want religion in Doc Who thanks

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 20th May 2017, 07:12 PM

Girl in the Fireplace Masque of the Red Death rip off to go next though actually.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 21st May 2017, 02:06 PM

20 Asylum of the Daleks
Series 7, Episode 1
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams
Also starring: Oswin Oswald

The Doctor and a now divorced Amy and Rory are all individually taken by the Daleks to their Parliament, and are asked to carry out a mission. Below the ship is a planet - the Dalek Asylum, where insane Daleks are sent. A ship crashed into the planet, damaging the forcefield, meaning that the insane Daleks are potentially able to escape. They ask the Doctor to help them deactivate the forcefield entirely so they can remotely destroy the planet. The Doctor agrees having spoken to a woman named Oswin, trapped in the ship that crashed for a year now, making souffles. They are given bracelets to stop them being turned into Dalek puppets by the nanogene cloud, and are beamed down to the planet. The Doctor and Amy land on the planet, with Rory landing separately and falling down a well. They meet a man, Harvey, who was also a survivor from the crashed Alaska ship. He introduces them to the crew, except they're all skeletons. Harvey activates as a Dalek puppet, as do the skeletons, and the Doctor and Amy try to escape. Amy's bracelet is stolen, leaving her susceptible to being converted to a Dalek puppet herself. Rory meanwhile landed in a room full of deactivated Daleks. He tries not to make a sound but trips and one wakes up. Oswin saves him in the nick of time and guides him, much like she guides the Doctor and Amy through the planet. Amy becomes delirious, seeing visions of people when in fact they are Daleks. The Doctor creates an explosion to save them, and they are reunited with Rory. The Doctor guesses that when they deactivate the forcefield, the Daleks will instantly destroy the planet, before they can escape. Oswin agrees to deactivate it but only if the Doctor comes to get her, which he agrees, and they can teleport back to the Parliament after. Rory is left in charge of looking after Amy, and he pours his heart out to her as they reunite. Amy reveals that the Doctor gave her his bracelet, as he didn't need it. The Doctor walks through intensive care - the Daleks that survived meeting him. When he passes them, he meets Oswin - but in a heartbreaking twist, it's revealed she's a Dalek herself, still mentally unaware of her scenario. Ultimately, how could she have got the milk for the souffle? Oswin Dalek urges the Doctor to run, and he leaves with Amy and Rory, teleporting directly into the TARDIS on the Dalek Parliament.

I feel like Asylum of the Daleks is quite overlooked a lot of the time, it's not often I see it being praised among the best New Who episodes but it really is up there for me. Certainly the best Dalek episode of the Moffat era and the one where they're utilised best, even if "every Dalek ever" wasn't quite fulfilled as most old variations were barely visible in the background! The twist of including Jenna Coleman in this episode was amazing, I did a double take when watching this the first time, and when she died at the end, I was incredibly confused but of course very intrigued (shame that plotline got tedious before long). Oswin realising she was a Dalek was heartbreaking and a cruel twist, but made for excellent viewing. The Amy/Rory split felt a bit pointless considering they were back together before long, but it wasn't a hugely important part of the episode anyway I guess. I loved the idea of the Dalek Asylum and it made for some great scenes, particularly when Rory first awoke surrounded by the deactivated Daleks! A great episode to kick off a hit and miss series 7, with plenty of rewatchability, and ultimately it's ended up as the highest episode from its series.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 21st May 2017, 04:44 PM

I mean it's ok...

Posted by: Iz~ 21st May 2017, 04:48 PM

Time Of Angels I liked because of the introduction of clerical soldiers, very early onset Warhammer 40k from that sort of future human stuff. And the angels were still creepy although I wish we didn't have that shot where we could see them moving, they were good in that 2-parter aside from that and from then on it was downhill for them, Angels Take Manhattan had all sorts of plot holes with them moving that took me out of the moment.

Smith and Jones was great, a lovely little introduction to Martha in a fairly low-stakes episode.

And I'd put Amy's Choice very high also, one of the standout episodes from Moffat's era, really enjoyed that, unusually for one of these forced reality things, it came across as very real and threatening.

Asylum Of The Daleks was a similarly good mindtrip.

Posted by: Jacob. 21st May 2017, 05:14 PM

Yeah I didn't like seeing them move, from what I understood from "Blink", they were only stone when they were being observed and could only move when not being watched so seeing them move as the viewer did annoy me, it took away the most scary aspect of the Angels for me, plus the Statue of Liberty was a bit much in "Angels Take Manhattan" (although the image of an Angel = an Angel thing was good) otherwise they were good episodes. If they do come back (and I hope they do), I'd like to see no on camera movement plz thx.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 21st May 2017, 05:19 PM

I quite enjoyed further angels episodes but they never will beat Blink.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 21st May 2017, 06:23 PM

19 Father’s Day
Series 1, Episode 8
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler
Also starring: Jackie Tyler, Pete Tyler

Rose tells the Doctor that she'd like to see her father, who died when she was just a baby. The Doctor takes her to Jackie and Pete's wedding, and she decides that she wants to be there for him when he dies. However, when the Doctor takes her there, Rose freezes and Pete still dies alone after a hit-and-run. They try again, and Rose ignores the Doctor's instructions and saves Pete, fracturing time. Rose is delighted that she's saved her dad but the Doctor is furious, storming off and leaving Rose at her house (albeit 19 years in the past). Rose and Pete head to the wedding of Stuart and Sarah, where they almost crash the car because of.... the hit-and-run driver from earlier! They meet up with Jackie, who accuses Pete of having an affair with a woman whose name is the same as his daughter. The Doctor catches up to her, having realised the TARDIS is nothing more than a phone box right now. They are attacked by a creature called a Reaper, and the Doctor orders Rose and the guests to hide inside the church. The guests take refuge as the Doctor thinks of a way out, using the TARDIS key to bring the TARDIS there. Meanwhile, Pete realises that Rose is in fact his daughter, all grown up, and when trying to explain to Jackie, he puts baby Rose in adult Rose's arms, creating a paradox and allowing a Reaper inside. It consumes the Doctor, trying to heal the wound in time, and knocks the TARDIS key, which transports it away. Rose feels helpless, but Pete realises what he needs to do, having added the clues together. He sees the hit-and-run driver again, stuck in a loop, and he runs out in front of it to save time. Rose rushes to his side as the guests look on in despair, forgetting the events of the day as time is now healed. The Doctor and anyone else consumed is restored, and he heads off with Rose.

This is another episode that I feel is quite overlooked a lot of the time, especially when it's followed up by The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, but I've got a lot of love for this episode. Rose and Pete's relationship is developed well, and the moment he realises that Rose is in fact his daughter is touching, enhanced by Billie's acting as Rose finally gets the chance to meet her dad. I liked the Doctor telling Rose that time can't be changed just like that, obviously a subject that's touched on quite a lot in the show but not in a way that's as close to home for a companion as this. The Reapers are pretty decent threats although if they're meant to be guarding time almost, I wonder why we've not seen them again? Nevertheless, a really heartfelt story, and a necessary one to develop the Doctor and Rose's relationship too.

Posted by: Regina 21st May 2017, 07:50 PM

I found Fathers Day a bit "ehh" preferred Pete in his later appearences.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 21st May 2017, 07:56 PM

Oh, that was an excellent episode!


Really memorable.

My favourite of the Angels episodes is now definitely Fall of the Byzantium. I don't care for Blink too much.

Posted by: Iz~ 21st May 2017, 07:59 PM

I have a bit of a problem with Father's Day in that it's not internally consistent with all the future episodes and so is like a prime example of early weirdness, the show hadn't nailed down how it wanted to deal with paradoxes so we get these demon creatures... destroying the world when you do that sort of thing as opposed to the more sensible and grounded stuff we have about timey wimey (known as 'it just works that way accept it') or fixed points in time (known as 'actually, there are a few rules when we say there are').

But emotionally and character-wise it was good, most compelling I ever found Rose.

Posted by: HarryApa 21st May 2017, 08:01 PM

Father's day is excellent I really like the repears as threats and wish they would come back!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 21st May 2017, 08:02 PM

Fathers Day was excellent for it's emotional core and exploration of Rose's past. It could've done without the dragon things which seemed a bit shoehorned in, but a great episode overall.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 21st May 2017, 08:12 PM

That is true. It now no longer makes sense within their universe.

Omg I've been rewatching season 1 and the production values, such as shaking cameras when they walk around, are so CHEAP and the quality of the cameras so bad

In the later seasons, even outside shots are glossy and well-textured and not like camcorder shots.

Also at Qassandra nearly burning Rose with the power of the sun.

Also, I love the first doctor, but going back ... he's noit as great as I remember He's not conventionally good looking AT ALL, and this is referenced in the show, and his weird, rotten-looking teeth at the front are just :/ I always focus on them now. R.E Ozzy Osbourne's statement about that doctor looking like a Travelling Door Salesman - I didn't understand it at the time, but now I get it!

Now I would probably rank them as:

1. Matt Smith
2. Chris Ecclestein
3. Old Man one
4. Tennant

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th May 2017, 05:18 PM

18 The Waters of Mars
2009 November Special
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Adelaide Brooke

First of all, apologies for the delay, not really been in much of a mood to write these commentaries the past couple of days. Let's get things going again!

The Doctor lands the TARDIS on Mars in 2059, and finds Bowie Base One, the first human colony on the planet. He meets Adelaide Brooke and her team, and is instantly concerned as he's previously read that every team member died after a nuclear blast and never returned to Earth. He, tries to leave, knowing it's a fixed point in time, but is distracted when Adelaide is unable to contact crew members in the biodome. They find two members - Andy and Tarak - have been infected by what seems like a water-based virus, and are chased back to the main base. Meanwhile, another infected crew member, Maggie, is put into quarantine. The Doctor and Adelaide figure out that the virus wants to get to Earth and infect the water there, taking over the planet. As the rest of the crew hadn't been infected, she actives an emergency program and they begin to prepare a rocket to return home. The Doctor attempts to leave again but Adelaide stops him, and demands to know what he knows. He regretfully informs her of her upcoming fate. Water begins to seep through the building courtesy of Andy and Tarak, and Maggie escapes, heading to the rocket. More crew members become infected and the Doctor continues to walk away, but after second-in-command Ed self-destructs the rocket after it is infected by Maggie, the Doctor returns to help Adelaide and the two remaining crew members Yuri and Mia. He used the base's robot, Gadget, to bring the TARDIS to them, and he saved the three of them, taking them back to Earth. Mia runs off, horrified, and Yuri follows her. Adelaide is disgusted as the Doctor becomes too big for his boots, knowing that her death inspires her granddaughter to become an astronaut. She kills herself once she's home, and restores the future to how it should be. The Doctor realises he's gone too far, and sees a vision of Ood Sigma, summoning him.

This is one of the scariest stories of New Who for sure. The concept of a water-based creature is really eerie and as the Doctor said, "water always wins", giving us a really interesting and terrifying threat. Lindsay Duncan is the star of this episode as one-off companion Adelaide, and this is demonstrated primarily in the final scene on Earth. The Doctor becomes incredibly arrogant and unlikeable, and instead of going along with him, Adelaide puts the Doctor in his place before the heartbreaking gunshot - quite a brave move for Saturday night pre-watershed TV actually. The whole story is told really well in fact, and with a lot of tension throughout. Not hard to see why this is a huge fan favourite of the new series!

Posted by: Slick 24th May 2017, 05:27 PM

Some very strong episodes coming through now. The Zygon Invasion/Inversion, Asylum of the Daleks and The Waters of Mars all amongst the strongest from their respective series imo.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 24th May 2017, 06:42 PM

17 Silence of the Library / Forest of the Dead
Series 4, Episodes 8 and 9
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble
Also starring: River Song

The episode opens with a little girl speaking to Dr. Moon, after she explains that she can see a place called the Library when she closes her eyes. She worries that someone's breaking in, and sees the Doctor and Donna bash through a door! We then see the episode from the Doctor's point of view, as they're summoned to a planet known as the Library, expecting it to be heaving with life, but find that there's no-one around. They speak to a Node - a statue with a human face - but find little information beyond an SOS call sent. The computer systems say "4022 people saved. No survivors", which confuses the duo, but they find there's more going on when they find themselves on the run from shadows. Eventually breaking through a locked door, we see the opening scene again, but the little girl is shown to be a security camera in the world of the Library. They're joined by a group of explorers, fronted by Mr. Lux, and including archaeologist Professor River Song, who seems to know the Doctor. She learns that the Doctor hasn't met her yet, and tells him that she's someone he'll trust in the future but doesn't divulge any further information (spoilers!). Together, the group learn that the Library seems to be controlled by a little girl, who speaks to the Doctor through the TV in her living room. Meanwhile, one of the group, Miss Evangelista, walks off after being ignored by the group, and after the group hear a scream, they find her skeleton and her communicator device, which bears her consciousness for a small period of time afterwards. The Doctor identifies the threat as Vashta Nerada - creatures that are ultimately shadows but can devour flesh at a very fast speed. When the Doctor notices that "Proper" Dave has two shadows, he's eaten from within his suit and the Vashta Nerada take control, chasing the group, but not before Donna's transported back to the TARDIS. As the group become cornered, the Doctor sees that Donna has become a Node, and isn't in the TARDIS after all.

River uses a squareness gun to help them escape from the Vashta Nerada, and when they manage to find somewhere safe briefly, Lux explains that the Library was constructed by his grandfather for his aunt - Charlotte Abigal Lux, or CAL for short, and a giant computer was constructed to keep her mind alive in a virtual world among many other people - all of those "saved". Donna wakes up in this world, in a hospital where she's tended to by Dr. Moon, and meets a man called Lee. Time moves quicker in this world, and before long, Donna is married to Lee and living at home. Meanwhile, the Doctor is investigating the Library's moon, the "Doctor Moon" as it's installed with a virus checker, and briefly sees Donna for a moment. Likewise, Donna sees the Doctor, and briefly remembers her old life, but Dr. Moon assures her she saw nothing. Anita notices she has two shadows, and the Doctor tints her visor, hoping to trick the Vashta Nerada into thinking they're already inside the suit, and they head to the core of the Library to figure out why Donna was taken. Donna herself is visited by Miss Evangelista in a playground, where her kids are playing. Miss Evangelista shows her that every kid in the world is identical - every boy and every girl, and also that her face is disfigured after her upload was trickier. Donna begins to realise that the world isn't real, and panics after her kids vanish. The Doctor learns that the Vashta Nerada come from the Library and didn't invade, with the books being made from the forests from their home planet. The Vashta Nerada creatures agree to the Doctor being allowed to save everyone on the computer, and give him one day. He, River and Lux, the only surviving explorers, meet CAL - the face of the young girl from earlier on a Node. The Doctor prepares to sacrifice himself to bring everyone else back, but knowing they have many adventures left from his perspective, River sacrifices herself instead after handcuffing him. Everyone is downloaded, and Donna is pulled away from Lee. She reunites with the Doctor, having tried to find Lee, but she actually just misses him by a few seconds. The Doctor has a brainwave to save River, by downloading her to the virtual world, where she lives out the rest of her life alongside Anita, Miss Evangelisa, Proper Dave and Other Dave.

Moffat delivered four spectacular stories during the RTD era, and unfortunately, one of them had to be the lowest of the four. This story takes that title, but it's thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. The episode presents a lot of mystery, particularly surrounding the little girl, and it's developed really well throughout. The Vashta Nerada are a fantastic concept and are pretty scary too. I've always loved River, and she's excellent from her very first appearance. The Donna subplot is heartbreaking, as she realises the life she's built isn't real in the end and the scene of Lee struggling to pronounce her name at the end is particularly upsetting. Another star of the episode was Miss Evangelista. I sympathised with her quite a bit at the start despite a lack of intelligence but she ended up as a very tragic character, and her deformed face in part 2 was terrifying. Such a well-crafted story with both a great threat and plenty of heartfelt character moments.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 24th May 2017, 07:38 PM

No... Two of my favourites both out at the same time!

The Waters of Mars was a VERY good one, definitely an interesting ending where she kills herself.

OY, WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS! Silence in the Library is the only one I remember people talking about in primary school, about how when Donna blinked and her children disappeared Possibly my favorite ever show!

Posted by: Slick 24th May 2017, 08:11 PM

YES! The Silence of the Library two-parter is stunning - so memorable, really threatening villain, Donna is amazing and of course it gave us the wonderful River. One (or two) of my absolute faves.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 24th May 2017, 08:13 PM

The Library story should be much higher. I love every second of it. River is all.

Waters of Mars was also wonderful.

Posted by: HarryApa 24th May 2017, 08:21 PM

I am SHOOK at Silence In The Libary/Forest Of The Dead Being so low

Posted by: Iz~ 24th May 2017, 08:35 PM

Two of the best episodes of the revived series there, exemplary shows with the theme of genuinely scary monsters forces of nature hunting down named characters to the last man, and particularly The Waters Of Mars held a strong message in the end, I loved the idea of the Timelord Victorious, gave a really cool anti-hero theme to the series for a bit.

And I loved the visuals of the library planet, out of all fictional planets, that's one I wish was real.

Posted by: dandy* 24th May 2017, 09:03 PM

LOVE both of those. I can't recall everything but I'd be surprised if there are really that many episodes better than the library one. Great setting, intriguing plot, great characters and an enemy that was both horrifyingly scary whilst being so wonderfully simple that you could imagine it in your own home.

Posted by: Klaus 24th May 2017, 09:37 PM

omg I mean the Library episodes ARE great but they're not as good as y'all are saying!! I agree wth Joseph that it is the ''worst'' of Moffatts RTD era episodes and I would probably even have it a bit lower! Never really FULLY warmed to it and I've never been able to put my finger on why. Still obviously a lot of really fantastic and interesting elements though! Of course River Song was a really interesting character to introduce and the concept of the monster was also really chilling and a really simple and effective idea! The whole computer world was a cool idea too and was able to coexist really well with the main storyline, especially when Donna ends up in there!

One thing that I can say bugged me though is that I remember they said 'oh you will NEVER be able to guess how they get out of that cliffhanger' but it is the only cliffhanger that I have been able to correctly guess the resolution.

(will share my thoughts on the other episodes tomorrow!)

Posted by: Chez Wombat 24th May 2017, 09:47 PM

Yeah, the Library two-parter is one of the very best of Nu-Who. Incredible tension, a strong supporting cast and terrifying and tragic at the same time, not a second of it feels like filler which is very rare for any TV episode! Moffat was SO good with his episodes in the RTD era, such a shame that as the main writer, it wasn't quite as up to scratch.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 25th May 2017, 02:22 AM

Oh, Silence of the Library/ Forest DEFINITELY deserve to be high/ maybe even higher!

Waters of Mars is absolutely THROWAWAY however. Pffrt.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 25th May 2017, 02:40 AM

Also, Impossible Planet Religious Who that makes NO SENSE!!!! should be OUT NOW!!!!!!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th May 2017, 01:00 PM

16 Dalek
Series 1, Episode 6
Doctor: Ninth
Companion: Rose Tyler, Adam Mitchell

After receiving a distress call, the TARDIS lands in an underground museum in Utah in 2012. There, the Doctor and Rose meet Henry Van Statten, the owner of the collection, a man with a very high opinion of himself and very little worry for anyone else. Van Statten shows the Doctor to the main exhibit - a living creature, tortured until it talks, known only as the Metaltron. The Doctor goes into the chamber and speaks to it, realising in horror that it's actually a Dalek, the race the Time Lords fought against in the Time War. The Doctor is about to "exterminate" the Dalek itself but Van Statten orders his removal, and prepares him for examination himself after learning he's also alien. Meanwhile, Rose meets Adam, a young English technician. He takes her to see the Dalek after she sees it being tortured, and unwittingly sets it free after sympathetically placing her hand on its head. The Dalek awakens, and begins to pursue Rose and Adam through the building. The Doctor helps guide them through, as Van Statten orders all of his soldiers to fight against it. However, the Dalek is unaffected by firepower, and picks off the soldiers one by one, even failing in an attempt to be electrocuted. The Doctor prepares to close a bulkhead, which would seal the Dalek in one section of the building, but Rose ends up trapped too after she wasn't fast enough. Fearing she's dead, the Doctor becomes furious at Van Statten, who shows little remorse. However, the Dalek is unable to kill Rose, having absorbed her DNA to reawaken itself, and demands to see Van Statten. After being unable to kill him too, the Dalek questions its existence. The Doctor prepares to kill it himself, but Rose is disgusted by his actions and after the Dalek begs Rose to order it to die, she gives the command. Van Statten is thrown out following all of the deaths and his assistant Diana Goddard takes over his role.

The first Dalek episode of the revived series had to be a good'un, and it certainly lived up to expectations. The iconic villains may have been represented by only a single Dalek, but I actually think this made them more terrifying than they have at almost any other point in the new series. One Dalek, killing everything in sight as it makes its way to ground level and to the rest of the world is a great concept and a fantastic re-introduction to the iconic race. The episode also features some of Christopher Eccleston's best acting, as he meets one survivor of the race that wiped out his people. The scene in the Metaltron chamber when he first comes face to face with the Dalek was beautifully acted, with pure horror on the Doctor's face. I also loved the conversation in the warehouse, after it had electrocuted the technicians and soldiers - the "you would make a good Dalek" line is very cutting. Van Statten was a perfect "love to hate" character too, and it's good to see that karma came back at him at the end.

Posted by: Klaus 25th May 2017, 01:13 PM

Dalek really was a great way of reintroducing the villains. Having just one Dalek showed how dangerous they were which helped to set them up to be the big threat that they're seen to be, particularly for the Series 1 finale!

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 25th May 2017, 01:18 PM

15 The Eleventh Hour
Series 5, Episode 1
Doctor: Eleventh
Companion: Amy Pond
Also starring: Rory Williams

Having just regenerated, the Doctor struggles to pilot the TARDIS, almost crashing into Big Ben. It crash lands in the back garden of a young girl called Amelia Pond, a girl who simply wants the crack on her bedroom wall fixed after she hears voices from it. The Doctor, getting used to his new body, demands some food (settling on fish custard, like you do), before examining the crack. He uses the sonic screwdriver to open it, and he sees a giant eye, looking for Prisoner Zero. He heads back to the TARDIS, promising to arrive back in five minutes once he's landed it properly, but arrives back 12 years later and meets grown up Amelia, now known as Amy, dressed as a policewoman. The Doctor points out a room in Amy's house that she's never noticed before, and she investigates, coming face to face with a creature called Prisoner Zero. It then takes the form of a man and a dog, but the Doctor and Amy manage to escape after the Atraxi (aka the giant eyes) arrive at the house. They head into the village of Leadworth, where they realise the Atraxi are taking over the Earth's frequencies to seek out Prisoner Zero and will incinerate the entire planet if they do not track it down. They meet Rory, Amy's boyfriend, who works at the hospital. He's taking a picture of the man and dog, because the man is actually in bed at the hospital, in a coma. Amy and Rory head to the hospital, while the Doctor and Amy's friend Jeff work together on a plan. The Doctor comes face to face with Prisoner Zero at the hospital, and reveals that a virus has been sent worldwide to display the number 0, notifying the Atraxi of Prisoner Zero's presence, and is linked to the images of the coma patients on Rory's phone. It takes a new form, knocking Amy out and posing as young Amelia and the "Raggedy Doctor". Amy uses her subconscious to transform Prisoner Zero into the image of itself that she saw at her house, and the Atraxi capture it. However, the Doctor, now picking an outfit for himself, is angry at the Atraxi and calls them back, warning them away from threatening a level 5 planet. After, the Doctor takes off in the TARDIS once again, arriving back 2 years later, once again taking much longer than he intended. Amy still accepts his invitation to travel in time, however.

The Eleventh Hour had a lot to prove, with a new team behind the scenes as well as a new Doctor and a new companion, certainly the biggest changeover of the new series so far. Matt Smith settles into the role of the Doctor with ease, perfecting all of his quirky qualities from the very beginning what with scenes like "fish custard". Karen Gillan is also great as Amy, instantly likeable for me. The plot isn't one of Moffat's absolute best but I think it's a high quality nonetheless, particularly considering the amount of groundwork that needs to be laid, and it works perfectly as an introduction to the series. High expectations and I think it delivered on pretty much every front.

Posted by: 777666jason 25th May 2017, 01:38 PM

Carefully Joseph looks like you might have started a riot ranking SOTL/FOTD so low

Dalek was fantastic it really showed how dangerous and terrifying they were until they were pretty much watered down due to returning too often

11th hour was amazing first time I fell in love with a doctor in their first episode since rose every doctor has been the right choice just the first time I knew instantly this is the doctor still doesn't top ecclestone as my favorite though to me though Amelia would have been a better companion but I guess they couldn't have an actual child as a companion

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 25th May 2017, 05:13 PM

The Eleventh Hour was quite good but I wouldn't rank it over the previous three episodes in the countdown.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 28th May 2017, 03:29 PM

14 Midnight
Series 4, Episode 10
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble
Also starring: Rose Tyler

With Donna relaxing in the nearby resort, the Doctor boards a shuttle across the planet Midnight to visit a waterfall made of sapphires. The planet's surface is covered with lethal radiation from the xtonic star it orbits, and the shuttle is therefore boarded up entirely. Also on board the shuttle are the Hostess, Professor Hobbs and his assistant Dee Dee, family Biff, Val and Jethro Cane, driver Joe, mechanic Claude and the quiet Sky Silvestry. After the Doctor disables the overbearing "entertainment" facilities, he begins to talk to the passengers, but they're disturbed when it stops unannounced. The Doctor speaks to driver Joe who says the engines are operating fine but won't move. After the Doctor returns, they hear a knocking on the outside of the shuttle, terrifying the passengers but in particular Sky. The shuttle is seemingly attacked, with the cockpit ripped off (killing Joe and Claude). The Doctor speaks to Sky afterwards, seemingly possessed by something. She repeats everyone's words, despite the Doctor's attempts to throw her off. The passengers suggest throwing her out, but the Doctor is horrified at the suggestion. Sky begins speaking at the same time as everyone, and ultimately focusing on the Doctor alone, causing the likes of Val to suggest that he's in cahoots with Sky. However, the trouble really begins when she speaks before the Doctor, leading the others to think she'd passed whatever it was onto him and had become free. Just as they were about to throw the Doctor out, the Hostess notices that Sky uses certain phrases she heard the Doctor use at the beginning of the trip, and she chucks Sky out, sacrificing herself too. The Doctor is set free, and they await the rescue capsule in silence.

This episode is a prime example of where a low budget doesn't have to hinder an episode. We don't even see a monster or find out what it was, but at no point does this affect the plot and in fact I'd say it works to its strength. The supporting cast are superb, all of them are developed individually, from the loud, overbearing Val, to the intelligent but spineless Professor Hobbs and the annoying but ultimately heroic Hostess. The confined space allows for a stronger sense of terror, as they are ultimately trapped in this one room with no escape until the rescue capsule arrives. It was a small touch but the scene near the end where the Doctor asks if anyone knew the Hostess' name was brilliant, as was his reunion with Donna, obviously scarred by the events. A brilliant experimental episode, one that could've been boring and tedious but was actually genius.

Posted by: Iz~ 28th May 2017, 03:39 PM

Midnight's a work of art. Quite a lot of the time the low budget and character driven episodes are excellent, it focuses on telling the story and making you care about everyone involved in the situation, and despite all the alien trappings, it's realistic and something you could experience, getting trapped somewhere with a load of strangers. Planet Of The Dead felt like an attempt to replicate this episode a little but suffered from making the scale bigger and the threat less present.

Posted by: Chez Wombat 28th May 2017, 04:32 PM

Yesss, a serious contender for my favourite ever episode Really quite defines that less can sometimes be more. That monster was utterly terrifying despite not knowing anything about it or even what it looks like and you don't get many where the Doctor was almost utterly powerless against it! The supporting cast worked very well as well and managed not to be two-dimensional, a subtle study on human nature and morality in a crisis situation like that. I can't praise it enough srsly, they don't make them like that anymore (as an aside, Silence in the Library up until Turn Left surely has to be one of the best runs of episodes in the show's history).

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 28th May 2017, 04:55 PM

Didn't watch that one as it looked utter TURD.

I heard the monster might be the same as the one that knocked on Danny Pink's spaceship door.

Posted by: Klaus 28th May 2017, 05:09 PM

Well, once again, you're WRONG!

Absolutely brilliant episode that really creeped me out. The setting helped it to be really claustrophobic and it was great to see the characters start to go against each other due to the situation. Really shows how effective a low-budget episode can be, and that they can be the best the show has to offer!

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 28th May 2017, 05:17 PM

To spewd it up when it was fighing a whole platoon, as it had one laser beam per person at a time, they made it electrocute them through their rubber roots ahaha.

Midnight and Eleventh Hour should be MUCH lower.

Posted by: HarryApa 28th May 2017, 06:26 PM

Midnight is AMAZING Defo in my personal top 10 just thrilling to watch and nothing like Doctor Who typically is.

Posted by: lewistgreen 29th May 2017, 07:15 AM

Someone at DigitalSpy must have clocked this as they have done their own http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/feature/g24659/doctor-who-episodes-ranked/

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 29th May 2017, 07:43 AM

'Not as bad as people suggest' - uh yes it is. And more! Absolutey terrible. Stll, if they're gonna copy Joseph, the least they could do is not copy his stances on he episodes too!!

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 29th May 2017, 08:54 AM

Much prefer Joseph's countdown tbh. He placed the Library episodes low but not ridiculously low.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 29th May 2017, 08:55 AM

The Eleventh Hour was alright, obviously I remember it bc it was the first Matt Smith episode but if it wasn't I'd probably have forgotten it.

Midnight was AMAZING though, such a tense episode, my dad goes on about it all the time still

Posted by: Dexton 29th May 2017, 10:10 AM

Midnight was great, but Turn Left is by far the greater of the two solo episodes. I like the characters and the tension brought by the unseen threat but what I really love about this episode was the fact that it gave Donna one last chance to chill out and relax on an alien planet before the heartbreaking next 3 episodes.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 29th May 2017, 10:25 AM

Turn Left is good and very interesting, except from humans gettng unauthorised access to the Tardis and the cheapo nasty plastic bug frm Wilkinson's.

Posted by: Klaus 29th May 2017, 11:16 AM

recapping some that I missed:

Asylum of the Daleks is definitely the best Dalek episode of the Moffatt era and one of the best episodes overall! The production is incredible and it contains some genuinely scary moments, especially with Rory alone. The human Dalek puppets were a good idea, especially better than the previous human Daleks that we'd seen! The added twist of Clara was also completely shock-worthy, especially with the extra twist that she was a Dalek! The Amy & Rory split was completely unnecessary though.

Fathers Day was a good exploration of both Rose's character and what a person might do with time travel. The reapers were a good idea but it would limit future storylines if they kept appearing everytime a paradox might be created

The Waters of Mars is absolutely incredible, I love everything about it! I love the idea that it is a major event in the future (along the same lines as say the Titanic sinking) but that allows the story to play around with it without it seeming ridiculous. It really helps to further explore the character of the Doctor and his battle between getting/not getting involved. The monsters are a brilliant invention and help make the story so tense in that water can easily spread anywhere and everywhere, bringing that extra dimension to the base under seige story. The final 15 minutes is superb, especially with Adelaide's speech (The Time Lord Victorious is wrong <3)

Whilst the alien threat is weak (and the episode COMPLETELY wastes Olivia Colman) The Eleventh Hour is a really strong episode in rebooting the series. It is an incredibly brave thing to continue the series without ANY characters who had appeared in the previous few series (although River Song would of course appear later on) and, like Rose, the brilliant writing helped the series to continue once again. The scenes with Amelia were great and it helps to set up Amy's character and sets up a sort of beautifully magic aspect for the series. It is a testament to both Matt & Karen as well as Moffatt himself.

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 29th May 2017, 12:02 PM

I stopped reading when I saw Partners in Crime so low

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 29th May 2017, 01:38 PM

13 Partners in Crime
Series 4, Episode 1
Doctor: Tenth
Companion: Donna Noble
Also starring: Sylvia Noble, Wilfred Mott, Rose Tyler

Speak of the devil

The Doctor and Donna both investigate Adipose Industries, a company selling weight loss pills fronted by Miss Foster. Donna begins working as a temp while the Doctor uses his psychic paper to get in. Both follow the same leads, narrowly missing each other as they visit a client each to learn more. Donna visits Stacey Campbell, a woman who's preparing to go on a night out, and she couldn't be happier with the effect of the pills. However, with a pendant she's picked up, Donna unwittingly causes the pills to activate in Stacey, and she witnesses what they really do - create tiny little creatures of fat. Once she's seen the creature, the pills are fully activated by Miss Foster and Stacey is killed as her body turns into many of the little creatures. The Doctor meanwhile visits Roger Davie, a man more sceptical of the pills after he gets woken up at 1:30am when the burglar alarm goes off - by which point, he'd lost exactly 1kg. Donna returns home after Stacey's disappearance, to a whining Sylvia, and joins grandad Wilf "up the hill", where she has a heart to heart with him, telling him she wants to find "a man", referring to the Doctor specifically. The next day, Donna is almost captured by Miss Foster, who was actually on the lookout for journalist Penny Carter instead. She follows them up to Miss Foster's office, as does the Doctor who takes the more scenic route using the window cleaning lift. Donna and the Doctor finally meet, communicating to each other using mime. When Miss Foster notices them both, they both escape, and Donna meets the Doctor on the roof. They descend in the lift, but Miss Foster uses her sonic pen to snap one of the cables, leaving Donna dangling. The Doctor climbs in through a window and helps Donna in through one of the lower windows, also helping Penny escape..... before being captured again :') The reunited duo come face to face with Miss Foster in the offices, who explains that her real name is Matron Cofelia, a nanny of sorts. The Doctor and Donna head to stop the plan, but Miss Foster activates the Adipose, as Sylvia notices on her night out with friends. The Doctor and Donna manage to stop it using the pendants, but with so many Adipose born already, Miss Foster sends them up to the newly arrived nursery ship, along with herself. However, ignoring the Doctor's warnings, she plummets to her death as the Adiposian First Family are aware that their actions were illegal. Donna invites herself in the TARDIS, with the Doctor being wary after the events with Martha. He accepts however, and takes her to wave goodbye to Wilf on the hill.

Partners in Crime may not be as "deep" as a lot of the episodes surrounding it, but this is what works to its advantage for me. It's an incredibly fun opening episode, with lots of laughter and comedy moments with a pretty decent plot, if not one of the biggest threats the show has seen. The Adipose are incredibly cute and I kinda like the idea of them not being vicious, angry creatures like you'd stereotypically expect - it's not their fault that humans are being turned into them! The mime scene between the Doctor and Donna is one of my favourites of the new series, never fails to raise a smile, and Rose's re-appearance was a huge surprise at the time, I loved it. Shoutout also to Donna and Wilf's scene on the hill, incredibly heartwarming and just one of the many reasons why both Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins are exceptional in the show. A really fun start to series 4 with endless rewatchability, which sees it to perhaps a surprise high position.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 29th May 2017, 02:50 PM

Partners in Crime - the first Doctor Who episode I ever watched! That girl being turned int the Adipose was indeed scary, and I'd forgotten about the Adipose being beamed up until now! Did we ever get to see what they looked like in adult form?

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 29th May 2017, 02:50 PM

I have made it to series 4 and I just love Donna as a companion. I think Bill has made it to my second favourite of the new series but I'm not sure anyone will top Donna.

I do ironically love Mel from the Colin Baker/Sylvester McCoy days. #bonnielangfordscreaming

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 29th May 2017, 02:59 PM

Wrong. Rose is better.

I love that episode - ridiculous, but it works!

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 29th May 2017, 03:09 PM

I liked Rose in Series 1, enjoyed her bouncing off Eccleston. Controversially, I didn't enjoy her with Tennant. She always seemed overly smug in series 2 and I think that's why I think the series the weakest of RTD. She was put on way too high a pedestal in Series 3 and then was good for nothing but foreshadowing in Series 4.

Donna was interesting and funny all the way through and bounced of Tennant much better. I even preferred Martha with Tennant (having just watched Series 3, she gets way too much stick)

Posted by: Brett-Butler 29th May 2017, 03:14 PM

Partners in Crime was the moment I really warmed to Donna as a companion. She was okay as a one-off companion, but when I heard she was going to be a full-time companion I wasn't convinced as a) I was worried that having Catherine Tate as full time companion would turn the series into a farce, and in a more directly comedic direction that I wasn't on board with, and b) I didn't think that the character of Donna could be likable over the course of a series. Luckily, Partners In Crime proved me wrong, as although it did add a lot more comedy than before (the episode includes two of my favourite "comedic" moments in Who - the mimed conversation, and Donna misunderstanding what The Doctor meant when he said he wanted a "mate"), Donna really grew on me as a character, and one of the key moments in the episode is Donna realising how much The Doctor had changed since she last saw him when he allows the Adipose children to return. Donna's definitely my favourite of the New Who companions as well, just goes to show that there's much joy in being wrong.

Posted by: Yeasty Clutch 29th May 2017, 03:15 PM

Series 2 is weakesr as Tennant is awful.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 29th May 2017, 03:26 PM

I was also not sure about Catherine Tate at first. Same reasons as you, Chez, but also because I knew she would only commit to 1 series. I was proved wrong for most of it, but if you're going to have only 1 series, at least it was an amazing one.

As for Michael's thoughts, I should just dismiss them as he does with anyone else's views.

Posted by: Chez Wombat 29th May 2017, 05:56 PM

I think you mean Brett

Though while I'm here, I did rewatch Series 4 recently though and she certainly wasn't as bad as I remember and made some good funnies and was excellent in Turn Left and the Library two parter, still not a huge fan though, the 'time lord' version in Journey's End was just...no. Rose did get a tad too clingy in S2 onwards but she's still my favourite, Martha is as I remember her - competent and refreshingly normal, but just not very memorable coming in between Rose and Donna.

The DS rank have a pretty spot on top 10, but the S1 finale and the Library two parter's placings are ridiculous.

Posted by: T Boy in Weeyals 29th May 2017, 06:08 PM

Yes I did mean Brett! Doing this on my phone so I couldn't see the username in the frame and I thought it was you!