107 The Next Doctor

2008 Christmas Special

Doctor: 10th

Companion: Jackson Lake, Rosita Farisi

First aired: 25th December 2008

Writer: Russell T Davies

At the end of an episode which contained a surprise regeneration from David Tennant into... David Tennant, we found out 2008's Christmas special was called The Next Doctor. Russell T Davies was trolling us big time in 2008! Of course, David Morrissey didn't turn out to be an actual Doctor, but instead a man called Jackson Lake, who had stumbled upon one of the Cybermen's infostamps about the Doctor soon after seeing his wife killed and his son abducted. It's moments like this that make this episode worthwhile, because it touches on the impacts of PTSD and grief nicely. David Morrissey and Velile Tshabalala make for great one-off companions and there's some good comedy in there, especially near the start when the Doctor and Jackson Lake's "Doctor" are fighting off the Cybershade... badly! I don't like the giant CyberKing or how the episode is resolved, it ends up being something of an anti-climax in the end unfortunately, but the Cybermen feel worthwhile for the scene of them attacking funeral-goers in the snow alone, the imagery of Miss Hartigan's red dress amongst the white snow and black suits is some of the best I've seen in the show! Not a perfect episode by any means but one with a lot of heart, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to on my rewatch.

106 A Town Called Mercy

Series 7 Episode 3

Doctor: 11th

Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

First aired: 15th September 2012

Writer: Toby Whithouse

To put things into perspective, we're now at episodes I'd given a 7.5/10 rating to - 106 stories achieved that! If an episode you enjoy drops out, don't despair because I also enjoy it too, I just enjoy others more. A Town Called Mercy departs at just the right time in that sense, because I think it's a perfectly good episode, it doesn't do anything wrong, I just like other episodes more than it. The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive at an American town called, well, Mercy, in a Wild West-style episode involving the Gunslinger, a threatening disfigured soldier who lurks outside the town. The backstory between the Gunslinger and Kahler-Jex is explained really well and I love that we can see the Doctor's gut reaction to learning the truth of Jex's experiments, as well as a reality check from Amy. I think Isaac's death felt a little exaggerated so that the Doctor could become the marshal, but as a one-off, it embraces the western theme pretty well and Adrian Scarborough gives a great performance that almost makes me forget he's Dreamboat Charlie from Miranda x

TND that week long troll job from Russel 🤣🤣 makes you wonder will we ver have a modern series doctor actually regenerate miseries, the actual episode was a fun romp after so much going on in series 4, think it also planted seed for future incarnations meeting unknown incarnations. Was making Miss partisan the cyberking instead of an actual cyberking a but of a cop out possibly, I feel the message he was going for was a little lost, favourite character was Rosita shame we never got to see more of her or her and Jackson Lake, perfectly filled the christmas slot but obviously more important story was coming as we had already been told David was leaving

ATCM definitely one of the better episodes in series 7 part A vast improvement on Dinosaurs the week before, the western them was done very effectively, was nice to see Amy give the doctor one more reality check shows the sort of doctor companion relationship in which they had, I think Issacs death would of been more impactful and less over exaggerated if we learnt a little more about him maybe given an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the episode,

Actually surprised ATCM is this high, given some of the other placements for stories. Its funnily one of the few Smith stories I struggle with at times as the pacing is fairly slow in places. Still a good story though and Adrian Scarborough does give a great performance as Kahler-Jex. I would say though (for me) its by far the weakest of the 7A series.

I'm also amazed Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks is so high. Its like bottom 10 for me

Edited September 10Sep 10 by ElectroBoy

105 It Takes You Away

Series 11 Episode 9

Doctor: 13th

Companion: Yasmin Khan, Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair

Also featuring: Grace O'Brien

First aired: 2nd December 2018

Writer: Ed Hime

The penultimate episode of Jodie Whittaker's first series was a curious one in a few different ways. The TARDIS lands in Norway and the Doctor and her companions find themselves at a cabin, occupied only by Hanne, a young blind girl abandoned by her father. The setting of the Norwegian countryside is stunning and really adds to the tension as everyone believes there's a creature lurking nearby. This of course turns out to be just a recording, and the real action lies through a mirror which doesn't reflect your image. The scenes in the Antizone are quite a shift in tone, but also interesting in their own right and could have been a story in its own right as I don't think it got enough development! The other side of the Antizone was the Solitract, effectively a sentient universe, where Hanne's dad was living with a version of his deceased wife. This was another unique and interesting idea, and I love that Graham got to confront his grief more, although I feel it was brushed over for Ryan once again who didn't seem to care much about Grace's passing after the first episode. It also presents an interesting trait in Erik, Hanne's dad, who has chosen to live with a version of his wife over his own daughter... one of the worst parents in the show's history!! The Solitract becoming a frog on a chair is... quirky and VERY Doctor Who, if entirely stupid but I can get behind it! I think there's so many unique ideas in this episode and that's what makes it appeal to me, though I think there are a number of ideas that could've seen further development on their own.

104 The Power of Three

Series 7 Episode 4

Doctor: 11th

Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Also featuring: Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Brian Williams

First aired: 22nd September 2012

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Ah, this episode is a frustrating one. Yet, it's one I have a lot of time for. Truly, if the final quarter of the episode was as good as the rest, this episode would be significantly higher! The Doctor spends time living with Amy and Rory when small black cubes are scattered all around Earth overnight, keen to find out what they were and who put them there. It's an intriguing concept, and I love how realistic the episode feels - I could totally imagine humans just adapting to the cubes being a part of their lives and having one as a paperweight etc The Doctor having to live on Earth without travelling in the TARDIS is a fun concept too, and his failure to do that is hilarious, including taking Amy and Rory on trips in between. In turn, that allows Brian to be a star in this episode, with more breathing space than Dinosaurs on a Spaceship allowed for. Also love the reintroduction of UNIT and the presence of Kate in this episode, as well as the conversation between the Doctor and Amy about the inevitability of her and Rory stopping their travels in the TARDIS. Unfortunately, everything collapses once the action shifts to the spaceship, accessed through a portal at the hospital Rory works at (conveniently x). I know the conclusion was allegedly ruined by Steven Berkoff, who played the hologram of the Shakri. His behaviour on set was apparently very poor and the episode effectively consists of what they could cobble together from what they filmed with him (the Shakri wasn't supposed to be a hologram, I'm sure I read). The result of this is a weak conclusion with a forgettable villain, and the episode unfortunately just doesn't manage to tie itself together despite a really intriguing concept. I've got a soft spot for it nonetheless but it could and should have been so much better.

Id say The Witchfinders and Twice Upon A Time are neither essential but enjoyable experienxes!

The Next Doctor and A Town Called Mercy are underrated imo! Fun eps! The only issue i have with the former is that the cyberman are so easily defeated and tbeir stuff is the worst part of it all.

It takes you away is a ep i have mixed feelings about, great explaration of grief but as a threat...not really there.

The power ot three is great...until the ending but cant fault them on that because the guest actor not wabtinf to play ball!

This sums the ep up:

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS - More Season 7 filler ayyy, not much I can recall about this, certainly wasn't as interesting as an episode focusing on TARDIS lore should've been.

The Witchfinders - One of the better episodes this season just because with a female doctor, this is something that you can explore very well, and while the execution wasn't perfect (could've been great with a different showrunner) in the ending, it was still quite enjoyable. Alan Cumming is particularly amusing in his role.

Twice Upon a Time - This wasn't quite as strong as the precending two parter, and had the usual Moffat problem of the finales being quite overstuffed in the climax, and while David Bradley as the first Doctor is a masterstroke of casting, a bit too much is played on the sexist part (was One even particularly sexist? I've not seen enough of the original series to comment but I gathered that was more Three's thing x)

The Next Doctor - I don't remember much about this one apart from the tease (which was a bit pointless as it was obvious Tennant wasn't leaving just yet) I did prefer it to Planet of the Dead and David Morrisey is always good, but Kaiju Cybermen is just really silly and there was only one of those 2009 specials that was truly something.

A Town Called Mercy - A bit of a mixed one, I think the Wild West element, while fun, is a little throwaway. I do however think it does handle a harsh. merciless Doctor much better than the predecessor (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) did, full credit to the cast but not the most memorable episode.

It Takes You Away - Again, a mixed bag, though I do think I've grown to appreciate it a bit more as a more mature episode that actually attempted some character growth on Graham's part. The frog on the chair is classic Doctor Who, just a shame there's the usual Chibnall problems of too much going on. I think Moffat could've shown the Solitract and garnered emotion out of it really well, as it is, it's very rushed and misses it's potential.

The Power of Three - Interesting, I didn't know that about that actor on set, I do recall that ending being a letdown though so that figures. I did actually quite enjoy the first half of this episode, it was fairly funny (Birdie Song cube is naturally my favourite gag) and the cast did well, which I do think was needed given the gut punch that was next up...

103 The Shakespeare Code

Series 3 Episode 2

Doctor: 10th

Companion: Martha Jones

First aired: 7th April 2007

Writer: Gareth Roberts

Martha's first trip in the TARDIS saw her and the Doctor visiting the Globe Theatre in 1599 for a performance of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, before meeting the man himself! All isn't as it seems, though, as Shakespeare promises that its sequel, the lost play Love's Labour's Won, will be performed for the first time the following day. RTD era historicals all generally met their brief pretty well, and this is no exception. It's got plenty of comedy, from Shakespeare hoping to steal famous literary quotes from the future, to a sneaky joke about Shakespeare's sexuality ("fifty seven academics just punched the air")...! The Carrionites make for good villains, obviously largely relying on typical witch abilities and lore but also rooting it firmly in science fiction (Pantheon take note!), and Christina Cole as Lilith and Dean Lennox Kelly as Shakespeare make for excellent guest stars. Some of the dialogue hasn't aged well, though, notably at the start when the Doctor basically brushes off Martha's concerns about being a black woman in 1599, and "good old JK" has aged like milk. Martha hits the ground running, though - I enjoy her standing up to Lilith even if it does backfire, and batting off Shakespeare's flirting throughout! Not to mention the hilarious ending with Elizabeth I, which if course later got picked up in The Day of the Doctor!

Sorry for a slightly slower pace recently, just had my first full week back at work so it's tiring! I continue to appreciate the comments though, I love reading through them!

Also think Daleks In Manhattan will be the biggest "hear me out" of this whole thing

10 hours ago, JosephBoone said:

Also think Daleks In Manhattan will be the biggest "hear me out" of this whole thing

I look forward to the defence

ITYA - Not one of my faves, the scenes in the interzone thing are just so slow and boring. People bang on about the frog, its the best thing in it really. The plot doesn't really make sense either.

TPOT - Can't really add anymore to what others have said - a great episode, let down by the last 10 minutes or so. But overall it is an enjoyable story.

TSC - A good, fun story and whilst it isn't anything ground-breaking is always one I enjoy.

Apart from the couple lines of dialogue that hasn't aged well it certainly is a fun episode. Also love the ending of the ep and how its shown why in the 50th anniversary special!

ITYA, intriguing, Narnia / black mirror style episode was nice that we finally got some development for Graham probably 1 of the better episode in the JW era

TPOT interesting concept, the doctor, Amy and Rory having side adventures while Bryan watched the cubes because it was boring, part of me did feel it was an excuse to reintroduce Unit before the 50th the Next year not that Kate and Co were bad characters at all, was setting up TATM poetically I do feel it would of been more impactful if it was 2 or 3 episodes before rather than the one before though

TSC, another great historical episode, I do agree thatb19ths reaction to racism wasn't handled well, thankfully the writers seem to deal with it better in later series, the carrionetes were an intriguing baddie, shame the ending with them in the mystic ball did seem like it was a tease they could return at some point, however like most props that get stored in the tardis never to be used or seen again

102 Smile

Series 10 Episode 2

Doctor: 12th

Companion: Bill Potts, Nardole

First aired: 22nd April 2017

Writer: Frank Cottrell-Boyce

The second episode of series 10 had me a little wary initially. An episode based around the concept of emojis felt cringe on paper, so the execution had a lot to prove. The Doctor and Bill land on an Earth colony on another planet in the far future. Except, it's abandoned, other than the Emojibots. The first half of the episode is practically a two-hander, which works fantastically well to develop the relationship between the Doctor and Bill, who is on her first trip in the TARDIS. Bill really shines, too - her inquisitiveness is a great, underrated quality in a companion, and I love that she doesn't let the Doctor send her back to the TARDIS! The Emojibots work much better in practice, too. Despite their conception obviously coming from popular culture buzzwords, the storyline actually works well and it's a really bleak episode at times despite the bright colours throughout. The conclusion is a bit rushed and doesn't totally work, but otherwise a great episode with a solid storyline and some amazing and necessary character moments.

Smile, definitely sold the bill doctor duo for me , the emojibots seemed to be a bad idea on paper however were very well used, again the rushed conclusion may of been better excited with an extra 5 to 10 minutes but definitely a strong episode overall

101 The Story & the Engine

Season 2 Episode 5

Doctor: 15th

Companion: Belinda Chandra

Also featuring: Mrs. Flood

First aired: 10th May 2025

Writer: Inua Ellams

The last series to lose an episode doesn't quite manage to squeeze all of its episodes into the top 100, but the most recent outing of the show has a strong showing despite much of the online discourse surrounding it. The Story & the Engine is the lowest placed episode but that's not to say it's not a significant episode in its own right. The Doctor visits a barber shop in Nigeria, which has been placed under new management, keeping its customers hostage to tell stories. What I love about this episode is how it embraces our first (mainline) black Doctor by honing in on black culture. You can see Ncuti relished such an opportunity through his performance, and there's no episode like it in that sense. Major props for including Jo Martin for even a brief moment too, an important nod to the actual first black Doctor! The structure of the episode is almost like a stage play, largely set in one location (the barber shop) with the same cast members. This gives the episode a unique feel, though it can feel a little talking-heavy at times, and much of the plot is explained through exposition - and there was quite a lot of detail to give, too, so I found it difficult to digest on first play. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, though, and it has a stellar guest cast too.

Smile always seems to come in for some stick from fandom - I think mainly due to the resolution. I really enjoy the story/ set-up and also the fact so much of the story is given over to just the Doctor and Bill. I guess it probably would be better if the other human characters were introduced earlier - as it feels like they're barely used. But I do have a soft spot for it.

The Story and the Engine - I have only watched it once, and is due a revisit. I think there were some good concepts, but I just found it dull. Saying that, there was clearly a lot going on and I think it is one that will probably improve on rewatches.

Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks... top 100

TSATE was a fascinating episode in celebrating black history and was a nice touch that everyone actor was black (minus the hospital scene) I enjoyed jo Martins involvement, but we need a special or a series of here tv adventures, fascinating that you had it as the worst episode of that particular series though

Apologies once again for being quiet, I've been insanely busy recently!! It's subsiding now so let's get this top 100 on the road x

100 The Robot Revolution

Season 2 Episode 1

Doctor: 15th

Companion: Belinda Chandra

Also featuring: Mrs. Flood

First aired: 12th April 2025

Writer: Russell T Davies

Season 2 episodes prove to be like buses, we wait ages for one to drop out and then we lose two in one go! The Robot Revolution was the season premiere, and saw the Doctor infiltrating Missbelindachandra One, a planet named after Belinda Chandra, a human from Earth, to protect its residents, and Belinda herself, from the robots (or Missbelindachandrabots). It does a better job than Space Babies of keeping a relatively light tone for an opening episode, and the comedy feels less juvenile. It also leans into the silliness, which I think helps it out, such as the AI Generator actually being Al, short for Alan - extremely daft but it doesn't pretend to be anything otherwise! Polish Polish is also my favourite silly robot ever. Some of the messages surrounding Alan and his attitude towards women are a little on the nose, but I appreciated the surprisingly topical nature of the storyline here, which otherwise feels quite light. The Missbelindachandrabots are pretty generic robots but they serve the plot well enough. The star of the episode is Belinda - I love how vocal she is and how she doesn't take any of the Doctor's crap! We don't see her stand her ground quite as much as this in future episodes, which I think is a shame, and perhaps we would have if we got another series of her?