I love the game show element. The doctor and Rose thinking its just an actual game, not real, and their reactions when they discover the truth, its so good.

Bad Wolf is one of my faves. I do like Parting Of The Ways but its not up there the way Bad Wolf is.

Bad wolf / the parting of the ways, fantastic finale at the time, still great but the game show element definitely aged it badly given the ones used 🤣🤣 very high stakes but did they really have to kill Linda with a Y, the game shows we're a bit cringe but I think that really added to it, bad wolf was definitely the stronger part of the 2, do think Rose getting back was a little too easy though but the twist of her bringing jack back to life 😮 definitely one of my favourites even if it was sad to see Ecclestone go after just 1 year

19 The Girl in the Fireplace

Series 2 Episode 4

Doctor: 10th

Companion: Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith

First aired: 6th May 2006

Writer: Steven Moffat

Why choose between a period setting and a spaceship when you can have both? On Mickey's first trip in the TARDIS, he, the Doctor and Rose land on an abandoned spaceship from the 51st Century, with active time windows into 18th Century Paris, but what connection does such a ship have to Reinette Poisson, aka Madame de Pompadour? This was Steven Moffat's second script for the show, and I think it's the first time we really saw well he can write a "timey-wimey" episode, with two settings running side-by-side, one progressing faster than the other, leading to the inevitable tragedy at the end where the Doctor arrives just a little too late. The character of Reinette is phenomenally portrayed, from the terror she experiences as a young girl being stalked by a robot underneath her bed, and the pure horror of a ticking sound in a room with a broken clock, to the chemistry she shares with the Doctor as an adult, and the agency she displays as a character, taking a stand against the Clockwork Robots. There's some brilliant comedy in between too, with the Doctor befriending a horse, and then getting drunk and arriving to save Rose and Mickey absolutely bladdered...! I enjoyed having Mickey as a proper companion too. An impressively complex script, full of great and tragic twists, and a superb concept running throughout. This is an episode that casual fans often mention to me as one of their favourites, and it's wholly deserving of being a modern Who classic.

I do like this one but I really don't like period pieces that much so that moves the episode down a bit for me

TGITF is a marmite episode and im sorry to say im in team its shit 🤣🤣 like if we are truly honest he "in and out" of this women's life since she was a child, and falls in love with her like if thats not creepy enough a couple of episodes later he pining after rose then a couple episodes later he was after Joan in TFB (human at the time) but pretty much the David doctor was a whore

The doctor befriending a horse was funny though and the reveal of the ship being madame de pompedor was an interesting twist although made even more creepy, one of my least favourite from series 2 (but definitely not worst)

18 School Reunion

Series 2 Episode 3

Doctor: 10th

Companion: Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, K-9

First aired: 29th April 2006

Writer: Toby Whithouse

I'll always have a special place in my heart for the very first Doctor Who episode I watched. If only I knew at the time just how huge a moment this was in my life! Undercover at a school, the Doctor bumps into his old friend Sarah Jane Smith. Together, they uncover the truth about the so-called teachers at Deffry Vale School, while Rose struggles to accept the reality of life with the Doctor. Obviously nostalgia plays a part in this episode being so high, but it must do something seriously right if an episode surrounding a past character I'd never heard of, in a sea of other characters I'd only just met, didn't put me off - quite the opposite, in fact. Sarah Jane was the perfect choice of companion to reintroduce, and it was done in such a smart way, not patronising long-term viewers who know who she is, but giving her enough of an introduction to explain to the many new fans the show had accumulated since its return. Sarah Jane and Rose had some fantastic scenes together, I loved their argument turning into laughter! Mickey's role in this episode was brilliant too, using K-9 as an analogy for his role in the team, and his request to join the TARDIS crew at the end as a result. David Tennant's also exceptional, it's entirely believable that he's the same man that Sarah Jane travelled with before, and he also plays off against Anthony Head so brilliantly. The Krillitanes are cool creatures and definitely a villain we could see again at some point, and it's surprisingly dark in parts as there's not even particularly subtle moments of school children being taken away to be eaten by the Krillitanes! An episode with heaps of emotional depth and fantastic character moments, with a really solid narrative alongside it.

K-9 ❤️ this episodes a fun time. Rewatched it so much as a kid

Girl in the Fireplace is a great episode! Defo one of my top 20!

School Reunion is good for Sarah coming back and I remember on first watch loving it. But the plot is so thin and i don’t think it really stands up on subsequent watches. Probably more a 7 or 8/10. Surprised its this high!

Edited Sunday at 11:181 day by ElectroBoy

Something I've always thought about that I think would be a great concept with a modern twist would be a return to Satellite 5, ending up in game/reality shows again and then the Doctor realising where they are after all this time Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways is such an epic finale and despite his time being cut short really showed us how brilliant Eccleston could be when the stakes are so high.

Glad to see The Well finish so high; absolutely the highlight of Ncuti's era The Girl in the Fireplace and School Reunion both classics too. A shame Toby Whithouse just ended up on a continual, gradual downward spiral with his contributions to Who after achieving perfection with that

The Girl In The Fireplace and School Reunion are both instant classics and both one after the other two in the season...School Reunion was my introduction to Sarah Jane/Late great Elizabeth Sladen and gosh instantly stanned.

I remember the goosebumps and honestly terror of the daleks in Bad Wolf/Parting Of The ways....its a shame they became less scary as time went on but what a great start to them as a big threat (dalek was the introduction but one dalek although powerful wasnt as scary as a whole army of them)

SR deserves to be this high its a great episode, wasn't familiar with Sarah Jane but Elizabeth sladen sold the hell out of her and made her instantly likeable, plus K9 who does love K9, mickey being referred to as the tin dog was a funny moment, also as much as I love Rose her jealousy and ego was given the much needed slap in the face 🙌, yeah the krillitanes wernt the most exciting of enemies but they were basically background fodder. Notable mention to Anthony head who is fantastic in everything he does

17 Father’s Day

Series 1 Episode 8

Doctor: 9th

Companion: Rose Tyler

Also featuring: Jackie Tyler, Pete Tyler, Mickey Smith

First aired: 14th May 2005

Writer: Paul Cornell

Another superb moment of character development arrived in this mid-series episode in series 1. When Rose asks to see her father one final time before his death, she takes the opportunity to save her life, much to the Doctor's despair. With Jackie and Mickey now established, it was great to see another angle of Rose's life, filling in the blank of what happened to her dad. There's a lot of emotional weight in this episode and it's hard to picture yourself not beckoning to the same temptation Rose faced in such a situation. It adds an extra dynamic to the Doctor and Rose's relationship, reminding us that the Doctor is very much alien in how he approaches the result of Rose's actions. Likewise, we see Rose acting selfishly and without thought, and it's these traits that make them both such interesting characters. The Reapers felt like a brilliant idea for a villain and I think it's a real shame we haven't seen them since - there's been plenty of opportunities to reintroduce them, too. I love all of the character moments at the church, from the Doctor talking to the married couple (to be), and then putting Jackie in her place almost 20 years before he properly meets her...! The realisation from Pete that the car swerving around outside the church is the same one that almost knocked into him is a touching moment, especially as Rose accepts his decision and then finally gets to be by his side in that final moment. Character studies like this have become increasingly rare in the show for whatever reason, but episodes like this prove just how vital they can be.

I'll take it as a win seeing Father's Day this high but this would definitely be in my top 10 such a fantastic episode and a brilliant use of paradoxes. So many poignant moments in this story, as well as heartbreaking. Picking up on your commentary it's hard to believe Moffat never decided to bring the Reapers back considering his era is full of paradoxes and timey-wimey.

FD is a fantastic episode from series one, yeah it answered the age old question what would we do if we had a time machine and could save someone, the reapers were a great monster very well done and the Pete sarcfise at the end was very well done and really Raw, simple but effective episode

I think the fact that Moffats whole era was basically built on Paradoxes was probably why he never brought them back and it would get pretty boring pretty fast if the popped up every few episodes

Father's Day is one of the most emtional episodes for sure

Fathers Day is one of my absolute favourites. Funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

The only thing I don't like in this episode is Jackie, she's so annoying

16 The Eleventh Hour

Series 5 Episode 1

Doctor: 11th

Companion: Amy Pond

Also featuring: Rory Williams

First aired: 3rd April 2010

Writer: Steven Moffat

As mentioned a couple of posts before, School Reunion was my first episode of Doctor Who, so I didn't watch the big relaunch live. Therefore, this episode felt like the first proper shake-up I experienced in Doctor Who. Freshly regenerated, the Doctor crash lands in the back garden of Amelia Pond, a young Scottish girl with a desire for adventure. Just a few minutes lead to the Doctor becoming embroiled in her life, and when they reunite as an adult, Amy, as she's now known, has to put aside years of therapy to help the Doctor save the planet. I felt so excited going into this episode, but so nervous too! Everything was new - Doctor, companion, setting, and showrunner too. Would Moffat's vision of the show line up with the quality of his previous episodes? How would Matt Smith fill David Tennant's shoes? Ultimately, I needn't have worried. This episode is, by quite some way, the highest ranked "debut" episode for a Doctor. Smith hits the ground running quicker than any Doctor, winning me over immediately as the oddities and quirkiness of the alien Doctor are displayed in both a comedic and endearing way. Amy's story is unique and imaginative, and there's an immediate chemistry between Matt and Karen which makes them electric to watch together. Prisoner Zero was a cool villain, as were the Atraxi - another villain that I'm surprised we haven't seen again, actually, and the episode has some cool cinematography too. A magical episode that kickstarted a fantastic series of the show, and there's still another couple of series 5 episodes to come, too.

I did try this episode back when it first aired but I just couldn't get into him as the doctor and gave up on the series. I just missed the previous doctor too much that the show just didn't feel the same sadly.

The Eleventh Hour is for me the perfect way to introduce a new doctor and a new companion to the audience, perfect first ep of a series.

TEH was a perfect episode to introduce a doctor, Matt Smith did have huge shoes to fill that did have me sceptical but he proved there was nothing to worry about, that fishfinger and custard scene is just iconic who lore now, Caitlin Blackwood was perfectly cast as a young Amelia (would of been interesting if she got an episode of her own to travel with the doctor),

Karen Gilan was the absolute right choice to play an adult Amy though and her and Matt Smith just had instant chemistry, Arthur Davill wasn't a bad choice for Rory even if the 3 didnt gel perfectly for a few more episodes when we found out his full impact on Amy, yes the background story and prisoner zero wasn't the most exciting of baddies but that wasn't really important here, it was all about the new doctor and companion and why was Geoff made out to be important never to be seen again 😮

Also that ending where Matt got his I'm the Doctor speech just hit perfectly and erased any possible doubt that may have still been there, perfect introduction to a doctor companion and showrunning, a great place to jump on if you were a newbie to the franchise