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Several big surprises and a few old favourites - let's talk about what YOU think are the best Doctor Who episodes!
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00:00In 2023, we listed our favourite episodes of the modern era, but now we thought it would be fun to take a look at what the fans think.
00:07This list will rank the 10 best episodes by their IMDB user rating, and there are a couple here that you definitely won't see coming.
00:15Now, two quick rules before we begin.
00:17One, we're only taking standalones into consideration here, so no two-parters.
00:21And, to keep things more interesting, we're banning the two obvious frontrunners, Blink and Heaven Sent.
00:26Sorry, Moffat. I'm Ellie for WhoCulture, here with the 10 best Doctor Who episodes according to you.
00:32Number 10. The Waters of Mars. Rating 8.8 out of 10.
00:36Let's kick things off with an RTD classic.
00:39The Waters of Mars takes Ten's god complex, sets a fire under him, and watches him boil.
00:44Tennant gives one of his greatest performances in the role, jumping from his usual bouncy self to unhinged and desperate, to cold and downright unnerving.
00:52All that angry staring aside, it's a top-tier episode elsewhere, too.
00:57It gives us one of the best supporting cast ever in the doomed crew of Bowie Base One,
01:01and Lindsay Duncan couldn't have been a more suitable one-off companion for the story that was told.
01:06The Mars setting is beautifully realised, and a big up for Gadget Gadget.
01:10The icing on the cake is an all-timer villain in The Flood, creatures that are absolutely bone-chilling, both visually and conceptually.
01:17There are few episodes that sell a threat like this one does.
01:21For such an important and memorable episode, it's no surprise that fans voted it near the top.
01:26In fact, the only surprise is that it isn't higher.
01:28Number 9. The Doctor's Wife. Rating 8.9 out of 10.
01:32Remember when Neil Gaiman wrote for Doctor Who?
01:34Not that naff one with the Cybermen and the world's most annoying children.
01:38This one.
01:38It took until 2011 for Doctor Who to do something that, quite frankly, it was a little shocking it took 48 years to think of.
01:45It gave the TARDIS a body and a voice and let it run around with the Doctor.
01:50And boy, was it fun.
01:51With an incredible script that is funny, exciting, and emotional all at once,
01:56The Doctor's Wife hits the beats you'd want from a conversation between the Doctor and his loyal ship.
02:00Saran Jones takes a role that could have easily slipped into cringe territory and toes the line perfectly.
02:06And an unrecognisable Michael Sheen is fantastic as the sadistic house.
02:10And that scene where Amy and Rory are tormented in the TARDIS corridors?
02:14Oh, muah!
02:15Yes, perfect.
02:16The Doctor's Wife narrowly missed out on our own top 10 list, so it is great to see it here.
02:20A worthy contender indeed.
02:21And it's about time Gaiman was given another bite at the apple, don't you think?
02:25Number 8. Turn Left. Rating 8.9 out of 10.
02:28I love this episode.
02:29Turn Left also missed out on our own top 10, but again, it came so, so close.
02:34This is an episode that could only work in the era of the show it was created for.
02:38Russell T. Davis spent years building a connected universe of spin-offs,
02:42and the back half of Series 4 is where we really saw this pay off,
02:45with Turn Left bringing these Hooniverse characters together
02:48and systematically killing off every single one of them.
02:51It's a true powerhouse of a what-if story.
02:53How would various Earth-based adventures play out without the Doctor's intervention?
02:57Catastrophically is the answer.
02:58Seriously. Doctor Who has rarely, if ever, been so bleak.
03:02This is without a doubt Catherine Tate's best performance as Donna,
03:06showcasing a vulnerability that we don't see much outside of this story.
03:09And we'd argue that it's also the strongest performance of the late Bernard Cribbins as well.
03:13If Will's reaction to the government opening Labour camps doesn't get your lip quivering,
03:17you are a stone-cold robot.
03:18Number 7. The Angels Take Manhattan. Rating 9 out of 10.
03:22We arrive at what will likely be the first big surprise for many of you.
03:26The Angels Take Manhattan is good, but it's not widely considered superior to, say,
03:30The Doctor's Wife, The Waters of Mars, and Turn Left.
03:33Still, it's an episode with some dizzying highs.
03:36It gets full marks for style and setting, mixing New York detective noir with paranormal horror to great effect.
03:42The Weeping Angels slot into this setting immaculately,
03:44though The Angel of Liberty continues to be one of the most baffling creative decisions of the modern era.
03:49Let's be honest.
03:50It's not even made of stone.
03:51But it's The Pond's final farewell that makes this one for the history books.
03:56Moffat pulls an end of time on us,
03:58allowing us to hope for a moment that the inevitable goodbye has been averted,
04:01only to snatch Amy and Rory away at the last moment.
04:04It was brilliantly written, brilliantly acted,
04:07and Murray Gold, stop making us cry, you monster!
04:09The Pond spent more time in The Doctor's life than almost any other companion,
04:13and watching them get torn away from him was always going to be rough.
04:16I mean, it's been over a decade, and this doesn't get any easier to watch.
04:19Number 6, The Name of The Doctor, rating 9 out of 10.
04:23You thought The Angels Take Manhattan would be the most surprising entry on this list?
04:27Uh, nope, think again.
04:28Serving as a direct lead-in to the 50th anniversary extravaganza,
04:32Series 7 finale, The Name of The Doctor sits firmly in the shadow of its successor.
04:36It tends to be remembered for the shock reveal of John Hurt as the War Doctor,
04:40but upon closer inspection, it's got a lot going for it that might explain its high ranking.
04:44Love it or hate it, the episode provides an interesting explanation for the Impossible Girl mystery,
04:49and finally gives us a look at The Doctor's grave on Trenzalor.
04:53There's a broader cast of companions, with the ever-lovable Paternoster gang in tow,
04:57and River Song rather awkwardly watching her husband from beyond the grave.
05:00But she's still in it, so it's fine. I love it.
05:02Richard E. Grant is having the time of his life as the Great Intelligence 2,
05:05though the less said about the wasted potential of the Whispermen, the better.
05:09Oh, and Jenny dying mid-Zoom call is also a great moment.
05:12For such a monumental moment in Doctor Who history, it doesn't quite come together as well as you'd hope,
05:16though clearly the people of the internet disagree.
05:18Number 5, A Good Man Goes to War, rating 9 out of 10.
05:22That's three River Song episodes in a row.
05:25I know I always say she's the best character, but look, the ratings speak for themselves, people.
05:29And this episode is a banger.
05:31If you're looking for pure adrenaline, A Good Man Goes to War is a hype train that shoots out the station
05:36the moment Rory swaggers onto the bridge of a Cyberman ship in full Centurion garb and blows up a fleet, just to make a point.
05:42The fist-pumping energy of this episode doesn't relent as it continues giving us multiple moments of badassery throughout.
05:48The Doctor feels absolutely unstoppable here, and it's glorious.
05:52And that's why the moment he does fail hits like a truck.
05:55Well, there's the liquefying of a newborn baby too, which also helps sell the tragedy just a little bit.
05:59It seems like all hope is lost until the last minute of the episode, and quite possibly the best twist in modern Doctor Who,
06:05with the reveal that Melody Pond is River Song.
06:08It was guessable pre-release, sure, but the moment itself was flawlessly executed, so shush.
06:14It's the complete opposite of the name of the Doctor, in that it brings its subplots and series arcs together
06:19in an almost perfect manner, while delivering a knockout standalone episode to boot.
06:23It's rarely included in lists like these though, so we're glad that it made the cut, and if I had my way, it would have made our list as well, just saying.
06:31Number 4. Midnight. Rating 9 out of 10.
06:34The Doctor has always had an innate ability to take control of a situation and to convince others that they're the smartest person in the room.
06:40It's an element of the show we take for granted.
06:42After all, as the audience, we know the Doctor can be trusted.
06:45But characters in the show don't have 60 years of context.
06:48So what happens if you take the Doctor's authority and sprinkle in some intense paranoia?
06:53Well, Midnight answers that question.
06:54This fan-favourite bottle episode gives us one of the creepiest villains ever in the entirely unexplained Midnight Entity,
07:01a creature of unknown power which can steal a victim's voice.
07:04We watch a group of mostly rational tourists descend into utter hysteria and succumb to pack tactics
07:09as they turn against the one person who might be able to help.
07:12It's riveting psychological horror, with one of the greatest scripts ever written for the show
07:17and some knockout sound design and performances.
07:20I'm just travelling. I'm a traveller.
07:22It's fairly common consensus that this is the best Russell T. Davis penned episode, to date.
07:27So it's no surprise to see it so high up on the list.
07:29Number 3. The Girl in the Fireplace. Rating 9.2 out of 10.
07:34Controversial opinion?
07:34I'm not actually a big fan of this episode.
07:36And if you never hear from me or see me again,
07:38it's because Sean Ferrick has flown over here and murdered me for that opinion.
07:42The Girl in the Fireplace is a very interesting episode to look back on with the Moffat era under our belts.
07:47At the time, it was rather unique in its premise and was incredibly well received.
07:51So well received, in fact, that Moffat would recycle the ideas in this plot throughout his reign as showrunner.
07:56Little Girl meets Strange Man who saves her from the monsters and grows up with him as an imaginary friend.
08:01He turns up again when she's older and saves her once more, but this time she's into him.
08:04He then accidentally abandons her a second time. Sound familiar?
08:07There's plenty to love elsewhere. The setting of pre-revolution France is beautifully realised,
08:12the clockwork droids make for striking villains,
08:14and David Tennant's chemistry with Sophia Miles rather awkwardly blows what he has with Billy Piper out of the window.
08:20It's an interesting microcosm of Moffat that tells you all you need to know about him as a writer in 45 minutes,
08:25despite predating Matt Smith by a whole four years.
08:28It's actually seventh on the full IMDb list, which is higher than you'd expect it to be.
08:32But there is no doubt that it is a special episode.
08:34Number 2, The Day of the Doctor, rating 9.3 out of 10.
08:38Obviously this one was coming.
08:39Doctor Who's 50th anniversary was a success in a way that few people anticipated,
08:44flinging the show back to the top of mainstream cultural relevance.
08:47With a fan favourite Doctor returning and a brand new secret incarnation played by acting royalty,
08:52the scale of this story was immense.
08:54The decision to finally tackle the time war head on was well earned,
08:57and it feels like the culmination of the seven series leading up to that point,
09:01flicking the switch on a status quo reset for 12,
09:04and allowing the incoming Doctor to tread new ground in his character development.
09:07It's an episode that has it all.
09:09Sticking the landing on every emotional beat, every joke, every bit of bantering,
09:13and every badass action sequence,
09:14and the ending, in which Gallifrey is saved, is pure euphoria.
09:18It's rare for fans to unanimously agree on something.
09:20But show us someone who doesn't like The Day of the Doctor, and we'll show you a unicorn.
09:24It was worthy of the occasion, and then some.
09:26And look, no disrespect to the 60th anniversary specials,
09:29but this is how you celebrate a major milestone in Doctor Who history.
09:32Number 1.
09:33Vincent and the Doctor, rating 9.3 out of 10.
09:36It's delightful to see Vincent and the Doctor so high up the ranking.
09:40Of all the celebrity historicals in the modern era,
09:43none hold a candle to the emotional power of this one.
09:46Cutting right to the chase,
09:47the story is most fondly remembered for the scene in which Van Gogh,
09:50a man who died penniless with no respect or renown,
09:53sees the full extent of his legacy.
09:55It's an iconic Doctor Who moment, and a genuine tearjerker.
09:58The episode does a fantastic job of portraying Vincent's depression and erratic nature,
10:03especially upon discovering that the Doctor and Amy plan to leave once the Crepheus is dealt with,
10:08and the metaphor of the invisible monster that only Vincent can see is sublime.
10:11Likewise, the scene in which we see the world through Vincent's eyes
10:15as the trio stares at a starry night is an absolute triumph.
10:18Vincent and the Doctor shows the full extent of what Doctor Who is capable of.
10:21It has the power to change your view of the world.
10:24It educates, it entertains, it reminds you that there is always hope,
10:27even in dark times.
10:29It continues to leave a powerful impression on Doctor Who fans,
10:32and it's a thoroughly earned number one choice.
10:34And that concludes our list, but while we're on the topic of Doctor Who greats,
10:38why not check out 20 Doctor Who moments we'll never forget?
10:41In the meantime, I've been Ellie with Who Culture,
10:43and in the words of Riversong herself,
10:44goodbye, sweeties.
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