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The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors in the same episode? Doctor Who doesn't get much better than that.
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00:00From the long-awaited return of a fan-favorite character to inside baseball references that
00:05have us all pointing at the TV like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme, Who fanatics might
00:10butt heads on a lot of things, but we can all agree that the following moments are Doctor
00:14Who fan service at its finest. And so, with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhoCulture,
00:19here with 10 times Doctor Who gave fans exactly what they wanted.
00:24Number 10. Fully exploring the depths of the TARDIS
00:28Though the TARDIS has been around since the opening moments of the show,
00:33it wasn't until 2013 that we finally got to explore its labyrinthine innards in great detail.
00:39The idea for Journey to the Center of the TARDIS stemmed from Steven Moffat's frustration with the
00:441978 serial The Invasion of Time, which he deemed disappointing due to its depiction of the TARDIS
00:50interior. Production issues forced these scenes to be filmed in a not-so-visually-impressive
00:55disused hospital. As a result, Moffat wanted Journey to the Center of the TARDIS to atone for what he
01:01thought was a lacklustre portrayal of the Doctor's iconic machine. And though you could argue that the
01:06episode doesn't go far enough in showcasing all the weird and wonderful sights lurking within,
01:11it nonetheless provided our most in-depth TARDIS experience to date, something fans have been
01:16hankering to see for quite some time. The intriguing architectural reconfiguration room, the huge
01:22TARDIS library, a blistering sequence set inside the Eye of Harmony, swimming pools, storage rooms,
01:28and more. It made the TARDIS feel as expansive as we often are told it was. The episode's main plot
01:34certainly could have been better, but the TARDIS element was a well-executed tribute to the Doctor's
01:40most loyal companion. The fact that we only spent one series with Christopher Eccleston's
01:49Ninth Doctor left many a frustrated fan wanting more. A lot more. As with Paul McGann, Eccleston's
01:56time on screen was far more brief than your average Doctor's. And though Big Finish came to McGann's
02:01rescue towards the end of the Wilderness Years, a comeback for Nine just didn't seem on the cards.
02:06And that's because in the years after his 2005 exit, Eccleston made it clear that he wasn't on
02:12great terms with Doctor Who, even stating that he didn't enjoy working on the show. And that's
02:17exactly why the announcement of his audio-exclusive return was such a great moment of fan service.
02:24Absolutely nobody expected it to happen. So far, Nine has battled Cybermen, Ravagers,
02:29Ancient Psychic Aliens, and more. And his Big Finish run has been very well-received. Eccleston himself
02:35is also enjoying it, even enthusiastically teasing a 60th anniversary story with the
02:40late David Warner. After all the behind-the-scenes drama we've heard about over the years, to see
02:45him embrace the Hooniverse once again, albeit just in audio form, was a fantastic surprise. And it's
02:51something that fans have been eager to see, but never thought they would since Nine regenerated in
02:56the Series 1 finale. Number 8. Classic Doctors Unite.
03:01Any TV show episode in which heroes past and present combine forces is going to be a fan
03:07favourite. And Doctor Who has been doing this for longer than most. The internet may not have been
03:12around during the classic years, but that doesn't mean there weren't hordes of fans excitedly discussing
03:18the possibility of seeing multiple Doctors in the same story. It's been apparent since day one that
03:23the show's timey-wimey premise would allow for this, and indeed, a multi-Doctor adventure was an
03:28idea that was often mentioned behind the scenes, well before it actually happened. Producer Barry
03:34Letts finally delivered the goods in 1972-1973 with The Three Doctors, a serial that received a
03:41rapturous response from Whovians at the time, with Part 4 racking up 11.9 million viewers,
03:47the highest-rated single episode for both John Pertwee and Patrick Troughton. The Five Doctors
03:53and The Two Doctors would follow in 1983 and 1985, respectively. And though none of these classic
03:59Doctor team-ups had particularly great stories, The Five Doctors fares the best despite having the
04:04largest cast. Multi-Doctor adventures are fan service at its finest, and it's undeniably delightful to
04:11watch the likes of Pertwee's suave gentleman butt heads with Troughton's nutty professor.
04:15Number 7. Captain Jack Harkness Returns
04:19Throughout the 2010s, ask any Doctor Who fan to pick a character they wanted to see return,
04:25and there was a good chance that Captain Jack Harkness would be at the top of the list.
04:29Despite having a consistent presence in the Who-niverse during the first few years of the
04:332005 revival, the cheeky Time Agent mysteriously vanished from our screens after the conclusion of
04:39Torchwood's fourth series in 2011. And despite fans clamoring for his return,
04:45the character remained MIA as the years ticked by. This wasn't just something that everybody
04:50wanted to see, either. It was also something that seemed like a natural fit for the show.
04:54Jack was still involved with Torchwood, so there was every chance he'd bump into the Doctor while
04:59investigating an alien threat. He was also known to use a vortex manipulator, meaning that he could
05:04jump around the universe and into the Doctor's life at will. Presumably noticing the fan outcry,
05:10Chris Chibnall ultimately brought back Jack in the series 12 episode Fugitive of the Jadoon.
05:15His role here had little relevance to the plot, but nobody actually cared. This was nothing more
05:20than fan service, and Whovians lapped it up like a steaming hot bowl of fish fingers and custard.
05:26Number 6. Would you like a jelly baby?
05:29Possibly more than any other show on television, Doctor Who has a habit of reusing catchphrases,
05:34quips, and other iconic lines. Every single time this happens, you just know the writer was sat
05:40there with a proud smirk on their face, thinking, oh yeah, the fans will love this! Because,
05:45let's be honest, we're quite easy to please as a fanbase. Just mention jelly babies or fezzes,
05:49and we'll immediately start whooping and cheering. Some of our favorite examples of repeat quips
05:53include the 4th Doctor offering Davros a jelly baby, the 12th Doctor poking fun at the 3rd Doctor's
05:59reverse the polarity quip in The Girl Who Died, Ganger11 spouting out several iconic
06:04catchphrases in The Almost People, bonus points for the jelly baby line in this scene which is
06:08actually Tom Baker's voice dubbed over Smith's, the cyber planner exclaiming Alon Z in Nightmare in
06:14Silver, and the 13th Doctor's Geronimo upon rope swinging between ships in Legend of the Sea Devils.
06:20Is this shamelessly pandering to the fans? Yes. Are we totally okay with it? Also, yes.
06:27Number 5. The Doctor and River on Deryllium.
06:30River Song's debut in Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead brought with it more
06:35questions than answers. Who exactly was she, how did she know the Doctor so well, and would we
06:40ever see the character again? Back then, there were no guarantees that River would return.
06:45Even Alex Kingston thought it was a one-and-done, which would have been a massive shame considering
06:50all the backstory hints that were just begging to be expanded upon, not to mention how well she clicked
06:55with the Doctor. One of those backstory hints was so important that River used her last living
07:00moments to tell the Doctor about it, describing a previous encounter where the Doctor, who knew her
07:06death was imminent, took her to see the Singing Towers of Deryllium, where they spent their final
07:11night together. All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here. The last time I saw you,
07:16the real you, the future you, I mean. You turned up on my doorstep with a new haircut and a
07:20suit. You
07:21took me to Deryllium to see the Singing Towers. What a night that was. The Towers sang and you cried.
07:27This instantly became an off-screen adventure that fans were desperate to see. And in 2015,
07:33Steven Moffat, the king of the long-term payoff, delivered the goods. Christmas special The Husbands
07:39of River Song depicted their Deryllium getaway in stunning detail, rewarding those fans who'd spent
07:45the last seven years wondering if they'd ever get to see it brought to life. And, you know, we all
07:50know
07:50that I maybe love River Song a little bit, so if they wanted to do a little bit more fan
07:55service,
07:56they could, you know, bring her back again soon. Please. Thank you.
08:00Number 4. The coming together of the RTD-verse
08:04Russell T. Davies was ahead of the curve when it came to the cinematic universe craze in the 2010s.
08:11With Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures, he was running an interconnected
08:15franchise years before Marvel Studios made it cool, something he lamented in a 2021 interview,
08:21saying,
08:21"'I was in the middle of running an empire, and my god, I did that ten years too soon, didn't
08:26I?'
08:26Back when this small-screen universe first kicked off, fans obviously knew that these shows existed
08:31in the same world, and though it was fun when they referenced each other, what we really wanted to
08:36see was a huge crossover episode. Knowing that such an episode would be a ratings juggernaut,
08:41RTD made good on that potential with 2008's The Stolen Earth and Journey's End. Episodes with such
08:47large casts that the opening credits hilariously struggled to keep up with their names. Watching
08:52Sarah Jane rub shoulders with Martha and having Donna fire quips at Captain Jack was glorious,
08:58and the fact that RTD managed to stuff all of these characters into a story that actually worked
09:03was almost unbelievable. This was Doctor Who's Avengers Endgame, and it was a dream come true
09:09for fans at the time. Not just that it happened, but also the fact that it was really damn good.
09:14Number 3. Tom Baker's Curator Cameo
09:18Commenting on why he chose Tom Baker as the only classic Doctor to return for The Day of the Doctor
09:24in 2013, Stephen Moffat said that the idea was simply irresistible. He said,
09:28"'To have the longest standing and the oldest Doctor from Longest to Go make an appearance and be the
09:34one who briefs the new Doctor on where to go, well, it's irresistible, isn't it? You get to hear that
09:39voice again. It was just wonderful." In other words, he knew that this particular Baker, as the most popular
09:44classic Doctor by a mile, would be the one that fans would want to see the most. With The Day
09:49of
09:49the Doctor being a celebration of the first 50 years of Who, it also made perfect sense to bring
09:54back the man who'd represented the show for the longest period of time. And the great thing about
09:58the cameo was that it wasn't just there for the sake of it. Baker, as the mysterious curator,
10:03was there to round out the episode's story and New Who's ongoing Time War arc by confirming to the
10:0911th Doctor that his attempt to save Gallifrey was successful. Gallifrey falls no more. It was the
10:14very definition of a crowd-pleasing moment, and there were undoubtedly a lot of tears in the audience
10:20when Baker's booming voice rang out across the gallery.
10:24Number 2. Everything about the 60th anniversary.
10:28If you told someone a year ago that Doctor Who's 60th anniversary celebrations would be written by
10:33Russell T Davies and star David Tennant and Catherine Tate, they would have probably laughed in
10:38your face. The 50th anniversary was so wonderful that it almost felt like it would be impossible to
10:43top. But the 60th not only looks set to match its predecessor in the fan-pleasing department,
10:48there's a strong chance it's going to blow it out of the water. Not only do we have the returns
10:53of
10:53RTD, Tennant, and Tate, but director Rachel Talalay, who helmed several terrific episodes during the
10:59Peter Capaldi era, and there's lots more, too. We're getting the late Bernard Crippen's final
11:03Doctor Who performance, the rumoured, much-requested return of the Doctor Who Christmas special,
11:08a spiritual successor to fan-favourite Doctor Who Confidential, and presumably an appearance from our
11:14newest Doctor, Shuti Gatwa. There are also constant whispers that the likes of Matt Smith,
11:19Peter Capaldi, Karen Gillan, and Paul McGann will be involved, speculation that David Tennant recently
11:24fuelled by saying that he'd filmed with other people behind closed doors. It's basically RTD going,
11:29oh Stephen, the 50th was cute, now watch this. And honourable mention does need to go to Chris
11:35Chibnall here, too, who also knows what Whovians want, and is about to give it to them in a matter
11:40of weeks. Classic fan-favourite Ace and Tegan are set to return for Jodie Whittaker's final episode
11:46later this year, which should be a nice warm-up before the full-on craziness of the 60th in 2023.
11:53Number 1. The 10th and 11th Doctors Joining Forces
11:58Now, yes, we know we just said that the 60th anniversary could blow the 50th anniversary
12:03out of the water, and it very well might. But we couldn't give the top spot to something that
12:07hasn't happened yet, could we? Just as he knew that Tom Baker's curator would be an instant win
12:12for fans, Stephen Moffat knew that bringing back David Tennant and linking him up with Matt Smith was
12:17the safest bet he could possibly make when crafting a multi-Doctor story to celebrate the show's
12:23half-century milestone. So that's exactly what he did! With Tennant regularly topping Best Doctor
12:29polls and the Smith era taking the show to international stardom, the 10th and 11th Doctors
12:33had made the mighty Whovian army bigger than ever, so it's no surprise that they would top a fan wishlist
12:39when the 50th was looming, making it something of a no-brainer for Moffat to pick up the phone and
12:44asked Tennant to return. Though it was a tad disappointing that Christopher Eccleston couldn't
12:49complete the trifecta of New Who Doctors, watching Tennant and Smith poke fun at each other's
12:54outfits, Sonics, and Zygon-infused love lives was such a treat that any potential disappointment
13:00quickly faded away. And with 12.8 million viewers making it one of the most popular modern episodes,
13:06and positive reviews all around, The Day of the Doctor was a huge success in every possible way.
13:12And that concludes our list. If you think we missed any, then do let us know in the comments below,
13:17and while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell so you
13:21never miss a WhoCulture video. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there at WhoCulture,
13:26and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
13:30I've been Ellie with WhoCulture, and in the words of Riversong herself, goodbye, sweeties.
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