1 - The Parting of the Ways: even a decade on this feels like the quintessential Who episode. A regeneration, en masse Daleks and the resolution to a series-long arc collectively made this a fun and relentless episode that was pacy and exciting from start to finish. No finale has been quite like this one so far.
2 - Heaven Sent: whilst Hell Bent never lived up to the high hopes promised of Series 9, Heaven Sent was a success on multiple levels. It found a wonderful and satisfying way to progress the Gallifrey story, and it gave Peter Capaldi the time to shine whilst we were given some genuine time to grieve the loss of a companion....even if Hell Bent would undo a lot of the emotional impact that went into this.
3 - A Christmas Carol: there's something about Doctor Who that makes it feel so incredibly at home at Christmas. Of the various festive stories we've had this is the best of the bunch, and better still is a wonderfully decent episode in its own right that wouldn't feel out of place as a regular episode within the main series. Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins were great alongside Matt Smith, and the episode was the first of the Moffat-era that felt like it had some genuine heart to it.
4 - The Doctor's Wife: Neil Gaiman's romanticised steampunk style suited Doctor Who fantastically in this story. The premise bordered on fanfiction gimmick, but Surrane Jones was superbly cast as Idris and made an episode that was otherwise still full of fan-pleasing moments whilst also remembering to do its own thing.
5 - The Witch's Familiar: Whilst the opening episode of the ninth series was a convoluted mess, this far more streamlined conclusion to the Davros-child story had immense fun with the Missy and Clara pairing, it did something brilliant with Davros and ultimately included the Daleks in a way that felt a bit more worthwhile than what we'd seen in a little while. Capaldi, Coleman, Gomez and Julian Bleach carried this episode and made it great.
6 - The Doctor Dances: the conclusion to a stunning story, and the only one that ever genuinely scared me a little (I was a young at the time!), the second half edges ahead of the first purely on the basis of the 'everybody lives' scene! The Matt Smith era would abuse this to an extremity, but there was a real sense of joy at the end of this and the whole thing is full of fun and quirky character moments that fused the best elements of Moffat's writing and RTD's showrunning.
7 - School Reunion: whilst too many episodes of Series 2 were set in contemporary London, this one was there with good reason and was the first to fully embrace the extensive history of the show. It was fun, pacy and nostalgic in a way that satisfied viewers both new and long-term.
8 - The God Complex: there was a terrific premise behind this episode, which was also wonderfully fun and quirky along the way, but what made it extra special was that it dealt with some genuine consequences for once. It ended up being a far more important episode than expected, and Toby Whithouse' terrific writing gave it an edge over some other very decent episodes at the time.
9 - The Family of Blood: a relatively low-key tale that feels absolutely massive in its stakes, there was an irony to Doctor Who around this time that the best received episode of the Tennant-era barely had him in it at all, and just before that one of Tennant's best performances involved him not playing the Doctor at all. The Family of Blood had a historical poignancy to it, and was all the better for having Jessica Hynes involved as well.
10 - The Stolen Earth: it was fanfiction as an episode really, and Journey's End failed to do anything with it all, but in the moment this was adrenaline in television form. It was a testament to the strength of the characters of the show, and the culmination of a lot of elements that had been built up over four years. It was ultimately also the last episode of the Tennant era that didn't feel overdone or overly tired. Had the regeneration at the end been genuine, this may well have been far higher on the list.
Honorary Mentions: Dalek, The Satan Pit, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, Midnight, Turn Left, The Stolen Earth, The Beast Below, The Pandorica Opens, The Girl Who Waited, Asylum of the Daleks, A Town Called Mercy, The Crimson Horror, Mummy on the Orient Express, Last Christmas, The Zygon Invasion, The Zygon Inversion
2 - Heaven Sent: whilst Hell Bent never lived up to the high hopes promised of Series 9, Heaven Sent was a success on multiple levels. It found a wonderful and satisfying way to progress the Gallifrey story, and it gave Peter Capaldi the time to shine whilst we were given some genuine time to grieve the loss of a companion....even if Hell Bent would undo a lot of the emotional impact that went into this.
3 - A Christmas Carol: there's something about Doctor Who that makes it feel so incredibly at home at Christmas. Of the various festive stories we've had this is the best of the bunch, and better still is a wonderfully decent episode in its own right that wouldn't feel out of place as a regular episode within the main series. Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins were great alongside Matt Smith, and the episode was the first of the Moffat-era that felt like it had some genuine heart to it.
4 - The Doctor's Wife: Neil Gaiman's romanticised steampunk style suited Doctor Who fantastically in this story. The premise bordered on fanfiction gimmick, but Surrane Jones was superbly cast as Idris and made an episode that was otherwise still full of fan-pleasing moments whilst also remembering to do its own thing.
5 - The Witch's Familiar: Whilst the opening episode of the ninth series was a convoluted mess, this far more streamlined conclusion to the Davros-child story had immense fun with the Missy and Clara pairing, it did something brilliant with Davros and ultimately included the Daleks in a way that felt a bit more worthwhile than what we'd seen in a little while. Capaldi, Coleman, Gomez and Julian Bleach carried this episode and made it great.
6 - The Doctor Dances: the conclusion to a stunning story, and the only one that ever genuinely scared me a little (I was a young at the time!), the second half edges ahead of the first purely on the basis of the 'everybody lives' scene! The Matt Smith era would abuse this to an extremity, but there was a real sense of joy at the end of this and the whole thing is full of fun and quirky character moments that fused the best elements of Moffat's writing and RTD's showrunning.
7 - School Reunion: whilst too many episodes of Series 2 were set in contemporary London, this one was there with good reason and was the first to fully embrace the extensive history of the show. It was fun, pacy and nostalgic in a way that satisfied viewers both new and long-term.
8 - The God Complex: there was a terrific premise behind this episode, which was also wonderfully fun and quirky along the way, but what made it extra special was that it dealt with some genuine consequences for once. It ended up being a far more important episode than expected, and Toby Whithouse' terrific writing gave it an edge over some other very decent episodes at the time.
9 - The Family of Blood: a relatively low-key tale that feels absolutely massive in its stakes, there was an irony to Doctor Who around this time that the best received episode of the Tennant-era barely had him in it at all, and just before that one of Tennant's best performances involved him not playing the Doctor at all. The Family of Blood had a historical poignancy to it, and was all the better for having Jessica Hynes involved as well.
10 - The Stolen Earth: it was fanfiction as an episode really, and Journey's End failed to do anything with it all, but in the moment this was adrenaline in television form. It was a testament to the strength of the characters of the show, and the culmination of a lot of elements that had been built up over four years. It was ultimately also the last episode of the Tennant era that didn't feel overdone or overly tired. Had the regeneration at the end been genuine, this may well have been far higher on the list.
Honorary Mentions: Dalek, The Satan Pit, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, Midnight, Turn Left, The Stolen Earth, The Beast Below, The Pandorica Opens, The Girl Who Waited, Asylum of the Daleks, A Town Called Mercy, The Crimson Horror, Mummy on the Orient Express, Last Christmas, The Zygon Invasion, The Zygon Inversion
