What are the Doctor’s top 25 adventures to date?
We’re about to step into the final leg of our 50th anniversary countdown and we will be building up to the momentous day by revealing the best Doctor Who stories of all time!
With some 798 episodes to choose from, hand-picking a tiny selection certainly is a mighty task but we will be wading our way through the Doctor’s tremendous history to give you 25 of his greatest on screen adventures to date.
The countdown will take us up to The Day of the Doctor…
Which serials/episodes should make the cut? Post your suggestions below or tweet them to us throughout the countdown via the #DWTop25 hash tag. We hope our selection will serve as a small representation of all the joy and excitement that Doctor Who can offer.
#25 – The Hand of Fear
The Fourth Doctor, Broadcast 2nd-23rd October 1976, Buy on DVD
The TARDIS materialises in an English quarry where Sarah Jane is involved in a rock fall. When she is rescued, she is clutching a stone hand, which takes control of her and forces her to take it into the core of a nuclear reactor. The Doctor arrives too late to stop the hand from regenerating into an alien lifeform known as Eldrad, who demands to be returned to her home planet of Kastria. The Doctor obliges, but all is not as it seems with Eldrad.
#24 – Vincent and the Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor, Broadcast Saturday 5th June 2010, Buy on DVD
In 2010, the Doctor and Amy visit the Musée d’Orsay museum in Paris, where, in the Vincent Van Gogh gallery, they spot a mysterious face in the window of his painting, The Church at Auvers. Confused and intrigued, they travel back to Auvers-sur-Oise in 1890 to speak to the man himself.
#23 – The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
The Seventh Doctor, Broadcast 14th December 1988-4th January 1989, Buy on DVD
Although Ace hates clowns, the Doctor decides to take his companion to the Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax. There they find a group of scared performers who live in fear of the sinister and creepy Chief Clown. But what is so dangerous about this particular circus, why is there such a small audience and will Ace be able to overcome her fear before it’s too late?
#22 – The Mark of the Rani
The Sixth Doctor, Broadcast 2nd-9th February 1985, Buy DVD
In 19th century England, the Doctor finds himself facing two competing enemies: his old adversary the Master and the Rani, another Time Lord with a sinister plan. The local population are turning violent and unpredictable and, with a major meeting of the brains of the Industrial Revolution due to happen in the village soon, the Doctor must work out what exactly is causing all the problems…
#21 – Earthshock
The Fifth Doctor, Broadcast 8th March-16th March 1982, Buy DVD
A fateful landing on Earth in the 26th Century finds the TARDIS deep within a system of subterranean caves and even deeper within the mystery surrounding the brutal murder of a group of geologists working there. Who is controlling the androids guarding the hatch in the rock face? More importantly, what lies beyond the hatch? The answers provide a serious threat for the Doctor as the time and place is set for an encounter with his old arch enemies. The Cybermen are well and truly back and the Doctor and his companions could well be counting the cost in truly personal terms.
#20 – The Fires of Pompeii
The Tenth Doctor, Broadcast Saturday 12th April 2008, Buy on DVD
When the Doctor and Donna arrive in 79AD, they discover psychic powers and beasts of stone running riot in the streets of old Pompeii. The time-travellers face their greatest challenge yet – can established history be changed, or must the Doctor let everyone die?
Share your 50th anniversary hopes and dreams in our dedicated discussion…
I think that the End of time parts one and two have to be on this list, its my favourite episode ever
Genesis Of The Daleks
The Eleventh Hour
Rose
An Unearthly Child
The Daleks
The Tenth Planet
Just some off the top of my head
Pandorica episodes
Off to a great start with “Hand of Fear”. Yes, one of the best.
My picks for Best BC and AP (Before Christopher/After Paul):
Horror of Fang Rock
Vincent and the Doctor
“Vincent and the Doctor” isn’t just an outstanding episode of Doctor Who though. It’s an outstanding example of Television as a whole.
The City of Death has to be in there. D:
@Profzed Have to disagree with you on “Vincent and the Doctor”. When the monster is killed, the Doctor appeared not to care less. It is out of character, completely.
Most of my Top 25 are going to be from the classic series with a few from RTD era. Steven Moffatt has not been able to give anything really worth being anywhere near the top 10 while he has been “head writer” !
There is absolutely no way Vincent and The Doctor is better than the Hand of Fear. In anyway shape or form!
Vincent and the Doctor imo should be higher on the list but I’m glad its within the top 25; most definitely one of the Doctor’s best adventures and Karen was outstanding.
Yay, it’s great that Vincent and the Doctor got in! Love that episode
@Steve
Obviously the majority including myself do think that but at least Hand of Fear is in the top 25!
*think that Vincent and the Doctor is better
While “Mark of the Rani” and “The Two Doctors” tie for my favorite Colin Baker stories, I don’t think either of them would be in my own “Top 25″. If I had to include at least one story from each Doctor in a Top 25, then I suppose I would include “Mark of the Rani” as Colin’s best.
@Steve
I can see from your post that you are quite biased against anything from the Moffat era. There’s certainly nothing wrong with you feeling that way and having your opinions.
I’ve never taken it that the Doctor had no feelings for the death of the monster. The Doctor bends down next to it and with caring eyes, listens to it as it struggles with it’s last words, “I’m afraid.”. He gently touches and strokes it and assures it with, “There, there. It’s O. K. It’ll be fine.” The Doctor then bows his head and wipes his eyes in sadness.
However, for a good example of the 11th Doctor not caring about the death of others, watch the end of “Power of Three” when he makes absolutely no effort whatsoever to get all the unconscious humans off the alien ship before it explodes. Amy and Rory could have been getting the humans out of there during the Doctor’s entire confrontation with the Shakri dude. That scene is incredibly disappointing to me.
The Hand of Fear is one of my favorite but considering its Sarah Jane Smith and Tom Baker that’s no surprise! Somewhere on my list is Silence in the Library, Turn Left, and The Waters of Mars.