In celebration of Doctor Who's big 60th anniversary, we've traveled back through time to look at the show's lasting legacy and chart some of the many high points from the series to date.
So far, we've seen 13 Doctors in action. Across more than 800 episodes, our Time Lord has done battle with all kinds of terrifying foes and saved countless lives on Earth and throughout the galaxy, finding fans around the world in the process. By the looks of things, the future of Doctor Who is just as bright!
Russell T. Davies has made a comeback to the franchise and the big birthday is being marked with three Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials with the 14th Doctor (played by returning fave, David Tennant) at the helm. Plus, our 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, is stepping into the frame as part of the Christmas TV schedule in the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023
But before we journey into the future, we're looking back at those old adventures. With so many moments to choose from, it was all but impossible to include every single highlight from Doctor Who, and there are bound to be some faves that have slipped through the gaps.
Nevertheless, we've tried our best to include a range of iconic moments from throughout the Doctor's on-screen adventures. So, without further ado, here are our picks for Doctor Who's 60 best moments!
60-51
60. Rowan Atkinson is the Ninth Doctor?!
- Episode: "The Curse of Fatal Death"
- Release year: 1999
Okay, yes, "The Curse of Fatal Death" is technically a Comic Relief story, rather than a proper installment of the show, but if not had a chance to check it out, you absolutely should.
In this short spoof adventure, the Ninth Doctor (primarily played by Rowan Atkinson) and his companion, Emma face down two of his greatest foes. The special was Who's first return after the infamous TV movie, but features several big names taking on the title role including Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, and even Joanna Lumley!
"The Curse of Fatal Death" is very, very silly and is packed with innuendo and raunchy jokes and best suits any fans who prefer Doctor Who's lighter side. You can find it all on YouTube if you've skipped over it.
59. The Insidious Sil
- Episode: "Vengeance on Varos" Part Two
- Release year: 1985
"Vengeance on Varos" is a notable Sixth Doctor story, thanks in no small part to the fact that this is a story in which the Doctor dispatches two guards by throwing them into an acid bath.
The story also gave us a truly nasty alien foe: Sil, the Mentor from Thoros Beta. Like his contemporaries, Sil was a ruthless businessman who sought to exploit Varos both for its minerals and for its controversial "video nasty" type torture videos from the planet's so-called Punishment Dome.
And as if to cement Sil's legacy as a particularly memorable foe, actor Nabil Shaban dreamed up a deeply uncomfortable evil laugh for the creature that has stayed with me ever since I first heard it.
58. The Doctor strangles his companion
- Episode: "The Twin Dilemma" Part One
- Release year: 1984
In general, this is a list filled with high points from the series; notable character entrances, thrilling cliffhangers, and so on. But when it came to the Sixth Doctor years, there was one moment I felt I had to include because of its infamy: when the Doctor attacks his companion, Peri Brown in this much-maligned serial.
Following his regeneration, Colin Baker's Doc began behaving erratically and stranger than usual. This all came to a head when he decided Peri was evil and some sort of alien spy, so he attacked her, out of the blue.
It's a shocking turn for the character, and hints at the darker edge that manifested in some of his later incarnations.
57. The Master claims a new body
- Episode: "The Keeper of Traken" Part Four
- Release year: 1981
At the end of his original regeneration cycle, the Doctor's nemesis set out to find a way to restore his decayed body, and in "The Keeper of Traken", the Master finally pulled off this scheme.
Right at the end of the serial, the Trakenite Tremas comes across a mysterious grandfather clock (the Master's TARDIS). But when he goes to investigate it, he finds himself rooted in place. Then, the decayed Master emerged from the TARDIS and merged with Tremas' body, finally restoring his true form in the new guise of Anthony Ainley.
56. Sutekh's gift... of death!
- Episode: "Pyramids of Mars" Part Four
- Release year: 1975
A cracking Who cliffhanger, the Servant of Sutekh's arrival is still the stuff of nightmares.
Cultist Ibrahim Namin was instructed by the Osiran figure, Sutekh, to prepare the stately home of Marcus Scarman for the alien's arrival. At the end of episode one of this top-quality adventure, "Sutekh" arrives via a lodestone. But when Namin looks up, he finds himself face-to-face with the Servant of Sutekh instead.
Despite his pleas, the Servant clasps his hands on Namin's shoulders and proceeds to burn him alive, all while the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, and Laurence Scarman watch on in horror.
55. 'Four days, and I am still in your lounge!'
- Episode: "The Power of Three"
- Release year: 2012
This manic montage is a great example of the Doctor's sillier side. While monitoring some cubes that have appeared all over the world, the Doctor grows bored sitting alongside Amy and Rory. Petulantly, he leaves Amy and Rory to keep watch while he disappears to keep himself entertained by, among other things, playing keep-ups, painting the Ponds' fence, and vacuuming.
"Nothing like a bit of activity to pass the time," he says, triumphantly sitting back down in between Rory and Amy... before the former reveals he's only kept himself occupied for a single hour.
54. 'Would you like a jelly baby?'
- Episode: "Robot" Part Four
- Release year: 1975
The Second Doctor might have been fond of the occasional sweet treat, but he really took to offering around some jelly babies when in his fourth incarnation in what quickly became a signature move for this particular Doctor.
Sarah Jane Smith chided the Doctor for being 'childish' and leaving in the TARDIS before he could be made to go to Downing Street with the Brigadier. However, his excitement at heading off into the cosmos brought her around, and she quickly took him up on an offer of a jelly baby and a trip across time and space, with Harry Sullivan joining them in the TARDIS a few moments later. Before long, the Doctor was offering them to practically anyone he could, including Davros!
53. The Doctor outsmarts the Toymaker
- Episode: "The Celestial Toymaker: The Final Test"
- Release year: 1966
With the Toymaker returning to plague the 14th Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials, it pays to look back at his first appearance.
The Toymaker had the Doctor trapped in one of his games and almost tricks him into making the final move that would have destroyed the Toyroom and everything in it.
However, thanks to a suggestion from Steven to "talk our way out of this", the First Doctor dreams up an escape plan. He orders Steven to preset the TARDIS for dematerialization, and mimics the Toymaker's voice to solve the Trilogic Game so they can flee as his world is destroyed.
52. The Doctor saves River Song
- Episode: "Forest of the Dead"
- Release year: 2008
In this excellent two-parter, both viewers and the Tenth Doctor were introduced to fellow time traveler (and the Doctor's future wife), River Song.
Having decided not to "spoil" his forthcoming adventures with River, he suddenly comes rushing back, realizing that one of his future selves must have dreamed up a way to save her. And, after checking River's sonic screwdriver, he finds a hidden compartment containing a neural relay that contains her consciousness.
Cue a mad dash through the corridors of the library as the Tenth Doctor takes River on one last run to the core so he can "save" her by uploading her data to the Library's computer.
51. 'Come on Ace, we've got work to do'
- Episode: "Survival" Part Three
- Release year: 1989
This poignant represents where the show came to its end and this final walk-off shot serves as a poignant end to the classic series as we know it.
With the Cheetah people (and the Master) dealt with, Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor comes to Ace's side, offering a coda to their adventures so far, whilst leaving the door open in a way for the series to return:
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger. Somewhere there's injustice. And somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on Ace, we've got work to do!"
50-41
50. Donna and the Doctor's reunion
- Episode: "Partners in Crime"
- Release year: 2008
“Partners in Crime” features a top-quality bit of Whovian humor and is such a stellar example of David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s on-screen chemistry. The episode sees the Doctor and would-be companion Donna Noble both leading separate investigations into the diet pill company, Adipose Industries.
Partway through, the pair spot one another through windows in the building, and wordlessly catch up about how they’ve been since their first caper four years prior in “The Runaway Bride”... completely under the watch of Adipose Industries’ director, “Miss Foster”.
49. Death by plastic chair
- Episode: "Terror of the Autons" Part Two
- Release year: 1971
I simply couldn't exclude one of the most memorable deaths from the entire franchise. In his first-ever appearance in the show, the Master takes charge of Farrel Autoplastics, a small plastics production plant and begins using it to produce Auton artifacts including daffodils, dolls... and chairs.
In the serial's second episode, the Master demonstrates the effectiveness of one such artifact to the plant's production manager, James McDermott. He shows him a self-inflating plastic chair and forces McDermott to take a seat. Horrifically, the thing then collapses and suffocates him, whilst Delgado's Master watches over him, silently.
48. 11 confronts the Atraxi
- Episode: "The Eleventh Hour"
- Release year: 2010
Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor had a monumental act to follow, but he certainly made his mark as "The Madman with a Box" in his first episode. After having tracked down Prisoner Zero, this episode saw the Doctor in a stand-off with the Atraxi (a galactic police force).
While trying to retrieve their escaped alien prisoner, the Atraxi had threatened to destroy Earth if it wasn’t handed over to them. Furious, the Doctor encourages the Atraxi to search their database for info about Earth’s protector and scares them off with an ice-cold final line: "Hello, I’m the Doctor. Basically…run". His reputation alone is enough to make them disappear, fast.
47. 13 Transforms into an Angel
- Episode: "Village of the Angels"
- Release year: 2021
In Jodie's final full season in the TARDIS, we were treated to one of new Who'sbest cliffhangers in the series. A rogue Weeping Angel hijacked her TARDIS and caused it to crash down in the "Cursed Village" of Medderton. It had brought the 13th Doctor there seeking help; a group of Angels that worked for The Division (a shadowy organization the Doctor was once affiliated with) were hunting it down.
Eventually, the rogue Angel betrays the Doctor. It made a deal with the extraction squad, exchanging its freedom for a better target: the Doctor. Before our eyes, the Doctor then transformed into an Angel as she was recalled to Division.
46. 'These shoes! They fit perfectly!'
- Episode: Doctor Who: The Movie
- Release year: 1996
Paul McGann might have felt somewhat responsible for Doctor Who's end, but his Doctor has become a favorite to many in the years since the ill-fated movie.
Wrestling with amnesia post-regeneration in this scene, the Eighth Doctor takes a stroll with Grace Holloway, trying to recall his past (and trying out a new pair of shoes).
As he recalls a memory of watching a meteor storm on Gallifrey, his excitement starts to overcome him. And as the music swells, we see what's truly made him so happy: "These shoes! They fit perfectly."
It's an innocent, childlike moment of happiness and one that captures how charming McGann's Doctor is.
45. 13 forges her 'sonic swiss army knife'
- Episode: "The Woman Who Fell To Earth"
- Release year: 2018
Like many of her previous counterparts, the 13th Doctor got a newly redesigned sonic screwdriver for her adventures. However, unlike some of her counterparts, she couldn't rely on the TARDIS to spit a new one out for her.
That realization led to this grand montage (set to the 13th Doctor's stirring theme) that treats the device with reverence. Having lost everything in her pockets during the fall in "Twice Upon a Time", Jodie's Doctor decided to take matters into her own hands and combined a bit of alien tech with whatever she had to hand in Sheffield to make a far more unique sonic device.
44. Eleven reboots the universe
- Episode: "The Big Bang"
- Release year: 2010
Season 5 of new Who saw the Doctor being sealed away inside the Pandorica by his old foes in a (failed) effort to prevent the end of the universe.
Cue the very, very timey-wimey second part of this story, in which the Doctor used that same prison to restore everything in what called "Big Bang Two". Using River Song's vortex manipulator, he flew the Pandorica into the heart of his exploding TARDIS, the true source of the total event collapse that ended the universe in the first place.
In doing so, the atoms of the preserved universe inside the device were scattered throughout time and space, and the universe is restored, whilst his personal timeline started to unravel.
43. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctor Meet
- Episode: "The Day of the Doctor"
- Release year: 2013
The 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" was full of great moments, but my fave remains the meeting between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors where they essentially form a comedy double act of sorts.
Whilst investigating the National Gallery with Kate Stewart and Clara, the Eleventh Doctor spots a time fissure opening up and throws his fez into it. After recognizing where it leads, he excitedly dives through the fissure, coming face to face with his previous self in the 16th Century.
There, the Doctors mirror one another; Eleven attempts to show off his flashier sonic screwdriver, but Ten coolly asks if he's "compensating for something", and the chemistry between them only grows from there.
42. 'What? WHAT?!'
- Episode: "The Power of the Doctor"
- Release year: 2022
This was a fantastic bait-and-switch moment from Jodie Whittaker’s final adventure. Jodie’s regeneration scene was grand and optimistic, set against a stunning sunset atop the Durdle Door arch, and it ended with one hell of a twist. We'd already learned that Ncuti Gatwa would be taking over as the 14th Doctor, so we were all expecting to see him cropping up at the end of "The Power of the Doctor". So when the burst of energy subsided and Jodie was replaced by none other than David Tennant, jaws hit the floor, and excitement for the new era under returning showrunner Russell T. Davies hit fever pitch very quickly indeed.
41. Doctor, meet Rose Tyler
- Episode: "Rose"
- Release year: 2005
The very first episode of new Who proved that Doctor Who deserved its spot on the TV schedule, and Christopher Eccleston’s very first scene as The Doctor is still a favorite of mine!
Here, the Ninth Doctor manages to save his soon-to-be companion Rose from the Autons just in the nick of time, before the pair start running away from their living plastic pursuers and Rose receives a very frenetic explanation of what’s going on. It’s a fast-paced entrance and throws new and old viewers alike into the deep end.
40-31
40. Ian Chesterton's record-breaking return
- Episode: "The Power of the Doctor"
- Release year: 2022
As "The Power of the Doctor" was a big part of the BBC's Centenary celebrations, and fittingly included several throwbacks, cameos, and references to Doctor Who's past, but the companion support group contained the greatest surprise of them all.
Following his adventures with the Thirteenth Doctor, Graham and Dan assembled a group where they could share their stories about traveling through time and space together with their respective Doctors.
There were plenty of former stars in attendance, but the biggest surprise had to be the record-breaking reappearance of Ian Chesterton, a companion of the very first Doctor! William Russell returned to play the role, earning himself a Guinness World Record for the longest gap between TV appearances.
39. The 'Two Doctors' fade to color
- Episode: "The Two Doctors" Part One
- Release year: 1985
Next to many of the key character moments or tense cliffhangers that we've slotted in throughout this list, this bit of technical wizardry might not seem as impressive on paper.
At the opening of "The Two Doctors", we rejoined Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor and his Highlander companion, Jamie McCrimmon in the TARDIS, en route to a space station to pay a visit to Dastari, the Head of Projects. The pair picked up their roles effortlessly,
Since the first Doctor Who story to be broadcast in color was Pertwee's "Spearhead from Space" in 1970, this intro scene includes a nice throwback to the series' monochrome days, one which didn't occur when Patrick Troughton returned for earlier specials.
38. 'There is one thing you never, ever put in a trap'
- Episode: "The Time of Angels"
- Release year: 2010
The Eleventh Doctor treated us to a fair few epic stand-offs with his many foes during his tenure (as you have already seen on this list!), but this is one of his best. Doctors from the new Who era have generally been more gun-averse than their classic Who counterparts, which is what made this scene so surprising.
In “The Time of Angels”, The 11th Doctor and Amy Pond rescued River Song and landed on Alfava Metraxis, where they were soon attacked by Weeping Angels. Chased into the Maze of the Dead, it looks like the Angels have the Doctor and his associates trapped… until the Doctor shoots a gravity globe, delivering his stern warning.
37. A functional chameleon circuit
- Episode: "Attack of the Cybermen" Part One
- Release year: 1985
The Doctor's TARDIS is meant to change forms so that it can effectively blend into its surroundings in space and time, though thanks to a fault with its chameleon circuit, it had been stuck in the form of a blue police box since the very first episode of the series... until this episode.
The Sixth Doctor decided he would carry out some repairs on the ship, though they don't appear to have gone right. When the TARDIS is drawn towards Earth in 1985 and lands in the scrapyard where it all began in 76 Totter's Lane, it attempts to blend into its surroundings... and adopts the form of a french dresser.
36. The Time Lord Victorious
- Episode: "The Waters of Mars"
- Release year: 2009
Nearing the end of his time as this particular incarnation, a darker side of the Tenth Doctor emerged. He began to regard himself as the "Time Lord Victorious", a figure who is above the Laws of Time and therefore able to control how they flow.
To demonstrate this, he decided to save the lives of several workers working at Sanctuary Base 6 on Mars from The Flood, a viral species inhabiting the waters of the planet, including Captain Adelaide Brooke.
But when he declares his newfound believe to Adelaide after returning her to Earth, she is horrified by his arrogance. She defies his interference in the time by taking her own life, forcing the Doctor to recognize where he was going wrong.
35. Meeting the Solitract
- Episode: "It Takes You Away"
- Release year: 2018
This is a genuinely heartfelt scene wherein Jodie Whittaker put her stamp on the Doctor role by comforting a consciousness being whose preferred form was that of a little frog.
The TARDIS fam crossed paths with the Solitract in Norway in 2018, where it had been luring travellers to learn about the universe it had been banished from. When the Doctor finally came face-to-face with it, she was fascinated, but couldn't stick around.
The Solitract's plane was destabilizing because of the presence of incompatible presence in the other plane was destabilizing it, and if she didn't leave, the universe would kill them both. So, she promised to be its friend forever, but had to be let go, right after forging a new friendship. It's a genuinely emotional, but also mad as a box of, well, frogs.
34. 'Sit down and TALK!'
- Episode: "The Zygon Inversion"
- Release year: 2015
There are other Twelfth Doctor highlights on this list, but if there's one defining moment for his character, I'd wager it's this.
Kate Stewart and Bonnie, leader of a radical group of Zygons, are in a stand-off. Their hands as hovering over the "Osgood Boxes", devices that act as safeguards (or countermeasures) against both species, should the peace treaty between them ever break down.
With neither person willing to back down, the Doctor launches into a polemic about war and its consequences, in an effort to get them to do what they should have been doing all along: to 'sit down and talk!'
33. The Brigadier confronts the Destroyer
- Episode: "Battlefield" Part Four
- Release year: 1989
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart has been by the Doctor's side for many adventures, but he returned to active duty in this serial to assist UNIT in the battle against Mordred's forces.
As the story unraveled, a demon from outside of time known as The Destroyer was summoned by his mother, Morgaine. The Doctor surmises the creatures weakness to silver, prompting the Brigadier to knock him out and takes a gun loaded with his silver bullets from him to alleviate the Doctor of the responsibility of killing the Destroyer.
After the demon blasts him as a "pitiful" champion for Earth, the Brigadier coolly tells it "I just do the best I can" unloading the weapon and killing the Destroyer in a blast of green fire which he miraculously survives.
32. 'So you're my replacements... a dandy and a clown'
- Episode: "The Three Doctors" Part One
- Release year: 1972
Multi-Doctor stories are always a treat, and “The Three Doctors was the first of its kind. Under threat from a dangerous foe, the Time Lords break the First Law Of Time —not letting a Time Lord cross into their own timeline — and recruit the Second Doctor from the past to assist the Third in seeing off the latest threat. But because they weren’t playing nice, the Time Lords were forced to bring in the First Doctor to help keep them in check.
Although he was locked in a “time eddy” and only able to tune in via a monitor, William Hartnell still delivered this iconic put-down in what became his final appearance as the Time Lord.
31. The Silurians plague spreads
- Episode: "The Silurians" Part Six
- Release year: 1970
In this Third Doctor story, Jon Pertwee lives up to his Time Lord title rather literally as he and Liz work against the clock to try and manufacture a cure for a deadly virus that's been unleashed by the Silurians.
By modern standards, the actual Silurian costumes might not appear all that threatening, but their deadly plague certainly is. The episode is littered with clips of the virus wreaking havoc on the city as more and more Londoners succumb to it; arguably the most haunting one is the lingering shot of Masters collapsing against the railing of a pedestrian walkway after fleeing two police officers.
30-21
30. Clara jumps into the Doctor's Timestream
- Episode: "The Name of the Doctor"
- Release year: 2013
The season-long "Impossible Girl" mystery was a fascinating era of New Who, and it all came to a head in "The Name of the Doctor". The episode saw The Great Intelligence planning to change every single one of the Doctor's successes into failures.
With the Eleventh Doctor writhing in pain on the floor, Clara decides to sacrifice herself to save him and steps into his timestream. She's scattered throughout his timeline, with the time winds tearing her apart.
Subsequently, we watch as echoes of her appearing at points in his timestream, always managing to steer the Doctor back on track where it counts.
29. Meeting Sarah Jane Smith
- Episode: "The Time Warrior" Part One
- Release year: 1973
Not only did "The Time Warrior" bring The Sontarans into being, but it also introduced us to investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith.
Having posed as her aunt, virologist Lavinia Smith, Sarah Jane had infiltrated UNIT HQ on the hunt for a great story. She'd managed to fool UNIT's officers, but the Doctor knows better, as he's familiar with one of Lavinia's papers.
Instead of giving her away, though, the Doctor recognizes her inquisitiveness and teases her about becoming the designated coffee-maker. Before long, she's stowing away in the TARDIS, traveling back in time and helping the Doctor to defeat Jago Linx.
28. The TARDIS says 'Hello'
- Episode: "The Doctor's Wife"
- Release year: 2011
In this adventure, the Eleventh Doctor finds himself face-to-face with a human version of the TARDIS after the TARDIS-eating entity known as House extracted the Doctor's TARDIS matrix and implanted in the body of a woman called Idris (played by Suranne Jones).
Shortly after Idris' death, she got to have one final heartfelt exchange with her pilot: "There's something I didn't get to say to you... Hello. Hello, Doctor. It's so very, very nice to meet you".
This tearjerking moment gives you such a clear picture of the Doctor's relationship with his TARDIS, and the emotional heft of the scene is effortlessly carried off by Jones and Matt Smith.
27. The first use of the sonic screwdriver
- Episode: "Fury of the Deep" Part One
- Release year: 1968
Over the years, the Doctor has used this particular piece of kit to get them out of all manner of scrapes; it's now so synonymous with the Doctor that the BBC gave the 14th Doctor's sonic screwdriver its own trailer!
And whilst the device has gotten flashier and been used to do all kinds of tasks over the years, it had some pretty humble beginnings. Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor put it to use for its primary use (as a screwdriver) whilst investigating a refinery off the English coast.
Whilst all six of these episodes are currently missing, you can at least still experience the story as this is one of the stories that's been reconstructed and animated by the BBC.
26. The Doctor enters the Matrix
- Episode: "The Deadly Assassin" Part Two
- Release year: 1976
Having been summoned back to Gallifrey by the Time Lords, the Doctor finds himself in hot water as he’s implicated in the assassination of the Time Lord President.
During his investigation, he reasons that the Master has unauthorized access to the Matrix of Time, and must be hiding within; against all warnings, he enters the Matrix to pursue his foe.
After a psychedelic screen wipe, the Fourth Doctor awakens inside the assassin’s world, where he faces all manner of threats — a samurai warrior, a bombing run, a speeding train, and, of course, a rubber crocodile — as the battle of wits between them commences.
25. Dr Constantine's Transformation
- Episode: "The Empty Child"
- Release year: 2005
Doctor Who might be a family show, but that hasn’t stopped the series from introducing some truly chilling entities over the years. One such foe came in the form of The Empty Child, a young boy called Jamie whose touch could transform you into a humanoid creature with a gas mask fused to your face.
The Doctor learned some crucial info about this plague from Dr. Constantine, a noble figure who revealed that Jamie had been the source… before succumbing to the affliction himself and transforming before the Doctor’s very eyes in a scene that’s still nightmare fuel even now.
24. The Doctor is banished to Earth
- Episode: "War Games" Part Ten
- Release year: 1969
The end of this epic serial culminates in the Second Doctor being put on trial by a group of Time Lords for, in their eyes, breaking the laws of non-interference.
Patrick Troughton's Doctor remains steadfast in his final moments. He's proud of having confronted many evils over his time. Recognizing his role in the ongoing battle against the forces of evil, the Time Lords modify his punishment.
The Doctor is to be banished to Earth; he'll also lose the secret of the TARDIS and his appearance will be changed. Cue an impassioned speech wherein he rejects his new options, one that's cut short as the change takes place, leaving him spiralling (quite literally) out of control...
23. Ace batters an Imperial Dalek
- Episode: "Remembrance of the Daleks" Part Two
- Release year: 1988
This is just one of many memorable moments from the Seventh Doctor's standout serial.
Having returned to Coal Hill School to retrieve her stereo system, Ace found herself being pursued by an Imperial Dalek. However, she'd not come empty handed: this time, she was armed with a metal baseball bat imbued with the power of a Time Lord artefact.
The companion promptly used this to batter her pursuer, smashing its eyestalk and blinding it so she could slip away.
This scene was quite so iconic that it ended up being one of many classic Who beats that was referenced in "The Power of the Doctor", where Ace teamed up with Graham (Bradley Walsh) to disrupt the Daleks' volcanic plans.
22. The Master's debut
- Episode: "Terror of the Autons" Part One
- Release year: 1971
Roger Delgado had the job of debuting the figure who would go on to become one of the Doctor’s archnemeses, the Master, and his debut marks him out as a menacing presence in the Whoniverse from the off.
Stepping out of his own TARDIS (which materializes as a horse box), Delgado’s Master cuts an imposing figure in his all-black attire. Provoked by circus owner Luigi Rossini (real name, Lew Russell), the rogue Time Lord easily overpowers the ‘insolent’ businessman and promptly hypnotizes him so that Russell can start doing his bidding.
21. The Cybermen take London
- Episode: "The Invasion" Part Six
- Release year: 1968
"The Invasion" sees the Second Doctor confronting, well, an invasion, and features this truly iconic moment that sees the evil robotic creatures bursting out of London's sewers.
In the climax of the sixth part of this serial, the Cybermen put their plan to take over Earth into action. Their hypnotic signal blasts in the background, knocking the Second Doctor out of action and hypnotizing everyday people into inaction. As the Doctor's companions rush to his aid, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart returns to deliver some shocking news: hundreds of Cybermen have emerged.
As the episode ends, we watch as one Cyberman effortlessly tosses a manhole cover aside. Then the creatures begin stalking the streets of London, including the classic shot of them descending the steps outside St Paul's Cathedral.
20-11
20. Breaking through Azbantium
- Episode: "Heaven Sent"
- Release year: 2015
Following the death of his companion, Clara Oswald, the Doctor finds himself trapped inside an old castle, pursued and killed by a mysterious veiled creature that takes the form of a creature from his nightmares.
In reality, the Doctor has been locked inside his confession dial, in an effort to get him to confess his deepest secrets. This melancholic puzzle-box of an episode wraps up in a hopeful way; over the course of his four-and-a-half-billion-year imprisonment, the Doctor comes to terms with Clara’s death and punches his way through an Azbantium wall, eventually escaping out of the castle onto Gallifrey to confront the Time Lords who locked him away.
19. 'I don't want to go'
- Episode: "The End of Time" Part Two
- Release year: 2010
David Tennant is still one of the most popular actors to ever star in the show, so his departure was always going to be a big one. Having saved the life of Wilfred Mott and absorbed a huge amount of radiation in the process, the Doctor goes on a sort of victory lap, paying a visit to many of his old companions.
As the regeneration begins in the TARDIS, he tearfully admits: "I don't want to go", before the energy bursts out of him and the regeneration finally takes place.
This scene has gone on to be a divisive one (at least in part because it put his successor, Matt Smith, under a lot of pressure to be a bigger, better Doc), but the raw emotion on display still wins me over every time.
18. Davros' thirst for power
- Episode: "Genesis of the Daleks" Part Five
- Release year: "2005"
There are a fair few Dalek entries on this list, but we couldn't skip over their megalomaniacal creator, Davros.
Following his menacing debut earlier in the serial, this scene sees the Doctor begs Davros to halt development on the Daleks, and presents him with a hypothetical scenario: if he possessed a virus capable of wiping out all other life forms, would he put it to use?
Actor Michael Wisher gets Davros' evil nature across brilliantly, as the villain proudly declares that he would, as that power would place him above the gods, leading the Doctor to threaten to switch off his life support systems.
17. 'Is this death?'
- Episode: "The Caves of Androzani" Part Four
- Release year: 1984
In his final adventure, the Fifth Doctor makes a noble sacrifice to save his companion's life. The pair had made their way to Androzani Minor and contracted spectrox toxaemia in the process.
Thankfully, the Doctor had managed to get his hands on some antitoxin but ended up not having enough to save them both. At death's door, he opted to feed what he had left to Peri, before collapsing on the floor of the TARDIS in a moment where he feared he might not be able to regenerate at all.
Thankfully, she recovered very quickly, giving him just enough time to say goodbye before succumbing to the poison. But, buoyed by the words from some of his former companions (and ignoring the Master's call for him to die), he managed to thwart death and regenerate into Colin Baker.
16. Rose destroys the Daleks
- Episode: "The Parting of the Ways"
- Release year: 2005
In this climactic season finale, everything came full circle. The Doctor might have saved her from the Autons, but when he looked to be out of options, the TARDIS brought her back to his side just as the Daleks prepared to exterminate him.
Having stared right into the heart of the TARDIS, Rose emerged from the ship as the Bad Wolf. Imbued with power, she proceeds to wipe out the remaining Daleks and declares the Time War to be at an end.
That much power quickly starts taking its toll on Rose, prompting the Ninth Doctor to step in and absorb it as the pair share a kiss, shortly before he's forced to regenerate into a new form.
15. K-9's explosive return
- Episode: "School Reunion"
- Release year: 2006
In "School Reunion", the Doctor was delighted to run into Sarah Jane Smith whilst investigating the Krillitane occupation of a high school.. even if it did prompt some difficult conversations about why they parted ways.
She wasn't the only old friend who cropped up here, though; Sarah went on to surprise the Doctor with an old, inactive K-9 Mark III. The delightful robotic companion then proved instrumental in defeating the alien threat when he blew up their stores of Krillitane oil.
And whilst he was presumed dead in the blast, the Doctor had one last surprise in store: he left his old companion with a brand new, upgraded K-9 Mark IV, who served his new master well in The Sarah Jane Adventures spin-off.
14. 'If we fight like animals, we'll die like animals!'
- Episode: "Survival" Part Three
- Release year: 1989
In this climactic scene, the Doctor nearly offed his archnemesis for good. Imbued with the power of the Cheetah World, the Master takes his rival to the planet with the view of dealing with the Doctor once and for all. Unfortunately for him, the Seventh Doctor gains the upper hand in the fight and raises a skull, ready to kill him. But in a moment of clarity, he resists the planet's pull. He attempts to convince the Master to stop the fighting as they'll destroy the planet if they continue.
Still, the Master spitefully refuses, leaving the Doctor to melodramatically scream: "If we fight like animals, we'll die like animals!" as his rival goes for the finishing blow. Luckily, the Doctor is teleported back to Earth just in the nick of time, leaving the Master stranded on the dying world.
13. The Daleks take flight
- Episode: "Remembrance of the Daleks" Part One
- Release year: 1988
For a time, it was really easy to assume you could thwart one of the Doctor's most formidable foes simply by dashing up the nearest flight of stairs. And yet, in the closing moments of "Remembrance of the Daleks'" first episode, the series proved this theory wrong.
After tapping into the transmat that's bringing Imperial Daleks into Coal Hill School, Ace and the Seventh Doctor were set upon by one of the incoming Daleks. The pair tries to flee upstairs, but the Doctor comically trips and falls up the steps. Meanwhile, the Headmaster knocks out Ace and bolts the door, leaving the Doctor to watch on in horror as the creature conquers the steps and advances on him, ready to exterminate its mortal enemy.
12. Adric's Death
- Episode: "Earthshock", Part Four
- Release year: 1982
Adric is certainly one of the show's least fondly remembered companions but you can’t deny that his death was a shocking moment from Doctor Who’s past. This super-intelligent youngster from E-Space accompanied the Fourth and Fifth Doctors on their journeys but met his end in "Earthshock".
He was busying himself at a computer console trying to stop a spaceship from crashing into planet Earth when a Cyberman destroyed it, leaving him trapped on the freighter that became the ‘meteor’ that wiped out the dinosaurs whilst the companions watched on in horror.
11. "A tear, Sarah Jane?"
- Episode: "Planet of the Spiders" Part Six
- Release year: 1974
Sure, modern Who fans probably shed a tear over David Tennant's departure, but I think the third Doctor's farewell to one of the best-ever companions is also a standout moment.
The Third Doctor's journeys came to an end when he received a lethal dose of radiation on Metebelis III. Although he was waylaid in the time vortex for several weeks, the Third Doctor tumbles out of the TARDIS in UNIT HQ in front of the Brigadier and Sarah Jane Smith.
The Brigadier attempts to comfort him, whilst Sarah Jane begins to cry and beg him not to die, prompting him to try and comfort her with his last words: "A tear, Sarah Jane? Now, don't cry. While there's life, there's..."
10-1
10. Vincent van Gogh visits the museum
- Episode: "Vincent and the Doctor"
- Release year: 2010
The Eleventh Doctor’s trip to the Musee d’Orsay with Amy Pond and Vincent van Gogh — played with real warmth by Tony Curran, who looks uncannily like the real-world painter — remains a real tearjerker moment from Who's past.
After working with the renowned painter to defeat an invisible monster that only van Gogh can see, the Doctor takes both him and Amy to the Parisian museum. In a stirring scene, he sees visitors marveling at his paintings and is reduced to tears as he listens to art expert Dr. Henry Black (Bill Nighy) heap praise upon his life and work.
9. Paul McGann's return
- Episode: "The Night of the Doctor"
- Released in: 2013
"I'm a Doctor... but probably not the one you were expecting." He wasn't kidding!
17 years on from his sole on-screen adventure, Eighth Doctor Paul McGann uttered these words when he returned to our screens in this 2013 minisode that helped mark Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary. This short depicts this Doctor’s final moments, urged into ending the climactic Time War by the Sisterhood of Karn.
He consumes an elixir that allows him to control his own regeneration and choose one more suited to the Time War. Short-lived though it was, this moment gave McGann his chance to finally make his mark as the Doctor, and he ran through the whole gamut of emotions as he mulled over his response to the ongoing battle.
8. 'I do what I do because it's right!'
- Episode: "The Doctor Falls"
- Release year: 2017
Taunted by two versions of his archnemesis in the form of both the Saxon Master and Missy, the Twelfth Doctor exploded into just one of his many brilliant monologues wherein he extols his virtues.
In the face of their mocking (and staring down his imminent death), Capaldi's Doctor delivers this barnstorming monologue, explaining that he always tries to do the right thing precisely because it's the right thing to do.
Whilst he fails to win over the Saxon Master, his words do appear to have an impact on Missy; later in the episode, she betrays the other Master and explains she'd decided to make a stand with the Doctor... but her previous incarnation refused to let her.
7. 'You belong to us. You shall be like us.'
- Episode: "The Tomb of the Cybermen" Part Two
- Release year: 1967
"You belong to us. You shall be like us." Those are the chilling words delivered by the Cyber Controller after forcing Eric Klieg — one of the men who sought to reawaken the Cybermen on the planet Telos— to his knees.
Patrick Troughton's Doctor confronted the Cyber-menace several times during his tenure, but for my money, this is one of the creatures' most chilling appearances. George Pastell looks utterly terrified as he confronts the figure, and for good reason! That inhumane, monotone delivery is haunting, and the blank, expressionless close-up of the Cyber Controller betrays not a hint of emotion whatsoever.
6. Barbara attacked by Daleks
- Episode: "The Daleks: The Dead Planet"
- Release year: 1963
Another truly iconic Who cliffhanger, this is a significant moment for containing the first-ever on-screen appearance of Doctor Who's most recognizable foes: the Daleks.
Whilst exploring the corridors of the mysterious city, Barbara got separated from the First Doctor, Ian, and Susan. She soon found that the doors were closing behind her, leaving her split off from the rest of the gang.
Barbara's panic sets in as she realizes she's become trapped. The scene then concludes with a point-of-view shot from the perspective of what we'd come to learn is a Dalek; something with a plunger arm is advancing on her, and Jacqueline Hall's terrified scream sells just how horrifying the alien creature is.
5. Rose and the Doctor say goodbye
- Episode: "Doomsday"
- Release year: 2006
This tearful goodbye is also from Tennant's era, but stings even more because it was saying goodbye to one of the series' best-ever companions.
The Doctor, Rose and their allies in our universe and in Pete's World had managed to fend off the warring Dalek and Cybermen forces. Unfortunately, the Doctor and Rose ended up being separated across time and space in the process.
Months later, Rose follows messages to a beach in Norway, and the pair got to reveal how much they truly mean to one another as they say goodbye for what they thought would be the last time.
4. 'You would make a good Dalek'
- Episode: "Dalek"
- Release year: "2005"
New Who gave us a fantastic introduction to Daleks in the first season’s sixth episode. The Doctor thought these evil creatures (along with all other Time Lords) had been wiped out in the Last Great Time War... before discovering a lone survivor that began wreaking havoc in collector Henry van Statten’s bunker.
Over comms, the lone Dalek communicates with the Doctor, who explains all other Daleks are dead (or so he thought). The Ninth Doctor explodes with rage in this moment, blasting the creature and ordering it to take its own life since they're mortal enemies. Recognizing this hatred, the escaped Dalek delivers a shocking line of its own: “You would make a good Dalek.”
3. Meeting the Doctor for the very first time
- Episode: "An Unearthly Child" Part One
- Release year: 1963
When you look back at it, An Unearthly Child feels so far removed from the action-packed openings that some of the subsequent Doctors got. The first-ever episode is laden with intrigue and makes for a great introduction to the series because we get to experience first-hand just how bizarre meeting the Doctor and trying to comprehend the TARDIS really is.
The bulk of episode one aligns us with Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, two school teachers (and would-be companions). The pair of them are concerned about one of their students, Susan, who has grown frustrated about the things she's learning at school. When they follow her home, they end up coming across the TARDIS and encounter the First Doctor, before being whisked back in time to 100,000 BC.
2. 'Don't blink.'
- Episode: "Blink"
- Release year: 2007
Including a moment from a Doctor-lite episode this far up the list almost feels like cheating, but "Blink" remains a high point from the show to date.
With the Doctor trapped in the past, it's up to Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan) and her friend Larry to reunite him with the TARDIS. The only problem? They're being pursued by the Weeping Angels and only have half a conversation with the Doctor (from some DVD Easter eggs) to help guide them.
When Sally finally realizes the conversation is meant for her, the angels begin closing in. It's a tense episode from the off, but when the pair finally come face-to-face with the aliens, the brakes come off and the pair race to send the TARDIS back with the Angels at their heels.
1. 'Do I have the right?'
- Episode: "Genesis of the Daleks" Part 6
- Release year: 1975
Over the years, the Doctor has delivered some truly epic monologues over the years, but this moment of hesitation is still his best. Following that tense confrontation with Davros we mentioned earlier, the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker faces a terrible moral quandary.
Simply by touching two wires together, he could wipe out the Daleks, one of his most notorious foes… but should he? Sarah Jane-Smith certainly believes it’s the right thing to do; the Daleks are evildoers, ruthless killing machines who are only capable of destruction.
And even though the Doctor doesn't dispute those statements, he's still left wondering whether he should have the power to remove them from existence, either.
In this moment of indecision (and, incredibly, in his first series as the Time Lord), Baker delivers an incredible performance as he weighs up the impact of his potential actions. It's easy to see from this moment alone why for many fans, Tom Baker will always be the Doctor.
The show returns this November with the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials. Our 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, makes his debut in the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023, and will return in 2024 for Doctor Who season 14.
