11 Best Doctor Who Stories of All Time

There are strong reasons that Doctor Who has been a staple of the sci-fi genre for over 60 years. Although the premise is deceptively simple and the series was originally conceived as a children’s program to teach British schoolchildren about science and history, it has often produced some of the best science fiction television has to offer.

Like the Doctor themselves, Doctor Who has often changed formats. The 2005 revival of the series rejected the serialized nature of classic episodes and returned with a bigger special effects budget, but kept the most important aspects of the series intact: the Doctor as an outcast who travels the universe to correct wrongs, protect others, and fight for justice. For this reason, there are many strong stories in both the classic and modern series, and it is difficult to narrow down which ones are truly the best.

11) The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Newer viewers often find the Hartnell era of Doctor Who to be slow or boring. The series was first finding its footing during these early years, and much of the canon had not been established yet, leading to less compelling stories and overly long arcs. However, the second season episode “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” is one of the best First Doctor stories.

In this story, the Earth has been taken over by Daleks after storms and plague have nearly destroyed the human population. Not only was this an ahead-of-its-time cautionary tale about the dangers of climate destruction, but this saga marks the end of an era when Susan falls in love with a human, and the Doctor refuses to let her board the TARDIS, instead making the now-famous declaration that he will return for her in the future. Additionally, the Daleks are at their scariest in this story, setting the stage for other strong stories to come.

10) “Dalek”

The idea that the Daleks were wiped out in the Time War has become a joke in recent years because they keep finding ways to reappear and terrorise everyone they come across. However, this hadn’t happened yet when the Ninth Doctor and Rose came across the last surviving Dalek, and the end result is one of New Who’s most heartbreaking stories.

This story wasn’t as much about the Daleks as it was about the Doctor being the last Time Lord who carries a lot of guilt for having wiped out both his people and their enemies in the Time War. Additionally, the lone Dalek’s inability to survive evolving into a non-killing machine is a strong warning about what happens when someone clings too tightly to the past in the face of the need to change. Plus, this early episode solidifies the relationship between the Doctor and Rose when she challenges his desire to wipe out the final Dalek instead of giving it a chance to prove itself.

9) “Kinda”

The Peter Davison era is seriously underrated. Many of the best Doctor Who stories came from these three seasons, but missteps such as focusing on unpopular companions like Tegan or Adric overshadow them in many people’s minds. Ironically, Kinda features both of these characters, yet uses them perfectly to create a story that balances heart and humor while making a serious point.

“Kinda” is an allegory that is sharply critical of the way colonists treat Indigenous people. The Mara itself is able to possess a tribe member by manipulating his anger at the way the colonists have treated his brothers, two members of the Kinda tribe have been kidnapped and are assumed to be primitive because they can’t speak, so some colonists are doing science experiments on them against their will. 

The story also features some of the scariest sequences in classic Doctor Who history, especially the dream sequences that lead to Tegan becoming possessed, and the resolution of the story is brilliant despite the ridiculous-looking special effects when the Mara can’t stand its own reflection and explodes.

8) “Vincent and the Doctor”

“Vincent and the Doctor” is one of the most emotional episodes of Doctor Who.  After the Doctor spots an alien creature in one of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings, he and Amy travel back to 1890 France to meet the artist and find out what’s going on.

This episode mixes typical science fiction tropes with Van Gogh’s real history.  The Doctor and Amy help Vincent to defeat the alien monster that only he can see, but neither this nor their decision to take him to the future to show him that he became one of the most famous artists in history is enough to alleviate his depression. This heartbreaking ending sends a strong message about how difficult a disease depression is to combat, as well as underscores the limits of the Doctor’s power, leaving viewers pensive as well as sad.

7) “Dot and Bubble”

Like many episodes in the Gatwa era, “Dot and Bubble” seems silly but has a serious message. In this episode, the Doctor and Ruby encounter a planet full of entitled rich teenagers and young adults who are entirely dependent on video chatting and other social media to make their lives bearable. However, a monster has invaded the planet and is killing people one by one.

As usual, the Doctor sets out to save the people he runs across, regardless of how unpleasant they are. However, this episode has a sad ending, as this group of people is so prejudiced that it refuses his help simply because his current incarnation is Black, preferring to die at the hands of a monster than get in the TARDIS with a stranger they have deemed inferior. This twist is one of the most powerful messages about the effects of prejudice and privilege that Doctor Who has made over the years.

6) “Remembrance of the Daleks”

The Sylvester McCoy era was very uneven and is unfortunately remembered as the final classic era and unfairly blamed for the original series’ cancellation. However, “Remembrance of the Daleks”, which was originally written for the show’s 25th anniversary, is one of the better Dalek episodes as well as an early strong story for new companion Ace.

The Doctor returns to 1963 London to try to stop the Daleks from invading the school Susan used to attend. While the episode ignores the obvious time paradox problem of a later Doctor occupying the same space and time as an earlier one, it makes up for it with newer, scarier Daleks that can now climb stairs and a subplot about Ace being attracted to a man who ultimately is revealed as a traitor who is helping the Daleks.

This episode also offers one of the best cliffhangers at the end of the first episode when Ace is surrounded by a group of Daleks, with nothing but a baseball bat to fight with, and the Doctor’s ironic remarks after he helps rescue her at the beginning of the second episode.

5) “The War Games”

“The War Games” is one of Doctor Who’s most important episodes because it was the first saga to introduce the Time Lords and reveal that the Doctor was one of them. Prior to this final Patrick Troughton episode, audiences didn’t know anything about the Doctor’s background, something which is taken for granted by modern viewers, so in 1969, this was an exciting development.

Additionally, the 10-episode saga never gets bogged down with filler or unnecessary scenes, which is an impressive feat, considering how long it is. The premise of the episode — renegade Time Lords kidnapping soldiers from various eras of history to fight each other for the kidnappers’ entertainment — is original and interesting, and the final sequence in which the Doctor is forced to call on the Time Lords for help righting this wrong and is punished with an obligatory regeneration, is one of the best in Doctor Who history.

4) “Mind of Evil”

The Jon Pertwee era was a bit different from others in the classic series. After being confined to Earth, the Doctor worked with UNIT on combating various evil plans featuring the first of 11 actors to play the Master. “Mind of Evil” was the best of these types of stories, featuring a machine that could suck the evil out of men’s minds, but which ultimately goes renegade and starts killing people by making them think their worst fears are coming true.

This unique concept leads to interesting thematic questions about the role fear plays in limiting or even destroying people’s lives. Additionally, Jo Grant is at her best in this episode, often taking charge and leading with both determination and empathy. Although some of the special effects are laughable, the episode has a strong blend of horror and lighthearted sequences, and the ending includes a heartbreaking death.

Additionally, it’s a stroke of genius to reveal the Master’s worst fear being the Doctor laughing at him, as this fully explains the trouble the Master constantly causes throughout both the classic and modern versions of Doctor Who.

3) “Blink”

“Blink” is one of a few episodes of Doctor Who in which the Doctor has little to nothing to do with the plot. This episode focuses on Sally Sparrow, a young woman who encounters the scary Weeping Angels with only a video from the Doctor to guide her as to what to do.

“Blink” is New Who at its best, using special effects and dialogue to create a truly frightening episode. It is famous for lines such as the Doctor explaining that the video is a bunch of “timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly… stuff” and the warning not to blink in order to stop the Weeping Angels from attacking — the latter of which is worthy of any serious horror movie.

2) “73 Yards”

Filmed while Ncuti Gatwa was not available, “73 Yards” features the Twilight Zone-like concept of being followed by a creepy and mysterious figure who later turns out to be the protagonist’s future self.

The horror in “73 Yards” doesn’t just come from Ruby being separated from the Doctor and followed by some type of malevolent ghost, however. Everyone else who comes in contact with the being rejects her afterwards, leaving her entirely isolated and alone. 

Even Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is scared away by contact with this creature, and Ruby spends years entirely alone, which is also her worst fear. All of this makes for an engaging, scary, and emotional episode despite not involving the Doctor except as a bookend to the main action.

1) “Genesis of the Daleks”

“Genesis of the Daleks” is a thinly veiled allegory about Nazi Germany that is more relevant than ever today. The Time Lords send the Doctor on a mission to stop the Daleks from being created so that they cannot wreak havoc on the rest of the universe. The pre-Dalek Skaro is a wasteland thanks to years of nuclear war, and those who have been affected physically by the weapons have been banished due to their perceived “inferiority” while everyone else stays indoors to protect themselves, and it gets worse from there.

The Doctor soon meets Davros, a disfigured and wheelchair-bound scientist who wants to create the Daleks to give his people, the Kaleds, a chance to win the war and demonstrate their superiority.

But the episode’s power comes from its central question — at one point, the Doctor has an opportunity to blow up the Dalek lab but questions whether it’s right to kill the early Daleks and the Kaleds surrounding them, even though he knows the outcome of the Daleks’ evolution. Additionally, the story ends with a grim but powerful twist: the Daleks label Davros inferior because of his disability and kill their creator despite his pleas for mercy.

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