The Doctor has saved the universe more times than anyone can count, yet somehow, there’s always another monster waiting around the corner. That’s part of the fun of Doctor Who. One week, the Doctor might be fighting Daleks. The next, they’re stuck in a haunted house or trying to stop history from going horribly wrong. After more than sixty years, the show has given fans plenty of arguments about which adventures deserve to be remembered.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Picking the best story for each Doctor isn’t easy. Some had decades of adventures to choose from, while others barely got a chance to settle into the role. Still, every era has a story that captures what made its Doctor special. These are my picks for all fifteen Doctors.
15) The Fifteenth Doctor — 73 Yards
Ruby Sunday steps out of the TARDIS in Wales and discovers a mysterious woman standing exactly 73 yards away. Anyone who approaches the figure becomes terrified and abandons Ruby. Then the Doctor disappears, leaving Ruby to face the mystery alone. Ncuti Gatwa is largely absent from the episode, making this an unusual choice for his era. Instead, the story follows Ruby as the years pass and the woman continues to haunt her life. It’s a lonely, unsettling adventure that feels very different from a typical Doctor Who story. Fans have plenty of theories about what happened, but the episode leaves room for debate. That’s part of what makes 73 Yards memorable.
14) The Fourteenth Doctor — Wild Blue Yonder
The Doctor and Donna land on an abandoned spaceship at the edge of the universe. There’s no crew, no explanation for what happened, and something on board can copy people with frightening accuracy. Soon, the pair are facing creatures that look and sound like them. Even an ordinary conversation becomes a reason to be suspicious. David Tennant and Catherine Tate make the story work because their friendship feels so natural. The monsters exploit that familiarity, turning their banter into something unsettling. The episode doesn’t need a Dalek invasion or a massive battle to create tension. A deserted ship and two people who can’t trust what they see are more than enough.
13) The Thirteenth Doctor — The Haunting of Villa Diodati
The Doctor and her companions arrive at a villa in 1816, where Mary Shelley is staying with a group of writers. The setting has a connection to Frankenstein, but the visit quickly becomes a nightmare. Rooms shift, strange noises echo through the house, and a mysterious figure appears where nobody expects it. Jodie Whittaker gets a strong story here because the Doctor can’t simply talk her way out of the danger. The threat has consequences for the future, forcing her to make a difficult decision. The gothic atmosphere also gives the episode a personality beyond another alien invasion. It’s one of the strongest adventures of Whittaker’s era.
12) The Twelfth Doctor — Heaven Sent
Peter Capaldi’s Doctor wakes up trapped inside a mysterious castle with a creature pursuing him through its corridors. He can’t find an obvious exit, and every attempt to escape leads to another puzzle. For much of the episode, it’s just Capaldi, a strange castle, and a very bad day. The story gradually reveals what the Doctor is trying to accomplish, with Clara’s death hanging over everything. Capaldi is extraordinary as grief turns into anger and then sheer determination. Heaven Sent doesn’t need a huge cast or an invasion threatening the universe. One actor and an almost impossible problem are enough. It’s one of the most inventive and emotionally powerful stories of the modern series.
11) The Eleventh Doctor — The Doctor’s Wife
The Doctor receives a mysterious message and follows it to an asteroid outside the universe. There, he meets Idris, a woman with an extraordinary connection to the TARDIS. Written by Neil Gaiman, The Doctor’s Wife turns a clever science-fiction idea into a story about friendship. Matt Smith’s Doctor has spent years talking to his ship, and now he finally gets an answer. Idris is funny, unpredictable, and just as exasperated with him as his other companions can be. Their conversations feel like those of two old friends who know each other far too well. The episode gives the TARDIS a personality beyond the familiar blue box, and it’s about time. She’s been the Doctor’s oldest companion all along.
10) The Tenth Doctor — Human Nature / The Family of Blood
The Doctor hides from a dangerous alien family by becoming human in 1913. He loses his memories and starts a new life as schoolteacher John Smith, while Martha waits nearby for him to remember who he really is. Smith begins falling in love and imagining a future without the TARDIS. That’s what makes the story so effective. He’s not simply pretending to be human. He’s a man with his own hopes and feelings, and the Doctor’s return comes at a terrible cost. David Tennant gives one of his strongest performances, while the Family’s eventual fate reveals just how frightening the Doctor can be when pushed too far. They wanted immortality. They should have been more careful what they wished for.
9) The Ninth Doctor — The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor arrives in wartime London and encounters a child wearing a gas mask. The boy keeps asking for his mother, and anyone who gets too close risks suffering the same transformation. Rose and the Doctor investigate while Captain Jack Harkness adds plenty of swagger to the adventure. The two-parter balances genuine horror with some of the revived series’ best character moments. Eccleston’s Doctor carries the weight of the Time War, and his darker moments give the story real emotional depth. Then the ending delivers something the Doctor rarely gets: a chance to save everyone. His reaction makes the moment even better. After so much loss, he’s almost surprised that things worked out.
8) The Eighth Doctor — Doctor Who (1996 TV Movie)
Paul McGann’s only television movie sends the Doctor to San Francisco, where surgeon Grace Holloway becomes caught up in the Master’s latest scheme. The film has some awkward ideas about the Doctor’s mythology, and its attempt to launch an American version of the series never quite comes together. McGann, however, is terrific. He’s energetic, romantic, and full of curiosity about the universe. His scenes with Grace suggest a companion relationship that could have developed into something special over a full series. Instead, the planned revival never happened. McGann continued playing the Doctor in audio dramas, but television audiences barely got to know him. That’s a real shame.
7) The Seventh Doctor — Remembrance of the Daleks
Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor initially seemed like a harmless clown, but Remembrance of the Daleks reveals a much darker side. Returning to London in 1963, he discovers that two Dalek factions are fighting over powerful Time Lord technology. The Daleks are frightening again, but the Doctor is the real surprise. McCoy plays him as someone who knows far more than he’s willing to explain. He’s manipulating events and staying several steps ahead of his enemies. The story also revisits the setting of the show’s first episode, giving longtime fans plenty to appreciate. It’s the turning point that shows just how dangerous this Doctor can be.
6) The Sixth Doctor — Vengeance on Varos
Colin Baker’s Doctor arrives on Varos while searching for a mineral needed to repair the TARDIS. He discovers a society where torture and executions are broadcast as entertainment, with citizens voting on whether prisoners should live or die. The Doctor isn’t interested in playing along. He challenges the people in charge while trying to help those trapped in their system. The premise is grim, but the story has a sharp sense of humor about the cruelty of turning suffering into entertainment. Baker’s Doctor works best when he has something worth getting angry about, and Varos gives him plenty of reasons. It’s one of his era’s most effective adventures.
5) The Fifth Doctor — The Caves of Androzani
Peter Davison’s final adventure begins with the Doctor and Peri being poisoned on Androzani Minor. Both need an antidote, but getting it means navigating a violent conflict involving smugglers, soldiers, and the mysterious Sharaz Jek. The Doctor’s own condition gets worse as he struggles to save Peri. Davison often played a gentler Doctor, and this story puts that kindness to the ultimate test. He keeps helping someone else even when his own survival is at stake. There’s no easy escape or convenient solution waiting around the corner. The Caves of Androzani is a brutal, tense adventure that gives Davison one of the show’s finest farewells.
4) The Fourth Doctor — City of Death
Tom Baker and Romana visit Paris for a holiday that quickly turns into an investigation involving stolen artwork and an alien with a connection to human history. Julian Glover plays Scaroth, whose desperate attempt to save his species has affected humanity for millions of years. It’s a wonderfully ridiculous premise, but City of Death makes it work. Baker and Lalla Ward have terrific chemistry, and the Paris setting gives the story a charm that the show’s usual studio sets couldn’t match. The dialogue is funny without undermining the science fiction. Baker’s Doctor could make an enormous historical conspiracy feel like another mildly inconvenient afternoon, and this adventure captures that quality perfectly.
3) The Third Doctor — Inferno
The Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, is stuck on Earth, but Inferno takes him somewhere far more dangerous than his usual surroundings. An experiment drilling into the Earth’s crust threatens disaster, and the Doctor accidentally finds himself in a parallel world where the project is going even worse. The authorities refuse to listen, the scientists are running out of time, and the entire planet seems determined to ignore the warning signs. Pertwee’s Doctor has to find a way home while watching another version of humanity destroy itself. It’s an ambitious science-fiction story with a genuinely bleak atmosphere, and one of the strongest adventures of his era.
2) The Second Doctor — The War Games
Patrick Troughton’s Doctor Who discovers a battlefield where soldiers from different periods of history are being forced to fight. The people running the operation treat human lives like pieces in a game, and the Doctor must uncover who’s behind it. At ten episodes, The War Games is a long adventure, but it gives Troughton plenty of room to show off his clever, mischievous Doctor. The finale also introduces the Time Lords and brings consequences for the Doctor’s habit of traveling without permission. It’s a huge moment for the series, and Troughton gets a fitting send-off. Few classic stories changed the show’s mythology quite so dramatically.
1) The First Doctor — The Aztecs
And finally, the very First Doctor, played by William Hartnell, lands in ancient Mexico, where Barbara is mistaken for a reincarnated high priest. She sees a chance to stop human sacrifice, but the Doctor warns her that history isn’t hers to rewrite. It’s an early example of the moral questions that would become central to Doctor Who. Hartnell’s Doctor can be stubborn and unpleasant, which makes his growing affection for his companions all the more interesting. The Aztecs proves that the show doesn’t need Daleks or elaborate monsters to tell a great story. Sometimes, the hardest problem is deciding whether doing the right thing could make everything worse.
If you disagree, let us know what your favorites are! Who knows? Maybe there’s a future where this list gets retroactively altered through the space-time continuum.
More TV Shows
-
20th Television Animation
