The originalDoctor Whostarted airing on BBC One all the way back in 1963, making this the longest-running sci-fi series currently on television. The show has gone through all sorts of ups and downs, including a hiatus between the original show’s ending in 1989 and the TV movieDoctor Whoin 1996, then another one until the revival of the series byRussell T. Daviesin 2005. Currently on the first season of its third fresh start,Doctor Whois as exciting as it’s always been.
Throughout the course of its run,the modern version of the show has produced some legendary episodes, such as the terrifying “Forest of the Dead”, but not all of these top-tier stories are equally re-watchable. There are plenty of things that can give aDoctor Whoepisode such a quality, from well-used fan service, to mind-twisting stories with lots of details to catch, to feel-good stories that are simply a ton of fun to revisit.
There are some spoilers ahead!
Doctor Who
10"Listen" (2014)
Written by Steven Moffat
Although he would soon start to becomethe best Doctor in the show’s modern era,Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor was first off to a bit of a rough start in series 8, typically agreed to be one of the show’s weakest. Nevertheless, it’s certainly not without its winners — the best one being “Listen”, a horror episode that throws the Doctor and Clara into an adventure to the very end of the universe.
The episode has an eerie atmosphere and terrific performances by Capaldi (who started to really own the role in this episode),Jenna Coleman, andSamuel Anderson. But what makes the episode so rewatchable is the writing by then-showrunnerSteven Moffat, which explores themes of fear in deeply compelling ways. There are lots of clever little details to catch on every revisit, showcasing that Moffat was always a much better writer than many fans gave him credit for.
9"School Reunion" (2006)
Written by Toby Whithouse
In 2006, it had been a whopping 23 years sinceDoctor Whoviewers had last seen fan-favorite companions Sarah Jane Smith and K9 the robotic dog on the show. The revival brought them back for the nostalgic and extraordinarily fun “School Reunion”, where a shapeshifting alien race has taken over a school to use children as computers. Only the Doctor, Rose, Sarah Jane, and K9 can stop them from conquering all of time and space.
“It’s incredibly easy to believe that these two are old friends who haven’t seen each other in many, many years.”
Elisabeth Sladeneffortlessly slips into the role of Sarah Jane as though she’d never stopped playing her, and her chemistry withDavid Tennantis so perfect that it’s incredibly easy to believe that these two are old friends who haven’t seen each other in many, many years. The story and villains of “School Reunion” never get old,but it’s mainly the sweet nostalgia factor that makes this episode so rewatchableand one ofthe most underrated of the whole modern series.
8"Vincent and the Doctor" (2010)
Writen by Richard Curtis
From its inception,Doctor Whowas deviced as an educational show using the trope of time travel as a way to teach children history in thrilling ways.Though the series soon started deviating from that original purpose, it’s always fun when it brings real historical figures into its stories. That’s exactly what the beautiful “Vincent and the Doctor” does, taking the Doctor and Amy back in time to face an invisible monster that only Vincent Van Gogh can see.
Written by the sameRichard Curtiswho wrote and directed movies likeLove ActuallyandAbout Time,two of the best rom-comsof the 21st century, “Vincent and the Doctor” has a sweet and uplifting tone very much like that of Curtis’s films. The fun alien-of-the-week story all builds up to one of the most beautiful endings of anyDoctor Whoepisode, which is sure to leave no dry eyes in the house. It’s always fun to re-watch an episode where the stakes are low but the payoffs are incredible.
7"73 Yards" (2024)
Written by Russell T. Davies
ExperimentalDoctor Whoepisodes are always an awful lot of fun, and Russell T. Davies proved that just a few days ago with “73 Yards”. Inspired by Welsh folklore andthe always-terrifying folk horror genre, it sees the Doctor and Ruby landing on the Welsh coast, embarking on a bizarre journey against ancient legends come to life. This new start toDoctor Whohas had some rough patches, but if there are future episodes like this one in store, things are guaranteed to work out just fine.
“73 Yards” was the first episode of this season to be shot, whileNcuti Gatwawas still busy shooting the final season of Netflix’sSex Education. Davies and his team cleverly worked around this issue, making “73 Yards” one of the best Doctor-lite episodes the show has had in years. Eerie, atmospheric, and even with some incisive political commentary, it’s proof thatDoctor Whostill has plenty of gas left in the tank. There are tons of bizarre details and moments to analyze here on further watches, making it an easy episode to revisit.
6"Dalek" (2005)
Written by Robert Shearman
Based on the Sixth Doctor-starring Big Finish audio drama “Jubilee”, which was released in celebration ofDoctor Who’s fourtieth anniversary in 2003, “Dalek” sees the Doctor faceone of his most fearsome enemiesin an alien museum deep below the Utahn desert. The first season of modernDoctor Whohas a handful of episodes that are arguably even better than this one, but none are quite as re-watchable.
As the contemporary version of the show keeps evolving over the years, it keeps becoming relevant to come back to “Dalek” over and over again.It was the episode that showed that this new version ofDoctor Whowas darker, more complex, and more character-driven than its predecessor. It showed a more rugged, tortured Doctor and introduced the nuanced conflicts of the Time War. It’s always fascinating to compare the character’s evolution from what was seen here to who he is today.
5"The Power of the Doctor" (2022)
Written by Chris Chibnall
The era ofDoctor WhowithChris Chibnallas the frontrunner is pretty much universally agreed to be a dark time in the run of the modern series — quite unfairly toJodie Whittaker, who was always brilliant as the Thirteenth Doctor. However, much to fans' surprise and relief, her version of the character went out with a cameo-filled bang. “The Power of the Doctor” isthe best episode of Whittaker’s run, where the Master unites the Cybermen and the Daleks to wipe out the Doctor and Earth.
The writing for the episode isn’t particularly stellar, with a messy story and a wide variety of plot holes; butwhen there’s so much delightful spectacle and so much well-intended fan service, loyal fans are unlikely to be upset. “The Power of the Doctor” is an hour and a half of pure adventurous, epic, explosive fun all the way until the end, which is sure to leave viewers craving a re-watch or two after it’s over.
4"Journey’s End" (2008)
Newcomer fans ofDoctor Whohad probably never seen an episode of sci-fi television as grand, epic, and momentous as “Journey’s End”. Bringingthe modern show’s best season, series four, to a resounding close, the episode finds the Doctor and his companions uniting in a struggle to stop Davros and the Daleks from wiping out the Universe itself, grappling with the prophecies that say that one of them will have to die.
“It’s an exciting, brilliantly directed, passionately written universe-saving adventure with sky-high stakes.”
The episode brings back familiar faces in ways that feel both epic and organic, tying together every character and storyline that the show had been building up until that point. It’s an exciting, brilliantly directed, passionately written universe-saving adventure with sky-high stakes, making it abundantly easy to call it one ofthe best modernDoctor Whoepisodes.
3"Heaven Sent" (2015)
There’s not exactly an abundance of quasi-surreal mind-bending episodes inDoctor Who, making “Heaven Sent” all the more of a highly rewatchable gem. It finds the Doctor, alone and depressed after witnessing Clara’s death, trapped in a strange world unlike any other he has ever seen. There, he has to face the greatest challenge of his numerous lives. His final challege — completely alone.
With a terrifying villain, a genius concept that Steven Moffat inventively toys with,and the deepest exploration of the darkest corners of the Twelfth Doctor’s soul that fans of the show had seen up until then, “Heaven Sent” may just be the series' best episode. Capaldi is beyond brilliant, the ending is both uplifting and exciting, and the wide abundance of narrative and visual details to catch make the episode endlessly rewatchable.
2"The Day of the Doctor" (2013)
To celebrateDoctor Who’s fiftieth anniversary in 2013, the show set up what it promised would be a massive pop culture event, the show’s most monumental episode yet. Even with those soaring expectations, however, “The Day of the Doctor” somehow managed to live up to all of them. Bringing back familiar faces in both cheeky cameos and full-fledged supporting roles, the episode putsMatt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor alongside David Tennant’s Tenth andJohn Hurt’s weathered War Doctor to stop an alien conspiracy that could reach a devastating conclusion.
In many ways, “The Day of the Doctor” is the colossal and thrilling conclusion to the show’s biggest storylines,bringing the Time War to its end and allowing the Doctor some closure and catharsis. With high-quality visuals, plenty of exciting moments and satisfying fan service, andsome of the show’s best companions, “The Day of the Doctor” is a special that Whovians like to re-watch every chance they get.
1"Blink" (2007)
Ironically enough,Doctor-lite episodes tend to be among the most rewatchableofDoctor Who. There’s something about barely having the protagonist around that usually makes the series' writers work extra-hard to deliver creative, highly memorable episodes like “Blink”. Considered by many the best episode of the show, this horror adventure sees Sally Sparrow (played by prestigious Oscar nomineeCarey Mulligan) receive a cryptic message from the Doctor regarding a mysterious enemy species that’s after the TARDIS. Only she can help the Time Lord get his time machine back.
Standalone adventures like this one tend to be highly rewatchable, but there’s something extra special about “Blink”; something about its terrifying yet fun tone, or about its creatively written story, or about the instant classic villains that are the Weeping Angels. Perhaps it’s all of those things simultaneously, and then some. Whatever the case, “Blink” is the most entertainingDoctor Whoepisode to rewatch thanks to its iconic quotes, fun character work, clever hidden details, and non-stop sci-fi thrills.
