Doctor Who: Ranking the Series of the Revived Show

8. Series 6

Matt Smith was a great Doctor, who was too often let down by haphazard writing. Nowhere is this more visible than Series 6, far from the show’s weakest, but certainly the most forgettable. It continues a nebulous story arc that would weigh down the latter half of Smith’s tenure as the Doctor – one that showcased Steven Moffat’s worst tendencies as a writer.

That being said, there are some genuinely great episodes in Series 6, with some genuinely clever concepts at play. Especially welcome was the Doctor Who debut of Neil Gaiman, whose take on the Doctor’s relationship with his TARDIS manages to be clever, endearing and funny all at the same time.

Best Episode: ‘The Doctor’s Wife’

Also Great: ‘A Good Man Goes to War’, ‘The Girl Who Waited’, ‘The God Complex’

Worst Episode: ‘The Curse of the Black Spot’

7. Series 7

Series 7 more or less repeats both the strengths and flaws of its predecessor, but with both its pros and cons further amplified. This season was the hardest to place on this list, as it features some of the show’s strongest and weakest episodes. For every ‘Asylum of the Daleks’ there’s a ‘Dinosaurs on a Spaceship’, and for every ‘Angels Take Manhattan’ there’s a ‘Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS’.

Overall, its stronger episodes win out, making it that bit more memorable than Series 6. The departure of long-serving companions Amy and Rory was a sad loss, but they had nonetheless begun to outstay their welcome, whilst the latter half of the season introduced Clara, who is probably the show’s weakest companion before the Whittaker era. Nonetheless, this series works fine, it’s simply not the show’s strongest hour.

Best Episode: ‘Asylum of the Daleks’

Also Great: ‘A Town Called Mercy’, ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’, ‘Cold War’, ‘The Name of the Doctor’

Worst Episode: ‘The Power of Three’