Doctor Who: Ranking the Series of the Revived Show

4. Series 2

Everyone loves David Tennant’s Doctor, and this was the series he announced himself to the world. In this run, Russell T. Davies took everything that was great about Series 1 and built on it, which was helped enormously by having such a charismatic Doctor at the helm of the TARDIS.

Series 2 holds some of the most memorable and classic episodes of the revived show, and features what remains to date the best Doctor-companion chemistry, between David Tennant and Billie Piper. While there are a handful of slapdash episode that slightly tarnish it, such as ‘Love & Monsters’ and ‘Fear Her’, Series 2 remains one of the show’s strongest runs to date.

Best Episode: ‘Doomsday’

Also Great: ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’, ‘Rise of the Cybermen’, ‘The Impossible Planet’, ‘Army of Ghosts’

Worst Episode: ‘Love & Monsters’

3. Series 3

If Series 2 built on the successes of Series 1, Series 3 took the show in a more fresh and interesting direction. It saw Davies throw some more bold and original story ideas into the mix, from the ‘Human Nature’/’Family of Blood’ two-parter to the all-time classic ‘Blink’ – the show’s closest approach to outright horror.

David Tennant remained as charming as ever in the title role, and while Freema Agyeman wasn’t quite able to fill Billie Piper’s shoes, she still put out a sterling effort as the Doctor’s sidekick. This series also saw the reintroduction of the Doctor’s arch-nemesis The Master, with John Simm serving as an excellent foil for Tennant. Series 3 was the zenith of the Tennant/Davies era of Doctor Who – which for many lifelong fans remains the show’s glory days.

Best Episode: ‘The Family of Blood’

Also Great: ‘Smith and Jones’, ‘Human Nature’, ‘Blink’, ‘Utopia’, ‘The Sound of Drums’

Worst Episode: ‘The Lazarus Experiment’