Top 10 New Series Stories

[MacNimon]

We've done the Original Series, so naturally now it's the turn of the New Series. What are your Top 10 stories since the series relaunch, and why?

[Andrew Curnow]

Unexpectedly, even though the last decade has flown by, there's already a nostalgia element kicking in. I don't think I could say these are in any particular order, but...

1. Aliens of London/World War Three
I know this isn't very highly-regarded, but I just love it. Part of that is the wonderful memories of watching it with Claudia when she was just 8 - we laughed at the "It's not twelve hours, it's twelve months" and all that "Harriet Jones" nonsense. But it's also a tremendously 'new' story, or was at the time, with its news reporting, etc. The bit with the pig works, the bit with the missile launch is good 'edge of the seat' stuff, and there's something just so perfectly right about the Doctor saving Mickey & Jackie and the whole world, from inside a locked room. Fantastic.

2. A Christmas Carol
I remember being just that little worried about this - David Tennant had become THE Christmas Doctor, could Smitty and Moffat take on the mantle? Unquestionably - before the faffing about with time became annoying, this story just rolls along so beautifully, making full use of its concept and its new leading man. One of the most expensive, sumptuous looking stories ever, Matt is just lovely, from the moment he comes down the chimney onwards. The bit in the cupboard, marrying Marilyn, "because you didn't hit the boy", the Christmas future.... Just love it.

3. School Reunion
Who'd have expected this when we heard Who was coming back? I'm probably just that bit too young, so although Liz Sladen is superb here, it's not her that I get a bit weepy over - but every time that K9 appears to die, and then returns behind the disappearing TARDIS, I find there's something in my eye. If it wasn't obvious before, when the tenth Doctor hugs a Sarah upset about the loss of her stupid robot dog, it's clear this is the same man all these years later.

4. Gridlock
A little gem, I like the feel of a 2000AD 'Future Shock' type story about a 'motorway world' and the unexpected waves of emotion from the hymn singing. And just when you think it can't get any better, David Tennant breaks out hearts telling Martha about the Time War, and about his world where the leaves were silver on the trees...

5. The Day of the Doctor
Against all the odds, and with 'only' two proper Doctors in it, somehow Moffat's anniversary bash not just ticks all the boxes, it celebrates the old show and the new show - or rather, the whole show as one huge entity. Matt is glorious, David slips back into the converses like he's never been away, and somehow John Hurt convinces us he's returning to the role he played during the 1990s as the 'wartime Doctor' - and single-handedly represents the old show in a perfect performance that holds its own without ever once trying to steal the show. Just when it can't possibly get any better, it suddenly does with the surprise appearance of Tom himself!!

6. Smith and Jones
My favourite, I think, of RTD's gloriously rompy season openers. Any worries about the loss of Billie are instantly swept away by Martha "We're on the bloody moon" Jones.

7. Utopia
Despite the constant sneaky spoilers I was absolutely certain the Master wasn't coming back... meaning that the last ten minutes or so of Utopia were one of the biggest OMG moments in Who ever. To hear Delgado's laugh, and to see the Master reborn. It's a lovely little tale too, although I still think it's a shame they didn't have John Barrowman clinging to the TARDIS in the title sequence.

8. Deep Breath
I love Doctor Who when it feels fresh and new - and although The Eleventh Hour certainly fits that bill, I think this one just edges it. One of very few episodes that I've watched about four times, Capaldi's very different Doctor gives it an unexpected edge. Some great moments ("Who frowned me this face?" "I am alone..." The bit on the bridge, and of course the phone call scene - leading to that heartbreaking, "You don't see me do you?")

9. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
We don't get quite so many romps in the Moffat era, but this Chibnall-penned nonsense is one of them. I just love the nonsense of it, and just as with the Williams era, the broad humour means that the moments of emotion (the death of the Triceratops) or drama (the Doctor leaving the villain to die) are even more striking.

10. The Crimson Horror
Time for another romp, and arguably Mark Gatiss' best script for the show. In a rather uneven 'season 7 part 2' this one, for me, stands head & shoulders over all that had come before. As well as being fun, thrilling, and occasionally 'season 17-y' (people stored in bell jars!!) it scores an extra half point for mention of that Australian Air Hostess person....

Bubbling under - The Lazarus Experiment, Listen, Mummy on the Orient Express, Bad Wolf, The Unquiet Dead... in fact, lots!!

[Nyder]

Great list Andrew! I'm still pondering mine


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MacNimon]

I'm still thinking about mine too...I'm surprised (again!) just how difficult this is...

Great list though, Andrew, with some interesting choices. And I've got a sneaky feeling that after reading it, you may have influenced my choices...a couple of stories may have just climbed from 'bubbling under' into my Top 10!

Maybe not, though...we'll see!

[SiHart]

OK, I shall do this off the top of my head today and hope for the best!
(as with Andrew in no order, other than this is when I thought of them)

1. School Reunion
Unexpectedly beautiful. I finally fell for sarah Jane after all the years and I realised that after all these years, I still absolutely adored K9. Lovely script, beautiful ending, never fails to make me sob, especially now we've lost Elisabeth. "Some things are worth getting yuor heart broken for"

2. The Eleventh Hour
Beautifully directed story, which felt like the start of a wonderful new era. Matt Smith was instantly wonderful and won me over from the moment he peeked out over the top of the up turned TARDIS. Wonderful story and quite beautiful to look at.

3. The Stolen Earth/ Journey's End
The best RTD epic. Should really have been the end of the era, rather than the dreary old specials we got following this. All the companions, Torchwood, Daleks, DAVROS! So exciting and full of great moments from Sarah Jane hearing the Daleks and instantly freezing, the cameo from Penelope Wilton, that cliffhanger.... and a downbeat ending for Donna.

4. Human Nature/ Family of Blood
A great adaptation of the novel, and an incredibly moving story, very well played by David Tennant, Jessica Hynes and Freema, as well as a very creepy turn from Harry Lloyd, this was one of the highpoints of S3.

5. The Day of the Doctor
A classy anniversary tale, all about who the Doctor is. May not have been quite what anyone was expecting, but that doesn't matter when you get a story as brilliant as this. Just as you think it coan't better you see Peter Capaldi, and then when it should be dying down, you hear that old familair voice"You know, I really think you might..." and its TOM! Amazing. Rewatched a lot!

6. Partners in Crime
Effortlessly breezy and fun, this was a great start to Season 4. It's a little story, but full of superb moments- the mime scene at the windows being especially fabulous. The Rose turns up! Amazing! A real favourite.

7. Boom Town
No-one loves this one as much as it;s loved in our house. Another small story, but endlessly rewatchable and something they'd never quite done before. Annette Badland was super in her scenes with Christopher Eccleston.

8. Bad Wolf/ Parting of the Ways
the first new series epic season closer and one that's still fine now. More Daleks than we'd ever seen before, a cliffhanger that made me shout "No! Don't stop now!" and lots of great moments, culminating in a moving regeneration, just as I'd grown to like the Ninth Doctor.

9. Flatline
Confident, creepy story! A new and different alien menace, Clara centre stage, some great imagery throughout- the highlight of S8!

10. A Christmas Carol
The best Doctor Who Christmas special, no matter what Steve may say. I loved the atmosphere of this one and again it was full of lovely moments- from the Doctor falling down the chimney because it was there, through to the final conceit of old vs young Kazan.

[Andrew Curnow]

Oh my goodness yes, Boom Town, marvellous episode. For whatever reason, Eccleston's delivery of "And I was having such a nice day" really tickled Claudia at the time!

[Wayne]

1 Bad Wolf/ Parting of the Ways

Eccleston. The Emperor Dalek. Daleks. Believable finale.

2 Dalek

Eccleston at his best. Almost as good as Jubilee.

3 Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone

Genuine suspense. Best use of the weeping angels.

4 Amy's Choice

Just a very good story, and good performances.

5 The Unquiet Dead

Spooky and atmospheric. Gatiss hasn't bettered this one yet.

6 Father's Day

Well done 'emotional' episode, as opposed to 'emo'. If you get my drift.

7 The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

What the hell happened to Moffat? It was all downhill after this one.

8 Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel

Good drama. Tennant mostly playing it straight, and all the better for it.

9 Human Nature/The Family of Blood

Good concept and performances.

10 Blink

The only NuWho 'monster' that's memorable in a good way. Tennant not in it much.

[MacNimon]

Thinking things through in broadcast order...

The Unquiet Dead
Creepy and atmospheric, and funny at times as well. Easily Gatiss best story for the series to date. This is the episode where Eccleston finally clicked as the Doctor, for me.

Fathers Day
What Wayne said! The sort of episode that they tried to emulate time and time again, with diminishing returns...

Bad Wolf/Parting Of The Ways
After all these years, still the season finale which hasn't been bettered. Great story, great performances, millions of Daleks...the only thing which could possibly have made this any better was not knowing that Eccleston was leaving and a surprise regeneration being on the cards...

School Reunion Tennant's best episode, simply because of the return of Sarah Jane and K9. Maybe quite flimsy plot-wise, but I just love this. Particularly the scene where Sarah realises that she's in the same room as the TARDIS...

Human Nature/Family Of Blood
One of Tennant's strongest performances, and a stand-out story from a mediocre season.

Blink
Introducing a cracking new villain and concept. I can remember Mary watching it at the time, trying not to blink...

Utopia
This makes my list simply because of the last 10 minutes or so. Derek Jacobi is just brilliant as the Master in the final scenes, once he has got his memory back. This is how the Master should be, oozing pure evil. Jacobi nailed the part, and was arguably the best Master ever for those few scenes even rivalling Delgado. What a shame the character then descended into a panto villain.

Amy's Choice
Simply another great story, great fun to watch and a favourite Smith episode. Not as much to say about it though than I have to say about episodes I like less...!

Mummy On The Orient Express
A highlight of Capaldi's first season. Creepy and action-packed, with great performances all round.

Flatline
The entire concept of a 2D race is just so different from anything seen previously in the series. And I love those scenes with Cpaldi in the shrunken TARDIS...

In order of favourites, I'd proably go with something like this...

Bad Wolf/POTW
School Reunion
Fathers Day
Mummy On The Orient Express
The Unquiet Dead
Human Nature/Family Of Blood
Amy's Choice
Flatline
Blink
Utopia

Bubbling under...Day Of The Doctor, Dalek, The Eleventh Hour

[Paul Clement]

This one is a lot tougher to choose than the classic series for me, as although I enjoy the new series stories, they don't have that same lasting impact the old series did, and only the number 1 story would get into my overall Top 10 of Doctor Who, with maybe one more story hitting my Top 20. However, there are a few I have enjoyed immensely.

1. Blink
I loved the Weeping Angels in this story, they are genuinely the most scary monsters in the shows history as far as I'm concerned. It's a shame that there fear factor and concept has been diminished so much in subsequent appearances. The best the new series has achieved by some margin.

2. Mummy on the Orient Express
Another really creepy story, with an excellent guest cast and excellent design work and Clara looks absolutely stunning in that dress too.

3. Father's Day
Great story with an amazingly simple concept underpinning it in changing history and the effects it causes. The key for me is the interplay between the three Tyler's, but especially the scenes with Pete and Rose. Amazing

4. Day of the Doctor
I was so happily surprised at just how good this story was, especially following a run of stories I'd been less than impressed with overall. John Hurt was absolutely wonderful as the War Doctor and his scenes with Matt Smith and David Tennant were a joy to watch. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better Capaldi appears for a second... and then just when you thought it couldn't get any better than that ... Tom's on the scene.

5. Empty Child/Doctor Dances
Are you my mummy? It's that creepiness again that gets the thumbs up from me. Great story with an excellent feel to it and Captain Jack arrives to liven things up for the remainder of season.

6. God Complex
Another creepy story. A pattern is definitely emerging. I love the set for this story, the way the camera angles are done. Really great story.

7. Human Nature/Family of Blood
Creepy again, but so well acted too. Harry LLoyd was superb as Baines/Son Of Mine. Great adaption of one of the best NA's.

8. Love & Monsters
The first Doctor-lite story and it wasn't popular with many fans, but by god it was fun. Marc Warren was excellent as Elton and the whole thing keeps me entertained all the way through. Besides, you can't beat a bit of ELO.

9. Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways
Such a great season closer. If only RTD hadn't tried so hard to beat it with each subsequent season, because he just couldn't seem to see that bigger wasn't necessarily ever going to be better. Best moment for me is the silent 'Exterminate' before Lynda's death, truly chilling moment.

10. Hide
It tails of a little towards the end, but a really spook story so reminiscent of the great stories of Nigel Kneale and also very similar to my favourite episode of Omega Factor. Spooky rather than creepy, and I loved it.

Just missed the cut: Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, Night Terrors, Girl in the Fireplace and Unquiet Dead.

[MacNimon]

Hide, Empty Child, Impossible Planet & Girl In The Fireplace were all contenders for me as well. Like you said though, Paul, while mostly enjoyable a lot of the new series just hasn't made much of an impact on me either...at least compared to the original series (even the stories which I dislike there, I actively dislike for a reason...unlike the new series, when it comes to the poorer episodes it's more a feeling of apathy which I have). It's really only the stories mentioned above, plus a handful of others, which I'd readily rewatch time and time again.

[SiHart]

I toyed with The God Complex too. I've always liked that one a lot.

[Jon Masters]

In chronological, rather than preference order:
Dalek – a great confrontation between Eccleston and Dalek, and the tremendous re-imagining of the classic Dalek overwhelms the Rose-centric ending.
School Reunion – not a great story for its plot but for the seamless interweaving of old and new Who, and the heart-twisting ending
The Lazarus Experiment – a great little story with a classical feel to it.
Blink – the best Doctor lite episode, and introducing a truly classic monster (which then gets ruined in later stories)
The Next Doctor – a clever idea and the Cybermen on reasonably good form. And Christmassy without trying quite so hard.
Amy’s Choice – another simple but well executed idea, with the cast on top form.
The God Complex – suitably weird with some genuinely disturbing ideas and a great payoff
The Day of the Doctor – the best special that Nu Who has produced, but it did have the huge advantage of being the 50th anniversary story.
Mummy on the Orient Express – my favourite New Series story, it’s almost faultless in its tone and shifts in direction.
Flatline – a brilliant idea brilliantly executed.

Bubbling under – Unquiet Dead, Hide, The Snowmen, Curse of the Black Spot, Cold War, Gridlock.

I find it interesting that I haven’t picked any two parters (most don’t seem to add much just drag the story out longer) nor any series finales (almost all of whom I find overblown , overhyped and boringly ridiculous)

[Darren]

Some interesting reading, with a few choices I wouldn't pick!
I'll have athink and post mine later.