Doctor Who: 15 Most Watched Episodes Of New Who

The most popular and most important moments since the Doctor's rebirth.

By Simon Gallagher /

Despite all of the mistakes and the creative cul-de-sacs that have already put paid to the show once, Doctor Who is one of the single most enduring British TV staples of the last ten years. Even with Peter Capaldi's Doctor taking time to grow to meet the inevitably major expectations (thanks mostly to poor writing), the show continues to pull in millions of viewers in the UK alone. And that's without considering the Whovian renaissance across the Pond, where the Doctor has a second, very committed fan base. But which specific episodes of Who have been the most beloved since the show returned? Which should be counted as the most popular (and by extension, perhaps, the best)? Inevitably the Christmas specials play a big part in the run-down: the BBC basically invented the Christmas Day event screening for the UK (with Eastenders, of all things), and as far as landmarks of the year go, the Doctor Who special is about the pinnacle of their year. But which other episodes were able to swerve the Christmas monopoly and make their way onto the list of the most watched Who shows since the regeneration of the doctor back in 2005?