Doctor Who: 10 Best Episodes Of The Decade
Which Doctor Who episode of the last ten years will manage to come out on top?
With more than ninety episodes and five incarnations of the Doctor (including the War Doctor), the last decade has been a treat for Doctor Who fans.
The show has gone from the end of the David Tennant era all the way through to the start of the Jodie Whittaker era, and there have been some truly outstanding episodes in this time.
Granted, the show has had its ups and downs, but even the weaker episodes were almost always salvaged by the terrific leads. Every single actor who has taken on this iconic character during this decade has brought something fresh to the role without losing the core of the famous Time Lord.
Though Steven Moffat was the showrunner for the bulk of the decade (2010-2017), every series has benefited from a multitude of writing talent including some well-known names such as Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss, and Richard Curtis. Sure, not every script has been brilliant, but for the most part the show has maintained its adventurous spirit and fun factor.
Having said that, each series has had its highlights as well. Indeed, there have been a number of Doctor Who episodes in the last ten years which are amongst the very best of modern television…
10. Listen (2014)
Unlike the previous two incarnations of the famous Time Lord, the Twelve Doctor’s opening series was certainly his weakest. Though not without merit, the overall quality of Series 8 was hindered by some mediocre scripts.
‘Listen’, on the other hand, has plenty of well-written dialogue. The story – though a little rushed – has numerous twists and turns to keep the plot interesting.
The dialogue is also commendable. Indeed, some of the conversations between Clara and the Doctor at the start of the episode are laugh-out-loud funny.
Yet ‘Listen’ can be frightening as well. Moffat’s script grapples with the idea of childhood nightmares and the fear of the unknown, both of which lead to some suspenseful scenes that are scary for both adults and children.
As such, the fourth episode of Peter Capaldi’s first series makes for an intense forty-five minutes of television with plenty of humour to go along with it.