10 Best Doctor Who Minisodes That You Need To See

Meanwhile in the TARDIS comprises two DVD shorts that explore some more quiet moments in between The Doctor and Amy’s adventures - this time, during the events of Series 5 (AKA the best series).

The first minisode picks up moments after the end of The Eleventh Hour, just after Amy has come aboard the TARDIS for the first time. As seen in the closing moments of that episode, Amy is more than a little overwhelmed by the fact that she is currently stood inside a time machine piloted by an alien. Flustered, she bombards the Doctor with every question that comes into her mind: is he a slug in a suit?; why doesn’t the air get out of the TARDIS?; does the bulb on top need changing?; and is the bow tie a cry for help?

The Doctor attempts to answer these quickfire questions whilst attempting to calm her down, before finally taking her into open space to show her the stars. He then shoves her out the door in what, to an uninitiated viewer, might appear to be a callous and casual murder attempt, but at the start of The Beast Below we see that he is only dangling her out into space by her ankle (which, to be honest, is still a bit irresponsible).

Meanwhile in the TARDIS 2 is the stronger of the two minisodes, bridging the gap between Flesh and Stone and The Vampires of Venice, whilst dealing with the immediate fallout of Amy’s misguided and controversial attempt to seduce the Doctor at the end of the former - something that isn’t really seen in the following episode. The minisode starts with The Doctor attempting to sidestep a flirty Amy, who is complaining about the Doctor giving her mixed signals by whisking her away on her wedding night and not letting her change out of her nighty for ages. She does, in fairness, have a bit of a point here.

She also accuses him of being a traditional ‘bloke’, pointing out that he’s obsessed with his motor, and when he walks into a room he shows off to all the women and makes fun of all the men, to which the Doctor responds by mocking Rory’s nose. The NuWho Doctors often display more ‘laddish’ tendencies, as well as a need to be the alpha male in a room, considerably more so their classic series counterparts, and it’s interesting to see this acknowledged.

Before the tension gets too much, The Doctor tries to shut Amy down, telling her that’s not what he’s like - he’s more like, in his own words, Space Gandalf, or the little green one from Star Wars. He sits down and explains to Amy why she’s really there: because The Doctor has lived so long and seen so much that nothing is new to him any more. But if he can see the universe vicariously through someone else, that sense of wonder is still there for him. It’s a touching, personal moment that grounds this mostly comedic minisode and gives it a bit of heart.

In the process, he lets slip that Amy is not the first to travel with her, and after a nice callback to Partners In Crime after he mistakenly refers to past companions as ‘mates’ and cringes (you're not mating with me sunshine...), she begins to quiz him on what percentage were female, tricking him into accessing the records of his past companions. We are shown a slideshow of the many, many women that the Doctor has travelled with, entirely proving Amy’s point, much to the Doctor’s frustration. Having had enough of the conversation, The Doctor sets the TARDIS on a course for Rory’s stag night.

These two minisodes bridge some missing gaps in series 5, as well as making some meta jabs at the show’s format and clichès, tying everything up in a light hearted, comedic bow. They are essential viewing for fans of the era.