10 Best Episode Runs In Doctor Who History
6. The Waters Of Mars - The Eleventh Hour
David Tennant’s departure from Doctor Who was a pretty big deal – so much so that the BBC considered ending the show altogether.
Fortunately, Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat were there to steer the ship, ensuring that Tennant went out in style and that his replacement landed with a big bang.
Doctors’ penultimate stories aren’t usually that remarkable, but The Waters of Mars is the exception to the rule, combining the tried-and-tested base under siege format with one of the show’s freakiest monsters of all time. However, it’s the Tenth Doctor’s tragic downfall, as he briefly becomes the Time Lord Victorious, that makes it an all-time classic.
Then came the finale itself, a story so big it had to be split into two parts. The End of Time has everything, from the Time Lords and Rassilon to a rabid, skeletal Master. It raises the stakes higher than ever, only to deliver a brutal and truly shocking final twist – that kindly old Wilf is the unwitting agent of the Doctor’s demise.
What follows is the strongest debut for a new Doctor we've ever seen. The Eleventh Hour introduces us to Matt Smith's Time Lord through the eyes of a child and that instantly endears us to him, while the fairytale tone is wonderfully evocative, and Murray Gold has rarely been better.
In retrospect, the BBC had absolutely nothing to worry about when Tennant and RTD left. This is easily one of the most confident era transitions in Doctor Who history.