10 Greatest Modern Doctor Who Episodes

6. The Day Of The Doctor

Doctor Who The Day Of The Doctor
BBC Studios

It's important for any anniversary special to stand out and emphasize the success of the show, but for the 50th anniversary, it was even more vital that The Day of the Doctor exceeded all expectations... and that it did!

Not only were we treated to the return of fan-favourite David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor alongside Matt Smith's starring Eleventh, but we were also introduced to an entirely new incarnation of the character. Now, this could have failed. Fans could've easily rebelled against this or viewed it as a cop-out for such a significant milestone, but through the superb casting of John Hurt, the seamless way the character was integrated into existing Who lore, and the intriguingly strained relationship between all three incarnations, it was instead a captivating addition to the story that was very easy to invest in.

Centering on the the Time War was also a smart move. As the greatest mystery in the modern era and something that had been mentioned since Christopher Eccleston first appeared in 2005, it was deeply emotional to watch the Doctor reconcile with all that history, while viewers at home were doing the exact same thing.

And then, of course, there's the fan service. Tom Baker as the Curator. The Room of Easter Eggs – sorry, the Black Archive. Ten and Eleven's sass-off. "No sir, all thirteen!" We couldn't not list The Day of the Doctor as one of the greatest modern episodes, could we?

 
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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.