10 Greatest Modern Doctor Who Episodes

The Eleventh Hour casts a spell on you right from that opening shot of Amelia Pond's lonely old house. It's a different kind of spell to what we'd seen under Russell T Davies and David Tennant – a different flavour of Doctor Who for a brand-new era. But it's no less magical.

The score, the lighting, the Peter Pan and Wendy-esque relationship between the Doctor and little Amelia Pond. The mad energy in Matt Smith's eyes. The wonder, the humour, and the weird food combinations! The Eleventh Hour sings on a special frequency that's entirely its own, and yet is distinctly Doctor Who. It's a remarkable reinvention that propelled the show to international success the likes of which it had never seen, and props must go to Smith, Steven Moffat, and director Adam Smith for pulling off what many at the time felt was an impossible task.

As you'd expect, anticipation (and skepticism) was high in the build-up to Matt Smith's debut, but he set aside all doubts in lightning-quick fashion with his lovable, boundless energy, as well as his ability to flip that switch and become the almighty Oncoming Storm that was feared across the universe.

"Basically... run."

He also managed to make tweed jackets cool, which is no small feat!

The Eleventh Hour demonstrated the changes the show would see under new leadership, but also maintained – and in many ways, improved – all the fundamental elements that make Doctor Who such a successful show. Geronimo indeed.