10 Greatest Modern Doctor Who Episodes

3. Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead

Doctor Who Silence In The Library River Song David Tennant Alex Kingston
BBC Studios

Shock horror... Ellie put a River Song episode in the top five!

Series 4 is full of brilliant episodes, and its second half is among the most consistently high-quality streaks in the modern era. But even with so much competition, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead stand out.

Doctor Who villains are at their scariest when they take something familiar and give it a horrifying spin. The Vashta Nerada are the best example of this we've seen to date, taking that fear of the dark and adding fuel to that fear by introducing a shadow monster that eats you alive! Thanks Moffat.

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead also introduces the mysterious River Song, and you're damn right that she's a big reason why this story is so great! It was fascinating to meet a character who knew so much about the Doctor, without him having any clue who they were. It made the Doctor as confused as the rest of us, and yet, there were also moments of genuine tenderness between the two characters that alluded to a deeper connection than either he or we understood.

The relationship between River and the Doctor was played so well that we joined in his heartbreak and pain when she (Spoilers!) died at the end of the story. Little did we know that this was only the beginning of this complicated character's journey!

 
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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.