10 Most Iconic Alien Planets In Modern Doctor Who
1. Gallifrey
Also appearing on our list of Top Ten Alien Planets in Classic Doctor Who, the Doctor's homeworld has been further explored in the modern series.
Despite having been destroyed before the events of the 2005 revival, Gallifrey was seen in flashbacks, then in adventures where the Doctor had managed to save it from the Time War between the Daleks and Time Lords.
The Gallifrey seen in the modern series is iconic for its Time Lord Citadel - a city of spires and towers encased in a great glass dome. Beyond - red sloping mountains and sandy deserts stretching across the planet. Other locations introduced included the Untempered Schism - a gap in time and space, Arcadia - Gallifrey's 'second city', and a mysterious barn.
During the events of 2013's The Day of the Doctor, this barn in the drylands was where the War Doctor ended the Time War. Detonating the Moment, all Time Lords and Daleks were killed in an instant until the Doctor's other incarnations saved Gallifrey by trapping it in a stasis cube and sending it to the end of the universe.
This barn was later revisited in 2014's Listen, where it was revealed that the Doctor had slept there as a child.
We saw a ravaged Gallifrey in 2009/10's The End of Time - the glass bubble of the Citadel shattered by Time War conflicts and the desert littered with Dalek Saucers. Even after the Doctor saved the planet, it was in danger - destroyed by the Master in Series 12 as revenge for what he learned of Time Lord history and the Doctor's part in it.
Finally displayed in all the glory that the Classic Series couldn't with its production values, this unmistakeable world with its burning skies and dual moons exists to create stories for the Doctor and intrigue audiences.
Intergalactic Travel Advice: Visit it the long way round.