5. Ambitious Story Arcs
Russell T Davies treated each series as an almost self contained narrative with few, if any, recurring plot threads from year to year. It's easy to see why. When he agreed to helm the relaunch of a daft teatime science fiction show from a bygone era, sacred to fans and unknown to everyone else, he didn't expect to get a second series. For the first series and the subsequent three, all major story arcs would be tied up by the end of each run. If the show got axed during the breaks, nothing would be left unresolved. It was a simple and effective formula but it was a tad predictable by the end of the third series. Steven Moffat took a bolder approach. Series 5 also had a recurring motif in several episodes that was explained and mostly resolved in the finale as well, but some big questions remained when the credits rolled on The Big Bang. The sixth series answered many of these questions but still left a few mysteries. While the plot thread would mostly be put on hold during Series 7, the story would culminate in a whirlwind Christmas special that cleared up (for the most part) the remaining questions and also saw Matt Smith bow out of the title role. The Silence arc in its entirety lasts from the Eleventh Doctor's first episode to his last, which is unprecedented for any previous incarnation. The success of the Silence arc in the dramatic sense notwithstanding, pulling off such an ambitious three year story proved that the show can withstand intricate plot threads. It has set the groundwork for future showrunners, writers and producers to make Doctor Who in new ways. The show will remain what it's always been: a story, now half a century long, about a mad man in a box who travels time and space to fix things, but a richer connective tissue in each story will be an extra reward for dedicated fans.