A trip in the timey-wimey, 'Father's Day' is a stunning story that does what sci-fi does best: it takes the extraordinary and it uses it as tool to focus in on the simple things in life. Rose gets to meet her dad in this wistful tale of what must always happen.
14. Silence In The Library / Forest Of The Dead
A hugely ambitious double-parter, River's first story is one caught midway between what the Doctor's friends expect of him, and the person that he is. It's sad and scary in equal parts, yet with a scope that shows the future of this character we adore.
13. The Day Of The Doctor
This is the episode about what it means to be the Doctor. It's gracefully layered, brilliantly nuanced and unbelievably funny the Tom Baker and Peter Capaldi cameos just complete it, too but it was never going to be the best episode, simply for all the expectation.
12. A Christmas Carol
Michael Gambon is excellent and Steven Moffat's on fine form, as Doctor Who delivers its best ever festive episode. The tale of Scrooge is adapted for a deftly-written epic, but it feels like a tale perfectly suited to any planet at Christmas.
11. The Name Of The Doctor
Funereal, affecting and featuring Clara saving every single Doctor, 'The Name Of The Doctor' was a lavish celebration of the Doctor's past, simply so we could focus on the future come November 23. And as a first act of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations, it was outstanding.
