1. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
Because of this, the best two-part story of the whole revived series, followed closely by the excellent Blink. Stuck in the guise of a human teacher, John Smith, in 1913, it shows the Doctor at is most human, and also Martha at her most vulnerable, as she tries to blend into a completely alien (from her perspective) society. The love story which develops between the Doctor and nurse Joan Redfern provides a softer backdrop, and the terror which suddenly appears from the emergence of truly scary scarecrows and the ruthless Family of Blood, all ties in to create a suspense-filled, plot-driven adventure, which made me question the show to the heart. It was even described as 'too dark' by Russell T. Davies afterwards. But it's the darkness of the episode that makes it so good. Its makes us see what a world without the Doctor is like, what would happen if he ever did die or fail to regenerate - who would be able to make the life and death decisions, and who would stop the threats which threaten the universe? Also, The Family provide a testing and genuinely scary adversary for the Doctor - indeed, it is probably one of only two times the show has properly scared me. The opinion of the writer is shared by fans, and is shown by the fact the episodes were nominated for a Hugo Award. Every element of the story is perfectly written, excellently acted and spoken. For sure, Human Nature and The Family of Blood will live long in the memory of many a Who fan. What do you readers think? Do you disagree with any of my choices, or wish to add something to the analysis? Drop a comment below, and allons-y!