Doctor Who: 50 Greatest Ever Stories

12. Pyramids Of Mars (Fourth Doctor)

Pyramids of Mars 1 Seasons 13-15 of the classic Doctor Who series are often referred to as being Gothic Horror in style. While many fit in with this description (particular The Brain of Morbius and The Horror of Fang Rock), none typify this label better than The Pyramids Of Mars. Much of the story follows the Doctor and Sarah Jane being pursued by robotic mummies controlled by Sutekh, the last of an alien race called the Osirians. Sutekh believes all life to be his enemy, and sets out to destroy Earth, where he has been entombed since ancient times. The serial is four episodes, and the cliffhanger at the end of episode 3 is still regarded as being one of Doctor Who's finest moments.

11. The Girl Who Waited (Eleventh Doctor)

girl who waited And here we have the only other truly great story to feature the "caught in different time streams" plot device. Not only that, it is also one of the only truly great episodes to come from the much-hated series 6 in 2011. When attempting to take his companions Rory and Amy to Apalapucia (the second-best vacation planet in the universe), they discover the planet has been quarantined after a deadly outbreak of Chen7, which has since killed everyone on the planet. Before they can leave, however, Amy gets caught in a foster time stream that moves much faster than ours. This is designed to allow family and friends to stay by the side of those infected, while also allowing the infected to live out the remainder of their lives. Unfortunately, by time Rory and the Doctor are able to get to Amy to rescue her, she's aged 36 years. With this having happened, Rory (Amy's husband) and the Doctor (her best friend) are faced with a difficult choice. Take the much older Amy, or rescue the younger version and leave older Amy to die?
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Armed with a laptop, a Pepsi, and a swivel chair, J.D. sets out to uncover the deepest secrets of the film world. Or, ya know, just write random movie-related lists. Either way....