Doctor Who: 9 Funniest Episodes Of The Revived Series

2. The Lodger

You only have to read a brief summary of this classic Series 5 episode to know that you're in for a humdinger. The Eleventh Doctor shacks up with Craig Owens to investigate a strange extra terrestrial excursion in the flat upstairs but it isn't long before the threat of invasion takes the backseat in favour of our Time Lord's ongoing mission to come across as "an ordinary bloke". Of course, anybody even remotely familiar with the Doctor knows that "ordinary" is the one thing he is not but it does mean that his subsequent attempts to be seen as such are pretty much hysterical for everyone concerned. He doesn't even manage to get it right after seeking help from Amy Pond (who was at this point stuck inside the TARDIS - lucky her!), but he's nothing if not persistent and you certainly can't blame a Time Lord for trying. He plays football (putting Matt Smith's real life skills to good use), sings in the shower (and then slips over and subsequently falls out of it - it happens to the best of us, Doc!) and it's generally just a brilliant reminder that he really is an otherworldly alien after all (if, of course, there was still any doubt after four and a half decades). Throw James Corden, of Gavin & Stacey fame, into the mix and you're guaranteed to have a match made in heaven. Craig was so popular, in fact, that many viewers campaigned for him to join the TARDIS permanently. It doesn't look like that will be happening any time soon, though, since they tried - and failed - to replicate The Lodger's success in Series 7's Closing Time. Besides, James has got his own chatshow in the US now, so he's got bigger fish to fry. It was fun while it lasted, though.