Doctor Who: Every Doctor's BEST Episode

6. The Tenth Doctor - Human Nature/The Family of Blood

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If there's a story that best sums up the Tenth Doctor's character, it's Human Nature/The Family of Blood, which is odd because he's hardly in it. Instead, he's replaced by John Smith, an everyday teacher who gets caught in the crossfire when a murderous alien family come looking for the Doctor.

David Tennant's Doctor always felt the most human, and so he was the perfect incarnation to realise Paul Cornell's acclaimed novel as a TV episode. His performance as John Smith is brilliant, celebrating everything that the Tenth Doctor is by showing everything he isn't - slighlty cruel, slightly cowardly.

It's a relief, therefore, when the Doctor returns in an impeccably played scene in which "John Smith" confronts the Family of Blood.

From falling in love to doling out harsh fairytale-like punishments, Human Nature/The Family of Blood perfectly encapsulates every aspect of the Tenth Doctor's character.

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Citizen of the Universe, Film Programmer, Writer, Podcaster, Doctor Who fan and a gentleman to boot. As passionate about Chinese social-realist epics as I am about dumb popcorn movies.