Doctor Who: EVERY Modern Series Ranked Worst To Best

Nothing can match how Series 5 makes you feel. From the moment Eleven crashes into Amelia Pond’s garden, there's a magic in the air that never goes away. It's almost like it unlocked what Doctor Who was supposed to be all along.

The Eleventh Hour introduces Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor, who hits the ground running. There's something to Eleven here that does start to come undone in later series, when he's turned into more of an idiot. Here, he's an oddball, but still unquestionably the smartest man in the room.

Karen Gillan is also wonderful this series, and as great as the addition of Rory is later on, Eleven and Amy on their own are electric. Their connection works better than any other Doctor and companion, and because we initially see the Doctor through young Amelia's eyes, you buy that she'd put him on a pedestal. It's an emotional well the series constantly revisits, to great effect.

Elsewhere, Murray Gold has never been better, and in terms of overall series arcs, neither has Steven Moffat. The story of the cracks in time and how it builds throughout the series – not just getting the odd background mention, but being woven into the fabric of certain stories, like the Angel two-parter – is sublime, building to what is still Doctor Who's most thrilling, satisfying finale. Every moment is paid off, and every character gets their due – it's a clever inversion of the formula we’d got used to during RTD’s era, shrinking the cast and focusing on emotional beats over epic showdowns.

Throw in the likes of Amy's Choice, The Beast Below, The Lodger, and of course, Vincent And The Doctor, and you have a remarkably consistent and cohesive package here. The Raggedy Man reigns supreme!