Doctor Who: EVERY Modern Series Ranked Worst To Best

We owe everything to the series that relaunched the show in 2005, but it does have its faults.

Rose is a very iffy start and would be torn to shreds were it released today. It’s indicative of Series 1's biggest shortcoming: it’s too childish in places, which can undermine the plot. The Slitheen episodes for example have a solid backbone, but are let down by a barrage of fart jokes. Other mediocre stories like The Unquiet Dead and The Long Game also hold this series back.

But when it hits its stride, it’s fantastic. Dalek marks the start of a much-needed shift for the series, and we get some absolute classics from then on. Father’s Day, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and RTD’s best finale elevate Series 1 and give it a darker edge that suits Eccleston nicely.

Billie Piper works far better here than she does in Series 2, as an everyday girl swept up into a world of adventure. The late series inclusion of Captain Jack Harkness rounds out the team extremely well, and the show manages to find its footing, setting the template for series to come.

Series 1 is often criticised for being too Earth-based, but this actually leads to a level of cohesion we've rarely seen since. Every episode feeds into the wider story, introducing new elements to the puzzle to the point where, when we hit the finale, every moment feels earned.

It’s a shame that Russell seemed to take away the message that the repeated ‘Bad Wolf’ hook was what made this work, and has repeated it every series since.