Doctor Who: Every Russell T Davies Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
4. Bad Wolf/The Parting Of The Ways
A great big space battle on a scale the classic series could only dream of, with killer performances from Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. RTD’s first finale is still his best.
There are so many winning elements here, from the game show parodies to the Daleks’ brutal attack on the Game Station.
Perhaps the most inspired decision of all was to have Rose briefly return to Earth, allowing the story to flit between the far future and the domesticity of the Powell Estate. This also facilitated one of the best cuts in Doctor Who history, from the interior of the Game Station to chicken turning in a rotisserie oven.
The climax concludes Nine and Rose’s relationship perfectly – Rose returning to save the Doctor from himself, something he's always needed since the Time War. And the Doctor repaying the favour by sacrificing himself for her, becoming a healer rather than a Doctor of war.
God it’s good. No, more than that. It’s fantastic.