Doctor Who: EVERY Series Opener Ranked Worst To Best

Our final three entries are all Doctor debuts, beginning with the one that started it all.

Rose is a smart, confident opener, that absolutely still holds up today. The decision to frame the whole thing through Rose’s eyes seems obvious now, but at the time it was groundbreaking for Doctor Who, offering an instant point of reference to new viewers and allowing the Doctor to be presented as a more dangerous and mysterious figure than ever before.

Likewise, the inclusion of a Doctor Who fan proxy in the form of Clive is inspired. It establishes the Doctor as someone with a clear history, without the need for 42 daunting years’ worth of continuity to be mentioned – notice how Clive doesn't show Rose any pictures of classic Doctors, for example.

And the Autons were a great choice of monster. They’re both familiar to long-term fans and a timeless idea in their own right, just as effective in 2005 as they were in 1970.

Sure, there’s the odd blunder, such as the burping bin and Auton Mickey’s blatantly obvious weird behaviour. But they can be forgiven. This was a show finding its feet again after 16 years away, and for the most part, it did so brilliantly.