Doctor Who: EVERY Steven Moffat Episode Ranked Worst To Best

9. The Day Of The Doctor

Doctor Who The Day Of The Doctor
BBC Studios

The 50th anniversary special is a masterpiece. Moffat delivers the perfect balance of homage, celebration, and new adventure, in an epic feature-length extravaganza.

The choice to bring back David Tennant while also introducing a new, 'forgotten' incarnation worked so well, and created a multi-Doctor story that didn't feel forced or convoluted, as is always the risk with these things.

Exploring the Time War was the perfect way to bridge the gap between Classic and NuWho, giving this episode a true purpose rather than just being throwaway fluff. And the surprise cameo from Tom Baker – and having him set the show off on its next 50 years – was a special, special moment.

The fact that Moffat managed to deliver this huge anniversary special and serve as showrunner for both Doctor Who and Sherlock simultaneously is nothing short of remarkable. The man must have bathed in coffee.

As with Joy to the World, if you want my full, in-depth thoughts on this episode, you can check out my review here!

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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.