Doctor Who: Every Title Sequence Ranked From Worst To Best

YouTube is rife with fanmade title sequences. Every time a new Doctor is announced, or we're in the no man's land between series, budding VFX artists begin to fill the void with potential opening visuals for the next series. While the incredible work of John Smith VFX was recognised by the BBC, and they went on to produce an advertisement for Series 10, the real winner of the YouTube to real Doctor Who race was won by Billy Hanshaw (billydakiduk). His concept title sequence for the Twelfth Doctor was noticed by the BBC, and he was subsequently hired to produce the actual title sequence for Peter Capaldi's run as The Doctor.

This was a fresh take on the tried-and-tested vortex sequence seen throughout Doctor Who since 1996, hence why it caught Steven Moffat's eye. The dark, mechanical opening, instantly juxtaposed by the more whimsical, on-the-nose numerics of an infinite, roman numeral clock face, set Capaldi's title sequence apart from its disastrous Matt Smith predecessor. Keeping the actor credits and brief look at Capaldi's attack eyebrows, this title sequence felt much more refined than what came before.

However, this opening was done a heavy disservice throughout its use across three series and the Twelfth Doctor specials, as this iteration of Murray Gold's theme was a different amount out of sync each and every time the sequence played. It's unsure as to why, but it's one of the most irritating things about what would have otherwise been a perfect opening sequence.