Every Modern Doctor Who Season Ranked From Best To Worst
6. Season 7
What a strange old season this one was. The decision by Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan to leave the show was a real shame, as the two had developed into a ripping on screen couple. Rather than just have a one episode finale, Moffat made the interesting call to have the pair continue to play Amy + Rory for the first five episodes of what was effectively a 15 episode season with Minisodes included.
Overall this part of the season was the most effective, with the decision to have the loving couple based more on Earth rather than constant companions a great change up. A series of minisodes titled Pond life brilliantly executed this premise, while the best parts of earlier episodes also utilised these themes well.
The season struggled after the couple's departure, with the story arc of new companion Clara being 'the impossible girl' becoming too all consuming. It was of no fault of Jenna-Louise Coleman who brought great energy and a dynamic chemistry with Smith.
Despite the rather disjointed feel of the series and the fact that there was little character development for the new companion, Matt Smith makes the season work, truly hitting his peak as the Doctor. Be it coming up with a plan to defeat the Daleks or making a ridiculous speech about a leaf seem engaging, Smith nails every key moment. His tears at the reveal that he will need to visit Trenzalore in the final episode is acting at its finest.