Doctor Who: Every Series 3 Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
7. The Runaway Bride
Speaking of introducing companions, although we didn't know it at the time...
The Christmas special associated with series 3, which proceeds the entire arc, features the first appearance of Catherine Tate's Donna Noble before she signed up for a full season. Taking place immediately following Doomsday, the bride-to-be just so happens to find herself, against all odds, on the TARDIS.
What follows is a brilliant adventure that has all the sauces that make Doctor Who brilliant: science fiction, thrills, laugh-out-loud comedy, and a few touching moments of emotion. The Doctor - who so far we have seen dazzle, amaze, or intimidate everyone he meets - just does not impress Donna and Ms Noble's ferocity adds a sit-up-and-take-notice new taste to the show.
By the story's end, Donna has witnessed the Doctor's wrath in the shadow of what happened to Rose and offers key advice: travel with someone that can stop him from going too far.
Christmas Specials can be hard to rank amongst other "standard" episodes of the show because, especially in later years, their need to drive the festivities home. The Runaway Bride doesn't oversaturate the story with Xmas imagery and instead allows us to simply have a funny, exciting, and touching Doctor Who journey in its own right.