Every Doctor Who Title Sequence Ranked Worst To Best (2025)

16. The Eleventh Doctor (2012-2013)

Eleventh Doctor Who Titles
BBC Studios

Following the departure of the Ponds, the second half of Matt Smith's final series saw the arrival of an entirely new version of the title sequence. The Series 7b sequence foregoes the standard time vortex structure, as seen in the other openers from the revival era, and opts instead for a rather dizzying, fast paced explosion of bright flashes and a lot of red. 

While beginning with the TARDIS flying through space, rather than follow its journey we quickly lose track of it before being swept away into a series of spinning nebula imagery that moves too fast to focus on properly. The TARDIS does then return at the close of the sequence where the doors open to reveal the opening frame of the episode. This is one of the smoothest transitions from titles to episode the show has seen but it isn't enough to redeem the mediocrity of what comes beforehand.

While the return of the Doctor's face appearing mid sequence is certainly a welcome addition, and a great nod to the openers of the Classic era, it does bear wondering why it was decided to re-imagine the opening so close to the end of Matt Smith's run. Not to mention doing it midway through a series. It all just feels a little unnecessary. 

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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.