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

With Torchwood being the Doctor Who spin-off to focus on more adult themes and storylines, it stands to reason that the title sequence would follow suit. This is one of the quickest title sequences of the franchise and strips away all the flamboyance of the main show in favour of a more mature, serious approach. With its black and red colour scheme and no-nonsense displaying of the cast names, it's clear from the offset that this is a show for the parents, not the kids. 

Like The Sarah Jane Adventures, the first two series of Torchwood also opened each episode with a pre-title sequence featuring a speech from Captain Jack Harkness about what Torchwood is, alongside clips from various episodes. This also served to highlight that this was a more mature show, with mention of Torchwood "arming the human race against the future", including multiple clips of gunfire and displaying creatures much scarier than any seen in Doctor Who. We get it. This isn't for kids!

Torchwood's third series, Children of Earth, went even more minimalist – opting to forgo the opening title sequence altogether, in favour of a simple title card which changed the day number with each episode. Like the Sleep No More title card, this was the right choice for this particular story. The tone and themes of Children of Earth would have felt less intense if each episode had began with a brief interlude to highlight that it's a work of fiction. Where Children of Earth thrives is in the gut wrenching relatability and pure terror the situation evokes – nothing should break that hold. 

Miracle Day could be mistaken for a medical drama based on its title sequence alone and yet, with context, this does actually fit very well with the theme of the fourth series. Unlike the simplicity of the first series opener, this one feels very dramatic which is, no doubt, a result of the American co-production of this final series of the show. Nevertheless, it serves well in building up the tension of the series and maintains the more serious tone that Torchwood holds within the Whoniverse.