A while back, a friend asked me to list the episodes of New Who that I consider to be “must-see”.
I’ve tried to limit these to the best-of-the-best, though Series 6 gave me a little trouble.
This list is current through the mid-season break of Series 7.
Series 1: Christopher Eccleston & Billie Piper (Rose)
- Rose
- Aliens of London/World War Three
- Dalek
- Father’s Day
- The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
Series 2: David Tennant & Billie Piper (Rose)
- The Christmas Invasion (2005 Christmas Special)
- School Reunion
- The Girl in the Fireplace
Series 3: David Tennant & Freema Agyeman (Martha)
- The Runaway Bride (2006 Christmas Special)
- Smith and Jones
- 42 (this episode is better when you realize that it’s real-time)
- Human Nature/Family of Blood
- Blink
Series 4: David Tennant & Catherine Tate (Donna)
- Voyage of the Damned (2007 Christmas Special)
- Partners In Crime (the bad-guy plot is stupid, but it’s a great re-introduction to Donna)
- The Fires of Pompeii
- The Unicorn and the Wasp
- Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
- Midnight
David Tennant’s 2009 Specials
- The Next Doctor (2008 Christmas Special)
- The Waters of Mars
Series 5: Matt Smith and Karen Gillan (Amy) and Arthur Darvill (Rory)
- The Eleventh Hour
- Amy’s Choice
- Vincent and the Doctor
- The Lodger
- The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
Series 6: Matt Smith and Karen Gillan (Amy) and Arthur Darvill (Rory)
- A Christmas Carol (2010 Christmas Special)
- The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
- The Doctor’s Wife
- A Good Man Goes To War
- Let’s Kill Hitler
- The Girl Who Waited
- The God Complex
- Closing Time
- The Wedding of River Song
Series 7 – First Half: Matt Smith and Karen Gillan (Amy) and Arthur Darvill (Rory)
- The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe (2011 Christmas Special)
- A Town Called Mercy
- The Angels Take Manhatten
You might notice from this list that series 6 lists a large percentage of the total episodes in that series. Series 6 contains a broad story arc and there are a lot of episodes you have to see to get all of it. It’s worth it.
From this list, my absolute no-compromise favorites are:
- Rose
- Dalek
- The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
- The Christmas Invasion
- School Reunion
- The Girl in the Fireplace
- Smith and Jones
- Human Nature/Family of Blood
- Blink
- Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
- Midnight
- The Waters of Mars
- The Eleventh Hour
- Vincent and the Doctor
- The Lodger
- A Christmas Carol
- The Doctor’s Wife
- A Good Man Goes To War
- The Wedding of River Song
- The Angels Take Manhatten