"Doctor Who Crash Course"
by Matthew C.
2010.12.10
So you're interested in
Doctor Who, but don't want to watch every episode? Well, here at
Yeah Dogg
laboratories, we've developed this list of the top six episodes of each season (spanning 2005-2009, Russell T. Davies' run). The new
Doctor Who episodes try and remain faithful to previous continuity and "DW" history, but (1) you don't need to
have any "DW" knowledge to enjoy the episodes, and (2) small inconsistencies are bound to crop up. These select
episodes are a good primer if you've either missed or don't want to watch every episode. (Every 2005-2009 episode
has wonderful guest actors, but we've made mention of certain episodes
* where a cast member really shines.)
The episodes are in chronological order and we've tried to include episodes containing important character interaction and good
stories. (Although, paring this episode list down is REALLY difficult; these 2005-2009 episodes are just so darn good. Even the
episodes on this list I have marked "to skip" have their moments.) Episodes written in black are recommended. Episodes
written in gray are not.
Although the production team chose to restart the series numbering from scratch, some fans of the program refer to the 2005 series
as Season/Series 27, the 2006 series as Season/Series 28, and so on. Despite the new numbering, the revival adheres to the original continuity.
After the long haitus and many undocumented adventures, The Doctor returns to television with a new...everything.
[If you only watch the "recommended" episodes on this list there may be references to previous episodes or stories. Individual episode
synopsis(es,si,ees,'s) can be found
here.]
Season 1 (2005, aka Series 27)
→ Christopher Eccleston as "Doctor Who" (Ninth version)
→ Billie Piper as Rose Tyler
The 2005 series constitutes a loose story arc, dealing with the consequences of the Time War and the mysterious Bad Wolf.
- s01e01 - Rose
- s01e02 - The End of the World
- s01e03 - The Unquiet Dead * Simon Callow as Charles Dickens (* featuring Torchwood's Eve Myles as Gwenyth Cooper)
- s01e04 - Aliens of London (part 1) * featuring Torchwood's Naoko Mori as Dr. Toshiko Sato
- s01e05 - World War Three (part 2)
- s01e06 - Dalek
- s01e07 - The Long Game
- s01e08 - Father's Day
- s01e09 - The Empty Child (part 1) * Richard Wilson as Dr Constantine
- s01e10 - The Doctor Dances (part 2) * Florence Hoath as Nancy
- s01e11 - Boom Town
- s01e12 - Bad Wolf (part 1)
- s01e13 - The Parting of the Ways (part 2) 1.1
- 2005 Christmas special - The Christmas Invasion * David Tennant as The Doctor
:
Season 2 (2006, aka Series 28)
→ David Tennant as "The Doctor" (Tenth version)
→ Billie Piper as Rose Tyler
The back-story for the spin-off series
Torchwood is "seeded" in various episodes in the 2006 series. Ever wondered when David
Tennant's Doctor wears a brown suit and when he wears a blue one? The colored symbol prior to each episode name denotes the primary color of
The Doctor's suit/outfit. (
♦Blue,
♦Brown)
- ♦s02e01 - New Earth * Billie Piper as Rose Tyler
- ♦s02e02 - Tooth and Claw
- ♦s02e03 - School Reunion 2.1
- ♦s02e04 - The Girl In The Fireplace * Sophia Myles as Reinette Poisson
- ♦s02e05 - Rise of the Cybermen (part 1)
- ♦s02e06 - The Age of Steel (part 2)
- ♦s02e07 - The Idiot's Lantern
- ♦s02e08 - The Impossible Planet (part 1)
- ♦s02e09 - The Satan Pit (part 2)
- ♦s02e10 - Love & Monsters
- ♦s02e11 - Fear Her
- ♦s02e12 - Army of Ghosts (part 1)
- ♦s02e13 - Doomsday (part 2)
- 2006 Christmas special - The Runaway Bride
:
Season 3 (2007, aka Series 29)
→ David Tennant as "The Doctor" (Tenth version)
→ Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones
This series introduces Martha Jones and deals with the Face of Boe's final message, the mysterious Mr. Saxon, and The Doctor dealing
with the loss of Rose Tyler.
- ♦s03e01 - Smith and Jones
- ♦s03e02 - The Shakespeare Code * Dean Lennox Kelly as Shakespeare
- ♦s03e03 - Gridlock
- ♦s03e04 - Daleks in Manhattan (part 1)
- ♦s03e05 - Evolution of the Daleks (part 2)
- ♦s03e06 - The Lazarus Experiment
- ♦s03e07 - 42
- ♦s03e08 - Human Nature (part 1)
- ♦s03e09 - The Family of Blood (part 2) * David Tennant as John Smith
- ♦s03e10 - Blink * Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow
- ♦s03e11 - Utopia (part 1)
- ♦s03e12 - The Sound of Drums (part 2) 3.1 * John Simm as The Master
- ♦s03e13 - Last of the Time Lords (part 3) 3.2
- 2007 Animated Special - "The Infinite Quest" 3.3
- 2007 Children In Need special - "Time Crash"
- 2007 Christmas special - Voyage of the Damned * Kylie Minogue as Astrid Peth
:
Season 4 (2008, aka Series 30)
→ David Tennant as "The Doctor" (Tenth version)
→ Catherine Tate as Donna Noble
This series explores the coincidences binding The Doctor and Donna together.
- ♦s04e01 - Partners in Crime * Catherine Tate as Donna Noble
- ♦s04e02 - The Fires of Pompeii (* featuring Season 5's Karen Gillan as the cult girl that follows them through the city)
- ♦s04e03 - Planet of the Ood
- ♦s04e04 - The Sontaran Stratagem (part 1)
- ♦s04e05 - The Poison Sky (part 2)
- ♦s04e06 - The Doctor's Daughter * Georgia Moffett as Jenny
- ♦s04e07 - The Unicorn and the Wasp
- ♦s04e08 - Silence in the Library (part 1)
- ♦s04e09 - Forest of the Dead (part 2)
- ♦s04e10 - Midnight
- ♦s04e11 - Turn Left 4.1
- ♦s04e12 - The Stolen Earth (part 1)
- ♦s04e13 - Journey's End (part 2) 4.2
- ♦2008 Christmas special - The Next Doctor
- 2009 Easter special - Planet of the Dead
- ♦2009 Animated special - Dreamland 4.3
- ♦2009 Autumn special - The Waters of Mars
- ♦2009 Christmas special - The End of Time (part 1) * Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott
- ♦2010 New Year's special - The End of Time (part 2) 4.4
:
Season 5 (2010, aka Series 31)
→ Matt Smith as "The Doctor" (Eleventh version)
→ Karen Gillan as Amy Pond
Steven Moffat took over as head writer and executive producer after Russell T Davies stepped down. Steven Moffat changed
almost everything about the new series (about 99% of Russell T. Davies' content - new Doctor, new companions, new enemies,
new TARDIS, new sonic screwdriver, new Daleks - although in the episodes "Pandorica Opens/Big Bang" many previous
enemies return). Compared to Series 1 through 4, Series 5 is vastly
inferior different.
The 2010 series contains a vague overarching story. Multiple episodes revolve around a crack in time and space, but the series is almost entirely comprised of self-contained episodes. This may just be a rocky start to the "next
chapter" in the
Doctor Who saga. I'm pessimistically enthusiastic; I've quite liked the previous episodes in this...reboot (2005-present).
- The Eleventh Hour 5.1
- The Beast Below
- Victory of the Daleks
- The Time of Angels (part 1)
- Flesh and Stone (part 2)
- The Vampires of Venice
- Amy's Choice
- The Hungry Earth (part 1)
- Cold Blood (part 2)
- Vincent and The Doctor
- The Lodger
- The Pandorica Opens (part 1)
- The Big Bang (part 2)
- 2009 Christmas special - A Christmas Carol
:
Season 6 (2011, aka Series 32)
→ Matt Smith as "The Doctor" (Eleventh version)
→ Karen Gillan as Amy Pond
→ Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams
→ ? as River Song
Scheduled for broadcast in 2011, the first seven episodes (Season 6a, Series 32a) will be broadcast in the spring and the final
six episodes (Season 6b, Series 32b) in the fall/autumn, with the mid-season finale being (according to Steven Moffat) a
"game changing cliffhanger".
"Season 6 will continue story threads from Season 5". At some point The Doctor, Amy and Rory travel from Utah to Washington, D.C. during the 1960s.
The series is
substandard different since Steven Moffat took over and I will not be updating this page with Season 6. I will however update this page in relation to the
better 2005-2009 episodes.
Season 7 (2012, aka Series 33)
→ Matt Smith as "The Doctor" (Eleventh version)
A
list of episodes can be found
online.
