Following my recent post about favourite Eleventh Doctor stories I thought I'd post a list of my favourite Tenth Doctor ones. These are in chronological order, not order of favourites. And I am being picky, although I seem unable to get to a shorter list!
Clearly I enjoyed Steven Moffat's writing for the Tenth Doctor. And his gas mask double parter for the Ninth Doctor remains my all-time favourite Who story ever, even beating a spaghetti-faced Count in Paris. But it's nice to see some other writers represented in the list here.
- The Christmas Invasion. Given David Tennant's Doctor is unconscious for much of the episode, he must have made a heck of an impression on me when he woke up. I was already confident that he was going to be great in the role after having seen him in Casanova. Now I was convinced.
- Tooth and Claw. This is not a flawless story. I greatly dislike the digs at some of the Royal Family (and I'm not a Royal fan at all), and some of the other Rose bits are pretty unsubtle too. But in other respects it's a magic mix. Ninja monks, a scary werewolf, a library full of books, and Scotland! Thank you RTD.
- The Girl in the Fireplace. This was instantly my Dad's favourite Who story ever and remained so for the rest of his life. Just magical, even if you do pick it apart, and realise it's a retelling of The Time Traveller's Wife. A route that Steven Moffat went down far too often. But still, wow. Clockwork Droids and Madame de P.
- The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit. For a Doctor Who fan I'm not much of a fan of scifi in space. I'm really not. But this is a base under siege, from within, and facing dark primeval forces. So gripping. And fully merits the two part treatment. I really wish that we'd got more Doctor Who from the writer Matt Jones.
- Human Nature / The Family of Blood. A moving piece of historical fiction and lost romance and chances. This is so very special. Thank you Paul Cornell.
- Blink. Ok another where David Tennant is barely in it. But it's just so good. We needed more Sally Sparrow on TV! A star in the making. And my favourite Tenth Doctor story of all.
- Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead. I rewatched this recently. It's still superb. Tight plotting, imaginative scifi, another iconic new monster, and hey, who's this we meet?
Clearly I enjoyed Steven Moffat's writing for the Tenth Doctor. And his gas mask double parter for the Ninth Doctor remains my all-time favourite Who story ever, even beating a spaghetti-faced Count in Paris. But it's nice to see some other writers represented in the list here.