5) Series 10 (2017)
Peter Capaldi’s era of the show is very nostalgic for me, and his final series is also his best. I was never a fan of companion Clara Oswald, so I really enjoyed the fresh dynamic of the Twelfth Doctor, Bill Potts and Nardole and I still wish we’d seen more of them. This is his most focused series too, with a well-written story arc involving Missy/The Master, the Doctor’s oldest nemesis. While there aren’t many all-time classic episodes here, the first half is a really solid and enjoyable run and the two-part finale of World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls is the best finale that Steven Moffat ever wrote. Grab the tissues for it.
4) Series 3 (2007)
I don’t know how controversial this is to say, but I much prefer the dynamic of the Tenth Doctor with Martha to the way he was with Rose, and their partnership drives this entire series. Even when episodes can come up short, they’re such a likeable pair that it remains perfectly watchable. And when Series 3 hits, it HITS - the five-episode run from Human Nature to The Sound of Drums is phenomenal, and even the disappointing finale Last of the Time Lords is ridiculous and enjoyable enough to laugh along with. Gridlock and 42 are underrated romps that get really intense and gritty, and Blink is rightfully considered as one of the best single episodes Doctor Who has ever come out with.
3) Series 4 (2008)
Many people would have this series at number 1 and, while I don’t personally agree, it’s still the modern show at its peak. The show has never felt more grand in scale, with The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End being a true TV event, and never before has the extended TARDIS team felt as much like a family as it does here. I just don’t put it quite up there as the best full series - there’s a lag in the middle with some episodes like the Sontaran two-parter, which I’ve never really liked. Still the last four episodes (all written by Russell T. Davies) are fantastic, particularly Turn Left, one of the darkest episodes in Doctor Who history.
2) Series 1 (2005)
Christopher Eccleston’s only series is pretty immaculate and, as much as we want to see Eccleston return, we can’t possibly be disappointed with the episodes we did get. This was a superb re-introduction to the show for a 21st century audience, with a great Doctor-companion duo and a really consistent run of episodes. There’s scares (those damn gas masks), there’s laughs (farting aliens), and the new ways the show tackles all its old cliches are thrilling - the Dalek episode here is still the best Dalek episode of the modern era. For the Ninth Doctor, it was a short but sweet run, and he was absolutely fantastic.
1) Series 5 (2010)
I sometimes feel wrong putting Series 5 at the top spot, since Series 5 has some clunkers. The Weeping Angels two-parter ruins the best monsters of the modern era, and Victory of the Daleks isn’t very good either. But this era is the most fun I have with Doctor Who - I love the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory and I will literally watch them in anything. The Eleventh Hour wins the award for the episode I’ve rewatched the most, The Beast Below and Amy’s Choice are highly underrated, the Pandorica finale is a mad but standout finale. The jewel in the crown though? Vincent and The Doctor, a simply superb bit of TV. Doctor Who does not get as escapist and as involving as Series 5.
