History Gush / DoctorWho

!!Favourite Stories [[hottip:*:You can also vote on and add your favorites on the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/BestEpisode/DoctorWho Best Episode page.]]]]

** Adric: Really not nearly as bad as [[TheScrappy a lot of people make him out to be.]] Yes he has a great number of flaws and suffers from inconsistent writing, but ''real people are flawed.'' Plus, he does have a number of good traits. He cares about his friends, he endures ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E1Castrovalva an entire serial]]'' strung up in a hole in the wall and [[MindProbe Mind Probed]] by the Master (note that the next companion to get a similar treatment from the Doctor's best enemy made it through because he was ''immortal''), he actually flies the TARDIS once [[hottip:* :and with more accuracy than most Classic Doctors, landing it in the same room as the people he's trying to rescue]], has a nice little budding-apprentice rapport with the Fourth Doctor after Romana leaves and, perhaps most importantly, he's willing to [[TearJerker sacrifice his own life]] to try and save Earth.

** He was only in [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E8FathersDay one episode]], [[hottip:* :[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E5RiseOfTheCybermen this version, any way]]]] but Pete Tyler really made an impression. He was smart enough to see through Rose's (admittedly paper-thin) lies, didn't spend the whole episode agonizing over the fact that his daughter had time-traveled, realized what needed to be done, and did it with a smile on his face.

* '''Ace''' (SophieAldred, 1987-1989); As mentioned above, Ace single-handedly inspired the entire CrowningMomentOfAwesome list; not bad.[[hottip:*:Summary - she once went to town on a Dalek with a superpowered-baseball bat]] She's a key influence for the modern-style companion, precisely because she's a complete break from the 'screamer' cliche; she's a tough, savvy, snarky kid. However, she's also one of the few companions in the classic series who was given any real sort of character depth and CharacterDevelopment beyond a fairly shallow backstory; the 1989 series is essentially all about the Doctor helping Ace resolve her childhood issues as much as it is about fighting monsters, which was quite novel for the series at the time.

* Rory "The Last Centurion" Williams has basically just two settings {{Adorkable}} and {{BadAss}} and he's brilliantly awesome in both. An amazing EnsembleDarkhorse whose CharacterDevelopment was so well done (by both actor and writers) that he believably went from being a ButtMonkey boyfriend that most [[{{Shipping}} Shipper fans]] wanted out of the way, to becoming the [[TheHeart True Heart]] of the current TARDIS team while simultaneously [[TakeALevelInBadass taking so MANY Levels in Badass]] that he now has his own MemeticBadass meme to rival [[ChuckNorrisFacts Chuck Norris's]]. Nurse-Boy done good!

* '''Rory Williams''' (ArthurDarvill, 2010-present) Rory is the first long-term male companion in the new series, and is quickly turning into a fan-favorite. Starting out as just a bumbling everyman, Rory turned into an extremely loyal, plain BAD-ASS character, who even manages to surpass the Doctor in terms of awesome moments on occasion. In some ways, he is almost a male Ace, albeit with a more sweet disposition.

* '''''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]''''' - Sylvester [=McCoy=], 1988. The opener to the show's 25th season sees the Doctor and Ace travel back to 1963 and land in the middle of a Dalek civil war. Features the ORIGINAL CrowningMomentOfAwesome (Ace smashing up a Dalek with a technologically enhanced baseball bat), and is also remembered for introducing the Seventh Doctor's penchant for [[XanatosGambit Xanatos Gambits]] and being one of the first hints at the [[StoryArc Cartmel Masterplan]].

** Likewise, Christopher Eccleston was likewise indispensable to reviving the Doctor and causing a whole new generation of fans to fall in love with. It's a shame he's so often overshadowed by David Tennant, who, by the way, is also awesome.

** Davies was the best thing that could've happened to Doctor Who at this time. Thank you for well-written characters (both male and female!), the good kind of crack, the happy, the sad, the multitudes of awesome, and bringing ''Doctor Who'' to a huge audience.

* '''''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''''' - TomBaker, 1977. The Doctor and his [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy slightly feral]] companion Leela land in VictorianLondon and are promptly swept up in a supernatural murder mystery right out of a Hammer-horror flick, featuring giant rats, Chinese mysticism, and a bloodthirsty ventriloquist's dummy. Another terrifying six-parter by RobertHolmes, praised by RussellTDavies, declared the ''best story in the show's history'' by a fansite poll in 2003.
* '''''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]''''' - TomBaker, 1979. A four-parter co-written by DouglasAdams and later informing parts of the plot to his novel ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency''. The story is brilliantly paced, there's a natural chemistry between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward (who fell in love during the shoot), and brilliant comedy, including a cameo by JohnCleese and Eleanor Bron. Consistently ranked in the top ten by fans.

* Martha. Fuckin. Jones. Full stop! Smart, check. Funny, check. BadAss, triple check! And she's inspired more PSL than anybody else on this list. Hell, even Shakespeare thought she was hot stuff!

** On that note, [[Series/TorchwoodMiracleDay Miracle Day]] was fantastic! Excellent actors and great writing.

* '''Romana''' (Mary Tamm, 1978-1979; Lalla Ward, 1979-1981): Romana is, if not the first, then at least among the first of the companions who was also arguably the Doctor's equal. A fellow Time Lord, she was demonstrated to be his rival and possibly even superior in the intelligence stakes (if still rather naive and sheltered, thus enabling her to perform a lot of the traditional roles of the companion). This enabled her to generate a chemistry with the Doctor unlike that seen with previous companions, based on a more even keel; Romana was quite capable of [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]] at the Doctor and upstaging him if necessary. With Romana, we also see the beginnings of {{UST}} between the Doctor and companion (helped by the fact that Tom Baker and Lalla Ward, the second Romana, were off-camera involved in a relationship). As she was played by two actresses, YourMileageMayVary on which was better, but both contributed in making the character a memorable success.

* While we're on the subject of Daleks, them and Davros. Read HighOctaneNightmareFuel: ''HighOctaneNightmareFuel/DoctorWho'' for convincing.

* '''''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars]]''''' - TomBaker, 1975. Lovely story set in Egypt-obsessed ChristieTime, with the Doctor matching wits with an ancient Egyptian God. From Mars. With robot mummies. A lot better than it sounds - tight, tense chase scenes, gorgeous period details and a cracking script.

* Same universe as the above, but different show: Ianto Jones of ''{{Torchwood}}''. Bonus mention to Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper and Toshiko Sato, as well.
** On that note, MiracleDay was fantastic! Excellent actors and great writing.

* '''"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor Vincent and the Doctor]]"''' - MattSmith, 2010. I absolutely LOVE this episode for three reasons. First off, [[spoiler:Rory has just been erased from time]] so the Doctor takes Amy to an art museum to cheer her (or maybe himself) up. Just seeing that each FreudianSlip (including a subconscious one by Amy) shows they still remember Rory [[HeartwarmingMoments warms my heart]]. Seeing something strange tips them off to go talk to Vincent van Gogh, which leads to my second point. The way it appeals to an art buff. Spotting all of Vincent's best work in his house is fun. The sky morphing into Starry Night is an impressive effect. I'm sure hearing Vincent talking about color and art caused a lot of artists to jump up and say "I get that! I totally see where he's coming from!" Last but not least, seeing the Doctor and Amy give new meaning in Vincent's life by showing him the exibit and hearing the museum tour guide gush about him. [[spoiler:It doesn't change much, he still commit's suicide, but]] I'm sure a lot of people who felt depressed or maybe even suicidal may have found inspiration in this episode.

* The Classic Series, which ditches some of the new series' shortfalls and modern-day clichés and focuses on plot, plot, plot, and genuinely three-dimensional, likable characters. Throughout its 26 year history, it stands out as being unique, meaningful, suspenseful, chilling, hilarious, nightmarish, heartrending, all in one gigantic package of awesomeness. The effect of having a large and varied number of writers is also felt, with the Doctor's adventures being fresh and memorable every time. One of the biggest aspects that did it is the personality of Troughton's Second Doctor of being arrogant before his enemies but genuinely caring and likable when talking to those he trusts had a big impact on him. The writing in the Tom Baker years also managed to retain a considerable part of this aspect. Sorry, Moff, but the "I'M AWESOME AND IMPORTANT ALL THE TIME RANDOMNESS NAO" Doctor just doesn't measure up when faced with this amazingly charming character.

** Davies was the best thing that could've happened to Doctor Who at this time. Thank you for well-written characters (both male and female!), the good kind of crack, the happy, the sad, the multitudes of awesome, and bringing ''Series/DoctorWho'' to a huge audience.

* I just feel the need to say that my long-overdue discovery of DoctorWho is what finally convinced me to embrace my eccentric side that was previously hard to express and a slight source of shame. Turned out that I have several Doctor-ish qualities myself! It's a well-written, action-packed, hilarious, just plain ''fun'' show, the best I've ever seen...and it goes on record as being the first thing to make me legitimately {{Squee}}. Before this show, '''I never squeed.'''

* '''''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E1TheThreeDoctors The Three Doctors]]''''' - Jon Pertwee, 1972-1973. The first and greatest of the multi-Doctor stories sees the Third Doctor reluctantly teaming up with his first two incarnations against Omega, one of the three founders of Time Lord society. Whilst the tenth anniversary special is a vital part of ''Series/DoctorWho'' canon for elaborating on the Time Lords since their last appearance, its greatest strength is the chemistry between the Second and Third Doctors, who bicker constantly whilst trying to save the universe.

* One of Series/DoctorWho's spinoffs, FactionParadox, has a few. Most are perfect {{Magnificent Bastard}}s, but that doesn't make them any less awesome. Cousins Eliza and Justine for one. How many people, aliens or deities are there willing to take on what essentially amounts to a psychotic TARDIS ([[ItGotWorse or a living timeline]]) with all of the Master's deviousness and evil, confront her for control of Gallifrey and ''win''?

* '''Donna Noble''' (CatherineTate, 2006; 2008; 2009): Originally appearing in the 2006 Christmas special and returning as the companion of Series 4, Donna was the first female companion in the new series who didn't fall in love with the Doctor. She started off as TheScrappy, but her CharacterDevelopment made her popular. Through out the season, she constantly called the Doctor out when he was being hypocritical. In contrast to The Doctor's ability to see the big picture, Donna was good at noticing the details that the Doctor often overlooked or thought insignificant. She's also known for having one of the more tragic and controversial companion departures in the show; [[spoiler:becoming half-Time Lord, only to have her CharacterDevelopment and memory of the Doctor erased through MindRape administered ''by the Doctor himself'' to prevent her brain from burning up.]]

!!TVTropes Hearts ''[[Series/DoctorWho Doctor Who]]''

* '''Donna Noble''' (CatherineTate, 2006; 2008; 2009): Originally appearing in the 2006 Christmas special and returning as the companion of Series 4, Donna was the first female companion in the new series who didn't fall in love with the Doctor. She started off as TheScrappy, but her CharacterDevelopment made her popular. Through out the season, she constantly called the Doctor out when he was being hypocritical. In contrast to The Doctor's ability to see the big picture, Donna was good at noticing the details that the Doctor often overlooked or thought insignificant, like the emty file in the Sotaran two-parter.

* '''"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E4TheDoctorsWife The Doctor's Wife]]"''' - MattSmith, 2011. A fan favorite for two reasons: being written by NeilGaiman, and giving ADayInTheLimelight to [[spoiler:the TARDIS herself, getting a physical form and working with the Doctor to defeat an alien that's possessed the regular TARDIS and escape an AlternateUniverse.]] She proves herself to be a ManicPixieDreamGirl and even bigger {{Cloudcuckoolander}} than the Doctor himself and finally gets the opportunity to voice her love and loyalty for him, which she does in [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming the sweetest of ways.]]

* '''Donna Noble''' (CatherineTate, 2009): Donna was the first New series female companion who didn't fall in love with the Doctor. She started off as TheScrappy, but her CharacterDevelopment made her popular. Through out the season, she constantly called the Doctor out when he was being hypocritical. In contrast to The Doctor's ability to see the big picture, Donna was good at noticing the details that the Doctor often overlooked or thought insignificant, like the emty file in the Sotaran two-parter.

* Captain Jack Harkness. Goes after AnythingThatMoves, but unlike most characters he's actually ''successful'' due to being the biggest StupidSexyFlanders this side of [[MetalGear Snake]].

* Same universe as the above, but different show: Ianto Jones of ''{{Torchwood}}'' heart. Special mention to Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato, as well.

* '''Rory Williams''' (ArthurDarvill, 2010-2011) Rory is the first long-term male companion in the new series, and is quickly turning into a fan-favorite. Starting out as just a bumbling everyman, Rory turned into an extremely loyal, plain BAD-ASS character, who even manages to surpass the Doctor in terms of awesome moments on occasion. In some ways, he is almost a male Ace, albeit with a more sweet disposition.

** And StevenMoffat is one of the best things to ever happen to it.
*** RussellTDavies needs love too. He brought back the show and introduced a whole new generation to wonderful sci-fi. This troper only watched an episode on a whim, and now feverishly reads the books she can find and watch all the old Who she can. We salute you.
**** As far as [[{{Tropers/aphid}} this Troper]] is concerned, Davies was the best thing that could've happened to Doctor Who at this time. Thank you for well-written characters (both male and female!), the good kind of crack, the happy, the sad, the multitudes of awesome, and bringing ''Series/DoctorWho'' to a huge audience.
**** This troper whole-heartedly agrees, but would like to add that Christopher Eccleston was likewise indispensable to reviving the Doctor and causing a whole new generation of fans to fall in love with. This troper also "watched an episode on a whim," and was reeled in to the larger story by his excellent acting. It's a shame he's so often overshadowed by David Tennant, who, by the way, is also awesome.
***** This troper saw her lj flist explode after the s2 finale and had to check it out. it was so worth it. one of those shows you don't know you're falling for until you're in way too deep to ever leave. and she loves and hates the way it plays with her heart. RTD really has some special power.
**** After watching "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" for the first time, this troper was reminded of why she loves Doctor Who so much. It's funny, witty, heartwarming, tear-wringing, and brilliant every step of the way. Even the episodes that aren't so amazing always have something in them to make up for it, whether it be a wonderful side character, a well-acted scene, a beautiful message, or a memorable story. It's one of the few shows that leaves me leaning back in my chair and going, "Wow."
** Incidentally, here's an anecdote: A while ago, [[{{Tropers/Sylocat}} this Troper]] saw an article headline: "RTD steps down from ''Series/DoctorWho''." The headline didn't say who was taking over, so this Troper clicked on the link, and all through the few seconds it took the page to load, he was thinking, "Please, let it be Moffat!" ''And it WAS.''
*** Hey, don't forget Classic ''Doctor Who''. Sure the stories dragged and the special effects sucked, but it was all fun, cheese, and mind games, and was a hell of a lot more charming than most of the non-''Star Trek'' sci-fi drivel that was being pumped out in the '70's and '80's. And who doesn't have warm, happy childhood memories of curling up in front of a small color TV on a Saturday morning with a warm bowl of spaghettios in gleeful anticipation of that day's up and coming ''Doctor Who'' marathon? (Okay, so you probably have to be [[TroperDemographics older than most tropers]] to remember that particular experience, but this show, along with ''All-Star Wrestling'', made ''this'' Troper's childhood weekends [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments of Awesome.]])
*** Absolutely nothing in the universe compares to the sheer awesomeness of Tom Baker as the Doctor. Sorry William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester [=McCoy=], Paul [=McGann=], Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith; you were and are all fantastic in the role, don't get me wrong. But thirty-odd years after he debuted, Tom still owns that part. It's not a matter of 'best actor to play the Doctor' or 'favourite Doctor' or what have you - he simply ''is'' the Doctor.
**** Seconded! The sheer versatility of Tom's work as the show moved from borderline horror stories (Seasons 12-14) to LighterAndSofter (15-17) to near-philosophical (18) is amazing, if only because he ''never comes across as out of place''. No matter what came his way, this Doctor triumphed by just being his sweet self - strange, alien, ''beautiful'' (with a voice a friend of mine described as "velvet and dark honey") - and I love him for it.
***** Thirded! And I just started checkin Classic Who. Hartnell reminded me of someone I don't like, and Davison is boring. Tom Baker has definitely become [[Tropers/RitiTroll This one's]] Doctor. (And he has awesome companions.)
*** [[{{Tropers/Caiaphasthesympathist}} This Troper]] first started watching the series with David Tennant, and got captivated by its general premise, going on to watch every episode of the revival (it even helped him get through beginning-high-school anxiety), but as awesome as it was, it still fell short in a few aspects, having its share of unnecessary clichés, being a bit too much like other shows of the time. Cue the discovery of the Classic Series, which ditches all that and focuses on plot, plot, plot, and genuinely three-dimensional, likable characters. Throughout its 26 year history, it stands out as being unique, meaningful, suspenseful, chilling, hilarious, nightmarish, heartrending, all in one gigantic package of awesomeness. The effect of having a large and varied number of writers is also felt, with the Doctor's adventures being fresh and memorable every time. One of the biggest aspects that did it for me, is: this troper is very big on [[HumbleHero humility]], so the personality of Troughton's Second Doctor of being arrogant before his enemies but genuinely caring and likable when talking to those he trusts had a big impact on him. The writing in the Tom Baker years also managed to retain a considerable part of this aspect, much to this troper's delight. Sorry, Moff, but the "I'M AWESOME AND IMPORTANT ALL THE TIME RANDOMNESS NAO" Doctor just doesn't measure up when faced with this amazingly charming character.
** The only reason This Troper started watching Series/DoctorWho is because of its overwhelming presence on TvTropes - and she loves every single second of it! Thank you TvTropes!
** "Love & Monsters" and "Fear Her" are great episodes. Sylvester [=McCoy=]'s first season is better than people give it credit for and his latter two are fantastic. All complaints about "Last of the Time Lords" strike me as InsaneTrollLogic. Oh, and I '''love''' The Keys of Marinus.
*** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase The Chase]] is the greatest serial ever!
*** Spitfires. {{IN SPACE}}.
*** You do not mention Doctor Who without mentioning the Eighth Doctor's adventures in the audios and books. ''Zagreus'', especially. And you do not mention Doctor Who without grinning at the Tenth Doctor's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMoA]] in his first episode: Driving away the Sycorax after shortly recovering from regeneration trauma! Lordy, you also do not mention Doctor Who without thinking of Human Nature/Family of Blood. The show is jam-packed with CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
** This Troper started watching doctor who this season and loved every second of it: Smith makes the role fun and magical, Amy and Rory are great companions and Moffat and co's storys have covered all the bases that make the doctor great. and now going back to not only the first 2 seasons of the revival but Davison's fifth doctor, I realize that Doctor who is even more fantastic and it's message of being yourself and standing out really speaks to this troper.
** MATT SMITH. MADE. OF. WIN.
** No love for McCoy? The Mysterious chess master who tricked Davros into destroying Skaro himself, strolled calmly away from an exploding circus and talked two enemies into committing suicide during his tenure. As far as I'm concerned, you can keep your Tom Baker. I prefer 7 AND Ace, one of the most awesome companions of the classic era.
** When it comes to Doctor Who, I have prefernces, there are parts I like more than other parts, but I haven't (yet) seen anything that I really ''don't'' like. It's just awesome.
** This troper loves every incarnation of the Doctor! They are all just so awesome in their own original ways!
** Series/DoctorWho has RUINED This Troper for other shows (not that he watched much TV before seeing it either), but it's well worth it. It's among a VERY small group of works of fiction that can get genuine emotion out of him. Also? Matt Smith is awesome embodied, and - in This Troper's mind - a nice change from the [[Wangst Wangsty]], if still very dramatic and well-done, Tenth Doctor.

* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]''' - WilliamHartnell, 1964. TARDIS crew arrive in the 22nd century to see that not only have the Daleks survived their apparent extinction on Skaro, but they have conquered the human race and established themselves as a terrifying force to be reckoned with. The ending contains one of the most heartfelt moments of the entire series, as the Doctor says goodbye to his granddaughter Susan who departs to marry a freedom fighter from 22nd century Earth.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E1TheTombOfTheCybermen The Tomb of the Cybermen]]''' - Patrick Troughton, 1967. The Doctor, Jamie, and new companion Victoria land on the planet Telos, where an archaeological expedition from Earth is hunting down the last remains of the Cyberman civilization -- and two of the explorers are hoping to find more than knowledge. The earliest surviving Second Doctor story, and highly influential -- on the rest of the Troughton era, on the series' later depictions of the Cybermen, and, curiously enough, on the Eleventh Doctor.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E1SpearheadFromSpace Spearhead From Space]]''' - Jon Pertwee, 1970. Jon Pertwee's introductory story also gives us the Autons, villains based on the concept of plastic come to life with the iconic image of shop dummies smashing through their windows and attacking passers-by. See also the following season's opener '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E1TerrorOfTheAutons Terror of the Autons]]''', which brings them back ''and'' introduces the Master, the evil Time Lord who will cause trouble for the Doctor for years and years to come.

* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E1TheThreeDoctors The Three Doctors]]''' - Jon Pertwee, 1972-1973. The first and greatest of the multi-Doctor stories sees the Third Doctor reluctantly teaming up with his first two incarnations against Omega, one of the three founders of Time Lord society. Whilst the tenth anniversary special is a vital part of ''Series/DoctorWho'' canon for elaborating on the Time Lords since their last appearance, its greatest strength is the chemistry between the Second and Third Doctors, who bicker constantly whilst trying to save the universe.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]''' - TomBaker, 1975. Quite a padded serial in places (six-parters can be like that), but the character of Davros is introduced here to great effect in a good story about Nazism and scientific progress. The scenes with the Doctor debating Davros about the moral implications of engineering a race bent on genocide, and then later agonising over touching two pieces of wire together to commit genocide himself are still the series' finest moments.
** A conundrum later revisited to heady effect in '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E13ThePartingOfTheWays The Parting of the Ways]]''' - ChristopherEccleston, 2005, with the Dalek Emperor legitimately calling for the Doctor to destroy him, and by extension all other known remaining Daleks...via means inescapably fatal for ''any'' form of life, Dalek or otherwise...just so he can have the potential satisfaction of watching the Doctor commit mass murder.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars]]''' - TomBaker, 1975. Lovely story set in Egypt-obsessed ChristieTime, with the Doctor matching wits with an ancient Egyptian God. From Mars. With robot mummies. A lot better than it sounds - tight, tense chase scenes, gorgeous period details and a cracking script.

* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. A fantastic political thriller set on Gallifrey. Whilst this story was reviled when it came out, it is now considered a classic for a variety of reasons; it was the first story that took an extended look into Time Lord society and culture, brought back The Master for the first time since his previous actor's death, and introduced the Time Lords' co-founder Rassilon. Written by RobertHolmes.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''' - TomBaker, 1977. The Doctor and his [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy slightly feral]] companion Leela land in VictorianLondon and are promptly swept up in a supernatural murder mystery right out of a Hammer-horror flick, featuring giant rats, Chinese mysticism, and a bloodthirsty ventriloquist's dummy. Another terrifying six-parter by RobertHolmes, praised by RussellTDavies, declared the ''best story in the show's history'' by a fansite poll in 2003.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]''' - TomBaker, 1979. A four-parter co-written by DouglasAdams and later informing parts of the plot to his novel ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency''. The story is brilliantly paced, there's a natural chemistry between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward (who fell in love during the shoot), and brilliant comedy, including a cameo by JohnCleese and Eleanor Bron. Consistently ranked in the top ten by fans.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani The Caves of Androzani]]''' - PeterDavison, 1984. A bolt from the blue in that it is a cracking story in a lean period for the show, ''Caves'' has a tight story, two epic cliffhangers, a wonderfully human villain in Sharaz Jek and a HeroicSacrifice for the Doctor very much in keeping with Davison's quiet-but-noble portrayal.

* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]''' - Sylvester [=McCoy=], 1988. The opener to the show's 25th season sees the Doctor and Ace travel back to 1963 and land in the middle of a Dalek civil war. Features the ORIGINAL CrowningMomentOfAwesome (Ace smashing up a Dalek with a technologically enhanced baseball bat), and is also remembered for introducing the Seventh Doctor's penchant for [[XanatosGambit Xanatos Gambits]] and being one of the first hints at the [[StoryArc Cartmel Masterplan]].
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E3TheCurseOfFenric The Curse of Fenric]]''' - Sylvester [=McCoy=], 1989. [=McCoy=]'s earlier stories had been deemed "too silly" and blamed for falling ratings, but ''Fenric'' showed the Seventh Doctor GrowingTheBeard. There had been hints before this that he was really TheChessmaster, but this intriguing and well-executed story discovers new depths in both Doctor and companion. It's also damn scary when you're eleven...
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E6Dalek Dalek]]''' - ChristopherEccleston, 2005. Not only does the story amply demonstrate that showrunner RussellTDavies could breath new life into old concepts and update the show for the new millenium, it also shows writer Robert Shearman's talent for complex characters, making the Dalek in question highly sympathetic and showing the Doctor at his most vengeful. Plus, the special effects are amazing and Eccleston delivers a breathtaking performance.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E9TheEmptyChild The Empty Child]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E10TheDoctorDances The Doctor Dances]]''' - ChristopherEccleston, 2005. The first ''really scary'' episodes of the new series. An ostensibly empty spaceship crashes into Blitz-era London and unleashes a plague of gasmark zombies. Meanwhile, the Doctor faces off with a member of Time Agency, played by JohnBarrowman. Equal measures witty, scary and atmospheric, these were the first episodes written by StevenMoffat.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E4TheGirlInTheFireplace The Girl in the Fireplace]]''' - DavidTennant, 2006. All the classic elements of Who - a spaceship, time travel, clockwork robots - but with a genuinely touching love story at its heart that was new to the series. StevenMoffat again.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E8HumanNature Human Nature]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E9TheFamilyOfBlood The Family of Blood]]''' - DavidTennant, 2007. The Doctor literally becomes human and loses his memories to throw off pursuit. Very good on several levels, but most remembered for two scenes: The moment "John Smith" realizes that for the Doctor to return, he must "die", and the Doctor's vicious (but chillingly still in character) [[LaserGuidedKarma Karmic Revenge]] on the beings that put him in that situation. (See also its source material, the popular VirginNewAdventures novel ''Human Nature'', which was about the Seventh Doctor - its author, Paul Cornell, adapted it for TV.)
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E10Blink Blink]]''' - DavidTennant, 2007. What a coincidence, another episode by StevenMoffat. This uses a different narrative technique as it is told from the point of view of a civilian who receives a message from a mysterious stranger called the Doctor, and must work with him from decades apart to create a StableTimeLoop. It also introduced what are commonly considered the most terrifying ''Who'' monsters yet - the Weeping Angels.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E10Midnight Midnight]]''' - DavidTennant, 2008. A BottleEpisode where the Doctor is [[LockedInAFreezer trapped in a bus]] with a group of tourists and an invisible, [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] monster who turns all of the passengers against each other and utterly psychologically breaks the Doctor. Considered to be [[NothingIsScarier as scary]] as "Blink" at the very least, and one of RussellTDavies' best scripts.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E04TheTimeOfAngels The Time of Angels]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E05FleshAndStone Flesh and Stone]]''' - MattSmith, 2010. The action-packed ''{{Aliens}}'' to Blink's ''{{Alien}}'', this episode takes the already-creepy Weeping Angels and makes them ''just'' that much scarier by getting a whole cavern full of them and explaining that not only can't you blink, you can't open your eyes either. Reintroduces River Song, and implies a much longer game for StevenMoffat's tenure as showrunner.
* '''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E11TheLodger The Lodger]]''' - MattSmith, 2010. A LighterAndSofter PerspectiveFlip that centers around [[spoiler:future companion]] Craig as he [[CannotSpitItOut navigates his friendship]] with a woman he fancies, while the Doctor investigates a mysterious anomaly in the flat above, that may or may not be related to [[spoiler:[[InnocuouslyImportantEpisode River Song and the following series']] BigBad]].

* I'd like to nominate [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] as an example. How many times has he saved the world, and sometimes the universe, by now? The man is a legend. Read the ''Series/DoctorWho'' section of CrowningMomentOfAwesome if you need convincing. Or consider this fact: he has saved the entire universe, everything that is, was, will or could be. '''He has done this more than once.'''

*** I've seen the trailers for season 31 and I can tell you right now that the Eleventh Doctor is going to be awesome. Seriously. I've never been more excited for Easter in my entire life.
** Captain Jack Harkness. Goes after AnythingThatMoves, but unlike most characters he's actually ''successful'' due to being the biggest StupidSexyFlanders this side of [[MetalGear Snake]].
** The Master. Who else could be such an ObviouslyEvil CardCarryingVillain, a MagnificentBastard of cosmic proportions and a prime example of EvilIsSexy all at the same time?
*** Especially John Simm's version. LargeHam has never been so delicious.
** Ace. Best companion ever, bar none. Wailed on a Dalek with a baseball bat and went toe to toe with other nasties armed with nothing more than a bad attitude and a backpack full of home made explosives. Also had a slightly sweet student/mentor relationship with the Doctor.
** While we're on the subject of Daleks, them and Davros. Read NightmareFuelUnleaded: LiveActionTV for convincing.
** Sarah Jane Smith. She was voted as best companion ever several times. She wasn't a ScreamingWoman, and she managed to get her own spin-off decades after she appeared on the show.
** And of course Barbara Wright, who had more awesome in her first few episodes than some companions had their whole career.
** [[{{Ingonyama}} This troper]] has seen exactly two Donna Noble episodes: "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End." That was enough. [=DoctorDonna=], MemeticBadass for hire!
*** Donna doesn't need to be turned into the Doctor to be awesome, either: she's basically awesome in every appearance. She's the one who pays attention enough to work the part of the plot which the climax hinges on in The Doctor's Daughter, as well as doing something similar in The Sontaran Stratagem. Oh, and in her re-introduction episode, Partners in Crime, she manages to infiltrate the same building the Doctor does on her own, but infinitely better. No sonic screwdriver, no psychic paper: just her wits and innate awesome. Win. No wonder she turned from TheScrappy in The Runaway Bride into a fan favourite on that episode alone.
*** Plus, she gets more character developement than practically anyone besides the Doctor himself.
** Romana is fucking awesome. Both of her. The consummate companion: a survivor, tougher than she looks, tougher than she herself once thought...spars verbally with the Doctor and physically with their enemies, truly committed to the cause of justice in the multiverse, intensely moral, a snappy dresser, has great CharacterDevelopment, a massive dose of DeadpanSnarker, a hint of CovertPervert, loads of {{Shipping}}, even a nice spot of NeverFoundTheBody!
** Turlough stole the [[TheBrigadier Brigadier's]] car, tried to kill the Doctor after making a DealWithTheDevil, double-crossed just about everybody at some point before finally deciding to do a HeelFaceTurn...and this is only in his first three serials. And this is without mentioning the FetishFuel...
** Speaking of Turlough, the fandom seems to have the most epic love/hate relationship with the Fifth Doctor's entire set of companions, so I'm going to give the rest of them some love:
*** Adric: Really not nearly as bad as [[TheScrappy a lot of people make him out to be.]] Yes he has a great number of flaws and suffers from inconsistant writing, but ''real people are flawed.'' Plus, he does have a number of good traits. He cares about his friends, he endures ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E1Castrovalva an entire serial]]'' strung up in a hole in the wall and [[MindProbe Mind Probed]] by the Master (note that the next companion to get a similar treatment from the Doctor's best enemy made it through because he was ''immortal''), he actually flies the TARDIS once [[hottip:* :and with more accuracy than most Classic Doctors, landing it in the same room as the people he's trying to rescue]], has a nice little budding-apprentice rapport with the Fourth Doctor after Romana leaves and, perhaps most importantly, he's willing to [[TearJerker sacrifice his own life]] to try and save Earth.
*** Nyssa: Very intelligent, practical, good-natured, (and PeterDavison's personal favorite). She's the one who keeps the most level head when all hell is breaking loose and when the situation calls for it, she can kick serious ass. Like [[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E1ArcOfInfinity that one time she]], oh I dunno, ''threatened to shoot the Time Lord President.'' Unless this troper is mistaken, the only other person to do this was the Tenth Doctor in "The End of Time."
*** Tegan: When you've got a TARDIS full of alien geniuses, it's good to have someone human aboard to identify with. And, let's be realistic here: if you accidentally wandered into a police box that was not only bigger on the inside but ''labyrinthine'' '''''and''''' magically went to other planets and had an unreliable driver who wasn't sure if he could ever get you back home again, you would probably be pretty freaked out too. In a way, she was almost like the Donna Noble of her era. She was loud and feisty, she spoke her mind, she took crap from no one (especially the Doctor), but she gradually warmed to her surroundings and her situation and when the Doctor came into her life a second time, she gladly hopped along for the ride.
** Martha. Fuckin. Jones. Full stop! Smart, check. Funny, check. BadAss, triple check! And she's inspired more PSL than anybody else on this list. Hell, even Shakespeare thought she was hot stuff!
*** Seconded. She's practical, keeps her calm, has a bottomless well of patience and yet knows when to put her foot down (and calls the Doctor on his BS when she tells her brother to hide in tSoD), runs in heels and vaults desks in skirts, saves the world twice, knows when to walk away, and then went on to REMAIN awesome in series 4. A lot of people seem to dislike Martha because she was 'personality-less', but it wasn't that at all. She was a woman who may not have taken over a room when she walked into it, true, but she got shit done awesomely. Oh, and she talks like ''this'' to the man she's head over heels, puppy-dog eyed for and hasn't known for long at all, and who is showing her the universe:
---> '''Doctor''': "Oh, right, are you staying, then?"
---> '''Martha''': "Until you talk to me properly, yes. 'The last of your kind' ... what did he mean by that?"
---> '''Doctor''': "It really doesn't matter -"
---> '''Martha''': "You don't talk! You never say!"
** [[TheBrigadier Brigadier]] ''Sir'' Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. BadassNormal extraordinaire who has traveled with more Doctors than anyone else put together. Walking CrowningMomentOfAwesome. Still [[FiveRoundsRapid kicking ass]] and taking names in his [[BadassGrandpa seventies]]. Alien scum? Get the hell off his world, if you know what's good for you.
** She gets a lot of HypeBacklash nowadays, but Rose Tyler was this troper's first companion and she's still damn awesome. She was a perfect match for the ninth Doctor in particular and showed new audiences exactly why the Doctor needed a companion, and why they didn't have to be the stereotypical screamer.
*** Seconded. She put Nine back together and then got godlike when he was in real trouble, she had the time of her life with Ten, got cut off from him altogether and then? She decided to get Totally. Fricking. Awesome. On her own, no help available.

*** Thirded. Rose was the first companion this Troper watched, and, being the same age and in a lot of the same life situations, she identified with her, and fell in love with the Doctor through her. After Doomsday, this Troper felt like * she* was the one who had been separated from the Doctor forever. (Then came series three...)
** He was only in [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E8FathersDay one episode]], [[hottip:* :[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E5RiseOfTheCybermen this version, any way]]]] but Pete Tyler really made an impression. He was smart enough to see through Rose's (admittedly paper-thin) lies, didn't spend the whole episode agonizing over the fact that his daughter had time-traveled, realized what needed to be done, and did it with a smile on his face. [[TearJerker I've just got]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming something in my eye, I swear.]]
** Wilfred Mott. Coolest of {{Cool Old Guy}}s. One minute, he's shooting down homing missiles, ''StarWars'' style, the next he's [[TearJerker breaking your heart]]. Bernard Cribbins is the fucking ''man.''
** It took this troper all of five minutes to fall in love with Amy Pond.
*** This troper loved her the second she appeared. She's so different than the previous 2005-era companions. Where they were the everygirls, she's, well, a bit mad. And Karen just makes her so likeable even when she's so wonderfully flawed. Brilliant.
*** The previous three main New Series companions are MadeOfWin in their own rights, but Amy isn't just a companion. She's as much a part of Eleven as the TARDIS, the sonic, and the angry horde of Daleks. Amy Pond is why Eleven is who he is, and vice versa.
** No love for Jamie [=McCrimmon=]? He was spectacular!
*** Yes. Yes, yes, yes -- brave and sweet and funny and fantastically, unswervingly loyal.
** [[{{IronWoobie}} Rory Williams!]] After the latest series finale, I will be shocked and appalled to find anybody who does not like (if not love) this guy. In the eyes of all the Who fans I know, this guy is the best companion so far. [[{{EstrogenBrigadeBait}} Admittedly, all the other Who fans I know are girls.]]
*** Not all of them. This male fan thinks Rory is basically MadeOfWin. This is one PapaWolf you do NOT mess with
** Again, only in one episode-but Commander Adelaide Brooke. Showed in every moment she was on screen her concern for her crew-tough, tough lady with a dreamer's heart. When the Doctor's PTSD [[spoiler:overcame him and he pulled her and two of her crew out of Bowie Base before its destruction]], she did what she had to do to correct the timeline. [[spoiler: And it was horrible, and powerful, and glorious. Peace to you, Commander Brooke.]]
** Sergeant Benton. Unflappable, cheerful, unfailingly loyal, and into ballroom dancing. The first person to see the inside of the TARDIS and just accept it for what it was, because "nothing about you surprises me anymore."
** One of Series/DoctorWho's spinoffs, FactionParadox, has a few ones I'd like to present. Most are perfect {{Magnificent Bastard}}s, but that doesn't make them any less awesome. Cousins Eliza and Justine for one. Show me how many people, aliens or deities are willing to take on what essentially amounts to a psychotic TARDIS ([[ItGotWorse or a living timeline]]) with all of the Master's deviousness and evil, confront her for control of Gallifrey and ''win''.
*** No discussion of FactionParadox is complete without the CrazyAwesome [[LargeHam hammery]] of Godfather Morlock.
** How the hell do you make a list like this and NOT include River Song? She is magnificently fascinating and badass.
*** Not only that, but she's such a {{Woobie}}! [[spoiler:Daughter of Amy and Rory, kidnapped from them as a baby and raised to be a living weapon. Not much is known about her upbringing yet, but we know that she was kept in an extremely creepy orphanage as a child (along with an insane caretaker and frightening aliens) before being locked in a space suit where she was clearly terrified. She is hardly fazed when she dies/regenerates in an alley, with only a homeless guy to worry about her well being. And at some point, she will kill "a good man". All this while she is moving along the timestream opposite to her beloved Doctor, and we know that when they meet for the first/last time, she will die in a HeroicSacrifice.]]
* Same universe as the above, but different show: Ianto Jones of Torchwood will FOREVER live in my heart. Special mention to Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato, as well.
* Series/DoctorWho has a multi-universe of amazing characters, not least of which is the enigmatic, often {{Adorkable}}, sometimes InsufferableGenius of a time-travelling, face-changing, universe-saving and running-a-lot [[CrazyAwesome Madman with a Box]] of a main character himself.
** Rory "The Last Centurion" Williams has basically just two settings {{Adorkable}} and {{BadAss}} and he's brilliantly awesome in both. An amazing EnsembleDarkhorse whose CharacterDevelopment was so well done (by both actor and writers) that he believably went from being a ButtMonkey boyfriend that most [[{{Shipping}} Shipper fans]] wanted out of the way, to becoming the [[TheHeart True Heart]] of the current TARDIS team while simultaneously [[TakeALevelInBadass taking so MANY Levels in Badass]] that he now has his own MemeticBadass meme to rival [[ChuckNorrisFacts Chuck Norris's]]. Nurse-Boy done good!

* '''Sarah Jane Smith''' (ElisabethSladen, 1973-1976; guest appearances in 1983, 2006 and 2008): The fact that Sarah Jane Smith has reappeared in the show more than any previous companion and has had two spin-offs built around her (''K9 and Company'' in 1981, which failed to make it past the pilot stage, and ''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' in 2007, which was a bit more successful) should suggest something. She's usually considered the archetypal companion; a human journalist from twentieth and twenty-first century London, she embodies a lot of the traits listed above. You could do worse for role models. (Lis Sladen sadly passed away from cancer in April 2011. The entire fandom, old and new, grieved her ''hard'' - but as RussellTDavies said, "Sarah Jane will go on forever.")

* '''Ace''' ([[SophieAldred Sophie Aldred]], 1987-1989); As mentioned above, Ace single-handedly inspired the entire CrowningMomentOfAwesome list; not bad.[[hottip:*:Summary - she once went to town on a Dalek with a superpowered-baseball bat]] She's a key influence for the modern-style companion, precisely because she's a complete break from the 'screamer' cliche; she's a tough, savvy, snarky kid. However, she's also one of the few companions in the classic series who was given any real sort of character depth and CharacterDevelopment beyond a fairly shallow backstory; the 1989 series is essentially all about the Doctor helping Ace resolve her childhood issues as much as it is about fighting monsters, which was quite novel for the series at the time.
* '''Rose Tyler''' ([[BilliePiper Billie Piper]], 2005-2006; 2008): Rose was the first companion for the new series, and in many ways combines the best of both the 'Sarah Jane Smith' style companion and the 'Ace' style companion. She's something of an everygirl, with an interesting backstory giving her plenty of room for character development, who's spunky and intelligent. She's also probably the first companion to have overt romantic tension with the Doctor.

* [[Awesome/DoctorWho Crowning Moment of Awesome/DoctorWho]]
* [[Heartwarming/DoctorWho Crowning Moment of Heartwarming/DoctorWho]]
* [[Funny/DoctorWho Crowning Moment of Funny/DoctorWho]]
* [[AwesomeMusic/DoctorWho Crowning Music of Awesome/DoctorWho]]
* [[TearJerker/DoctorWho TearJerker/DoctorWho]], because even the saddest moments can be the best.

* '''Rory Williams''' (ArthurDarvill, 2010-) Rory is the first long-term male companion in the new series, and is quickly turning into a fan-favorite. Starting out as just a bumbling everyman, Rory turned into an extremely loyal, plain BAD-ASS character, who even manages to surpass the Doctor in terms of awesome moments on occasion. In some ways, he is almost a male Ace, albeit with a more sweet disposition.