Doctor Who's "Best Episode Ever" Question Isn't Even A Debate Any Longer

Published Apr 22, 2025

Followed

Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic

Warning: Spoiler ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 2, "Lux."greatest Doctor Who story of all time.

Mr. Ring-a-Ding turns out to be "Lux," the God of Light in Doctor Who's Pantheon. Fifteen and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) being trapped in Lux's realm leads to some very trippy encounters, and perhaps the trippiest of all is their conversation with "real-world" Doctor Who fans. The meta moment shows the Doctor and Belinda stepping out of a TV and into a reality where the Time Lord's adventures are nothing more than a series of sci-fi stories. The fans in question are more than happy to announce which of the Doctor's exploits is the best.

Lux's Doctor Who Fans Are Unanimous That "Blink" Is The Best Episode

Steven Moffat's 2007 Doctor-lite episode has been awarded the crown

Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor while the villain is coming off the screen in Doctor Who — Custom image by Fariba Rezwan

When Fifteen questions the Doctor Who viewers in "Lux" about which adventure they all liked the most, they all share the opinion that the only acceptable answer is Doctor Who season 3, episode 10, "Blink." The Weeping Angels' debut first aired in 2007 during David Tennant's time as the Tenth Doctor. "Blink" has consistently remained part of the conversation regarding the best Doctor Who episodes and showrunner Russell T. Davies has now essentially canonized that it sits atop the list.

A custom Doctor Who image of Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, and the classic Sutekh mask

All 7 Times Doctor Who's Disney Era Has Broken The Fourth Wall

Russell T Davies' return as Doctor Who showrunner has brought with it an intriguing element, breaking the fourth wall on a semi-regular basis.

Posts

Davies hasn't just plucked "Blink" out of thin air when writing this "Lux" scene. I've been in many discussions with other Doctor Who fans about which episode is best, and "Blink" is the only installment that consistently comes up in every version of the conversation I have. It also has a thoroughly impressive score of 9.8/10 on Doctor Who's original run from 1963 to 1989.

Why "Blink" Is Such A Great Doctor Who Episode

Moffat's original concept and terrifying monsters have made "Blink" tough to beat

There aren't many other Doctor Who episodes like "Blink," so it stands apart from its competitors, at least in part, for that very reason. The Weeping Angels have become Doctor Who mainstays since appearing in "Blink," and they're arguably the only villains that have accomplished that feat since the Daleks, the Cyberman, and the various iterations of the Master. The Angels are built on a simple but well-executed concept, and they manage to be truly terrifying in a way that transcends the show's family-friendly format.

All elements of "Blink" stand out on their own, and combine to make a perfect example of the perfection that Doctor Who is capable of achieving.

"Blink" is also the first time the Doctor offers the now-immortalized "Timey-wimey" explanation. Ten's summary of the events at the heart of "Blink" is perfectly delivered. It's tough to accurately describe which episodes fall into the "Timey-wimey" category, but "Blink" definitely belongs there. The idea of the Doctor having a two-way communication with present-day Earth despite his end of the exchange being pre-recorded is an incredible twist. All elements of "Blink" stand out on their own, and combine to make a perfect example of the perfection that Doctor Who is capable of achieving.

The Awkward Truth About "Blink" Being Doctor Who's Best Episode

The Tenth Doctor's screen time in "Blink" is minimal

As well as being the show's best offering, "Blink" is also one of Doctor Who's Doctor-lite episodes. This is a production technique used to ease the show's filming schedule. The result here is that Tennant's Doctor barely features. Instead, he has only a handful of scenes, as the actor was busy filming another season 3 episode. Instead, the "Blink" cast is led by Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow. Therefore, it's a little uncomfortable to it that a Doctor Who script intentionally crafted to hide the busy schedule of the show's lead actor ultimately resulted in such an incredible installment.

David Tennant as Tenth Doctor and Weeping Angel in Doctor Who

Doctor Who: Every Weeping Angels Episode

The Weeping Angels are arguably the best monsters introduced in the modern Doctor Who era. Here are all the episodes you shouldn't blink in.

Posts

Of course, the Doctor is still needed for "Blink" to work. He may have an incredibly reduced and unorthodox role, but the episode is still highly recognizable as a Doctor Who story. Doctor-lite episodes aren't always guaranteed to be a success, but they often stand out for how creative the writers need to get in the absence of the show's biggest star. For example, Doctor Who's season 14, episode 4, "73 Yards," placed Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday in the spotlight, but it surprisingly became one of the run's best episodes - despite Gatwa's limited availability.

Source: IMDb

Doctor Who Season 15's Release Schedule On Disney+
Episode	Title	Release Date (2025)
1	"The Robot Revolution"	April 12
2	"Lux"	April 19
3	"The Well"	April 26
4	"Lucky Day"	May 3
5	"The Story and the Engine"	May 10
6	"The Interstellar Song Contest"	May 17
7	"Wish World"	May 24
8	"The Reality War"	May 31