All 8 Russell T. Davies Seasons Of Doctor Who, Ranked

Russell T. Davies has been the Doctor Who showrunner for two separate eras, totaling eight runs of episodes that vary in quality. Tasked with bringing back the show from dormancy in 2005, Davies was the first showrunner of Doctor Who‘s modern era. He handed the baton to Steven Moffat in 2010, and Moffat made way for Chris Chibnall after 2017’s “Twice Upon a Time.” Chibnall’s run made some divisive changes to Doctor Who canon, most notably his Timeless Child storyline. So, when his era was over, Davies was recalled to steady the ship.

Davies’ return just so happened to coincide with Doctor Who‘s trilogy of episodes for the show’s 60th anniversary, which I’m counting as a standalone season in this ranking. Similarly, David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor embarked on a series of five specials that served as the actor’s farewell, which I’m also including among Davies’ other seasons as showrunner. Although some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time have emerged from Davies’ time in charge, other arcs have been underwhelming or just plain bad. That said, he has done the franchise far more good than harm.

8

Doctor Who Season 14

Ncuti Gatwa’s First Run As The Fifteenth Doctor

Continuing from the departure of Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor and the retirement of David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor, Gatwa took over as Doctor Who‘s leading man in late 2023. Although his first full episode, “The Church On Ruby Road,” was billed as a Christmas special, it’s really the first episode of season 14. The run has some great installments, with “Boom” and “73 Yards” being incredible standouts.

Doctor Who season 14 loses points for the confusing decision to even make “Space Babies,” which is easily one of the worst episodes Davies has ever written or overseen. Plus, while it was ambitious for the showrunner to reintroduce Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) from Doctor Who‘s classic era, the reveal felt far flatter than it was intended to be thanks to the relative obscurity of the villain. It was a fun ride of just eight episodes, but it lacked that something special.

7

Doctor Who Season 15

This Run Turned Out To Be Gatwa’s Final Season

Despite mixed reports of Gatwa being signed on to make three seasons of Doctor Whohe ultimately shot his regeneration scene at the end of his second batch of episodes. Season 15 was a big improvement over its immediate predecessor, and it felt like Doctor Who‘s Disney era was starting to find its feet. While it continued to focus on more fantasy-led themes like the Pantheon of Gods, it also included a sequel to 2008’s “Midnight,” which was a brilliant follow-up.

Once again, the RTD2 era fumbled the ending for Doctor Who for season 15. The two-part finale was largely fantastic and promised some great reveals regarding the Doctor’s family tree and more. However, the Rani (Archie Panjabi) was quickly defeated soon after the reveal that Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) had been the villainous Time Lady all along. The ending in general also felt a little improvised, almost as though it had to be corrected at the last minute due to the unexpected departure of the show’s leading man.

6

Doctor Who Season 3

David Tennant’s Second Run As The Tenth Doctor

Season 3 retained David Tennant as Ten after the success of his inaugural run the year before and paired him off with a new companion, Freeman Agyeman’s Martha Jones. The run was 13 episodes long, which is something that benefited Davies’ original era as the Doctor Who boss. As a result, it’s riddled with semi-serialized storylines and exciting multi-part episodes. It’s also home to “Blink,” which was written by Steven Moffat and is often in the conversation for the best Doctor Who episode ever.

Doctor Who season 3 loses some points for the dynamic between the Doctor and Martha. Although they work well together, I can’t help but feel that Davies tried to push the one-sided love story a little too hard. Ten had only just lost Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), and yet the showrunner seemed insistent on having Martha quietly pressuring him to move on and declare the romantic love that he doesn’t have for Agyeman’s character. Martha was largely a terrific companion, but that part is a little awkward on every rewatch.

5

Doctor Who Season 4.5

The Tenth Doctor’s Farewell Tour

It was announced after Doctor Who season 4 that Tennant had decided to leave, but not until he’d embarked on five final adventures that were dropped sporadically throughout the next year. Although never billed as a self-contained season, these specials form a coherent storyline that ultimately results in Ten’s regeneration into Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor in “The End of Time: Part 2.”

Beginning with “The Next Doctor” and ending with Tennant’s exit, what has unofficially become known as Doctor Who season 4.5 is a great example of what the show’s main character is like when he travels alone for too long. One of the biggest turning points is Ten’s loss of control in “The Waters of Mars,” which is a big sign that it was too dangerous for a man like the Doctor to continue flying solo. This was the final run overseen by Davies in his original era.

4

Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Specials

Tennant’s Return As Fourteen Was A Much-Needed Return To Form

When Davies was rehired to restore Doctor Who to its former glory in 2023, the showrunner immediately called upon the services of his former leading man, David Tennant. The special trilogy temporarily restored Tennant as the show’s starthis time as the Fourteenth Doctor after the shock twist of the Time Lord returning to a previous face after Jodie Whittaker. While the move was a little fan-servicey, it brought viewers back to the show and actually explained the twist very well.

Related

10 Best Doctor Who Episodes By Steven Moffat

Steven Moffat wrote some of the very best episodes of Doctor Who in the modern era and introduced all manner of incredible monsters and companions.

The 60th anniversary is essentially a sequel to Doctor Who season 4as Fourteen teams back up with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who had been his last regular companion as Ten. The adventures on which they embark feel very much like Davies’ scripts from his original time in charge, and the additional cash injection from Disney turned out to give the show a brilliant and glossy new aesthetic. Gatwa’s debut in “The Giggle” was also handled well, as Davies still somehow found space for them both to have a proper ending to the trilogy.

3

Doctor Who Season 2

The Tenth Doctor’s Adventures With Rose Tyler

For many, Doctor Who season 2 is one of the most definitive eras in the show’s history. The ever-growing romance between Ten and Rose bubbled away in the background as they visited faraway worlds and explored various periods of Earth’s history. The run, admittedly, does have two pretty bad episodes in “Fear Her” and “Love & Monsters,” but the rest of the season is so good that it makes up for those two blemishes.

The run’s vaunted highlights include another Moffat-written episode, “The Girl in the Fireplace,” and Tom MacRae’s Cybermen two-parter in the alternate reality that would eventually become Rose’s new home. While Piper would eventually return in season 4, her emotional parting from the Doctor strikes all the right tear-jerking chords, making the brilliant finale especially memorable.

2

Doctor Who Season 1

The Sole Run Of Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor

Davies’ first ever season as the Doctor Who showrunner had Christopher Eccleston as the star. The Ninth Doctor only ever appeared in 13 episodesbut he really made those adventures count. Davies’ scripts, as well as the scripts contributed by his colleagues, allowed Eccleston to shine in his role as a no-nonsense and surprisingly dark version of the Time Lord.

Once again, Steven Moffat’s “The Empty Child” two-parter foreshadowed the writer’s spell as showrunner by allowing him to showcase his talents, and Davies penned a high-stakes and thrilling finale for Nine that also almost saw the death of Rose. Season 1 also gains points for introducing Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a fan favorite who would go on to lead all four seasons of Torchwoodthe adult-focused Doctor Who spinoff.

1

Doctor Who Season 4

David Tennant’s Final Complete Run As The Tenth Doctor

It would be disingenuous to give first place to any RTD Doctor Who season other than season 4. Its weakest episodes are “Partners in Crime” and “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” which are still very good. Not only does Moffat offer up his best two-parter of his time before becoming showrunner with the debut of Alex Kingston’s River Song in “Silence in the Library,” but Davies really pulls it out of the bag for the finale as well, not to mention the beloved and creative “Midnight” falling in season 4.

“The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” aren’t just an amazing way to round off Doctor Who season 4, but the two-part finale is also a celebration of the entire franchise during that era. Davies had also overseen the creation of The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwoodboth of which were on the air at the same time as Doctor Who season 4 and part of the same canon. Season 4’s big finish was essentially a crossover between all three shows, allowing the larger Doctor Who universe to shine very brightly.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

• 
  

  

  Doctor Who

  Release Date

  2005 – 2022-00-00

  Directors

  Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy

  
  

  • 

    Jodie Whittaker

    The Doctor

  • 

  
  

  
  

• 
  

  

  Doctor Who

  
  

  5/10

  Release Date

  December 25, 2023
  

  Directors

  Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie

  
  

  
  

  •