Getting Acquainted With “Doctor Who” – Five Iconic Tenth Doctor Stories

To prepare for Doctor Who’s arrival on Disney+ this November, and as Laughing Place’s resident Doctor Who expert, I wanted to do a series of articles to get Disney fans acquainted with the world of the traveling Time Lord. 2005 was a huge year for Doctor Who, as the show was successfully relaunched following a 16 year hiatus. The Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, only stuck around for that one season, so in came David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant’s arrival ushered in what is widely considered one of the most popular eras of the entire show.

But who is the Doctor, you might ask? Well he’s a traveling Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. The line that best sums up the Doctor, no matter his portrayal is “Never cruel, never cowardly.”

In these articles, I will introduce you to what I think are the five stories from each Doctor that best represent that era, and also serve to move the show’s mythos forward. Could this young Tennant bloke keep the newly-found popularity of the show going? Let’s find out…

Human Nature / The Family of Blood

We start off towards the end of Tennant’s second season as the Doctor, for a two-part story that I was not too fond of as a kid, but have grown to love over the years. Adapted from a Seventh Doctor novel, “Human Nature” and “The Family of Blood” sees the Doctor turn himself human in an effort to evade the titular Family of Blood – not because he’s afraid of them, but rather to show mercy. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite as planned, as the Family catches up with the human John Smith, who himself falls in love with one Nurse Joan Redfern (Jessica Hynes).

Throughout all of this, it’s up to the Doctor’s companion, Martha (Freema Agyeman), to look out for him as his “servant.” Set in the 1930s, and with Martha being Black, there are some excellent scenes showcasing how great she is for him, while also making her role that much more difficult due to the prejudices of the time. The Family themselves are extremely creepy, particularly the Son (played by Harry Lloyd). The actor has a creepy smile that gets me every time. Which also plays into a fantastic cliffhanger at the end of “Human Nature,” where John Smith must choose between Martha and Joan being shot by the Family. Of course, it’s Doctor Who, so they find a way out, but it’s still harrowing stuff.

Tennant’s performance here as John Smith is both heartwarming and devastating, especially when he realizes what he must do and give up in order to save the day. That makes the eventual return of the Doctor all the more spectacular, and also sad. The way he deals with the Family at the end, is perhaps one of the cruelest things we’ve ever seen from the Doctor – with each member being banished to a different eternal hell of sorts. This story is an excellent example of the wide variety of storytelling that Doctor Who can offer.

Blink

Consistently heralded as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, “Blink” introduces the terrifying Weeping Angels – creatures that can’t move when they are being watched by any living thing. So if you take your eyes off them, or blink, then it’s game over for you. Interestingly, they don’t kill you, rather send you back in time and feed off the energy of the life you would have led. A classic Steven Moffat idea, expanded upon in further stories, but perhaps not used more perfectly than here.

Blink is one of the show’s “Doctor-lite” episodes, where the Doctor only features in a minimal role. Instead, we follow Sally Sparrow (played by future Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan). She puts in an excellent turn here, as she tries to figure out the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey story line. Aided by the Doctor in a brilliantly clever recorded conversation, Sally eventually figures out how to defeat the Angels by tricking them to look at each other.

The atmosphere, casting, and storyline of “Blink” are absolute perfection, and while I might knock off some points for the minimal appearance of the Doctor, it almost doesn’t matter – given just how brilliant of a story this is!

Midnight

Season 4 took the idea of the “Doctor-lite” episode and instead divided up the Doctor and his companion for two separate stories. It was this conceit that led to the absolutely brilliant “Midnight” – a story which took away the Doctor’s most powerful feature: his voice. Set onboard a tour bus on the diamond planet of Midnight, which the Doctor is taking to see the planet’s Sapphire Waterfalls. On route, the bus breaks down and a strange entity appears to take over one of the passengers.

Cleverly, we never see this entity that takes over passenger Sky and later, the Doctor. The true horror of this story is told by the reactions of the Doctor’s fellow passengers, with him unable to convince them of peaceful solutions, before literally being paralyzed himself. It makes for an extremely eerie and different story, showcasing the absolute best and worst of humanity.

David Tennant puts in a series-best performance here, alongside the possessed Sky. Particularly the iconic scene where Skye is copying everything the Doctor says, before eventually stealing his voice and getting ahead of him. The realization and reaction from the fellow passengers when the Doctor becomes the copier is one of the highlights of the episode. With the Doctor helpless to defend himself, it’s up to one passenger to see the truth of things and make a heroic sacrifice.

The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End

This was my Avengers. An epic grand finale to four years of storytelling – every major character from the first four seasons of revived Doctor Who made a return in the Season 4 two-part finale, “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End.” Planets across the universe are disappearing, including the Earth. And who's behind it? The Daleks of course, alongside their creator, Davros – seen for the first time in the new series here. The Daleks are utterly terrifying here as they take over the Earth, in scenes reminiscent of 1964’s “The Dalek Invasion of Earth.” Their threat is made even more palpable by the reaction of the Doctor’s former companions on Earth.

Speaking of companions, there are a lot of them and other recurring characters here! Rose, Jackie, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Martha, Donna, Captain Jack, the Torchwood team, Harriet Jones… they’re all here to assist the Doctor in fan-service done right. You get some truly bonkers ideas in this story, such as the human/Time Lord metacrisis leading to the “Doctor-Donna '' as well as a clone of the Doctor. In any other story, and with any other writer, it could seem like a bit much, but in the oh-so-capable hands of Russell T Davies, it all feels earned. Julian Bleach puts in a particularly chilling performance as Davros, perhaps the best since his initial appearance in 1975’s “Genesis of the Daleks.” The set-up of the first part, “The Stolen Earth” is let down a little by the execution of the second, “Journey’s End,” but it’s still an overall epic story.

Despite being surrounded by all of his recent friends in this story, the Doctor clearly sees that they have all moved on, with each going their separate ways by the story’s end. And the one person who wants to stay with him, Donna, can’t, thanks to the aforementioned metacrisis. The Doctor has to wipe her mind to save her – a storyline that still has repercussions to this day, with the forthcoming 60th anniversary specials. By the end of the story, the Doctor is one again on his own, sadly looking into the distance in the pouring rain.

The Waters of Mars

The penultimate story of David Tennant’s run as the Doctor, “The Waters of Mars” is one of the creepiest stories and deepest look into the Doctor’s psyche that the show has ever attempted. Set aboard Bowie Base One in the year 2059 – humanity’s first base on the planet Mars. Except the Doctor knows exactly what fate awaits the crew of the base. He knows he shouldn’t interfere, but unfortunately, his curiosity gets the best of him.

The entity attacking the base is known as the Flood, a parasitic creature that lives within water, and can take over humans just from a simple drop. This leads to an absolutely terrifying transformation, with cracked faces and an extremely creepy smile. Add on to it incredibly touching writing and great characters, and you get some truly chilling, terrifying moments.

But perhaps more terrifying than the threat of the Flood is when the Doctor declares himself the “Time Lord Victorious.” He decides that enough is enough, he is the last of the Time Lords, and so, the laws of time will obey him. While his intentions are noble, to save who he can from the base, his complete lack of care for the fixed laws of time will immediately come back to hurt him. Tennant puts in another terrific performance here, one that makes you almost hate the Doctor. He comes back from the brink, but it’s a clear sign that this Doctor’s song is almost finished, and the end of time draws near…

Honorable Mentions

With the Tenth Doctor era, there are many great stories that it was hard for me to pick just five. So, I thought I would include a few honorable mentions below. Definitely be sure to check these stories out too!

The Christmas Invasion

Smith and Jones

Utopia

The End of Time

Classic episodes of Doctor Who from 1963-1989 are available to stream on BritBox, while the modern series is on HBO Max. Beginning later this year, all new episodes of Doctor Who will be available on Disney+.