Getting Acquainted With “Doctor Who” – Five Iconic Eleventh 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. The four or so years of David Tennant’s tenure as the Doctor proved to be one of the most popular in the show’s history. So popular, in fact, that BBC bosses wondered whether the show could continue without him. Of course, change is a huge part of the DNA of Doctor Who, and it was up to newcomer Matt Smith to put his stamp on the Mad Man with a Box. 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 Matt Smith keep Doctor Who’s popularity afloat? Let’s find out…

The Eleventh Hour

The most important episode of any Doctor’s tenure is their debut story. Quite often, this will serve as an excellent introduction point for new viewers – reintroducing the core elements of the show, such as the Doctor, the TARDIS and new companions. There’s perhaps no better introductory story for a Doctor in the 60 year history of the show than the cleverly titled “The Eleventh Hour.” Featuring a frantic pace throughout, we are immediately introduced to the fairytale-like style that this season would take on. Crashing to Earth, the newly regenerated Doctor lands in the backyard of a young Scottish girl, Amelia Pond. When the Doctor says he’ll be right back, he ends up returning to Amelia (who now goes by Amy) 12 years later.

Matt Smith immediately shines as the Doctor, and although he doesn’t get to put too unique of a spin on things just yet, we immediately get the feeling he is the Doctor. Running around in his predecessor's tattered clothes for most of the runtime, we get truly iconic introductions to one of the show’s greatest ever companions, Amy – both young and grown-up. Not to mention the iconic fish fingers and custard scene, which gives Smith a chance to show off his comedic chops. The direction of the episode, from director Adam Smith, also adds to the frantic nature.

By the end of the episode, the Doctor is out of his tattered costume, fully regenerated, and donning his soon-to-be iconic tweed jacket and bow tie. Any doubts that this is the Doctor are immediately quelled after his fantastic “I am the Doctor” speech against the admittedly weak villain, Prisoner Zero. Speaking of “I am the Doctor,” composer Murray Gold introduces a truly terrific theme of the same name in this story, which serves as the theme for the Eleventh Doctor. If you’re looking for a great entry point into Doctor Who, I highly recommend “The Eleventh Hour.”

Vincent and the Doctor

“Vincent and the Doctor” was a story that I initially wasn’t too enthralled with upon first airing. However, on rewatching it recently, I came to really appreciate it. Written by Richard Curtis of Love Actually and Blackadder fame, this is a really grown-up story that puts the Doctor and Amy together with Vincent Van Gogh. In real life, Van Gogh was a truly troubled individual, and the show definitely deals with his anxieties, in quite a clever way.

The villain of the piece, the Krafayis, is a more minor part of the story, which focuses more on Van Gogh himself. Tony Curran puts in an excellent performance as Van Gogh, and his chemistry with the Doctor and Amy was truly palpable. This episode truly shows the heart and compassion that Doctor Who uniquely provides, while introducing the concept of mental health to a younger audience. Said heart is on display in a truly beautiful scene, where the Doctor brings Vincent to a modern art gallery, where he can see first-hand the joy that his art has brought the world. Importantly, this scene doesn’t take away from Van Gogh’s real-life end, but rather adds extra pathos to his story.

A Christmas Carol

For most of the previous era of the show, the annual Christmas special took on an Earth based setting, pitting enemies against the Doctor on Christmas. But for Steven Moffat’s first Christmas special in 2010, he decided to adapt the classic tale of A Christmas Carol and give it a Doctor Who twist. Enter Michael Gambon as Kazran Sardick – the Ebenezeer Scrooge stand-in. In order to stop a spaceship carrying Amy and Rory (Arthur Darvill) from crashing into a planet, the Doctor must convince Kazran to change his ways in order to allow the ship to land.

The way the Doctor does this is by becoming the Ghost of Christmas Past, stepping back into Kazran’s childhood and introducing him to Abigail (Katherine Jenkins). Throughout the course of the story, we see some tender, beautifully written moments and performances between Kazran and Abigail, as the grown-up Kazran slowly becomes a less-miserable old miser.

“A Christmas Carol” comes to an appropriately festive end as Abigail sings an absolutely beautiful song, unlocking the cloud belt and allowing Amy and Rory to safely land. A Doctor Who version of the Christmas Carol story was an absolutely brilliant idea – seemingly lightning that only struck once, as the following year’s Narnia-inspired Christmas special is nowhere near as good.

The Angels Take Manhattan

Over the course of two and a half seasons, Amy and Rory quickly became one of the most beloved companion duos in the show’s history. They saw a lot of unique plot points, chief of which being revealed as River Song’s (Alex Kingston) parents. Their story comes to a dramatic and sad end in season 7’s “The Angels Take Manhattan.” Given their best usage since 2007’s “Blink,” the creepy Weeping Angels return to stalk New York City in the 1930s – and yes, that includes the Statue of Liberty.

Following a dramatic fall together off the side of a building, Amy and Rory are seemingly safe from the Angels. But all is not well, as Rory ends up getting sent back in time by an Angel, and there’s no way to fix it. The Doctor explains to a distraught Amy that he cannot go back for Rory, because it would create another paradox that would destroy the city. With the words "Raggedy Man… goodbye," Amy decides to let the Angel take her, so she can live out her life with her true love, Rory.

“The Angels Take Manhattan” is a gloriously emotional end to Amy and Rory’s story. And while it is deeply saddening for the Doctor, who came to adore them both, we can also take comfort in the fact that they are together. The Doctor however, isn’t so well, as the next story, “The Snowmen,” shows him becoming a bit of a miserable old miser himself. The story also features some excellent period direction, along with incredible iconography of the Weeping Angels.

The Day of the Doctor

I talked about “The Day of the Doctor” during our look back at the Eighth and War Doctors, but it’s a story that deserves to be featured for the leading Doctor of the piece. Serving as Matt Smith’s penultimate story as the Doctor, “The Day of the Doctor” is a near perfect celebration of 50 years of Doctor Who. Aired on the show’s actual 50th anniversary, this special features the return of Tenth Doctor David Tennant alongside Smith and the previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor, John Hurt’s War Doctor.

The story goes all over the place, from strange paintings in a modern day art gallery, to the Tenth Doctor frollicking about with Queen Elizabeth I, to the dark days of the Time War. Excellent performances are put on by the current and returning cast… honestly, it was like Tennant never left the role! Billie Piper returns, not as Rose Tyler, but as the Moment, a sentient form of the device that will end the Time War, who takes the form of Rose. Joanna Page puts in an excellent performance as both Queen Elizabeth I and her Zygon counterpart. Yes! The Zygons are back. Alien shapeshifters who hadn’t been seen since their debut appearance in 1975’s “Terror of the Zygons.”

But what really makes this story is the epic, emotional moments shared between the Doctors. While there’s plenty of well earned and fun comedic moments, the trio truly shines when it comes time to save the day and end the Time War. For years after, the Doctor believed that he had pressed the button that destroyed all the Daleks and Time Lords at the end of the Time War, and that guilt lay heavy upon him during the early years of the revival. “The Day of the Doctor” takes that concept and spins it on its head, revealing that the Doctor was in fact able to save Gallifrey while destroying the Daleks at the same time.

Add to that a surprise appearance from future Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and the emotional return of Tom Baker as the Curator, you get a story that equally appeases fans of all eras of Doctor Who, while simultaneously setting it up for a bright future.

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+.