The classic sci-fi showDoctor Whofollows the title Doctor, who travels through time and space. Many actors have taken on the main role, as the Doctor often regenerates into a new form.Jodie Whittakertook over the role from12th Doctor Peter Capaldiin 2017, with her first full episode premiering the following year. She made history as the first woman to take on the role, but she also brought a light touch and intelligent, energetic fun to the show.
Update August 03, 2025: In honor of the trailer for the newDoctor Whospecials being released, this list has been updated to look back at even more great episodes from the Doctor who got us here.
Her time as the Doctor came to an end in 2022. WhileDoctor Wholooks forward to a new era withDavid Tennant returning for a series of specialsbefore Ncuti Gatwa steps into the role of the famous character, Whittaker left such a mark on the character and is a beloved part of the Doctor’s legacy. With that in mind, here are the 13th Doctor’s best episodes ofDoctor Who.
15It Takes You Away
When the Doctor and her companions land in Norway, they find a cabin with a single occupant, a blind teen named Hanne, who moved to the cabin with her father after her mother died. Her father has disappeared, and Hanne is afraid to search for him because of the “monster” she hears outside the cabin every day.
The Doctor discovers a portal in a mirror, which leads her to a space in between universes. There, she and her companions encounter an entity that feeds off of emotions. It is seeking companionship and has lured Hanne’s father, thereby posing as his dead wife. The episode tackles the relatable themes of grief and guilt, and Jodi Whitacker’s Doctor shines when she selflessly sacrifices herself to save the teenager’s father.
14Kerblam!
This fun episode follows the Doctor and her companions as they visit Kerblam!, a galaxy-wide shopping service (similar to Amazon) that features mostly robots as employees. The group poses as new employees to investigate why they received a distress call from the center. It turns out staff members have been disappearing, and the Doctor suspects AI is involved.
She’s not wrong; however, viewers expectations are subverted when it’s revealed a non-robot worker sabotaged orders to prevent automation from making human workforces obsolete. With a fun but scary premise, the episode feels like a call-back to earlier episodes ofDoctor Who.
13Ascension of the Cybermen
This fun episode brings back the classiv cillan, the Cybermen. It opens with a young couple in Ireland finding an abandoned baby, who grows up to become a police officer. He miraculously survives falling off a cliff after an encounter with a criminal. When he’s able to retire, he is visited by his adoptive parents, who haven’t aged, and they wipe his memory.
Years later, the Doctor and her companions arrive on Earth to find most humans have been killed by the Cybermen, and only a few survivors remain. It’s up to the Doctor and her crew to help, but in the end, everything changes — as the Master returns to warn. Even though the episode sets up the unpopular Timeless Child story, it’s great to see the Cybermen battle this version of the Doctor.
12The Witchfinders
This episode takes the Doctor and companions Yaz (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole), and Graham (Bradley Walsh) to 17th-century Lancashire. There, they find themselves entangled in a local witch hunt led by King James. Alan Cumming makes a menacing guest star as the King, who captures the Doctor as she looks into the witchcraft and finds it’s coming from an alien source. The episode is fun and exciting, while making a good blend of the alien elements with historical witchcraft.
11The Woman Who Fell to Earth
The Doctor gets off to a strong start with this episode, which sees her crash through a train. Suffering from amnesia, she must saveher future companions, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham, from the alien Tzim-Sha. We get to see her save the day, while also watching her start realizing who she wants to be – including the fun of her choosing her new outfit. It’s a great first episode that makes viewers excited about the future.
10Flux: Chapter Two - War of the Sontarans
A memorable six-part storyline that started with “Flux: Chapter One – The Halloween Apocalypse,” the Flux saga began with an ancient evil breaking free and wreaking havoc across the universe on Halloween. After learning that the Flux, an unknown entity, was responsible and headed toward Earth, the Doctor and her companions hurry to intervene. The Flux catches the attention of The Sontarans, who then invade the Earth during the Crimean War, causing history to be rewritten.
The second episode in the two-part story sets up some major conflict for the 13th Doctor, as it ends with Swarm imprisoning Yaz and Vinder and activating the temple that controls the Flux, setting up high risks for humanity in the following episodes.
9Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror
This historical episode brings the Doctor and her three companions to 1903, where they must stop aliens from kidnapping inventor Nikola Tesla (Goran Višnjić). The aliens live on a ship composed of parts and need Tesla to be their engineer. Tesla is saved, and the aliens are driven away, though Yaz is upset that their efforts couldn’t change how Tesla is seen in the present day. However, the Doctor reminds her that his visions still hold up. It’s a fun visit to the time period, lifted by a great performance from Višnjić.
Related:Doctor Who: The Top 9 Companions of the Original Series
This two-part episode marks the first appearance of the new Master (Sacha Dhawan), whoComic Book Resources considersone of the best incarnations of the character. After attacks on intelligence agents, the Doctor and her companions join forces with Agent O to investigate, with the reveal that O is the Master. With its spy theme, it features classic spy movie elements like car chases and technology and mixes that with aliens. It’s a great episode that reintroduces a classic villain and sets up a new arc for the Doctor.
7Flux: Chapter Four – Village of the Angels
One of the best entries in the Flux storyline involves the 13th Doctor once again taking on the Weeping Angels. After finding and forcing a Weeping Angel out of the Tardis, the Doctor and her companions get stranded in a village in 1967. Professor Jericho is there conducting psychic experiments on Claire, who was sent back in time earlier in the story. Angels surround the village, interested in Claire because she is slowly transforming into an Angel, possessed by the one that was hiding on the Tardis.
The Angel is a rogue, hunted by other Weeping Angels because it knows secrets about the Division. After being double-crossed by the rogue Angel, the Doctor herself is turned into a Weeping Angel. It left viewers wondering how the Doctor would get out of her situation and excited to watch more.
6Fugitive of the Judoon
In this episode, the Judoon arrive in Gloucester to arrest a human, Ruth (Jo Martin). The Doctor and her companions try to help Ruth, but Ruth is actually revealed to be a version of the Doctor herself. She hid herself to keep safe, so the Doctor has no memory of this reincarnation. It ties into a larger storyline from the Master about the Doctor having unknown regenerations, and the looming threat grows when the companions meet Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who warns the Doctor about an upcoming Cyberman. It’s a strong episode that’s lifted by Martin and sets up much of Doctor’s upcoming arc.
