The Fantasy Review’s list of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Episodes Ranked, from worst to best.
The Doctor Who 60th Anniversary episodes mark the return of Russell T Davies as showrunner and lead writer on the show, after his departure in 2010. With some great storytelling, epic villains, and surprising twists, these episodes set the stage for the next phase of Doctor Who.
If you want recaps and reviews for the episodes, you can find them here:
This is my ranking for the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary episodes:
#3 – The Star Beast
I didn’t hate any of these episodes, but if I had to pick the weakest one, it would be The Star Beast. This episode had a lot of hard work to do, from which the next two episodes reaped the rewards, so given only an hour to tell the story as well made for a slightly disappointing plot.
The weakest element of The Star Beast was the main plot, with a supposedly high-level threat not really feeling that threatening. The episode was one of pure, queer joy for many fans (myself included!), but it did at times feel bogged down in getting a message across. Sometimes, less is more.
Overall, though, this episode did a fantastic job of introducing us to the 14th Doctor, reintroducing us to Donna, and setting the groundwork for future episodes (with UNIT, etc).
Read our recap and review of The Star Beast.
#2 – Wild Blue Yonder
The gap between Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle is so slim!
I think Wild Blue Yonder has to come second on this list of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary episodes ranked for one simple reason: it didn’t feel like a special.
Rather, Wild Blue Yonder felt like it belonged in the middle of a long series instead of being one of three limited series. Having said that, the episode is up there with some of the best stories we have seen in Doctor Who since Capaldi’s era.
Reminiscent of Midnight, this special was creepy, mysterious, and had the added benefit of doing more with The Flux and The Timeless Child in a few minutes than was done in a full series previously.
Read our recap and review of Wild Blue Yonder.
#1 – The Giggle
The Giggle has to be at the top of my list of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary episodes ranked! You can read my full review for The Giggle, but in summary I absolutely loved it! Not since Capaldi’s The World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls have we seen a Doctor Who episode as epic as The Giggle!
Completed with a fun yet murderous dance number by the fantastic Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, a controversial but exciting regeneration/bi-generation into the 15th Doctor, and plenty of references to the classic era for all us nerds, The Giggle is exactly what we needed from an anniversary episode.
It celebrated the past and got us giddy with excitement for the future.
Read our recap and review of The Giggle.
