Doctor Whois a science-fiction show that originally began in 1963, with a reboot – referred to as “New Who”, or the modern era – that started in 2005. The show centers around the title Doctor, who travels through time and space in a police box called the TARDIS with various companions. The Doctor frequently regenerates into a new form, allowing for different actors to continue the character.
Update July 04, 2025: In honor of Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary coming up, this article has been updated with even more great episodes from the 12th Doctor’s tenure.
It’s beennearly 60 yearssince the character’s debut, and so far,13 actors have taken on the iconic role. Peter Capaldi starred as the 12th Doctor from 2014 to 2017. His take was more mature and serious than the reboot’s previous youthful iterations. He also brought sharp wisdom and deep emotion through many standout episodes. While Matt Smith’s version was often depicted as an old man in a young man’s body, Capaldi’s was a young rebel in the body of an older gentleman. Here are the 12th Doctor’s best episodes, ranked.
15Deep Breath
This list wouldn’t be complete without the 12th Doctor’s first complete episode, in which the newly regenerated time traveler lands in Victorian London. Still scrambling to find himself, the Doctor must deal with a dinosaur on the loose, gets help from Madam Vastra and the gang, and uncovers clockwork men. Most poignant about this episode is Clara, who serves as a stand-in for many viewers who are struggling to come to terms with a new Doctor.
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The episode is memorable for one of its final scenes, in which Clara—who isn’t sure she wants to continue traveling with the 12th Doctor—receives a phone call from the 11th Doctor, through which he encourages her to give his replacement a chance. Capaldi, however, did an excellent job of stylizing a new Doctor, delivering a heartfelt performance that quickly won over fans.
14The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion
This two-part episode sees the planet invaded by the shape-shifting alien Zygons. When one of the Zygons takes Clara’s (Jenna Coleman) form, the Doctor must work with the organization UNIT to stop them. The Zygons are a classicDoctor Whovillain, and it’s exciting to see them in this. The two-part episode also has a memorable finale. Rather than a big fight, the Doctor persuades the Zygons away from the battle with a powerful and emotional anti-war speech that shows all the pain he’s been through, which the Nerdist considers one of thebest modern-era monologues.
13Last Christmas
The tenthDoctor WhoChristmas special featured actor Nick Frost asSanta Claus. When the Doctor and Clara arrive at the North Pole, they discover a crew being devoured by Dream Crabs, alien creatures capable of inducing dreams while they devour their victims' brains. Struggling with the death of her boyfriend, Danny Pink, Clara is reunited with him in a dream state, in which the Doctor also appears and helps her move on from her grief. Of course, they are all saved by Santa Claus in the end. Many viewers praised the complex storyline and believed it drew inspiration from movies such asAlienandInception.
12Extremis
One of the more unique episodes during the 12th Doctor’s run, “Extremis,” found the Doctor being petitioned by the Vatican to investigate the Veritas, a book that seems to inspire people to kill themselves. After the book is translated and posted online, the Doctor—still blind from earlier events—uncovers a conspiracy by aliens posing as demons to invade the Earth. Highlighted by Peter Capaldi’s excellent performance, the thought-provoking episode also saw the return of fan-favorite Missy, played by Michelle Gomez.
11The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar
Another two-part episode, this one starts with Clara and Missy (Michelle Gomez) – an iteration of the villainous Master – teaming up to find the Doctor. It ends with the Doctor on the planet Skaro, which is home to the Daleks, one of his main enemies. There, he meets the Daleks’ creator, Davros, who is dying, and asks the Doctor for help – with the revelation that the Doctor saved Davros as a boy and unwittingly created his own enemy. It explores the Doctor’s character as he must decide what to do when confronted with saving the life ofone of his greatest foes, and a great way to bring back such a classic villain.
10Dark Water
The first of a two-part story, “Dark Water,” received much critical acclaim after it originally aired because it tackled the tense, everyday fear of one’s death and revealed that Missy was none other than a regeneration of the Doctor’s nemesis, The Master. In the episode, Danny Pink dies, and the Doctor and Clara go in search of him in an afterlife called the Nethersphere. It also stands out for its horror theme, which was fitting for the date it aired on television—the day after Halloween.
In this episode, the Doctor is stuck inside the TARDIS, which is shrinking. With Clara on the outside, she must take on the Doctor’s role and investigate aliens from another dimension who are turning people into 2D graffiti. The concept is absurd yet fun, and there are a lot of laughs in the Doctor instructing Clara from inside the toy-sized TARDIS. It’s a strong episode that switches the dynamic and lets Clara be the hero in a great moment.
8Face the Raven
Much of Clara’s time as a companion was based around trying to be like the Doctor, and this episode explores that with deadly consequences. After a friend, Rigsy has a death counter tattoo placed on him, Clara tries to help by having the tattoo transferred to her. When there’s no way to undo Clara’s actions, she bravely faces her fate and stops the Doctor from intervening, as he often does. It’s a great, emotional episode and a fitting ending forthe Doctor’s companion.
7The Husbands of River Song
This episode focuses on the relationship between the Doctor and River Song (Alex Kingston). River made her first appearance in season four alongside David Tennant, where she died and was her last time seeing him but also his first encounter with her. This episode takes place just before her eventual death. On the planet Darillium, the Doctor and River spend over two decades together, peacefully sharing in a romance that so often got cut short by danger in previous seasons. It’s funny but also deeply emotional and serves as a beautiful end to their love story.
6Mummy on the Orient Express
This episode is a great mash-up of past and future, as the Doctor and Clara are on a 1920s-style train thattravels through space. The ride is interrupted, however, when a mummy begins killing passengers. Only the person claimed as the mummy’s victim can see it, and they will die in 66 seconds. The Doctor defeats the mummy when he recognizes it as a soldier and offers it surrender so that it knows the war is over. It’s a suspenseful episode, with mystery and a bit of horror, that also deepens Clara and the Doctor’s friendship.
