Doctor Who's top five episodes this series

Paul, Reading on June 13th, 2009
5. Planet of the Ood- An enjoyable little episode 4. Fires of Pompeii- I enjoy well done historicals 3. Midnight- One of RTD's best episodes 2. The Sontaran Stratagem- One of my favourite monsters returns 1. Forest of the Dead- Moffat is the best DW writer since Robert Holmes, and this shines I'm going to be unpopular here but I just don't like the season 4 finale- RTD throws everything in this episode and it just doesn't work, the cliffhanger resolution was terrible, and you bring back the companions you can't give then enough screentime. I found Rose annoying and her ending was terrible. On the plus point Julian Bleach excels as Davros, and Donna's exit was great as well

Iain on July 15th, 2008
Aargh, how can you give Forest Of The Dead #1 - Moffat totally dissapointed me here. For me, it goes

5. The Unicorn And The Wasp
4. Midnight
3. The Stolen Earth
2. Turn Left
1. Journey's End

Hannah, Berkshire on July 9th, 2008
Haha, how different we all are! Midnight, Pompeii and Moffat's 2-parter are like Marmite - some loved them, others hated them!! Just goes to show how different we all are - which I think it a good thing! Personally, I thought this was the best DW series yet overall, some fantastic episodes and the weaker ones nowhere near as bad as in previous series - and Catherine Tate proved a great choice having been dubious about her re-casting prior to the series airing

Cherry, London on July 9th, 2008
5. The fires of Pompeii - Donna really shone for me here. I knew i'd love her
4. The Unicorn and the Wasp - A very enjoyable, funny episode
3. Midnight - Great story, and brilliant acting.
2. Turn Left - A very powerful episode, and CT's best
1. Forrest of the Dead - an absoluely amazing episode, which created a fab 'companion' I actually REALLY enjoyed series 4. Lowest point for me was the first episode. Roll on, Cybermen!

James, Norwich on July 9th, 2008
I watched Forrest and the Dead and Silence in the Library back to back and they really work well; watching them a week a part ruins what Moffat is doing with the episode; you can't seperate the episodes because they don't work in the same way seperately.

Top 3
Turn Left
Silence in the Library/Forrest of the Dead
The stolen earth

It wasn't til trying to create a top 5 i realised that this series just has too many epiosdes with too many flaws. There was just nothing at the same level as episodes like Blink or Empty Child in series before. Athough I hope Dalek Caan comes back!!!

Nicola, Wirral on July 9th, 2008
1. The Stolen Earth
2. Turn Left
3. Journey's End
4. Fires of Pompeii
5. Partners in Crime

How anyone could list the bore-fest that was the moffat 2 parter is beyond me!

Emma, Oxford on July 8th, 2008
I would agree with some, but the final episode makes me feel physically ill, so now.

Ian, Merstham on July 8th, 2008
I'm not quite sure how you can separate one part of a two-parter from the other. I adored Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead and thought that Midnight was excellent, atmospheric and inventive. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End finale eps were a great romp and Planet of the Ood stood out for me too. To be honest, I don't think there's been a duff episode... even on an average day, Doctor Who stands head and shoulders above most of the gross on TV today. Russell T Davies has breathed such life into the show and should be praised for it. At the same time, I look forward to a fresh approach and am glad that he has the sense to move on... but I hope DT is persuaded to stay and at least film the first Moffatt lead series.

Margareth, Philippines on July 8th, 2008
I very much agree with your top five choices, the agatha christie and the adipose fat cell episodes were just, bleh!

Ian, Orpington on July 8th, 2008
omg wat do ppl seee in midnight it was the worst of the series by far my top 5

1. stolen earth
2. silence in the library/forest of the dead
3. planet of the ood
4. journey's end
5. partners in crime

James, North Yorkshire on July 8th, 2008
All I ask from my licence fee is that i'm entertained and Doctor Who has certainly done that this year, a great series as always with a great mix of stories and characters. Here's my choices:-
5. Planet of the Ood - We don't always see a story behind the aliens and get to know them but this really made you feel for the Ood, just a touching episode.
4. Partners in Crime - Got the series off with a bang, the cutest aliens you will ever see and one of the best scenes ever when Donna and The Doctor see each other.
3. Midnight - Some really quality acting by Lesley Sharp
2. Turn Left - Catherine Tate turned a lot of people's heads in this, great performance topped off with a bit of Billie Piper, ooh I like Billie Piper!!!!
1. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End - just an epic with so much action, more Billie Piper!!!, K9, a fantastic cliffhanger in between and top of the list German Daleks!!!! I still cannot get over that. Would also like to give praise for Doctor Who Confidential, a great program that explains a lot, the scenes where they are rehearsing the Dalek Voices Nicholas Briggs was just incredible.

Dave, Middlesex on July 8th, 2008
midnight was absolutely aweful i agree with the rest mind

Helen, Bristol on July 8th, 2008
I vaguely agree with the top five above, but mine would have to go:

5. The Stolen Earth
4. Turn Left
3. Partners In Crime
2. Journey's End
1. Midnight

And I don't know what this is about Steven Moffat being a rubbish writer, I think he's brilliant. Not as good as RTD, but he still does the job extremely well and I'm more than satisfied with the choice of him replacing RTD after next year's series of specials.

Jonno, Peterborough on July 8th, 2008
Oh please, Forest of the dead is nowhere near as good as turn left
5. Midnight
4. The Stolen Earth
3. Planet of the Ood.
. Journeys end.
1. Turn Left.

Andy, London on July 8th, 2008
I don't know how anyone could put the insipid 'Forest of the Dead' at the top of the list with Moffatt rehashing all his old ideas and his warped view of gender relationships.

A.W, Manchester on July 8th, 2008
Those who say Moffat's episodes weren't very good and were 'confusing' should probably stick to Chuckle Vision. They were two amazingly written episodes, god help you come 2010. My top 5 episodes.

5. The Unicorn and the Wasp
4. Midnight
3. The Fires of Pompeii
2. The Stolen Earth
1. Silence in the Library/Forest Of The Dead

Kath, Raxicoricofalipitorius on July 8th, 2008
5. Planet of the Ood
4. The Unicorn and the Wasp
3. Stolen Earth/Journey's End
2. Silence in the library / forrest of the dead
1. Turn left I loved Turn Left. Definitely my favourite of the series. Rose being back, "Bad Wolf", Catherine Tate excellent again. The Moffat two parter was another highlight. The 2-part finale wasn't my favourite but was very enjoyable. TUATW was pure comedy, and POTO showed CT to be the fine actress that she is. Poor moments of the series were The Doctor's Daughter, Partners in Crime and I didn't care too much for the Sontarans.

Ashley, Manchester on July 8th, 2008
1. The Stolen Earth (One of the best build up to a finale that I have ever seen)
2. Midnight (I think I had my mouth hanging open when the passengers began to turn on the doctor, I had chills when it was over)
3. Turn Left (and I didn't find anything wrong with Billie's teeth =) )
4. The Unicorn & The Wasp (Great humor and it was an interesting twist on the show's formula)
5. Forest of the Dead (I enjoyed Moffat's two parter a lot less than I thought I would, that's mostly due to the character of River Song V_V)

Alice Venning, Buckhurst Hill on July 8th, 2008
i sort of aggree my top five doctor who episodes this sereis are as follows

1) turn left
2) the stolen earth
3) journeys end
4) the doctor's daughter
5) the unicorn and the wasp

Natalie, London on July 8th, 2008
Hmmm, not sure i agree with Forest of the Dead being that high (Esp. because River Song irritated me and she was a large part of the narrative). I'd probably say

5. Planet of the Ood
4. Silence In The Library (despite my irritance at River Song, i still quite liked the first part, particularly the chilling ending)
3. Midnight
2. The Stolen Earth (kept me on the edge of my seat)
1. Turn Left (I thought it was stunning, brilliantly executed)

Paul, Durham on July 8th, 2008
I tried to pick 5 but couldn't in such a strong season. Catherine Tate turned out to be so much better than I thought she would be following "The Runaway Bride" while David Tennant consolidated his position as possibly the best Doctor since Tom Baker.

James on July 8th, 2008
i thought journeys end was terrible, considering stolen earth was for me, the highlight of the series. so confusing and the idea about 2 doctors was stupid. sontaran episodes were the worst for a long time.

Nic, Wickford on July 8th, 2008
I loved the way the Doctor and Donna met again in Partners in Crime. The final episode was brilliant - it tied up sooooo many things, I loved the bit that went back to Bad Wolf Bay. The idea behind the Silence in the Library that all the trees had been chopped down and the inhabitants of the trees (can't remember their names) transferred into the books. I loved Turn Left but then I love anything that is "what if - a bit like sliding doors!). Agree with some previous responses that RTD puts in cringeworthy bits that really aren't necessary. If I had to vote for top 5:

5) The Unicorn and the Wasp
4) Forest of the Dead/Silence in the Library
3) Partners in Crime
2) Turn Left
1) Stolen Earth/Journeys End

I can't wait to see what Stephen Moffatt does - I still think Blink is one of the best episodes of all four series and turn left wasn't far behind.

Nicky on July 8th, 2008
"Companions, assistants and acquaintances united in the first part of the series finale" - Are you sure? 'Turn Left' was the first part. I agree with the majority of the episodes you chose, but I'd put them in a different order:

5. Silence in the Library
4. The Fires of Pompeii
3. Midnight
2. The Stolen Earth
1. Journey's End

David, Manchester on July 8th, 2008
Midnight was easily my favourite of the whole series. Gripping.

Michael Kingston, Glasgow on July 8th, 2008
5. The Doctor's Daughter
4. The Poison Sky
3. The Sontaran Stratagem
2. The Stolen Earth
1. Journey's End

tbh i thought the middle episodes were rubbish like midnight and the library 2-parter but the final 2 episodes just made up to it they were superb

Georgiinaa ox on July 8th, 2008
i loved them all and i hate chosing favourites =P but i like 'the doctors daughter' and 'silence in the libary/forest of the dead' for the simple reason that even thow the amazing companions have gone, we've still got things to look forward to like, jennie and Dr. River Song coming into the picture (:

JC, Bradford on July 8th, 2008
I can't pick five. Not because there were so many good ones, but because the first 10 episodes were garbage!!! I liked Turn Left quite a bit, loved Stolen Earth and really enjoyed Journey's End (tho was disappointed that Donna wasn't the Master and that Harriet Jones did actually die, cos you never actually saw it happen). I certainly wont be buying the box set!

Deborah, Algarve, Portugal on July 8th, 2008
I actually think that the opinions and views vary dramatically. Some think this the best series, some the worst. Some though Moffat's episodes really excellent, some found them poor. Personally I loved them and enjoyed this series most. I liked all episodes almost equally, although I did find Midnight quite boring.

Jonathan, London on July 8th, 2008
Did not like Planet of the Ood that much, though Catherine Tate was fab in it.

5. Turn Left
4. Stolen Earth and Journey's End
3. Unicorn and the Wasp for being very funny
2. Midnight
1. Forest of the Dead

Alex Pitt, Chester on July 8th, 2008
Before the disappointing finale, i thought season 4 was the best so far. Nevertheless my top 5 episodes were:

5 - Silence in the library - good episode, shame follow up was poor
4 - The sontaran stratagem; nice to see sontarans back in action
3 - Unicorn and the wasp; a suprisingly enjoyable episode
2 - Turn left; loved the idea of going back and seeing how different ones life would be if they turned the wrong way.
1 - Stolen earth; easy choice, fantastic episode and such a shame the finale made the amazing cliffhanger completely pointless.

Rach, York on July 8th, 2008
No way! Midnight was dull, dull, dull! Top five:

5) Partners in Crime
4) The Doctor's Daughter
3) The Stolen Earth
2) Turn Left
1) Journey's End

Andrew, Cardiff on July 8th, 2008
wow neil i'm disappointed. thats a terrible list. forest of the dead is one of the worst of the series. and the fires of pompei simply has to be there. also midnight was undoubtedly THEE worst episode this series, nothing explained whatsoever just a total mess.

5. the unicorn and the wasp
4. the ood
3. the fires of pompei
2. the stolen earth
1. turn left

for the fires of pompei to be only third shows the quality of this series

James MacHeath, Wessex, England on July 8th, 2008
Episodes written by Russell T. Bighead have expensive sets and insane action interspersed with embarrassing saccharine moments. The lack of a coherent plot means that you don't know what is happening except for the certainty that, however bad thing look, everything will turn out all right in the end by some deus ex machina. In good fiction the outcome is a consequence of the nature of the characters who are interacting with their environment.

Adam, Manchester on July 8th, 2008
I agree with most of them, although I'd swap 'Turn Left' and 'The Stolen Earth' around, and replace 'Planet of the Ood' with 'The Unicorn and the Wasp'.

Sherman, Dublin on July 8th, 2008
Best series yet,and Catherine Tate was a revelation! Best eps-

5. The Sontaran Stratagem
4.The Fires of Pompeii
3. Turn Left - bleakest Dr Who ever, very haunting
2. The Stolen Earth - this is the stuff- pity it was 'resolved' in the only weak episode of this series
1. Forest of the Dead - incredibly poignant, and in my opinion best ever episode of Doctor Who- since I stared watching it in 1972- slightly better than Silence, which was very good

Michael Anderson, Blyth on July 8th, 2008
5) Midnight
4) Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead
3) Partners in Crime
2) Turn Left
1) The Stolen Earth/ Journey's End

Joe, Merthyr Tydfil on July 8th, 2008
I think overall this has been the best series of new Who, there hasn't been a single "duff" ep in there (apart from VotD which, like Kylie is stuck in a limbo between S3 and S4). I think SitL was the weakest and my top five are:

5: The Doctor's Daughter (dunno why but I liked the script and Jenny herself, a character episode that works great)
4: Forest Of The Dead (a million times better than last weeks, running away fro an ep worked when the thing was scary -Empty Child, thank god for part 2)
3: Midnight (Really, really paranoia inducing chills. Balances fun with fright perfectly with great writing from RTD, the start of his brill 4 ep run)
2: Stolen Earth/Journey's End (Allowing myself 6 eps here, but they are 2 brilliant eps with great performances from DT and CT, tons of characters and edge of your seat moment. Davros is ace!)
1: Turn Left: Would have been the perfect episode if not for the lisp! Loved all of it, the comedy and dark moments, Bernard Cribbins in the labour camp scene and the haunting version of an already haunting theme. Superb!)

Wow, I've done an essay, whoops

Matt, Gateshead on July 8th, 2008
There were loads that deserve the top five so i cheated a bit and grouped the two parter from moffat together and the three part (don't care what anyone else says it was a three parter) finale together

5. The unicorn and the wasp
4. Planet of the Ood
3. fires of pompeii
2. silence in the library / forrest of the dead
1. Turn left/Stolen Earth/Journey's End

Sorry but you just couldn't top the last three episodes with anything - low point of the season was the sontarans and doctors daughter

Dan, UK on July 8th, 2008
I actually thought 'Forest of the Dead' was one of the worst! as well as the other Library episode. My favourites were Partners in Crime, The Fires of Pompei, Midnight, Turn Left and The Stolen Earth