Favorite showrunner-written episode

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I am begging you to rewatch this!! Watch the whole series for the full effect. Do it!!

As for me, it’s too hard to choose! But Turn Left, Heaven Sent, Eve of the Daleks is what I’m thinking right now :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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And you should rewatch Heaven Sent until you love it!

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So, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days now because I couldn’t decide, but I think I got it now:
RTD: Love & Monsters (has been my all time favorite episode for the longest time (I mean it isn’t anymore but I don’t think I can not choose this one for RTD) I do tend to ignore the last few minutes though)

Moffat: World Enough and Time

Chibnall: Resolution (that might just be nostalgia because I watched that one in cinema with friends)

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See, this is why TARDIS Guide is the best DW fan site and has the best forum. Actual balance, constructive opinions and no desire to attack people just for liking eras/episodes that so-called consensus deems bad.

I love this place! :laughing: :heart_eyes:

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Is the best advice, for always and forever. Be your authentic self. As far as DW is concerned, enjoy what you like and don’t ever feel the need to apologise for it.

:laughing:

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RTD: Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
Moffat: The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (or in his own era…) Heaven Sent
Chibnall: …uhhh Pond Life?

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RTD: Turn Left
Moffat: Heaven Sent/Hell Bent
Chibnall: Spyfall

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Nathan-Turner: The Cinderella panto xD

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Probably not a unique line-up, but I still want to comment on it, since I think it’s a fairly interesting Topic, so here it goes:
RTD- Turn left: Do I need to explain this one? It’s just excellent, easily some of RTD’s best writing that I have seen/read. Tate and Cribbins give Class Performances and I overall think it’s brilliant, always like the more grim RTD Tales, so this one does everything for me!

Moffat - World Enough and Time: I just love this one for so many Things. Its use of the Mondasian Cybermen is wonderful, how it uses my least favorite (TV) Master surprises me everytime, Simms is at his best here. The opening and its shift is just brilliant. I could gush about this one and its second Part for ages.

Chibnall - The Power of the Doctor: While arguably a bit of a mess, it’s such a lovely mess to me. Besides there is a lot to love here outside the fanservicey Moments, although they don´t hurt my rating all that much. I particularly enjoyed Whittaker’s Regeneration in this one, her final lines just work so well for 13! I would almost choose Flux, but I think it’s a bit cheating.

If we do a Top 5 for each, it probably would like this (separating Two-Parters considering the Site does that too):
RTD

  1. Turn Left
  2. Midnight
  3. The Parting of the Ways
  4. Wild Blue Yonder
  5. Gridlock

Moffat:

  1. World Enough and Time
  2. The Doctor Falls
  3. Heaven Sent
  4. The Impossible Astronaut
  5. Day of the Moon

Chibnall:

  1. The Power of the Doctor
  2. War of the Sontarans
  3. Spyfall Part 1
  4. The Woman who fell to Earth
  5. The Halloween Apocalypse
    (Tried to keep it to sole writing credits, instead of including co-writing credits too, I could be wrong since I didn´t really double-checked on most).
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A fantastic selection of 15 episodes. Every one of those has plenty to recommend it. Top episodes for each showrunner from my perspective?

I’m torn between Midnight and Wild Blue Yonder for RTD. Similar in some respects yet wildly different in others. Both are pitch perfect.

Moffat? World Enough and Time is just an extraordinary episode full stop. So rich and deep. Best use of the Cybermen ever.

Chibnall: i applaud the manic ambition of The Halloween Apocalypse but can’t overlook The Power of the Doctor for pure jaw dropping entertainment.

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Thank you and great List of Episodes too! (Hey wait a Moment we have a pretty similar selection! :scream:)
But yes highly agree that ‘World Enough and Time’ might be one, if not the best use of the Cybermen on TV Who at least! :clap:

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Very interesting question!

RTD: Waters of Mars (or Turn Left, if we’re talking solo credits)
Moffat: Heaven Sent/Hell Bent, but there are a whole bunch of other masterpieces snapping at its heels!
Chibnall: Resolution, or maybe Power of the Doctor, depending on the day of the week…

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Gridlock, for RTD1

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances overall for Moffat, but under his showrunnering it’s World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls.

For Chibnall it’s The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, but under his showrunnering it’s Power of the Doctor.

For RTD2 it’s Lux.

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My selection does change from time to time, depending on multiple factors but I think we can both agree that those episodes all achieve something special (and each, in their way, something unique).

Definitely. I’m less fond of The Doctor Falls, though still a superb episode, but World Enough and Time is close to flawless. Genuinely disturbing use of the Cybermen. I also love the collision of high concept sci fi with dystopian industrial/medical horror. Oh, and the Master too!

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RTD1: Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday
Moffat: The Day Of The Doctor from when he was showrunner, the Empty Child two-parter from when he wasn’t.
Chibnall: Village Of The Angels from when he was showrunner (or the Timeless Child two-parter for the solo credit), 42 from when he wasn’t.
RTD2: The Giggle

And just for fun…

Robert Holmes: The Deadly Assassin from when he was script editor, The Caves Of Androzani from when he wasn’t.

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This is a fun question, I’m going to choose to go without co-writes, because it would certainly lead to me including Rosa, The Waters Of Mars, and The Zygon Inversion, and I think it’s more interesting to think about their best solo contributions. I am counting two-parters as one story, but still need a Top 5, these three are very prolific!

RTD

  1. Bad Wolf/Parting Of The Ways
  2. Midnight
  3. Dot & Bubble
  4. Gridlock
  5. Wild Blue Yonder

MOFF

  1. World Enough & Time/The Doctor Falls
  2. The Eleventh Hour
  3. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
  4. Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead
  5. Heaven Sent/Hell Bent

CHIBS

  1. Ascension Of The Cybermen/The Timeless Children
  2. Eve Of The Daleks
  3. The Halloween Apocalypse
  4. Dinosaurs On A Spaceship
  5. The Power Of The Doctor
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It’s pretty wild when you run the numbers, between these three showrunners they have written or co-written ~125 episodes. With 892 episodes of the main show in total from 1963 to The Reality War, this means between them they have written 14% of THE ENTIRE SHOW. That is quite the statistic!! (Apples to oranges slightly because half hour show vs 45min show, Robert Holmes wrote 73 episodes which is technically more than Moffat, but Moffat’s are longer so running time-wise Moffat does have him beat)

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RTD (only RTD1): Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways or Midnight

Moffat (pre-showrunner): The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances or Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

Moffat (showrunner): A Christmas Carol or The Day of the Doctor

Chibnall (only pre-showrunner, I’ll just rank them since it’s only 4 stories):

  1. The Power of Three (8/10, idgaf if the ending sucks a little because Steven Berkoff was being a twat and also it really should be a two-parter, this episode is still great)
  2. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (7/10 for both)
  3. 42 (4/10)
  4. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (3/10, though as much as it is bad it is pretty funny and it does have Brian Williams who I love)
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