Introduction
Just like clockwork another Doctor Who Series has wrapped up. And whilst Ncuti Gatwa’s first series was pretty decent all things considered it had nothing on Russell T Davies’s third crack in the original run: Doctor Who Series 3. Filled with some of the best episodes of all time as well as a plethora of good performances from David Tennant, Derek Jacobson and John Simms to name a few, Doctor Who Series 3 is still one of the best of the revival. Check out our prior list on Doctor Who Series 2 here. And without further ado here is some history about the series prior to our ranking!
History
Doctor Who Series 3 technically started in December 2006 with the Christmas Special, The Runaway Bride, but it officially began in March 2007 and ran until June 2007 with 13 episodes in total. The series featured the debut of Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman who featured in all of the episodes bar the Christmas special which saw the debut of Donna Noble played by Catherine Tate. The series is widely considered to be one of the best of the revival thanks in large parts to episodes like Blink, Human Nature and Family of Blood. And definitely not for episodes like 42 for all two of Chris Chibnall’s fans. It also received praise for the performances and writing, again none of that was for 42. Now with all of that out of the way here is our ranking of the best Doctor Who Series 3 episodes.
10. Gridlock (S3, E3)
Kicking off our list of the best Doctor Who Series 3 episodes is Gridlock. Basically it’s just a very good embodiment of what it feels like to be in a traffic jam on a British motorway. Motoring jokes aside, this is a good episode as it tackles how the Doctor and Martha work without one another as Martha is kidnapped and taken to an underground motorway where the entire population is in eternal gridlock. A solid episode which demonstrates Agyeman’s chemistry with David Tennant.
9. The Runaway Bride (S3, E0)
Speaking of companions who have good chemistry with David Tennant, step forward Donna Noble. Are we cheating by including the Christmas special? Maybe however when it features one of the coolest monsters only to have appeared once in Doctor Who, The Racnoss, as well as an all time funny performance from Catherine Tate how could we leave it off? This is everything a good Doctor Who episode should be: inherently very silly but with plenty of stupid alien plans and seriousness to balance it all out. Also, it features THAT moment of Tennant glaring down at a helpless Racnoss queen so even more bonuses there.
8. The Shakespeare Code (S3, E2)
Speaking of very silly Doctor Who plots, step forward and underappreciated classic: The Shakespeare Code. Here, The Doctor and Martha end up in Tudor England where they bump into the titular playwright. However, all is not as they seem as there’s some literal double double toil and trouble brewing in the form of the Carrionites. Basically alien witches drawn to Shakespeare’s grief. And yes the episode ends with Shakespeare banishing the Carrionites back into the void with a soliloquy. We guess he didn’t wonder where his Romeo was…..
7. The Lazarus Experiment (S3, E6)
Now while a lot of early Doctor Who CGI holds up quite well still, the same cannot be said for the Lazarus Experiment unfortunately. When Martha’s sister, Trish, invites her and the family (the Doctor included) to a fancy event hosted by her boss, the only trouble seems to be awkward small talk. However, that all changes when her boss decides to alter his DNA to make himself young again. And just guess how well that works out…. Basically he becomes a huge horrific CGI monster intent on killing humanity. Luckily for humanity, the last bell tolls for him and just like clockwork everything is alright. Overall, a good episode with ropey CGI aside…..
6. Utopia (S3, E11)
And in a flash we’ve reached a portion of the list where you could feasibly argue for any of these episodes to be number one. Because we all know what’s number one…. Anyway, Utopia features a phenomenal performance from arguably one of the best Masters: Derek Jacobson. When the Doctor, Martha and Jack Harness end up beyond time (literally), they meet an old professor and his alien assistant living in a silo to protect themselves from the wild berserk human populace. What follows is a tense episode followed by the inevitable Master reveal and the set up to a phenomenal series finale run. Overall, a great episode which is enhanced by Jacobson’s performance. Check out his Big Finish audio books for more proof…..
5. Last of the Time Lords (S3, E13)
Speaking of the Master and Doctor Who Series 3, the series finale is another very very good episode. After ageing the Doctor until he’s a little old CGI gremlin, The Master is in complete control of the world in large parts thanks to the Toclafane. We won’t spoil what they are here because Tennant’s realisation makes it so much better. Either way, with Jack captured it’s up to Martha to try and rally the world to save The Doctor before the Master can conquer all of time. Also, the ending is both beautiful and brutal, which is made by Tennant and Simm’s performances. Overall a fantastic and emotional series finale which arguably showed off John Simm’s performance as the Master at its best.
4. The Sound of Drums (S3, E12)
While it’s very easy to hate John Simms as the Master, we’d definitely borrow his noughties Spotify playlist. And yes it’s entirely because of Here Comes the Drums. Anyway, after the events of Utopia The Master has fled to the present and has impersonated British Prime Ministerial candidate Harold Saxon. And as Martha, Jack and the Doctor discover this proves to be a bit of a problem as The Master has a rather good affinity for making people like him. If all of that wasn’t good enough, there’s the aforementioned Toclafane reveal all topped off with John Simm’s fantastic dad dancing. Overall, a great episode which sets the stage for Last of the Time Lords.
3. Blink (S3, E10)
Blink and you’ll miss the fact we’re into the top three in our best Doctor Who Series 3 episodes. See what we did there? Anyway a huge reason for Blink being as good as it is is the fact it’s a Doctor Lite episode. Basically it’s all told from the companions perspective and the Doctor can only talk on from the sidelines. Also, this is arguably the peak of the Weeping Angels which says a lot as this is their debut. Shout out to Carey Mulligan who performs phenomenally especially in her interactions with Tennant. Overall, a great tense episode which has a wonderful nonlinear structural device to keep the audience on their toes at all times.
2. Human Nature (S3, E8)
Well you could probably guess that one of these two episodes was going to top the list. When The Doctor is being pursued by a family of blood feeding predators, a family of blood if you will, he transforms himself into a human and puts himself and Martha into 1910s England. Initially all seems well however soon Martha realises that there’s some strange disappearances and has to try and solve what is happening quickly. All this is while the Doctor is falling rapidly in love with a human woman, Joan, and unknowingly is turning his back on humanity as the Family close in. Arguably the reason this episode works so well is because we see the Doctor scared. But as the number one episode reveals not for the reason you’d think……
1. Family of Blood (S3, E9)
And the best episode of Doctor Who Series 3 is obviously Family of Blood. Arguably considered one of the best episodes ever, Family of Blood features some terrific performances and a brutal ending which perfectly explains the fear the Doctor felt. Also, it features a poignant moment between the now restored Doctor and Joan as she refuses his offer to travel as she doesn’t even recognise how he and John Smith (the Doctor’s human alter ego) can be the same.
Now the main reason this episode is so good is because of THAT ending. All we’ll say is The Doctor wasn’t running because he feared the Family of Blood. He ran because he was scared of what he’d do to them if they crossed him. And the fact the ending is narrated by The Son of Blood, who has one of the best villain performances ever, just makes it so much better. An easy choice but the absolute right choice for the best Doctor Who Series 3 episode.
