On June 18, 2005, the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) regenerated into the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) on Doctor Who.
That day gave us our first look at Tennant, the actor responsible for replacing Eccleston, as the Doctor, as well as a new Doctor with a new look and personality (and of course, new teeth).
Today, marks the 10th anniversary of that landmark regeneration, the day that gave us one the most popular Doctor ever in the series 50-year history.
Tennant went on to play the Doctor in 36 episodes, some of which remain iconic as part of Doctor Who's long history. We saw the 10th Doctor battle Daleks and Cybermen, as well as face the Master and the Sontarans. We witnessed the Doctor's first meeting with River Song and said goodbye to Rose, Martha and Donna.
Here are our ten favorite television stories featuring the 10th Doctor. Allons-y!
School Reunion
This episode is one of the best because it brought Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) back as companion and showed that some companions continued to have long and fruitful lives, even without the Doctor. This episode also had some great fun moments, especially with current companion Rose and Sarah teaming up, while gossiping about the Doctor.
The Girl in the Fireplace
This episode introduced the Doctor as a romantic figure, as he pops in and out of the life of one Madame Pompadour, even going so far as the Doctor admitting to "snogging" her. Of course, the Doctor is a lonely soul and he cannot control the time mechanism that allows him to visit his new girlfriend, so this episode ends on a sad note when the Doctor's final visit occurs after Pompadour passes away.
Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel
This was the first episode to bring back classic Doctor Who villains the Cybermen, and in this two-parter, the men of steel became even more terrifying. This also introduces us to the alternate universe that Rose eventually becomes trapped in, a universe where her father still lives.
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
We dare you not to cry watching this episode. Here, the Cybermen return from the alternate universe, and the Doctor loses Rose to the alternate universe first seen in "Rise of the Cybermen." Their parting is abrupt and sad, but the Doctor burns up a sun just to tell Rose goodbye, but never utters what's really on his mind (his "I love you" remains unsaid when their connection breaks off).
Human Nature/The Family of Blood
There are some big baddies after the Doctor and they're so horrifying that the Doctor hides his identity, even from himself, with the help of a gadget that makes him believe that he's human. In "Human Nature," he takes on a new identity, with companion Martha being forgotten, and finds love, only to lose it when he must become the Doctor again to save the world. This episode shows us the weight that the Doctor carries with him, and the responsibility he feels towards Earth and those who live upon it.
Blink
Although the Weeping Angels appear a lot in Doctor Who episodes, "Blink" was the episode that gave these scary statues to us. Interestingly enough, the Doctor doesn't really appear that much here: we see the story unfold through the eyes of Sally Sparrow, who is searching for a friend who's gone missing. Of course, Sally finds more than she bargained for when she realizes that statues are coming to life when you don't look at them and zapping her friends into the past.
Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
These three episodes, all part of one story, brought back one of the Doctor's best friends and biggest nemesis, the Master, who as always, is intent upon destroying the world and becoming its leader. This episode also gave us a companion who was also a hero, responsible for saving the world when the Doctor could not. Finally, we saw the complicated relationship between the two men as the Master lay dying, refusing the Doctor's help.
Partners In Crime
Although Donna Noble appeared in a previous episode, this one reunites her with the Doctor. This is Catherine Tate as Donna in all her hilarious glory, the one woman who doesn't fall in love with the Doctor and does a really good job of keeping him in check. In this episode, we really see Donna come into her own.
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
Before the Doctor married River Song, he had to meet her, right? And the first meeting occurred in these two episodes. But things are a little wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey here because when River Song meets the Doctor, she already knows who he is. As we all know now, their timelines never really coincided, but somehow, they made it work. But here, River Song is still new to the Doctor, as are the creatures that hide in the shadows and kill.
Midnight
While Donna is off enjoying an otherworldly spa on an alien planet, the Doctor can't stay out of trouble, and he finds it in heaps in Midnight. What's scarier than an alien? This time, it's an alien you can't see, but that takes over people's bodies, causing them to say things just before someone else says them, like the children's game, but much scarier. This episode brings the creep factor, and is right up there with Blink in its brilliance.
Photo Credit: BBC
