#edited a copy-paste typo in 12's section

[heresmyfiddlestick]

here i am again thinking about how different tranches of the Dr. Who fandom rate each Doctor's different stories relative to each other. last year (or so) i did a big post analysing @adventure-showdown 's poll of the Tumblr fandom as it compared to the DWM reader's poll. there i examined the overlap of those two groups of fans' top- and bottom-rated stories for each Doctor. it was enlightening!

here i'm gonna further that analysis, with data from tardis.guide. i'm taking this data as of February 1, 2025 - clearly not exactly contemporary with the earlier data sets, but i suspect there will be some interesting trends. i made Venn diagrams. let's dive in.

First Doctor's top/bottom three

All agree: The Time Meddler (top) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: The Romans (top), The Smugglers (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: The Dalek Invasion of Earth (top), The Web Planet (bottom) Just Tumblr: The Edge of Destruction (top), The Crusade, The Savages (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: Galaxy 4 (bottom) Just DWM: The Daleks' Masterplan (top), The Sensorites, The Space Museum (bottom)

In 1's top and bottom three, there's only one story that all three sources agree should be at one of these extremes: The Time Meddler is in the top three. I'm disappointed to see Galaxy 4 in Tardis Guide's bottom three, the novelisation was an early and important piece of Doctor Who for me. But it's tough with a mostly-missing serial.

Second Doctor's top/bottom three

All agree: The War Games (top), The Dominators, The Space Pirates (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: The Mind Robber, The Enemy of the World (top), The Krotons (bottom) Just DWM: The Power of the Daleks, Tomb of the Cybermen (top) The Underwater Menace (bottom)

There is a bit more broad consensus on 2 than on 1. All three sources agree that The War Games is in the top tier, and The Dominators and The Space Pirates are at the bottom. Then, the Tardis Guide user base seems to follow Tumblr's inclinations, ranking The Mind Robber and The Enemy of the World at the top and The Krotons at the bottom (another important novelisation for a younger version of this writer, but alas).

Third Doctor

All agree: The Green Death (top), The Mutants (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: Death to the Daleks (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: Spearhead from Space, Inferno (top), The Monster of Peladon (bottom) Just Tumblr: The Dæmons, The Three Doctors (top), Planet of the Daleks (bottom) Just DWM: The Time Monster (bottom)

Every Doctor has at least one story that all three sources agree is either at the top or the bottom, and I think that's great! It gives me a sense of a broader view of the fandom's tastes. For 3, it's no surprise that The Green Death is unanimously top-three material and The Mutants bottom-three (though, again, I'm realising I have some anti-mainstream opinions about some of these earlier "bad" serials" - I really liked The Mutants!). Tardis Guide's userbase breaks m ore in the DWM readership's favour regarding most of the rest of the rankings, with Spearhead and Inferno at the top and The Monster of Peladon at the bottom from both of those sources.

Fourth Doctor's top/bottom four

All agree: City of Death, Genesis of the Daleks (top), Underworld, The Power of Kroll (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: Revenge of the Cybermen (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: Meglos (bottom) DWM/Tumblr: Robots of Death (top) Just Tumblr: The Horror of Fang Rock (top), Nightmare of Eden (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: The Seeds of Doom, Shada (top) Just DWM: Pyramids of Mars (top), The Horns of Nimon (bottom)

It's our first full Venn diagram! There's at least one item populating each section! And it's no surprise with the number of stories this guy has. I don't know what to make of the fact that Tardis Guide lists Shada alongside all of 4's regular TV stories - different methodologies for different folks, i guess. (Psst, there's only one other full Venn in this post - can you guess which Doctor it is?)

Fifth Doctor's top/bottom three

All agree: The Caves of Androzani (top), Time-Flight (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: Enlightenment (top) Tardis Guide/DWM: Earthshock (top), The King's Demons, Warriors of the Deep (bottom) DWM/Tumblr: The Five Doctors (top) Just Tumblr: Four to Doomsday, The Awakening (bottom)

There is fairly broad agreement with 5's best and worst. It seems Tumblr is the fly in the ointment here, with our particular dislike of Four to Doomsday and The Awakening. However, all can agree that The Caves of Androzani is great and Time-Flight is less great.

Sixth Doctor

All agree: Vengeance on Varos (top), Timelash, The Twin Dilemma (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: Revelation of the Daleks (top) Just Tumblr: Mark of the Rani, Trial of a Time Lord (top), The Ultimate Evil (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: The Mysterious Planet (top), Mindwarp (bottom) Just DWM: The Two Doctors (top), Attack of the Cybermen (bottom)

6 is probably the most problematic to do this sort of analysis for, because each of the three sources' methodologies differ such that each treats Trial differently: adventure-showdown's Tumblr poll listed Trial as a unit and each individual part separately, Tardis Guide just lists the individual parts, and DWM just listed the full season as one story. A mess. But a delightful mess, just like Sixie himself.

Seventh Doctor

All agree: Survival, Remembrance of the Daleks (top), Delta and the Bannermen, Time and the Rani (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: Silver Nemesis (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: The Curse of Fenric (top) Just Tumblr: The Happiness Patrol (top) Just DWM: Paradise Towers (bottom)

7's run shows the most cohesion yet, with all three sources agreeing on 2/3 of each of the top and bottom stories in his run. Then it's just a matter of whether you prefer pink TARDISes or wet vampires.

Eighth Doctor

I won't attempt to make a Venn for 8, but I will sum up how his top 10 audio dramas overlap.

Both Agree: The Chimes of Midnight, Scherzo, Solitaire, To the Death, The Red Lady Just Tumblr: Caerdroia, The Natural History of Fear, Zagreus, Storm Warning, The Silver Turk Just Tardis Guide: Albie's Angels, Absent Friends, Lucie Miller, Palindrome - Part 1, Day of the Master - Part 2

A very neat 5/5/5 split here! I can see a definite bias towards 8/Charlie and the Divergent arc in Tumblr's top, whereas the Tardis Guide userbase seems to prefer 8/Liv/Helen and 8/Lucie, and I'm surprised and delighted to see a story from the Eighth Doctor's Time War series!

I may as well do the novels too, one second... Okay, here's how each source ranked their top 5 8DAs.

Both Agree: Alien Bodies, Unnatural History Just Tumblr: Interference, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, The Adventuress of Henrietta Street Just Tardis Guide: The Year of Intelligent Tigers, Vampire Science, Seeing I

Okay back to the TV show.

Ninth Doctor

All agree: Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Bad Wolf/The Parting of Ways (top), Aliens of London/World War Three, The Long Game (bottom) DWM/Tumblr: Boom Town (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: The Unquiet Dead (bottom)

I had to make the Venn diagram squishier, that's how much cohesion there is in these three sources' opinions on 9's run! You'll recall that DWM and the Tumblr poll completely agreed on his top and bottom three. The Tardis Guide userbase throws a bit of a wrench in, declaring their dislike of The Unquiet Dead over Boom Town, though I'll note that the latter is fourth from the bottom in the Tardis Guide rankings. I'm really interested in the broad consensus that seems to have formed around 9's stories - they practically don't move in the DWM reader rankings over the past decade plus. I'm curious to see if anything will be re-evaluated in the future.

Tenth Doctor's top/bottom four

All agree: Blink, Midnight, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (top), The Idiot's Lantern, The Lazarus Experiment (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: Meglos (bottom) DWM/Tumblr: Love & Monsters, Fear Her (bottom) Just Tumblr: The Fires of Pompeii (top), The Next Doctor, The Shakespeare Code (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: Turn Left (top) Just DWM: Human Nature/The Family of Blood (top)

While I find the broad agreement around 9 fascinating, I'm equally fascinated by the divergence around 10. This analysis shows that people are inclined to believe that no more than one of the following stories belongs in his top 4: The Fires of Pompeii, Turn Left, and Human Nature/The Family of Blood. Not to say that they're interchangeable, but I think which one you pick can say a lot!

Eleventh Doctor's top/bottom four:

All agree: The Eleventh Hour, Vincent and the Doctor (top), The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: Victory of the Daleks (bottom) Tardis Guide/DWM: The Day of the Doctor (top), Nightmare in Silver (bottom) DWM/Tumblr: The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang (top) Just Tumblr: The Doctor's Wife (top), The Crimson Horror, Night Terrors (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: The God Complex (top) Just DWM: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, The Curse of the Black Spot (bottom)

*airhorns* It's our second full Venn diagram! Much like 4, 11 has a lot to choose from and a really wide range of vibe throughout his run. He also has some stupidly long story titles, which are not very highly rated across the board (perhaps there's a correlation? make another graph!). Of note: the Eleventh Doctor is the only incarnation whose first and last stories are both ranked at the top by at least one of the sources (in this case, DWM and Tardis Guide) - except for the Second Doctor, to whom DWM also grants this distinguished position. I just think it's neat! [EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER NOISE: it's been pointed out that Day is not 11's last story FML. i always forget about Name [2nd Edit: TIME OF THE DOCTOR]. perhaps there's a reason it's not included in the above diagram.]

Twelfth Doctor's top/bottom four

All agree: Heaven Sent, World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, Mummy on the Orient Express (top), Sleep No More, Kill the Moon, In the Forest of the Night (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: The Husbands of River Song (top) Tardis Guide/DWM: The Woman Who Lived (bottom) Just Tumblr: The Lie of the Land (bottom) Just DWM: Flatline (top)

More agreement than 10, less than 9. I like that the three unanimously agreed top stories of the top four are each from different series: Mummy, Heaven Sent, and WEAT/TDF. Also I really need to rewatch Sleep No More - could it be as bad as I remember?

Thirteenth Doctor's top/bottom three

All agree: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, Orphan 55 (bottom) Tumblr/Tardis Guide: Demons of the Punjab (top) Tardis Guide/DWM: The Haunting of Villa Diodati (top), Legend of the Sea Devils (bottom) Just Tumblr: Eve of the Daleks, Spyfall (top), The Vanquishers (bottom) Just Tardis Guide: Village of the Angels (top) Just DWM: Fugitive of the Judoon, The Power of the Doctor (top)

And last but not least, 13. It's tough for everyone to come together and say which episodes of hers we all liked, but it's very easy to point at and judge Ranskoor Av Kolos and Orphan 55. I think when the dust has settled a bit more, Demons and Haunting will be more universally praised as the highlights of her run, but opinions are still quite spread out at the moment.

I hope you enjoyed this meta-analysis as much as i enjoyed making a bunch of silly Venn diagrams.