7 New Doctor Who Episodes Only Classics Geeks Truly Understood, Ranked
The new Doctor Who is full of references to the classic era if you know where to look.
Here are seven new Doctor Who episodes that had a lot more meaning to the fans of the classics.
7. Gridlock (2007)
This season 3 episode is surely one of the most memorable ones. It features the second outing of the Macra in the entire show, with the first being 40 years earlier, in 1967’s Second Doctor’s story, The Macra Terror. Although the creatures are a minor plot device and are barely recognizable in Tennant’s episode, the hardcore classics fans definitely appreciated the effort.
6. The Stolen Earth & Journey’s End (2008)
Davros, the creator of the Daleks, makes his grand comeback in the season 4 finale… Russell T. Davies surely did everything in his power to make his return as meaningful as possible – even the new fans were terrified of Davros. Only the oldies knew what his appearance truly meant for the Doctor, though.
5. The Wedding of River Song (2011)
A complicated episode within an even more complicated story arc is what this is. However, the eye patches make a whole lot of difference in this episode. Plus, they also serve as a nice classical nod to the Third Doctor’s story Inferno and a behind-the-scenes anecdote about it.
4. The Impossible Planet & The Satan Pit (2006)
This two-episode story arc introduced the Ood, who would go on to become one of the best creations of the new Doctor Who. The classics admirers might have spotted that the Ood look surprisingly similar to the Sensorites, the alien species that the First Doctor encountered. It is canon that the Ood and the Sensorites come from the neighboring planets!
3. The Snowmen (2012)
The Great Intelligence, who the viewers first met in 1967’s The Abominable Snowmen (does the title sound familiar?), finally returns, and it has more masterfully plotted plans than ever. The classics fans were overjoyed to see this character back on the show. Who would have thought?
2. The Sound of Drums & Last of the Time Lords (2007)
The two-parter featuring the Master’s evil plan had a few awesome nods to the classics, in particular to the Axons and the Sea Devils in relation to the Master. They are not easy to catch, but are so worth it!
1. The Day of the Doctor (2013)
The 50th-anniversary special was full of nostalgia, that’s for sure. One of the best things it did was bring back the Zygons, one of the most beloved monsters from the classic Doctor Who. And it was magnificent!