Playing the Doctor for three seasons and four specials, Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor is one of the best incarnations of the iconic role. With his inherent love of bow ties and fezzes, the 11th Doctor is certainly the most quirky and hilarious incarnation of the modern era of Doctor Who. Following an iconic and pitch-perfect performance from David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, Matt Smith had a very difficult job as the 11th Doctor. However, Smith immediately made it his own, and with his first ever episode and his odd combination of fish sticks and custard, fans fell in love with his version, making the role his own.
Update August 27, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great episodes featuring Matt Smith as the worlds most famous Time Lord.
In his three years as the Doctor, Matt Smith appeared in many brilliant episodes that are among the best in the modern era of Doctor Who. So, grab your sonic screwdrivers and fasten your bow tie, as we rank all the best Doctor Who episodes featuring the 11th Doctor.
12 The Angels Take Manhattan
This heartbreaking episode delivers everything fans love about the show. A terrifying return of the infamous Weeping Angels, a stunning noir-themed time period, and compelling, incredibly emotional writing. "The Angels Take Manhattan" is an action-packed story and another brilliant use of the Weeping Angels. However, the real draw was the fantastic yet deeply gut-punching end to Amy Pond and Rory Williams. As well as featuring River Song, the death of Amy and Rory breaks the Doctor and the audience in one of the 11th Doctor's most emotional moments.
11 A Town Called Mercy
Amazingly, Doctor Who hadn't done a cowboy-themed episode since 1966's "The Gunfighters". Enter "A Town Called Mercy", which sees the Doctor, Amy, and Rory traveling to the Wild West, where they encounter a cyborg known as the Gunslinger, who is keeping the small town of Mercy hostage until its residents hand over an alien doctor called Kahler-Jex. Penned by frequent series writer Toby Whithouse, the episode has all the cowboy hijinks you'd expect from an episode set in the time period. However, it also has a lot of depth too, with the Doctor facing a moral conundrum with no easy answer. Plus, there's a nice twist that keeps things interesting.
10 The Lodger
On the face of it, series five episode "The Lodger" shouldn't work. It sees the Doctor stuck on present-day Earth and, with Amy Pond trapped in a TARDIS that refuses to materialize, he decides to become the lodger of a normal bloke called Craig - who is played by James Corden and has a crush on his best friend, Sophie - in order to help with his investigation.
It's a small-stakes, low-budget episode that also happens to be hilarious. Smith's whacky performance, his excellent chemistry with Corden, as well as the brilliantly written dialogue, make what should have been a forgettable dud, a truly entertaining showcase for the Eleventh Doctor.
9 The Time of The Doctor
As Matt Smith’s final episode, “The Time of The Doctor” had a lot to live up to, and gave Matt Smith a satisfying and emotional end to his character. Thankfully, “The Time of The Doctor” certainly delivers. Having the Doctor protect the town of Christmas from an onslaught of attacks from his deadliest foes. The Cybermen, Weeping Angels, and, of course, the Daleks; this episode is action-packed and sees the Doctor in his weakest state yet.
At least before he unleashes some very powerful regeneration attacks on the Daleks. The regeneration scene is of course, very emotional, but “Time of the Doctor” is the perfect end, and we could not wish for a better ending or overall episode.
8 The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
Series five two-parter, "The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone" was where Matt Smith really got to show off what he could do. Featuring the fearsome Weeping Angels, in what was their second appearance, the story revolves around the Doctor, Amy, and River Song navigating a stone labyrinth filled with the preserved remains of an ancient race that are taking on the form of Angels. Tense and chilling from beginning to end, these two episodes proved to be the perfect way to bring back one of the Doctor's worst foes, reintroduce the character of River Song, and display the full range of acting talent that Smith could bring to the role.
7 The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
Kicking off with the surprising death of The Doctor in the opening few minutes, these episodes pull out all the stops and get the sixth season off to a truly epic start. The tension in "The Impossible Astronaut" builds and builds, until it culminates in a cliffhanger that had the jaws of fans on the floor when it first aired in 2011.
Then they tuned in the following week, only for "Day of the Moon” to do exactly the same. Set primarily around the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, the two-parter sets up the main story arc of the series, and introduces a terrifying new villain in the form of The Silence. Bigger brasher, and bolder than what had come before, these episodes marked the beggining of the Eleventh Doctor's second season, and they did so with style.
6 The Eleventh Hour
As the first appearance of the 11th Doctor, fans were skeptical of how Matt Smith could follow David Tennant's turn as the iconic protagonist. Fortunately, Smith became a new favorite for fans, and “The Eleventh Hour” is one of the episodes to thank for that. The episode was an engaging, action-packed, and adrenaline-fueled ride from the start, introducing fans to the cracks, which are prolific throughout Matt Smith’s turn as the Doctor.
Likewise, we are introduced to the unique villain known as Prisoner Zero, who can shape-shift into any life form that he has seen before, and for most of the episode, is the incredible Olivia Colman. The episode's end is one for the ages, as Matt Smith delivers an exciting speech before cementing himself as the 11th Doctor in his iconic tweed suit and bow tie.
5 The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
Acting as the series five finale, "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang" delivers everything fans love about the show and so much more. Taking place in several locations and timelines, from ancient Roman Britain to stone henge to a present-day museum, this two-partner is an epic culmination of the 13 episodes prior.
The plot revolves around the Pandorica, a large box-like prison designed for keeping the biggest threat to the universe in. Which is where things get interesting, as The Doctor's greatest foes, including the Daleks, the Cybermen, Sontarans, Judoon, and more, deduce that it is he who poses the greatest threat to the universe, and so they try to imprison him. Featuring more twists and turns than anyone could predict, and an epic speech delivered to by Matt Smith, "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang" is an emotional, exciting, and near-perfect Doctor Who story.
4 The Doctor's Wife
Acclaimed sci-fi and fantasy writer Neil Gaiman contributed two episodes to Matt Smith's run of Doctor Who. One - series 7's "Nightmare in Silver" - was a big disappointment, the other, however, was far from it. "The Doctor's Wife" essentially asks the question, "What if the Doctor's beloved time machine came to life?", and from that starting point, a lot of fun is had. When the Doctor receives a message from a junkyard planet in a bubble universe he, along with Amy and Rory go to investigate.
There, they encounter a malevolent living planet (voiced by Michael Sheen) intent on stealing the TARDIS, and a human woman called Idris (Suranne Jones) who has absorbed the time machine's matrix. This leads to some great scenes where The Doctor gets to have a conversation with the TARDIS for the first time. Delightfully written and excellently performed, "The Doctor's Wife" has gone down in history as one of Doctor Who's most original episodes.
3 A Christmas Carol
Christmas special episodes can be rather hit or miss. If they're not a big event episode like the one above, they're normally just watered-down, family-friendly stories designed to suit a mass audience on Christmas day. Then there's "A Christmas Carol", which is not only one of the strongest Eleventh Doctor episodes, it's one of the best Christmas specials of them all. Loosely based on the novel by Charles Dickens, it sees the Doctor using time travel to convince a curmudgeonly old man (played by Michael Gambon) to save a spaceship that is about to crash into a planet's surface. It's a beautifully told tale, and a neat spin on the classic story, that is perfect viewing all year round.
2 Vincent and The Doctor
The 11th Doctor's first season contained many great episodes, one of which being “Vincent and the Doctor”. The episode is packed with exceptional writing from Richard Curtis, heartfelt emotion, and brilliant dialogue. Similarly, the performances from Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Tony Curran (Vincent van Gogh) were compelling and layered, forcing audiences to care for Vincent. It’s also very sweet how much Van Gogh cared about Amy, and if they were ever to form a relationship, it would be very cute.
Likewise, seeing Bill Nighy appear and interact with Matt Smith’s Doctor was a welcomed delight and a highlight of the episode. “Vincent and The Doctor” delivers one of the best episodes in the hit show about a historical figure. It's ending moments still make viewers cry all these years later.
1 The Day of the Doctor
Was there really any competition? Featuring three Doctors, Billie Piper making a brilliant appearance, as well as telling a tragic yet very important story of the Doctor, “The Day of the Doctor” is Matt Smith's best episode. As the 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor'' celebrates everything Doctor Who, making it the perfect Doctor Who episode ever. Celebrating every incarnation of the Doctor, from the very first Doctor played by William Hartnell, all the way to the Twelfth Doctor played by Peter Capaldi, who at that point, hadn’t yet played the Doctor but was just cast.
Sporting an all-star Doctor Who cast, with Matt Smith, David Tennant, Billie Piper, and the incredible John Hurt making his appearance as the War Doctor, “The Day of The Doctor” is truly something special. Written by Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall, Mark Gatiss, and Richard Curtis, just to name a few, “The Day of the Doctor” is an exciting, emotional, and hilarious Doctor Who episode that is easily among the best.