10 overlooked Doctor Who scenes that secretly define the RTD2 era

Well, that's that – Russell T Davies' latest run steering the good ship Doctor Who has wrapped. As much as I'd love to imagine him coming back for a third go (this is sci-fi after all), it's looking about as likely as the TARDIS actually landing where it's supposed to. For the record, I adored Davies' first era when he revived the show back in 2005. But this time, something felt off. Less tightly plotted excitement, more mysterious set pieces and big, shouty twists that sometimes went nowhere. Still, it's not like it was a waste. Mixed in with the misfires were flashes of proper magic – moments that reminded me why I keep coming back, even after all this timey-wimey nonsense.

The Bumpy Ride: RTD2's Highs and Lows

So, Davies took charge again in 2022, nicking the controller from Chris Chibnall just in time to engineer that viral regen scene – you know, Jodie Whittaker morphing into David Tennant (again). Now, as much as I lost my head with excitement (interrupting a wedding party just to show everyone, not that any of them cared), I think that one technically belongs to Chibnall. Davies' proper return kicked off in 2023, and to be blunt, it was rocky.

• The Fourteenth Doctor Faces the Fallout
  Chibnall, for all his boldness, saddled the show with two absolute whoppers: the Timeless Child and the Flux. Genuinely ambitious ideas – one basically rewrote the Doctor's entire backstory, the other nearly destroyed half the universe for a series arc. Execution, though? Bit of a mess. The real redemption came when RTD and Tennant finally got to chew it over in Wild Blue Yonder. In just a few minutes, Tennant's Doctor – while chatting to a not-quite-there Donna – absolutely sells the weight of multiversal devastation. Instead of retconning the whole lot, Davies leaned in, forcing both Doctor and audience to finally process what had happened. It was quality.

  DONNA: 'But we haven't stopped. To talk. We haven't had a chance, it's always like that with you, running from one thing to the next, but... I saw it. In your head. The Flux.'
  THE DOCTOR: 'It destroyed half the universe. Because of me... I keep running. Of course I do. How am I supposed to look back at that?'

• The Bi-Generation Twist
  Most of us expected Tennant’s second stint as the Doctor was just for the 60th anniversary lap of honour. I was steeling myself for yet another heartbreaking exit – only for RTD to pull off an absolute blinder. Instead of swapping bodies, Tennant's Doctor split down the middle and birthed Fifteen (Ncuti Gatwa) right there alongside him. Completely unexpected, and arguably Tennant’s most memorable departure yet. Shame Davies couldn’t resist running the same party trick for the Rani a season later, cheapening the effect. I’m crossing everything that clone-style regenerations don’t become standard fare.
• The Ending of 'Dot & Bubble'
  One of Gatwa’s best scenes as the Doctor happened in an episode where he barely features. 'Dot & Bubble' is mostly Lindy Pepper-Bean (Callie Cooke) and her influencer crowd fleeing danger, until the real punch comes: their refusal to accept help from the Doctor, exposing their deep-rooted bigotry. To his credit, Davies directly engaged with the question of the Doctor’s race for the first time. Gatwa shot the final heartbreaking plea to save Lindy and co. as his very first ever scene as the Doctor – and he absolutely nailed it. Baffling to see some claim he overdid it; I thought it was perfectly pitched.
• Carole Ann Ford Finally Returns (Sort Of)
  Classic fans always wanted Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, back for one proper story. Davies at least gave us a cameo of sorts, with Ford telepathically reaching out to the Doctor during the flux of Gatwa’s swan song. It wasn’t much (if you blinked, you’d miss it), but considering RTD apparently wanted to do more before some hasty rewrites, it’s understandable. Bit underwhelming for such a beloved character, honestly.
• Steven Moffat Pens the Standout: 'Boom'
  Davies called the old guard in for 'Boom' – Steven Moffat back on scripting duties, just like old times. The episode was tense, clever, and character-driven. You could tell Davies knew he needed that bit of extra spark. My only gripe: there wasn’t one single jaw-dropping moment. Also, a last-minute near-tie-in between Varada Sethu’s two characters got teased and dropped, which felt like a missed opportunity.
• Richard E. Grant Gets Canonised
  Now, this one’s a true deep cut. In the episode 'Rogue' there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where all the Doctor's faces flash up – and right between William Hartnell and Tom Baker, Richard E. Grant’s image shows up. That’s the Shalka Doctor, who was almost an official incarnation from a long-forgotten 2003 animated miniseries. A tiny moment, but it basically means Grant’s oddball Doctor is now canon – or at least, officially acknowledged. For long-time fans, that's a bigger deal than it seems.
• The Toymaker’s Puppet Show
  When Neil Patrick Harris turned up as the Toymaker, the result was a surreal puppet show recapping the Doctor’s timeline. In lesser hands, it’d be cringey. This version worked – partly for Tennant flexing his acting muscles, but also because Davies used it to finesse some awkward continuity: blending together the Timeless Child arc and even that weird ‘half-human’ line from the 1996 film. Clever move. Also ground zero for the ‘Well, that’s alright, then!’ meme if you’re keeping score.
• The Hidden Bonus Adventure
  'Lucky Day' is one of those Doctor-lite oddities, but within it, Davies slipped in a blink-and-miss flashback to an adventure between Ruby and Fifteen that we’d never actually seen before. Not a big, showy moment – just a neat way to suggest that the Doctor’s off-screen life is as packed as his on-screen one. It’s the kind of low-key, world-building detail that always pleases me.
• The 'Midnight' Callback in 'The Well'
  Spoilers did the rounds online, but I mainly avoided them – and I’m glad, because 'The Well' is a rare treat: a full-blown stealth sequel to Davies’ 2008 classic 'Midnight'. Halfway through, the penny drops when you see Tennant’s old Doctor connected to the invisible monster from back in the day. Turns what started as a standalone into a perfect two-parter. (No doubt some fans will keep picking this apart for years.)
• All of '73 Yards'
  Look, I can’t pick just one scene. For me, '73 Yards' is in the absolute top tier of Doctor Who. The tension’s relentless, and Davies delivers a supernatural take without losing sight of the real-emotion core. There are a few standouts – Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT showing up, only to leg it immediately (some kind of existential dread, who knows?), and Ruby using her distant future self to force the Prime Minister out. Do I think Davies had all the answers? Not likely. But that’s part of what’s fun about it.

Bonus Trivia and Context

Doctor Who first aired way back in 1963 and, if you’re somehow new to all this, the Doctor’s a sort-of-immortal alien Time Lord who hops about history and the universe in a disguised police box. The trick with all those regenerations isn’t just a sci-fi cheat – it’s what’s let the show keep swapping leads, personalities, and approaches every few years. All the chaos, drama, and confusion, and half the fun is that every era feels a little bit different (for better or worse).