The 10 Best Doctor Who Spin-off Stories, Ranked

Doctor Who’s spin-offs like Class have produced plenty of quality stories, with some fans considering them greater than episodes from the main show.

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There is no better way to expand the scope of a fictional universe than with spin-offs, and this is something that Doctor Who has explored on numerous occasions. As far back as 1981, viewers were treated to a pilot for the further adventures of Sarah Jane Smith and K9, entitled K9 & Company, and the Russell T Davies era saw the birth of two spin-offs, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood.

These success stories led to the commission of the Steven Moffat era’s own spin-off creation, Class, which focused on the students of Coal Hill Academy and received high praise from critics. The spin-off shows have produced plenty of highly-regarded stories, with some fans even considering them greater than episodes from the main show.

10 “For Tonight We Might Die”

Out of any spin-off, Class perhaps had a harder task in regards to capturing the audience’s interests. With no major reoccurring characters returning from the main show, Class’s first episode “For Tonight We Might Die” had to not only establish the show’s central premise but also make viewers care enough about a whole new cast of leads that they would continue watching.

The episode succeeds triumphantly, introducing us not only to the tears in time that lead the extra-terrestrial threats to the school but also to the series’ big bad the Shadow Kin, who are seeking Charlie’s Cabinet of Souls. It feels as though Ram, April, and the gang have always been around, and the Doctor’s guest appearance is an inspired decision, helping to tie the series more firmly into the main show’s continuity.

9 “The Nightmare Man”

An unfortunate aspect of shows featuring a child cast is that eventually the children will reach adulthood, and this was a problem that The Sarah Jane Adventures found itself in during season 4 when a now twenty-year-old Tommy Knight decided to leave the show. In response, writer Joseph Lidster drafted the story “The Nightmare Man,” which would see Luke leave Bannerman Road for Oxford University.

The result is one of the show’s darkest narratives, taking an almost Freddy Krueger-style turn with the introduction of the Nightmare Man, a powerful entity who feeds on people’s bad dreams. This episode is an extremely clever piece of television, exploring through a sci-fi context the anxieties faced by Luke as he is about to leave his home to pursue further education.

8 “A Day In The Death”

Arriving eight episodes into Torchwood’s second season, “A Day In The Death” is the closing chapter in the arc surrounding Owen’s demise, and also one of the show’s strongest episodes. It features the series’ third guest appearance of Doctor Who companion Martha Jones and delves into some of the program’s darkest themes.

“A Day In The Death” is a powerful piece as Owen converses with a woman on the brink of suicide and comes to terms with his own predicament as a man who was resurrected from the dead. It’s a philosophical exploration of Owen’s type of immortality, and the drawbacks it poses such as his inability to digest food or heal from injuries, which he faces on a daily basis.

7 “The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did”

An unfortunate casualty of being set within one Earthbound location is that it can restrict the storytelling avenues available to explore. In the penultimate installment of Class, “The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did,” writer Patrick Ness expands the show’s horizons considerably, which had otherwise mostly been set within the school surroundings, and the end result is highly impressive.

This episode presents one of the spin-off’s most imaginative stories as it follows alien physics teacher Miss Quill’s journey across fantastical lands that represent people’s thoughts or beliefs. Featuring stunning visuals and an epic fight sequence between Quill and her alien refugee boyfriend Ballon, this episode is easily one of the strongest entries in the Doctor Who universe.

6 “Countrycide”

Torchwood featured some dark stories across its four seasons, but perhaps the show’s most horrific tale was in the episode “Countrycide.” Penned by one of Doctor Who’s best showrunners Chris Chibnall, this episode is often thought to be one of the writer’s greatest pieces of television.

The one element that most makes”‘Countrycide” stand out is the way it plays with the viewers’ expectations. Throughout the audience is teased by a suspected alien threat lurking in the village of Brecon Beacons, only for it to be revealed that the malignant force behind the village’s gruesome deaths was humanity all along. It’s a chilling reminder of how sometimes human beings can pose the greatest danger to themselves.

5 “Detained”

Bottle episodes can be an effective way of developing a show’s main characters, revealing new aspects of their personality which can result in the audience viewing them in a new light. The Russell T Davies era explored this avenue to critical acclaim with the episode “Midnight” – which some consider Doctor Who’s scariest episode – and this is clearly something Patrick Ness tried to replicate, with the Class episode “Detained.”

This episode’s central premise revolves around an extra-terrestrial inmate trapped inside an asteroid prison, who forces the Class kids to confess some home truths. It’s a dramatically engaging narrative that develops the relationship of the central characters considerably while giving the actors the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their magnificent acting talents.

4 “The Curse Of Clyde Langer”

For a children’s series, The Sarah Jane Adventures was a show that was not afraid to delve into more mature themes. It covered a variety of important topics ranging from the emotional impact left on children by absentee fathers to the slave trade, but perhaps the most successful story in this area was “The Curse Of Clyde Langer.”

One of the best episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, “The Curse Of Clyde Langer” portrays Clyde’s loved ones all turning against him because of a curse bestowed on the hapless teen. In some of the most heartbreaking scenes, Clyde finds himself living on the streets where he meets a homeless girl named Ellie Faber. This exploration of homelessness is one of the best on TV, and its ambiguous ending leaves a lasting impact, with Ellie’s whereabouts by the end a mystery.

3 “Children Of Earth”

When Torchwood’s third season aired in 2009, it was under a totally new format, with the previous thirteen-episode “monster-of-the-week” structure replaced with a serialized five-part adventure. “Children Of Earth” is such an impressive piece of television that it’s considered by some to be the best modern Doctor Who story.

“Children Of Earth” is one of this universe’s most chilling stories, imbued with such strong political undertones that at times it feels startlingly close to how the real government would react towards this predicament. Its central antagonists, aliens known as the “456” who use children as recreational drugs, are among the most unnerving to feature within this world, which helps to make this story Torchwood’s finest hour.

2 “The Wedding Of Sarah Jane Smith”

For two years, the Doctor would fail to appear in The Sarah Jane Adventures. In season 3, however, things would be different, as the Time Lord finally made his grand appearance in “The Wedding Of Sarah Jane Smith,” an episode that would see him come face to face with Sarah Jane’s arch-nemesis, the Trickster.

This much-anticipated crossover event did not disappoint, as the Doctor’s tenth incarnation found himself teaming up with Luke, Clyde, and Rani to ensure that Sarah Jane did not marry the man she thought she knew. Boasting a sensational guest turn from actor Nigel Havers, and some of David Tennant’s finest moments as the Doctor, “The Wedding Of Sarah Jane Smith” is one of the most outstanding spin-off stories.

1 “The Death Of The Doctor”

After the success of “The Wedding Of Sarah Jane Smith,” it was only a matter of time before the Doctor would cross paths in The Sarah Jane Adventures again. That moment came in 2010’s “The Death Of The Doctor,” this time starring Matt Smith, as well as the return of Katy Manning as classic Doctor Who companion Jo Grant.

With a strong narrative hook regarding the Shansheeth’s fake funeral for the Doctor, some terrific dialogue by Russell T Davies, and some of the most memorable Doctor and companion exchanges yet, “The Death Of The Doctor” is a phenomenal story. It acts as the perfect love letter to Doctor Who’s classic series while delivering a narrative that constantly enthralls the audience.

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