I’ve seen multiple rankings of all the Doctor Who episodes (or just all the modern ones) recently, and they all have been horribly wrong. I know this because they don’t match mine, and mine are correct. That’s just the way the universe is. Obviously I will have to fix this.

OK, if I’m going to rank all the modern Doctor Who episodes, let’s start with the minisodes. And there are a lot of them, and many of them are hardly stories. With that in mind, I’ll skip anything that was intended as an intro or break for a film, musical production, or non-Who TV show, or anything which is a game or part of a game show. I’ll also skip cut scenes (like Born Again) or episode prequels (there are a lot of them). Few of them are required viewing in any case (only the two Lady Vastra ones that act as prequels to The Snowmen really need to be searched for). Though in some cases, the “minisode” prequel is a bit more, in which case I’ve included it.

#17

Death is the Only Answer

The Doctor meets Albert Einstein in the TARDIS. Written by school children who won a competition. Well, hard to say mean things about something written by children.

#16

Good as Gold

Another episode written by children. Eleven and Amy want to go on an adventure and instead end up saving the spirit of the Olympics. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like it would be. Again, don’t want to say mean things about something written by children.

#15

Rain Gods

Eleven and River are on a bad date, having been captured to be sacrificed to the Rain Gods. Barely even a joke, it is too short and too inconsequential to bother with.

#14

The Last Day

Shows a soldier waking up after having a cyber implant during the Time War. This could be considered a prequel to The Day of the Doctor. Whatever you consider it, it is unnecessary.

#13

P.S.

Brian, Rory’s Father, gets a letter from Amy and Rory after they are stuck in time due to the weeping angels. It wasn’t shot, so is just drawings. It tells us that they ended up happy, but we knew that already.

#12

Clara and the TARDIS

Clara is being kept up at night by a jealous (or just spiteful) TARDIS. It could have been good if it went somewhere, but at just over 2 minutes, it is a beginning waiting for an ending.

#11

Bad Night / Good Night (Night and the Doctor 1 & 2)

Amy catches Eleven sneaking in at night, revealing that he has a whole night life that she is not a part of. It tries to bring up a problem from the end of season 5 which didn’t need being brought up.

#10

Meanwhile in the Tardis Part 1

Perhaps I should be counting this as a cut scene. It is a conversation between Amy and Eleven when she first boards the TARDIS. It seems out of character for Amy, or at least like she is on amphetamines.

#9

Pond Life

A series of comical vignettes showing how odd Amy and Rory’s lives are even when they are not with The Doctor. It sticks in their relationship falling apart at the end, which doesn’t work here any better than it worked on the regular episodes in season 7. I’d rank it higher without that ending.

#8

The Inforarium

A follow up on The Doctor eliminating himself from the universe’s databases. It isn’t much, but adds a bit to the canon and is worth a smile. The first of the shorts I’d recommend putting in an effort to see.

#7

First Night / Last Night (Night and the Doctor 3 & 4)

Eleven attempts to have a date with River, but finds it being interrupted by other Rivers from different points in time. River is wonderful, and nice to see their relationship actually developing—even if they lack chemistry.

#6

Meanwhile in the Tardis Part 2

Amy flirting with Eleven before he grabs Rory out of his stag party. The Doctor explains why he needs companions, which should come up as a subject a bit more often.

#5

The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later

Strax awakens after The Battle of Demons Run and is invited by Lady Vastra and Jenny to join them. Anything with Vastra and Jenny is worthwhile. Strangely, it does not explain Strax’s lesser intelligence in future episodes.

#4

The Doctor’s Meditation

The Doctor (Twelve) goes off to meditate, but instead sets the medieval locals to all kinds of silly tasks. Yes, there’s no question this is a prequel to The Magician’s Apprentice, but it is also the best moments, so far, of Peter Capaldi’s doctor, so I’m keeping it here. Twelve needs some time being light and funny and this does the trick nicely.

#3

Time Crash

Ten meets Five. It’s all fan service, and Peter Davison is looking far too old to play himself, but who cares? For a very brief short, it’s good fun.

#2

Space / Time

Due to very understandable cause—Amy in a skirt standing on a glass floor—the TARDIS ends up inside the TARDIS, but a few seconds off in time. It’s one of the funnier minisodes, and Amy flirting with herself is worth the price of admission.

#1

The Night of the Doctor

It is hard to imagine why they didn’t include this in an episode or special. They could have expanded this short to a full-length ep, or better yet, a full season. It is only the second time Paul McGann has appeared on screen as The Doctor. It covers the end of his time as Eight, and is more evidence that McGann’s Doctor would have been one of the best.