The Top Ten Doctor Who Episodes Ever (okay, Eleven)

This science-fiction fan is in his second childhood since those lovely people at the BBC resurrected "Doctor Who," the Guinness-certified longest-running sci-fi TV series, in 2004. Since then, fans have been attempting to overdose (well, one fan anyway) on both the styley fast-paced version of today while rewatching oldies from as far back as 1963 now available by the truckload on DVD.

An ultra-quick rundown on forty-plus years of continuity, then. Doctor Who (or simply "The Doctor") is a time-travelling alien who cavorts through the spacetime continuum by means of his spaceship known as the TARDIS disguised as an o-so-British police call box of the 1950s. He is usually accompanied by a traveling companion or three, and manages to defy death (both corporeal and televisual) by simply "regenerating" his bodily structure, thus cleverly allowing another actor to take the role. David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr. in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) is currently Doctor Who, the tenth to play the part.

This born-again teenager hereby declares the following unordered ten (okay, eleven) stories to be the greatest "Doctor Who" stories ever spun. All are available on DVD unless noted otherwise.

An Unearthly Child. The original 1963 episode, still somehow packed with mystery and fascination as though the past forty-three years had never happened at the BBC. The original Doctor Who William Hartnell is sheer brilliance here as a spooky, grumpy, cosmic character, as is the unbelievably believable William Russell, playing unflappable schoolteacher Ian Chesterson.

The Caves of Androzani. The last story of the fifth Doctor Who and clearly the best. This one's a hardcore shoot-'em-up tale of drug dealing and gun running near Alpha Centauri. At heart of the show's machinations is a compelling Phantom of the Opera-type, the madman Sharez Jek. The Doctor and his companion Peri mostly play tangential roles to the larger story as they instead seek a serum for an illness both have contracted.

Peter Davison's Doctor Who is well noted for his innocent quality together with the tragedy and death that always dogged him. The last ten minutes of episode four, with the Doctor running past piled up corpses carrying the body of his dying companion, determined not to lose another loved one, is amazing. Dark, serious, tragic…and wonderful.

City of Death and The Pirate Planet. Douglas Adams, known worldwide for his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, radio series, TV series and film, served as script editor for Doctor Who for one season and penned three scripts. These two Adams-written Doctor Who tales are witty, full of plot twists and squeeze the heavens-high fun of Tom Baker's version of Doctor Who to the hilt. "City of Death" features Julian Glover (perhaps best known for his baddie Dr. Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) as one hip bad dude.

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. When the BBC brought back "Doctor Who" in 2005 after sixteen years of near-complete absence from screens, the new "Doctor Who" team spent quite some time finding its feet in reintroducing one complex history to would-be new fans. By episodes nine and ten, though, these guys are firing on all eight cylinders and then some. This two-parter contains elements of horror, historical fiction, time travel, space opera, humor, mystery and character drama. And Chris Eccleston, who nailed the "Doctor Who" character right from the go, shows here why many think he is simply the best "Doctor Who" ever. An instant classic.

Inferno. Only twice in the long history of "Doctor Who" has our hero explored that science-fiction conceit of the "alternate universe." This is the first to do so, and the best by Doctor Who no. 3, John Pertwee. Attempting to escape his virtual imprisonment on Earth, the Doctor instead finds himself in an alternate Britain run by a fascist government.

The Mind Robber. A fantastic kitchen sink of an episode. When the oft-bumbling second Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) escapes from certain death, he lands the TARDIS in the Land of Fiction, a world inhabited by robots, unicorns, superheroes, life-sized toy soldiers, musketeers, Medusa, Gulliver, and Cyrano de Bergerac among others.

School Reunion. From the decidedly uneven quality of the 2006 season of "Doctor Who" comes this gem. "Doctor Who" digs into the archive and pulls out Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), a former companion of the Doctor, along with K-9 the robot dog, clearly the most popular supporting character in the old series.

Though one of the central time-honored traditions of the show, the concept of the Doctor Who companion has never been examined like it is here; this episode on what it means to have a relationship with the Doctor is genuinely touching and executed with care. For those interested in the sci-fi stuff, there's a ho-hum alien invasion plot at center with an absolutely brilliant performance turned in by Murray Head as the malevolent school headmaster.

Deadly Assassin. Speaking of companions, Tom Baker reportedly never understood why "Doctor Who" needed the device. "Deadly Assassin" marks the first (and thus far only) story without a traveling companion. Instead, we get tons of information on Doctor Who's home planet of Gallifrey and his oldest nemesis. "Deadly Assassin" is not yet available on DVD.

The Three Doctors and The Five Doctors. How can you choose between these two anniversary specials? "Three Doctors" was released on occasion of Doctor Who's tenth, "Five" on the twentieth. Whereas "Three" features a nice tight "Doctor Who" script with a truly chilling denouement, "Five" showcases the history of the show with more fun and in-jokes than you can wave a sonic screwdriver at.