Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi episode voted greatest of all time

A Doctor Who fan poll has crowned an episode from Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi’s era as the best ever.

Capaldi headlined Doctor Who from August 2014 to December 2017. Prior to this, he had a cameo as the Twelfth Doctor in 2013’s 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” before taking over from his predecessor, Matt Smith, in that year’s Christmas special, “The Time of the Doctor.”

All told, Capaldi’s tenure in the TARDIS amounted to 35 stories and 40 episodes. It was overseen by showrunner Steven Moffat, who was also in charge of Smith’s stint as the Eleventh Doctor. Other personnel who stayed after Smith’s exit included Jenna Coleman, who portrayed the Doctor’s companion Clara Oswald until December 2015.

Following Coleman’s departure, Capaldi starred opposite Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas, who played new companions Bill Potts and Nardole, respectively. His final appearance as the Twelfth Doctor was in the 2017 Christmas Special “Twice Upon a Time.”

Peter Capaldi Doctor Who episode voted greatest of all time

Capaldi’s performance in that episode garnered critical acclaim, however, many fans don’t rate it as his finest hour. Instead, that honor goes to Series 9 Episode 11, “Heaven Sent,” which recently topped Doctor Who Magazine‘s poll of the best Doctor Who stories ever made.

35.1% of the publication’s readers voted for the episode, in which the Twelfth Doctor has to escape a mysterious castle. This was enough for it to edge out the other Doctor Who stories from across the franchise’s 60-year history that also made the Top 10, such as “The Caves of Androzani,” “Remembrance of the Daleks,” and “Blink.”

Moffat addressed “Heaven Sent” topping the poll on X, declaring that he and Capaldi were both “thrilled” by the result. The former Doctor Who showrunner also quipped that he and Capaldi have approached the episode’s director, Rachel Talalay, about continuing the Twelfth Doctor’s adventures with action figures.

An Eighth Doctor spinoff may be in the works

While Moffat and Capaldi’s toy-powered Doctor Who show won’t be hitting screens any time soon, other series veterans recently mounted comebacks in the Tales of the TARDIS spinoff. This includes past Doctors Peter Davison (The Fifth Doctor), Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor), and Sylvester McCoy (The Seventh Doctor), who all star in the six-part series.

What’s more, a source close to the BBC claims that current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies is developing a spinoff headlined by Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor. The BBC is yet to publicly confirm or deny that such a project is in the works, however.

For all the latest Doctor Who content, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.