Doctor Who: Ranking the top 10 David Tennant episodes

4. “The Girl in the Fireplace” Season 2, Episode 4

Wow, “The Girl in the Fireplace.” What do I say about an episode that has stood the test of time and continues to be the talk of Whovians across the world? Nothing that others haven’t already said before, but one thing is for sure: it’s beloved, and it deserves to be.

In fact, during the recent lockdown, former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat wrote a sequel to this famous episode. Sophia Myles, who played Madame de Pompadour, even came back to provide the narration:

David Tennant’s performance in this episode arc is memorable in a number of ways. “The Girl in the Fireplace” involves the Doctor falling in love with the real-life Frenchwoman Madame de Pompadour. Throughout her life, the Doctor would show up to protect her from evil androids, but this particular visit is different from the rest.

The episode ends on a rather tragic note, with the Doctor entering Pompadour’s time stream seven years after her death. I still remember crying my eyes out because Tennant plays that scene so incredibly well; you could sense the loss the Doctor felt at that moment. I’ll never forget the look on his face when it set in that she was gone…and he was too late.

All these years later, I look back fondly on Tennant’s performance in “The Girl in the Fireplace” and recall how special it was to see the Doctor fall in love. Bravo, David Tennant, Bravo!