List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Having ceased broadcasting in 1989, it resumed in 2005. The 2005 revival traded the earlier multi-episode serial format of the original series for a run of self-contained episodes, interspersed with occasional multi-part stories and structured into loose story arcs. Doctor Who depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, typically with companions, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating various enemies. The Doctor has been played by various actors; the transition between actors is written into the plot with the concept of regeneration, a plot device in which a Time Lord's cells regenerated when they are fatally injured or weakened from old age and they are reincarnated into a different body. Each actor's distinct portrayal represents different stages in the Doctor's life and, together, they form a single lifetime and narrative. Six actors have led the revived series in the role of the Doctor under three showrunners, beginning with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Russell T Davies as showrunner. Eccleston departed the role after the first series, succeeded by David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, who played the role for three regular series. Tennant and Davies departed following a series of specials, replaced by Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Steven Moffat as showrunner, respectively. Smith portrayed the character for three series, leaving after the 2013 specials. Peter Capaldi took over the role for three series as the Twelfth Doctor; he and Moffat departed following the 2017 Christmas special. Capaldi was replaced by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the role, as the Thirteenth Doctor; Chris Chibnall became showrunner. After three series, Whittaker and Chibnall left at the end of the 2022 specials, and Davies returned for a second term as showrunner. Tennant returned as the Fourteenth Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials, succeeded by Ncuti Gatwa, who headlined the series as the Fifteenth Doctor from 2023 to 2025. At the end of the fifteenth series, Gatwa's second series in the role, the Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into a form resembling Rose Tyler, portrayed by Billie Piper. As of 31 May 2025, 892 episodes of Doctor Who have aired. This includes one television movie and multiple specials, and encompasses 319 stories over 41 seasons, starting in 1963; out of these, 196 are from the revived series, encompassing 163 stories over 15 series and various specials. The programme's high episode count has resulted in Doctor Who holding the world record for the highest number of episodes of a science-fiction programme. As of November 2023, up to a seventeenth series of the revived era has been planned. The story numbers below are meant as a guide to placement in the overall context of the programme. The numbering scheme in this list follows the official website's episode guide; other sources sometimes diverge in their numbering.