It was 2007. David Tennant was settling into his pinstriped suit, and the BBC was about to find out if the show could survive losing Rose Tyler. Honestly, people were skeptical. Replacing Billie Piper felt like a massive gamble at the time, but looking back, Series 3 Doctor Who didn't just survive; it defined what the modern era of the show could actually achieve. It gave us Martha Jones. It gave us the Master's return. It gave us "Blink."
You probably remember the Weeping Angels. Most people do. But there is so much more to this specific run of thirteen episodes than just jump scares and statues. It’s where Russell T. Davies really started to flex his muscles as a showrunner, blending high-concept sci-fi with some pretty heavy emotional baggage.
The Martha Jones Problem (And Why People Got It Wrong)
Freema Agyeman had a tough job. She had to follow a character who was literally the center of the Doctor's universe. Because of that, a lot of fans back then were—frankly—a bit mean about Martha. They saw her as a rebound. But if you rewatch it now, Martha Jones is arguably the most capable companion of the entire "New Who" era. She’s a medical student. She’s smart. She’s independent. Unlike Rose, who sort of stumbled into the TARDIS, Martha was already a professional-in-training when she met the Doctor in a hospital on the moon.
The moon. In "Smith and Jones," we see her keeping her cool while the air is running out and space rhinos (the Judoon) are stomping around looking for a criminal. It’s a brilliant introduction. But the show did something risky with her character: it made her love for the Doctor unrequited. It was painful to watch sometimes. The Doctor was so busy moping about Rose that he barely noticed Martha saved the world about a dozen times over.
Shakespeare, Witches, and the Macra
The season moves fast. One week you're in Elizabethan London dealing with Carrionites (basically alien witches who use words as science), and the next you're stuck in a gridlock in the far future. "Gridlock" is actually a hidden gem. It’s the third time the show visited New Earth, but it felt different. It brought back the Macra—giant crabs from a 1967 Patrick Troughton story. It was a deep-cut fan service moment before "Easter eggs" were even a mainstream thing.
Then things get weird. "The Lazarus Experiment" features Mark Gatiss as a man trying to live forever, which ends up looking like a giant CGI scorpion-man. It’s a bit 2007-era graphics-heavy, sure. But the themes of mortality are what matter. The Doctor's loneliness starts to peak here. He’s a god-like figure who can’t stop people from wanting to be like him, even when it’s dangerous.
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Human Nature: The Soul of the Series
If you want to argue that Series 3 Doctor Who is the best, you have to talk about the "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" two-parter. It’s based on a 1995 novel by Paul Cornell, but the TV adaptation is something else entirely. The Doctor becomes human. He becomes John Smith. He forgets he’s an alien.
Watching David Tennant play a timid, ordinary schoolteacher in 1913 is heartbreaking. He falls in love with Nurse Joan Redfern. He doesn’t want to go back to being the Doctor.
"He’s like fire and ice and rage. He’s like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun."
That quote from Tim Latimer describes the Doctor we know, but John Smith is just a man. When he eventually has to "die" so the Doctor can return and save the world from the Family of Blood, it’s a tragedy. It raises a question the show rarely asks: is the Doctor actually a good person, or just a necessary one? The way he punishes the Family at the end—trapping them in time for eternity—is genuinely terrifying. It shows the "Oncoming Storm" side of his personality that Tennant played so well.
Don't Blink
Then came the episode that changed everything. "Blink." Steven Moffat wrote this one as a "Doctor-lite" episode because the production schedule was too tight. It’s a masterpiece of tension. We get Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow, a character so good people are still annoyed she never became a full-time companion.
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The Weeping Angels are the perfect Doctor Who villain because they play on a primal fear. Everyone has played statues as a kid. The idea that something only moves when you aren't looking is genius. It’s also incredibly cheap to film, which is the ultimate Doctor Who win. You just need a costume and a talented actor who can stay very, very still. It won a Hugo Award for a reason. It’s tight, it’s scary, and it barely features the main character.
The Master Returns and the Year That Never Was
The finale. "Utopia," "The Sound of Drums," and "Last of the Time Lords." Seeing Derek Jacobi turn into the Master was a "scream at the TV" moment for long-term fans. Then he regenerates into John Simm, who plays the Master like a manic, drumming rock star. It’s the perfect foil for Tennant’s Doctor.
The Master takes over the world. He turns the TARDIS into a paradox machine. He enslaves humanity for a whole year. And who saves the day? Martha Jones. She spends a year walking the Earth, telling stories about the Doctor. She doesn't use a gun or a magic wand; she uses the power of myth.
The resolution—where the Doctor is restored by the psychic energy of everyone thinking his name at once—is a bit "Tinkerbell" for some people's tastes. It’s definitely very 2000s BBC. But the emotional payoff is huge. Martha decides to leave. She realizes she’s too good to be someone’s second choice. It’s one of the most empowering exits for a companion in the history of the show. She walks away with her head high, joins UNIT, and keeps her own life.
Why This Run Still Matters Today
Most TV shows struggle in their third year. They get lazy or run out of ideas. Series 3 did the opposite. It expanded the lore of the Time War, brought back the Doctor's greatest rival, and experimented with format in ways that still influence the show today. Without the success of "Blink," we might never have seen the experimental episodes of the Peter Capaldi or Jodie Whittaker eras.
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It also grounded the Doctor. We saw his flaws—his arrogance, his tendency to treat companions like playthings, and his genuine fear of being alone. It’s a messy, beautiful, chaotic season of television.
If you're looking to dive back into Series 3 Doctor Who, there are a few things you should do to get the most out of the experience. Don't just binge it in the background while you're on your phone.
- Watch "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" as a standalone film. The cinematography and acting are on a different level compared to the rest of the season. Pay attention to the way Tennant changes his voice and posture when he's John Smith versus when he's the Doctor.
- Look for the "Mr. Saxon" clues. Russell T. Davies loved a long-game teaser. From the very first episode, there are posters, mentions on the news, and subtle hints about the Master’s return. It’s fun to see how early the trap was set.
- Appreciate the music. Murray Gold was at the top of his game here. The "Martha’s Theme" is hopeful but slightly melancholic, and "The Master’s Theme" (the four-beat drum rhythm) became an iconic part of the show's DNA.
- Compare Martha to Rose. Instead of seeing Martha as a replacement, look at her as a critique of the Doctor. She’s the one who calls him out on his behavior. Her departure is a key moment in the Doctor's character development that leads directly into the darker tones of Series 4.
The show has changed a lot since 2007. The budgets are bigger now, and the effects are better. But the heart of this season—the storytelling, the risks, and the introduction of some of the most terrifying monsters in sci-fi history—remains untouched. It’s a masterclass in how to evolve a reboot while staying true to its 1963 roots.
Next time you're scrolling through a streaming service and can't find anything to watch, go back to "Smith and Jones." Watch the hospital vanish. Watch the Doctor pull a tie out of his pocket and realize he's on the moon. It’s pure magic. No follow-up questions needed—just sit back and watch the man in the blue box run.
To truly understand the impact of this era, compare the pacing of "Blink" to modern horror films; you'll find that the "less is more" approach with the Angels is still a gold standard for building suspense. Additionally, tracking the evolution of the "Face of Boe" storyline through to its final revelation in "Gridlock" provides one of the most satisfying long-term payoffs in the franchise's history. These aren't just episodes; they are the building blocks of a cultural phenomenon that refuses to die.