Best Of Who Awards: Top 5 Greatest Title Sequences

At the heart of every great television show is a great title sequence to open it- and Doctor Who has had its fair share of them. Find out our picks of the best...
Often, when it comes to assessing both the 'classic' and 'modern' eras of Doctor Who, it's all-too-easy to neglect one of the most consistently evolving elements of the show from its half-century history: the theme tune and the title sequence accompanying it. We've had a dazzling variety of renditions of the Time Vortex, the TARDIS' flight through it and a host of actors' faces appearing within it over the years, which means it's only right that we should rank the best renditions so far.

Sufficed to say that in order to pick five title sequences which best demonstrate the Doctor Who production team at their most creative and effective, we've had to be rather brutal in terms of 'trimming the fat' and cutting a large number of great sequences from the list. Here, though, is the final ranked shortlist that this particular writer reckons summarises the show's Top 5 Greatest Title Sequences:
5. SERIES ONE-THREE (2005-2007)- The first entry on this list is perhaps an inevitable one. When Rose first broadcast on our screens on March 13th, 2005, were it to have opened with a silly and poorly animated title sequence, the production team could have killed Doctor Who's chances at a strong revival right from the off. Thankfully, the opposite was true of this stunning revival, a sequence which simultaneously provided a breathtaking new rendition of the show's iconic theme tune, not to mention this writer's personal favourite rendition of the Time Vortex since Who's very inception.

4. SEASON NINETEEN-TWENTY ONE (1981-1984)- In the duration of its classic run, Doctor Who had a number of memorable opening title sequences. For this writer, though, it was that which saw us through the Peter Davison era which fully conveyed the wonder of science-fiction allowing the viewer exploration of time and space in the course of twenty five minutes each week. This version of the title sequence was used also in both the Tom Baker and Colin Baker eras, but in my personal opinion it was during Davison's time on the show that it had its most effective implementation.

3. SERIES SEVEN PART TWO (2012-PRESENT)- What with the rapidly fluctuating themed logos presented in the title sequence of Series Seven's first half in 2012, few could have guessed that the current Doctor Who production team would elect to dramatically alter the 2010 title sequence altogether come their Christmas Special The Snowmen. That's exactly what happened, though, and thank goodness- restoring a brief glimpse of the Eleventh Doctor's face into the Time Vortex, not to mention an improved whimsical foray through the stars that seemed based on the Sylvester McCoy titles, this latest version of the opening titles does a worthy job of carrying the show into its 50th Anniversary with boldness and sheer bombast.

2. THE MOVIE (1996)- It would not come as a surprise to this writer if this particular inclusion ends up becoming a tad controversial with some series veterans among our readership. Indeed, Doctor Who's 1996 TV Movie has sparked intense debate in terms of quality, continuity and various other aspects of its gleaming Hollywood-encrested bonnet ever since its broadcast. Nevertheless, to me, the new rendition of the theme tune that accompanied a bold CGI-enhanced version of the title sequence did wonders for the Movie's opening, and despite the rather Americanized font style used to display the names of the actors involved, this seemed a brilliant sequence to accompany future episodes of the Paul McGann era should they ever have entered production.

1. SERIES FOUR & THE SPECIALS (2008-2009)- At first, perhaps it seems peculiar to some readers that my selection of the greatest title sequence rendered for Doctor Who echoes that of another choice on the list. However, once you listen to the initial rendition of the new series' title sequence in comparison to that version introduced for Series Four until the culmination of the Russell T Davies era, you'll notice a number of improved aspects- an additional fast-paced and action-ready melody atop of the traditional theme tune is the most notable addition. Seemingly representative of the fact that Who had evolved into a blockbuster, thrilling format of action-focused adventures, this updated version of the 2005 incarnation of the title sequence represents quintessential Doctor Who, an explosive introduction sure to excite any fan at the prospect of watching a new episode.