When we consider the stories in this list of Doctor-lite tales, it is clear that necessity is the mother of invention – these are some of our favourites!

 

‘The Girl Who Waited’ (2011)

Hampered by susceptibility to a nasty plague which attacks dual-hearted species, the Eleventh Doctor remained in the TARDIS for this tale of two Amy Ponds.

With Karen Gillian in dual roles, Rory is left with a heart-breaking decision as he has to choose between two versions of the woman he loves.

 

‘The Crimson Horror’ (2013)

With the Doctor absent for the first act of the tale, we are counting Mark Gatiss’ Victorian horror story as Doctor-lite.

Its focus is principally on the Paternoster Road gang, as Jenny Flint goes undercover to investigate goings on at Mrs Gillyflower’s Sweetville development. When she does discover the Doctor, he is bright red, having fallen foul of the villain’s scheme.

 

Honourable mention: ‘Midnight’ (2008)

If ‘Turn Left’ counts as the Doctor-lite tale of David Tennant’s third year, ‘Midnight’ was the Companion-lite adventure, only featuring Donna Noble in bookending scenes.

While she enjoyed the opportunity to relax on the planet of Midnight, the Time Lord became involved in a fight for his life when the tour bus he was travelling on came under attack from a mysterious entity capable of mimicking speech patterns.

 

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Which Doctor-lite episode is your favourite? Let us know below…