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WHO446: Four hundred and forty-five episodes. Nearly twelve years. Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin close out the current run of Secrets of Doctor Who with a retrospective unlike any other — pulling real download data, debating favorite Doctors and companions, and taking an honest look at where the show has been and where it’s going.

The numbers tell a story. The Thirteenth Doctor ranks near the top not because Jodie Whittaker was the most beloved, but because fans were tuning in weekly during her era. The Eighth Doctor ranks surprisingly high, thanks largely to the explosive popularity of “Night of the Doctor.” And the Fourteenth Doctor sits near the bottom — perhaps the audience had something to say about that era.

Dom shares his experience going through Classic Who for the first time — a journey that confirmed his long-held admiration for the Third Doctor’s calm authority and underscored why Patrick Troughton remains the actor who saved the show. Jimmy makes his case for the Second and Seventh Doctors, while Dom champions Jamie McCrimmon and the Brigadier as the gold standard of classic companions.

Both agree that the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor years represent the high point of new Doctor Who — and both are candid about what happened afterward. Russell T. Davies’ second era failed to recapture the magic of his first run. Now with RTD leaving after the 2026 Christmas special and Disney gone, the question is whether the BBC has learned its lesson.

The episode closes with Jimmy sharing two ideas he would pitch to Big Finish: a River Song story that retroactively links her to Cameca from “The Aztecs,” and a third Word Lord story that pits Nobody No One against his mirror image, Everybody Everyone — with the characters weaponizing language itself to fight back.

Secrets of Doctor Who isn’t over. The 2026 Christmas special is coming, and they’ll be back to cover it. Until then — change, my dear.

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