Doctor Who: 6 Greatest Love Stories

During the classic era of the long-running beloved sci-fi series Doctor Who, the show was relatively light on romance. There was the occasional light flirting between companions, an implied dalliance between the Fourth Doctor and Romana, and a couple of companions leaving The Doctor in order to get married, but that was about it. Back then, it just wasn't needed.

This changed when the show was revived in 2005, with romantic subplots seen as part of the series modernisation. NuWho has included a number of love stories, the latest being teased in the 2022 New Year's Day Special, 'Eve of the Daleks', in which Dan Lewis prompts fellow companion Yasmin Khan to reveal that she has feelings for the Thirteenth Doctor. The Doctor's own feelings on the matter are left a little more ambiguous. Even if The Doctor has fallen for Yaz, Thirteen's impending regeneration means any relationship is sure to end in tragedy.. then again, some of the best love stories do, especially on the Tardis.

Here's a ranking of five of Doctor Who's greatest love stories.

6. Graham and Grace

In The Thirteenth Doctor's very first episode, 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth', she befriends Graham O'Brien and his wife, Grace, after saving their lives during an alien attack on a train. The couple's touching backstory describes Graham meeting Grace in Hospital, where she was his chemotheraby nurse as he battled Cancer. Sometime after beating the Cancer, Graham asked Grace to marry him. Tragically, Grace is killed after being electrocuted and falling from a tower while helping The Doctor defeat the Stenza hunter Tzim-Sha. Graham chooses to travel with The Doctor in remembrance of Grace's adventurous spirit.

Despite her death, Grace remains a strong presence in the series through Graham sharing memories of her. He often experiences visions of his wife when visiting home between adventures, and is almost lured into an alternate universe through a false Grace in 'It Takes You Away'. Graham's efforts to live life to the fullest as Grace would have wanted is a key part of his character development. She is a driving force behind Graham's actions long after she is gone, making them one of the show's saddest, but also most beautiful love stories.

5. Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint

Madame Vastra and her 'Maid' Jenny Flint, first appear in the Eleventh Doctor episode 'A Good Man Goes To War', when The Doctor arrives at their home in Victorian England, needing Vastra's help in rescuing Amy Pond and her baby daughter, Melody. The two are seen regularly flirting throughout the episode, but it is not until later appearances that they are confirmed to be in love, and, in fact, married. Jenny poses as the 'Great Detective' Vastra's maid, to avoid any unwanted attention in their time period.

Despite The Doctor stopping her from murdering a group of human tunnel diggers who accidentally killed her sleeping family, Vastra maintained a simmering dislike for humanity for sometime afterwards. Through a few moments in the show, and scattered pieces of expanded universe material, we learn that it was meeting and falling in love with Jenny that changed Vastra's mind. The kind of love that can change someone's view of an entire race must have been pretty epic. The only thing that keeps Jenny and Vastra from a higher spot on the list is that most of their story occurred offscreen before we ever met them.

4. Bill Potts and Heather

Soon after The Twelfth Doctor agrees to take her on as a pupil, Bill Potts meets Heather, a mysterious girl with a star-like pattern in her eye while on a night out with friends. There seems to be an instant connection between the two, but any potential relationship appears doomed when Heather is absorbed by a an alien puddle of sentient oil wanting to use her as it's Pilot. The Heather-Puddle pursues Bill, as Heather's final human thought was to promise Bill that she would not leave without her.

Afraid to leave behind the world she knows, Bill releases Heather from her promise, freeing her to travel the universe. However, Bill has some regret regarding her decision, and at least part of her reason for travelling with The Doctor was the slight hope of seeing Heather again. Later, we learn that Heather left a drop of sentient oil in Bill's eye. Sensing her distress at the apparent death of The Doctor, Heather comes to Bill's aid, reversing her transformation into a Cyberman, and transforming her into an oil creature like herself. This time around, Bill accepts Heather's offer to travel the universe together.

The Target novelisation of 'Twice Upon A Time' reveals that Bill and Heather eventually chose to return to a human life on Earth, where they lived happily together until Bill died of old age. This makes them one of the few Doctor Who love stories not to end in tragedy.

3. The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler

While The Ninth Doctor shares a kiss with Rose Tyler in order to absorb the vortex energy from her body, it isn't until his regeneration into the Tenth Doctor that the growing romantic feelings between them become more obvious, on both sides. While it is an unspoken thing for the most part, in some episodes, like 'School Reunion', The Doctor acknowledges that his bond with Rose is different from other companions, but fears what the future holds.

"You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend mine with you."

Tragically, the pair are separated, seemingly forever, when Rose is trapped in a parallel dimension. She manages to return two years later, only to be caught up in a battle against the Daleks with The Doctor, other companions, and The Doctor's new half-human metacrisis. When the battle is won, The Doctor returns Rose to the parallel world, requesting that she take care of the Metacrisis, who holds all his feelings and memories. The Doctor gives Rose the bittersweet gift of a human life with someone as close to him as possible, all the while knowing he can never be with her himself.

2. Amy Pond and Rory Williams

Amy Pond originally leaves for her adventures with the Eleventh Doctor the night before she was due to marry her childhood friend, Rory Williams. However, this is not at all because she didn't love Rory, she simply wasn't quite ready. When Rory joins in on Amy and The Doctor's adventures, she is pleased to have him. Amy and Rory face many trials throughout their time with The Doctor, including Rory's death and resurrection, the rebooting of the universe, abduction of their baby daughter Melody, and even a brief separation, but somehow manage to come through each one more in love than before.

When Rory is taken by a Weeping Angel in the episode 'The Angels Take Manhattan', Amy allows herself to be taken as well so she can be with him. This means that the couple will have to live out their lives in the past, and can never see The Doctor again. Despite this, it is implied that they were happy, as Amy becomes a successful author. Her novel, Summer Falls, is a favourite of Clara Oswald.

1. The Doctor and River Song

Though he meets her and witnesses her death as The Tenth Doctor, it is not until he regenerates into his Eleventh incarnation that the epic love story between The Doctor and River Song truly begins. At first, knowing that River is destined to die, The Doctor tries to avoid growing close to her, but this proves no use. Eventually, it is revealed that River is a grown-up Melody Pond, the daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, kidnapped at birth and raised to kill The Doctor. Due to being conceived within the Time Vortex, River was born with the ability to regenerate. Out of The Doctor's NuWho love interests, River is the one who truly could have been with him forever. Tragically, she gives up all of her regeneration energy to revive The Doctor after regretting an attempt to assassinate him.

After marrying River to restore the proper flow of time, The Doctor spends much of their early marriage breaking her out of prison for date nights. As time goes on, he repeatedly cancels plans to take River to the Singing Towers of Darillium, a trip he knows precedes her death.

Years later, after the Eleventh Doctor has regenerated into the Twelfth, the destined trip occurs when The Doctor and River crash land a ship on Darillium. While watching the Singing Towers, River becomes aware that it is their last night.. at which point The Doctor informs her a night on Darillium lasts twenty four years. Though The Doctor rarely stays in one place for long, it is heavily implied that he spent all of those ten years with River. Even after her death, she continues to influence his actions, and he is seen to keep a photograph of her on his desk in series ten.

Few characters have such an enduring affect on The Doctor’s life for so long after they have left it. Though The Doctor never tells River aloud that he loves her, the emotions on his face are clear whenever the two are together. Their relationship left a permanent mark on The Doctor’s hearts, and that makes them Doctor Who’s greatest love story.