Doctor Who TVs Best of 2025 Awards: The Winners

Earlier this month, Doctor Who TV asked you to vote in our awards celebrating the best of the Whoniverse from 2025. The final votes are in, and now we can reveal the winners and runners-up in each category.

Best Director: Amanda Brotchie

The late Amanda Brotchie won Best Director with 55.5%, an overwhelming show of appreciation for her work on “Lux” and “The Well”, two episodes that came to define the year in very different ways. In “Lux” she balanced heightened stylisation with menace, while “The Well” leaned into atmosphere and slow burning tension, demonstrating her range and assurance behind the camera.

Her death at the end of 2025 cast the result in a particularly poignant light. For many readers, this victory feels not only like recognition of two standout episodes, but also a lasting tribute to a director.

Runner up was Dylan Holmes Williams with 21.2%, recognised by readers for his work on spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Best Writer: Sharma Angel-Wallfall

Sharma Angel-Wallfall takes the prize with 37.4%, with voters rewarding her work on “The Well”, an episode that also shows up elsewhere in the awards and clearly became one of the last year’s defining pieces.

Runner up Pete McTighe earned 25.6%, buoyed by contributions across “Lucky Day” and The War Between the Land and the Sea, a spread that suggests readers responded to versatility, from punchier episode storytelling to broader, serialised world-building.

Best Composer: Murray Gold

Murray Gold won decisively with 75.7%, a result that reads like a full-throated endorsement of the year’s musical voice across Doctor Who as a whole.

Runner up Lorne Balfe took 24.3% for The War Between the Land and the Sea, a reminder that the spin-off’s musical identity made a strong enough impression to somewhat challenge the main show head-on.

Best New Monster or Villain: Mr Ring-a-Ding

The year’s breakout menace was animated star Mr Ring-a-Ding, storming to victory with 65.8% thanks to “Lux”. Whatever your preferred flavour of Who villainy, the vote suggests this one struck the rare balance of memorable concept and immediate impact.

Runner up Conrad Clark received 14.4%, boosted by appearances spanning “Lucky Day”, “Wish World”, and “The Reality War”, giving voters plenty of time to latch on to the character across multiple stories.

Best Returning Monster or Villain: The Midnight Entity

A chilling comeback saw the Midnight Entity win with 51.2%, driven by its presence in “The Well”, which continues to emerge as the episode most closely tied to the year’s biggest wins.

Runner up The Sea Devils (or “Homo Aqua”) took 27.3% for The War Between the Land and the Sea, where their reappearance clearly scratched the itch for classic foes in a fresh context.

Best Pre-Title Sequence: “Don’t make me laugh”

The most celebrated opening sequence was “Don’t make me laugh” with 54.1%, and it is no surprise it is attached to “Lux”, an episode that repeatedly shows strong support across most categories.

Runner-up was “The Well”’s “And jump, jump, jump” earned 11.4%, reinforcing just how strongly that episode’s opening appealed to voters.

Best Recurring Actor: Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart

Jemma Redgrave won with 22.6% for Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, continuing to be one of last year’s most valued recurring presences. Her win reads as appreciation for the steady grounding that UNIT-linked storylines bring, giving the show a familiar anchor amid bigger, stranger swings.

Jodie Whittaker was close runner-up with 21.4% of the vote. Despite her appearance amounting to little more than a cameo in the finale, it clearly left a disproportionate impact with voters.

Best Lead Actor: Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday

Millie Gibson takes the title with 33.8%, reflecting how strongly Ruby Sunday’s arc landed with voters across her three key episodes of 2025, “Lucky Day”, “Wish World”, and “The Reality War”. With Ruby placed at the heart of the season’s biggest emotional turns and endgame stakes, the win suggests readers saw her as the defining on-screen presence of the year.

Runner up Ncuti Gatwa follows closely with 27.8% in what proved to be his final appearance as the Doctor, culminating in a regeneration that closed out his era.

Best Episode: The Well

Surprising no one, the big winner was “The Well”, taking 41.1% and turning up as a key touchstone throughout the awards. Whether voters responded most to its atmosphere, its scares, or its character work, the results make it clear it was the episode that defined 2025 for a large chunk of the readership.

Runner up “Lux” took 19.8%, and with its associated wins in directing, villainy, and pre-title sequence, it reads as the year’s other major fan favourite, the episode that most reliably delivered moments people wanted to talk about.

Best Show: Doctor Who

Unsurprisingly, Doctor Who itself won Best Show with 66.2%, a comfortable margin that reflects how strongly the main run connected with voters overall, especially through standout instalments like “The Well” and “Lux”.

Runner up The War Between the Land and the Sea earned 33.8%, an impressive result for a companion series, and one that matches its visibility elsewhere in the awards, particularly in writing, music, and returning villains.

Thanks for all your votes!