Doctor Who: 10 Best Kisses, Ranked

The show may be primarily about sci-fi adventures across space and time, but the best Doctor Who kisses prove that the series is just as good when it takes a break from wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey moments to dip its toes in love and romance. Even though the Doctor and his various companions face dangers on an everyday basis and spend most of their time running from Daleks, Cybermen, and other terrifying monsters, they still manage to build romantic relationships.

When the show regenerated for the “Modern Era” in 2005, Doctor Who dedicated notably more time to love and romance than classic episodes did. There are many relationships in Doctor Who, some featuring The Doctor himself, and others between his companions. Some of them last longer while others are relatively brief — and while many had a happy ending while others ended in tragedy or heartbreak. Whatever the case, Doctor Who has some truly memorable kisses that can also openly count among some of the show’s best/most romantic/hilarious moments.

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10 The What-If Kiss

The 10th Doctor And Joan Redfern In Season 3, Episode 8, “Human Nature”

One of the best kisses in Doctor Who was also among the most tender and tragic. It occurred when The Doctor believed he was a human man named John Smith living in 1913. It later emerged that this was due to the Doctor using a Chamelon Arch to hide his identity from a foe who wouldn’t stop persuing him or The TARDIS. Since this enemy, The Family of Blood, had limited lifespans, The Doctor and Martha simply planned to wait them out and, once they’d passed away, Martha would restore his memories.

One thing The Doctor didn’t bank on was falling in love while living as a human. This Doctor Who kiss was especially emotional because it shows a promise of what could never really be. When the Doctor’s masking himself as a human, he falls in love with a nurse Joan Redfern, who works in the school where he’s teaching under the name of John Smith. The two begin a relationship, much to Martha’s disappointment, but when the Doctor gets back his true identity and his memory, he leaves. What makes it tragic is that a brief sequence in the episode shows the happy future they both could have had if he had stayed human.

9 The Double Kiss

Jack Harkness And Both Rose Tyler And The Doctor In Season 1, Episode 12, “The Parting Of The Ways”

Captain Jack Harkness is one of the most popular companions, and being something of a serial romancer and incredibly popular with ladies, men, and every other gender (whether human or alien), has several of the most steamy and passionate Doctor Who kisses. He was very open about his desires, and he didn’t hide the fact that he liked both the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler. This led to one of the funniest kisses in Doctor Who, when Jack chose to part ways with the pair using his lips for something other than words.

When the time came to say goodbye, Jack, in his typical fashion, didn’t discriminate. He shared a brief kiss with both Rose and the Doctor, leaving them both somewhat flattered and flabbergasted. This kiss was punctuated by Jack dying shortly afterward, which made the whole happy moment less happy. Still, it was nice to see Jack interacting with the Doctor and Rose one last time before he remained alone.

8 The Unscripted Kiss

The 10th Doctor And Cassandra (In Rose Tyler’s Body) In Season 2, Episode 1, “New Earth”

Cassandra was one of the most intriguing recurring Doctor Who villains, despite having a relatively limited number of appearances. Lady Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker) was the last genetically pure human being billions of years in the future. However, to maintain her genetic purity, she existed as simply a sheet of skin with a face suspended from a metal frame. In season 2’s “New Earth”, Cassandra swapped bodies with Rose Tyler and, upon having a proper physical form again, decided to enjoy it by kissing The Doctor.

This was one of the funniest kisses in Doctor Who, and proof that sometimes the best scenes come to life when the actors improvise. This is what apparently happened in the scene between the Doctor and Cassandra while in Rose Tyler’s body at the time. After finally having an actual body for once, Cassandra decided to throw caution to the wind. She led a brief conversation with the Doctor and then surprised him by kissing him as her life depended on it. The Doctor was obviously surprised but went with the flow anyway. And his reaction — “Yeah. Still got it.” — was priceless.

7 The Starting Goodbye Kiss

The Meta-Crisis Doctor And Rose Tyler In Season 4, Episode 13, “Journey’s End”

If there was any single unrequited romance that left fans asking “what if” in Doctor Who, it was the one between Rose Tyler and the 10th Doctor. Rose and the Doctor remain one of the most iconic Doctor Who couples, though they never got to settle down despite The Doctor wishing otherwise, and, funnily enough, the Tenth Doctor and Rose never actually kissed — even though she told him she loved him. While The Doctor never got the relationship with Rose he wanted, Rose got her happy ending thanks to the human version of the Doctor who regenerated out of his severed hand.

In season 4’s “Journey’s End”, Rose went back to the alternate dimension she’d been inhabiting and took the Meta-Crisis Doctor with her. They traveled to her new home and Rose kissed him when he — presumably — confessed his love for her. The kiss then marked the start of their relationship — and also the end of Rose’s and the actual Tenth Doctor’s romance. While this was a bittersweet moment for The Doctor, it was undeniably a warmhearted send-off from the show for his first companion in the Modern Who era.

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6 The Reunion Kiss

Amy Pond And Rory Williams In Season 5, Episode 7, “Amy’s Choice”

While many of the best kisses in Doctor Who involve The Doctor himself, there are several that the titular Time Lord has nothing to do with – and many of these come from Amy Pond and her bumbling yet brave and dedicated boyfriend, Rory. While they haven’t been in the show for many seasons, Amy and Rory still remain one of the most iconic couples of Doctor Who.

Despite their sad departure from Doctor Who, at least the fans got to know they lived happily and adopted a son, Anthony Brian. However, there was a time when the two were apart. When Amy found out she could no longer have children in the season 5 episode “Amy’s Choice”, she broke up with Rory. Luckily, their separation didn’t last long, and they got back together, celebrating with a kiss in a rather dramatic place.

5 The Christmas Kiss

The 11th Doctor And Clara Oswald In Season 7, Episode 6, “The Snowmen”

Many of the funniest kisses in Doctor Who are those that the Doctor receives when he’s least expecting them — and one of the funniest is when Clara unexpectedly kisses the 11th Doctor in the season 7 Christmas special, “The Snowmen”. The Doctor and Clara were good friends, very close ones, but never really became a couple (although they did have an incredibly flirtatious friendship). However, the lack of direct romance didn’t stop the Doctor and Clara from sharing a beautifully awkward and hilarious kiss.

Well, more precisely, it didn’t stop Clara from planting one on the unsuspecting Doctor. First, the Doctor and Clara argued. Then she called him out and said he liked her. When he denied the claim, she kissed him, was then quick to point out that the kiss spoke volumes and said even the things the Doctor wanted to keep secret. Clara telling the Doctor afterward “you blushed”, to which he responds, “no I… shut up” was the icing on the cake for this Doctor Who kiss, and sums up the playful relationship between The 11th Doctor and Clara in a single scene.

4 The Awkward First Kiss

The 11th Doctor And River Song In Season 6, Episode 2, “Day Of The Moon”

The Doctor has been around for a long time and has done many great things, but he can still act like a teenager when it comes to kissing. This was seen in many of his kissing scenes, though few are just as awkward as the first time he kisses his eventual wife River Song in season 6’s “Day Of The Moon.” It doesn’t help that his and River’s TV romance was all out of order. For River, this Doctor Who kiss was one of many with the man she’d loved for years, but for The Doctor, it was an unexpected moment of passion with a woman he was only just starting to realize he had feelings for.

The first time the Doctor met River Song was the last time River met him, back before he’d even regenerated into his 11th incarnation, and this mismatching of personal timelines was repeated with their first kiss (from The Doctor’s perspective, at least). The Doctor has never kissed River before, but she had kissed him many times in her timeline by this point — so when she kisses him, thinking it’s usual for them, he reacts in a funny way. He flails his arms and has no idea how to react, making it hilarious. However, the moment has tragic undertones when the audience finds out it’s their last kiss for River.

3 The Awkwardly Passionate First Kiss

Amy Pond And The 11th Doctor In Season 5, Episode 1, “The Eleventh Hour”

The Eleventh Doctor has exceptional luck when it comes to meeting women who kiss him out of nowhere. It happened to him with Clara, with River, and also with his eventual mother-in-law, Amy. Of all The Doctors companions, Amy Pond was perhaps the most forward when it came to her romantic feelings for The Doctor, at least initially. Amy was introduced in season 5, and — unlike many companions with a romantic interest in the Doctor who decide to remain coy — made her desire for her “raggedy man” quite clear.

The night before her wedding to Rory, Amy decided she wanted the Doctor to comfort her — although it quickly became obvious she didn’t mean by talking. The kiss quickly turned into a passionate snog and for a moment, it almost looked like Amy would get her way, especially once she pressed the Doctor against the TARDIS and continued kissing him. But the duty won in the end, and the Doctor ended what could have been a one-night affair — as Amy herself suggested.

(Graham-O'Brien),-(Clara-Oswald)-and-(Jack-Harkness)-Doctor-who

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2 The Shocking Kiss

Donna Noble And The 10th Doctor In Season 4, Episode 7, “The Unicorn And The Wasp”

Donna Noble was a fan-favorite companion of the modern era of Doctor Who — not only because she had the tendency to say whatever she meant, but also because she didn’t fall for the Doctor. These two remained great friends instead, and their platonic relationship was both hilarious and a breath of fresh air after the string of companions who’d had romantic feelings for the Time Lord, requited or otherwise.

However, this also meant that the moment the two did kiss was, as expected, utterly hilarious. The only kiss they shared was not the least bit romantic, and suited their friendship perfectly. It happened when the Doctor had been poisoned in season 4’s “The Unicorn And The Wasp£, and he needed to expel the toxins out of his body. To do so, he needed a proper shock. So Donna delivered the best shock she could think of — she kissed the Doctor. It worked, and also gave viewers one of the best kisses in the entirety of Doctor Who.

1 The Historical Snog

The 10th Doctor And Reinette In Season 2, Episode 4, “The Girl In The Fireplace”

The best kiss in Doctor Who is surprisingly between The Doctor and a character that only appeared in a single episode. Genuine chemistry between actors is something that’s hard, almost impossible to replicate. But when it happens, any romantic scene usually strikes gold. That’s also the case with the Tenth Doctor and Reinette (Sophia Myles) aka Madame de Pompadour. Like Amy Pond, Reinette had known the Doctor since she was a little girl since he briefly appeared before her while on one of his time-traveling adventures.

However, when they meet again, she’s now an adult and her feelings for The Doctor have blossomed from childhood fascination to full-blown infatuation (fuelled no doubt by years of longing for him in his absence). Reinette is so happy to see The Doctor that she kisses him incredibly passionately, making for easily one of the steamiest moments in any episode of Doctor Who. The best thing about the whole scene is the Doctor’s subsequent reaction: “I just snogged Madame de Pompadour!”