12 AWFUL TV Shows Doctor Who Actors Want You To Forget

12. Tess Of The D'Ubervilles - Jodie Whittaker

While she may have received a mixed reaction for her work as the first ever female Doctor, Jodie Whittaker's strike rate has generally been very strong when it comes to her TV roles. From the time bending Marchlands to the Crime mystery of Broadchurch and the firefighting antics of the London Fire brigade in The Smoke, Whittaker has consistently been a strong performer in high quality serials.

One show that Whittaker would much rather we forget however is the incredibly dreary 2008 mini series, Tess Of The D'Ubervilles. Based on the famous Thomas Hardy novel, the plot concentrates on the low status Durbeyfield family who find that they have unexpected regal links. Whittaker plays Izz, the eldest sister of the titular Tess, played by Gemma Arterton, with the Durbeyfields attempting in vain to step up the 'status ladder'.

The miniseries unfortunately proved all style and minimal substance, utilising all the weaker traits of the period drama genre, including a stack of stereotyped characterisations without any soul or believability. Arterton does an okay job in the lead role of Tess, as does Eddie Redmayne as Tess' one true love, but the whole thing is such a snore fest that it's hard to care about the intriguing plot points present in Hardy's novel.

Topical themes of sexual assault, murder and execution are unfortunately addressed here like an interpretation of a Danielle Steele novel. Such a waste of such strong source material.