Doctor Who: Every Doctor's First Episode Ranked Worst To Best
Establishing yourself as the next Doctor is a tough job that can have wildly varying results...
The longer that Doctor Who goes on, the harder it has to be for a new Doctor to make an instant impression. Not only do they have to assert their presence as a lead, they're the latest torchbearer of a 60-year legacy, desperately trying not to drop it and set the TARDIS ablaze.
Fan wisdom suggests that the first episode of any Doctor will never go down in history as their best. There's certainly some truth in this, as it can take actors a few episodes before they settle into the role.
That's presumably why the trope of 'post-regenerative trauma' was created, to allow for the new Doctor to work out what they want to do with the character.
The best Doctor Who debuts are the ones that hit the ground running. Look at Matt Smith popping his head out of a crashed TARDIS in The Eleventh Hour, or Tom Baker karate chopping bricks in Robot. You immediately buy them as the Doctor, and are quickly swept into their next adventure.
So, with that in mind, which of our 15 main Doctors hit the ground running, and which flop out of the TARDIS with a whimper?
15. The Twin Dilemma
The Twin Dilemma is notorious for its companion-throttling scene, so let's not dwell on it. It's there, it's not good, but it's not the only issue with the Sixth Doctor's debut story.
In fact, Colin Baker's brash and bombastic Doctor isn't even the problem with The Twin Dilemma. After the unpleasantness of the opening episodes, he makes an immediate impression, a righteous crusader who is in sharp contrast to Peter Davison's meek moralising.
Rather, the biggest problem with The Twin Dilemma is its placing at the very end of Doctor Who Season 21. The money has clearly run out, and the script could've benefitted from some more attention during the gap before Season 22.
There was a good reason for putting it at the end of a season however, rather than at the beginning. Producer John Nathan-Turner was worried that strike action may have seriously impacted production on Season 22, so brought Colin Baker's debut forward to avoid it being derailed.
Unfortunately, that debut was already derailed by having to follow the dark and gritty The Caves of Androzani, with a story about some twins that were really good at maths.