10 Biggest Controversies In Doctor Who History

While it performed from a ratings perspective, the eleventh series of Doctor Who (the first to star Jodie Whittaker) is arguably the weakest in the modern era of the show.

The quality of the writing left a lot to be desired, companions Ryan and Yaz weren't given much to do (and were uninteresting to boot), and the finale was so underwhelming that some people didn't even know it was the finale. And the less said about the Tsuranga Conundrum... the better.

But quality aside, a vocal portion of the fanbase criticised the series for its preachy political messaging. Episodes where the Doctor encounters civil rights activist Rosa Parks, and another revolving around the partition of India, were singled out as major examples of this issue, while smaller details - like the fact that the Doctor's t-shirt had a pride flag emblazoned across it - were also pointed out too.

While there's no denying that some of the hate towards Series 11 was just out-and-out trolling, it's also true that some fans did genuinely feel like the show's political messaging - which, for the first ten series, was mostly found in one-line gags or minor story beats - had been brought to the forefront a bit too much, and was detracting from the sci-fi escapism that people generally want from Doctor Who.

It's hard to remember a time when Doctor Who fans have been more outspoken against the show, and even though Series 12 was an improvement quality-wise, the negative response to Series 11 will forever loom large over the Whittaker era.