10 Doctor Who Characters Who Don't Deserve The Hate

8. Elton Pope

Doctor Who Love & Monsters Elton Pope
BBC Studios

It's no secret that Love & Monsters is one of the poorer episodes of Doctor Who. Of course, the Abzorbaloff itself deserves no defending. Nobody needs to be reminded of that tiny loincloth in a hurry!

That said, the questionable elements of this episode do overshadow the elements that were actually successful.

Elton Pope is a good example of this. The idea of a character who grew up searching for a mysterious man they encountered as a child holds a lot of potential - so much so that it essentially became the premise for Amy Pond. We don't often get to see the other side of the Doctor's influence - the people who don't become a friend or a companion, but the people he saves and then leaves behind.

The framing device of Elton using a camcorder to tell his story was a charming way of presenting things, as he walks us through some of the alien invasions from early NuWho. Marc Warren is super likeable in the role, and the character has impeccable taste in music to boot.

"You can't beat a bit of ELO". Damn right Elton.

Yes, he does use and manipulate Jackie Tyler, and he does have a very unorthodox relationship with a paving slab by the story's end, so he's not a saint. But he does get unfairly caught up in the general hate for this episode.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.