10 Doctor Who Characters Who Don't Deserve The Hate

5. Miranda Cleaves

Doctor Who Cleaves
BBC Studios

Like Ambrose, Cleaves is another character we're supposed to dislike.

Her human version is framed as one of the main antagonists of The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People, refusing to trust the Doctor and the Flesh doppelgangers, and even killing one of them at the end of the first episode. She undeniably made things worse, so it's no surprise she was frustrating to watch at points.

But the way the character was written - combined with the performance of Raquel Cassidy, which is showy when it needs to be, but never lacks subtlety - also makes Cleaves a character who's easy to respect.

Why should she trust the Flesh, or the Doctor for that matter? Who the hell would want another version of themselves to potentially steal their life? Cleaves is an interesting pivot in the pro/anti-Flesh struggle at the heart of this story, and a far more engaging presence than the other primary player, Jennifer Lucas.

The less said about that Flesh beast at the end, the better.

One also cannot help but feel quite sorry for Cleaves with the whole blood clot thing, which was resolved way too quickly at the end of the story - but that's a gripe for another list.

 
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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.