10 Doctor Who Episodes That PISSED People Off

9. The Twin Dilemma

Doctor Who Colin Baker The Twin Dilemma strangle Peri
BBC Studios

Colin Baker's troubles with the BBC kicked off right at the beginning. His first story, The Twin Dilemma, introduced his Sixth Doctor, though, in the early part of the episode, he grabs Peri Brown by the throat and attempts to throttle her. This act through audiences who were already on the back foot, having just suffered the loss of Peter Davison.

Davison's Doctor had been a younger, more energetic incarnation of the Time Lord, so Baker was always going to have a tough act to follow. Unfortunately, the writing for this episode left him as something of a scapegoat, easily blamed for the weakness of the material he was given.

Baker's time would be marred with a hiatus, inconsistent writing and a marked increase in violence, with the last element, in particular, receiving backlash from audiences and the censors. The opening episode of his tenure has him strangling his loyal companion, picking awful clothes for this incarnation to wear, which Baker himself hated and displaying a new level of arrogance that made him instantly difficult to relate to.

Out of all of the introductory episodes to the various Doctors, this stands as one of the lowest rated.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"