10 Doctor Who Episodes We Were WAY Too Harsh On

Doctor Who has always been a show of… varying quality. Speak to even the most devoted fan, and they will undoubtedly have a list of episodes they absolutely cannot stand. Even Steven Moffat, one of the series' most successful showrunners and writer of more Doctor Who episodes than any other writer, went through a phase of deriding the entire classic series as "crap."

This obviously gives fans ample fodder for creating (and arguing over) "worst episodes ever" lists. And while the majority of stories that are frequently seen in these lists probably do deserve to be there, there are a few that have built up something of an undeserved reputation over the years, with general fan consensus overtaking the episodes' actual quality when they come up in discussion.

From otherwise-decent episodes overshadowed by questionable individual moments, to low-key stories that had the misfortune of being broadcast between all-time classics, to experiments that didn't quite pay off, here are ten episodes from throughout the years that, in retrospect, we might have all been a bit too harsh on.

While Series 1 is considered a resounding success after returning Doctor Who to TV screens, revamping the show’s format, and introducing Christopher Eccleston as a new modern take on the Doctor, one of the episodes generally seen as a low point is Boom Town.

Though not necessarily hated upon first broadcast, it was generally seen as a dud episode – a low-stakes, slow-paced filler sandwiched between two all-time great two-parters (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways).

Viewed outside all of the excitement and momentum of 2005 and Series 1’s success however, and Boom Town’s perceived negatives become its strengths. Amidst all the chaos of new companions, world-ending Dalek threats and regenerating Doctors, Boom Town allows the TARDIS team to slow down, giving us our only real glimpse of how the Nine/Rose/Captain Jack dynamic works on an average adventure.

Boom Town also contains one of the best (and most underappreciated) scenes in all of Series 1, when the Doctor and Margaret Blaine go for a hot dinner date. It's a simple dialogue scene that's equal parts funny and dark, providing more valuable insight into the Ninth Doctor’s war-damaged psyche, while giving Eccleston and Annette Badland some brilliant little moments to play off each other.