10 Most Hated Doctor Who Episodes

There aren’t many episodes on this list that are here purely because they're boring, but that’s a testament to just how dull Series 8’s In The Forest Of The Night truly is.

Any episode that features a cast almost entirely comprised of children was going to be a risk, especially with the show’s history of writing every child ever as rude and irritating. This episode does not bump that trend, and the premise of the story is so incredibly boring that it drags the whole thing down even more.

With all of London covered by a forest, Twelve, Clara, and Danny must work to solve the case, facing down foes such as a poorly CGI’d tiger... and that’s it. Precious little happens here and the episode doesn’t even justify it with much character work, leaving the best scene on the cutting room floor. Nice one.

Oh, and let us not forget the slightly problematic elephant in the room, either. In The Forest of the Night features a child called Maebh, who hears voices in her head and is on medication to help her cope with them. Upon hearing about this medication, Twelve is horrified, and aggressively states that ‘"You people never learn", and that when a child is talking, it should be listened to, sending a rather unwelcome message to children to not take their medication.

Even worse, this stance is vindicated when it turns out that Maebh abandoning her meds and tuning into the voices in her head saves the day. It doesn’t take an expert to work out why this is a terrible message to send in a family show.