10 Most Overrated Doctor Who Episodes

After the first episode of Thirteen’s run, the mob had not yet descended. A fair share of fans were relatively happy with how this one turned out – only for it to fall apart after the appalling The Ghost Monument the following week.

The Woman Who Fell To Earth has some strengths going for it. It introduces a likeable cast of companions, who are more fleshed out here than for most of the era (though they do kill off the most likeable one, which is a shame). It also has a half-decent villain in Tim Shaw, who works well as a background antagonist for a first episode. It also features the most relatable and beloved character of Chibnall’s run: that one drunk bloke who threw his kebab at an invading alien. What a legend.

Where it falls apart is in establishing a new Doctor. Whittaker gets plenty of silly post-regen babbling as per the norm, but comparatively little material that solidifies her authority, intelligence, or grit. It culminates in her big ‘I am the Doctor’ moment falling rather flat, with us not really seeing what she has to offer yet – in fact, we’d have to wait a whole year until Series 12 for that. 

It’s so important to stick the landing on introductory episodes like this, and between introducing four companions, a villain that gets way too much screen time, and so much needless fluff (the subplot about the guy finding the space mushroom could've easily been cut) this script completely fumbles its primary goal of establishing the new Doctor.