10 Simple Fixes That Would’ve Improved Doctor Who

5. Give Dalek A Different Episode Title

Doctor Who Rose Dalek
BBC Studios

It was only a matter of time before Russell T Davies would bring the Daleks into his 2005 reboot, and the Ninth Doctor episode (aptly titled Dalek), marked the much-anticipated return of the most iconic monster in Doctor Who.

The episode centred around the last surviving Dalek of the Time War, and the consequences of it absorbing energy from Rose in order to repair itself. The premise of an emotionless, cold machine developing compassion and hopelessness in the wake of a long, devastating war was a great avenue to explore with the Daleks, and the episode did a remarkable job of switching those dynamics around to show The Doctor as the merciless monster rather than the Dalek.

What was slightly disappointing, however, was the lack of mystery or surprise surrounding the episode. The revelation of the Dalek is treated like a shocking twist, but it’s literally right there in the title! This left nothing to the imagination, and spoiled that grand reveal.

Now, imagine the exact same episode, but with a more ambiguous title, something that hints towards the big surprise, but also maintains an innocence. Metaltron, perhaps? This isn’t really a realistic change because it would’ve been foolish to hide the Daleks in the lead-up to Series 1, but just imagine how chilling it would’ve been to learn about their survival at the same time the Doctor does.

In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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.