10 Terrible CGI Moments In Modern Doctor Who

4. The Slitheen (Aliens Of London/World War Three)

Doctor Who The Slitheen Aliens of London
BBC Studios

Series 1's two-part story Aliens of London and World War Three revolves around a takeover of the UK government by the Slitheen, alien creatures who can wear human skin like a suit, allowing them to appear as anyone they like.

While the Slitheen are often depicted with some pretty great practical costumes, there are also several instances where they're portrayed via CGI, and some of these moments look so bad that we're genuinely surprised they were given the thumbs-up.

There are a few shots in World War Three where the Slitheen run down corridors, which, while a poor use of your hard-earned TV licence money, are at least quick. However, the eye-wateringly bad CGI where the Slitheen emerge from their human costumes - see the climax to Aliens of London - is downright embarrassing to watch.

This one is a shame, because again, the practical costumes are really well done, and in fact, so are those moments where the Slitheen zip open their human foreheads. The strength of some of the effects only makes the naff ones stand out more, and visually, these episodes are the very definition of a mixed bag.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!