10 Worst Doctor Who Episodes According To YOU

Unsurprisingly, DWM readers voted Orphan 55 as the worst Thirteenth Doctor story of them all. What is there to say about this one that hasn’t already been said?

Most episodes on this list are let down by one major element, or are generally weak but with one or two positives that make them worth rewatching. But not this time. Orphan 55 is the sole episode, in the entire 19-year run of NuWho, that we wholeheartedly recommend you never watch again.

It is, of course, commonly remembered for the infamously bad ‘Benni’ subplot, which comprised almost entirely of his wife shouting his name over... and over... and over again.

Focusing on this gives the rest of the supporting cast more credit than they deserve though. Seriously, there isn’t a single likeable character among them, from Hyph3n, who looks like she’s wearing ears and paws from a cheap fancy-dress shop, to Jay from The Inbetweeners, who is seemingly more irresponsible here than his schoolboy counterpart. There's also Ryan’s ‘love interest’ for the episode. They don’t have much in common, but they do this thing where they suck their thumbs at each other. It’s… deeply uncomfortable. Every single time.

This group of losers is then dropped into a plot that spends about 20 minutes driving them out into the middle of monster-infested nowhere, only to turn around and come back again. The rest of the runtime is spent heavily telegraphing the most obvious plot twist of all time, before taking an important message and delivering it in the most patronising way possible.

We’re not sure what the opposite of firing on all cylinders is, but Orphan 55 most certainly fits the bill. The Razzies are in the post.