20 Worst Moments In Modern Doctor Who

20 terrible moments from 20 years of modern Doctor Who...

by Ellie Littlechild
Doctor Who The Rebel Flesh
BBC Studios

With modern Doctor Who turning 20 years old in 2025, we decided to take a look at some of the greatest moments from the series in an earlier list.

But since we're nothing if not completionists, we've also decided to take a look at the exact opposite – those moments from the last 20 years that absolutely stunk the place out.

From questionable CGI to questionable writing and lots of other things of the questionable variety, these are the moments that made us hide behind the sofa not out of fear, but out of pure cringe.

The moment has indeed been prepared for – it's just a shame that the moment in question is really, really naff!

20. Lazarus’ Transformation (The Lazarus Experiment)

The Lazarus Experiment Doctor Who
BBC Studios

Criticising mid-2000s CGI from a 2025 perspective can often seem a little unfair and so, for the most part, I can ignore and accept it, but the transformation of Professor Lazarus in The Lazarus Experiment was perhaps a little too ambitious for the resources available at the time.

The intention was to create a terrifying hybrid scorpion-human monster but instead the creature is laughable in the fact that the head looks completely out of place on top of the skeletal scorpion body. Poor Mark Gatiss, what did they do to you!

The sad part is that the actual concept of this episode in Lazarus desiring youth and longevity is a very interesting one, but the moment the monster is revealed, all credibility is lost, and it struggles to regain it for the rest of the runtime. Let’s hope for a special edition remaster one day.

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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.