20 Worst Moments In Modern Doctor Who

10. Toilet-Trained Gorilla (The God Complex)

Doctor Who The God Complex gorilla
BBC Studios

The God Complex is a genuinely unsettling episode of Doctor Who about a hotel with rooms containing everyone's darkest fears. It co-stars comedian David Walliams, whose room is presumably full of outdated Little Britain sketches.

We see laughing puppets, sad clowns, Weeping Angels, and even overly-stern parents, all representing the fears of the story's core cast. Most of these fears are effectively portrayed, but one that doesn't fare so well is this laughable "gorilla", which attacks Lucy Hayward during the pre-titles sequence.

Now sure the BBC didn't have the budget to call in Andy Serkis for a bit of mo-cap… but was this thing supposed to look so fake?

Either way, this bizarre sight completely destroys the tension of the scene – as does the unusual choice to add a "toilet flushing" sound effect as the gorilla lumbers out of the bathroom. So is Lucy scared of gorillas in general? Or gorillas in toilets? Who trained that gorilla to use an indoor toilet? Why did it take the toilet paper out of the bathroom?

I could go on but let’s just summarise by saying it’s cringey and I hate it.

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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.