20 Worst Moments In Modern Doctor Who

by Ellie Littlechild

1. The Abzorbaloff (Love & Monsters)

Abzorbaloff Peter Kay Doctor Who
BBC Studios

Love & Monsters is so bad that it holds the dubious honour of being given a second entry in this list. While the rest of the episode is actually pretty sweet and an interesting story to tell, it all goes down the toilet in the final 15 minutes.

Every single second that Peter Kay is onscreen as the Abzorbaloff is just bad. Bad, bad, bad! And not good bad, either – the kind of bad that gives Doctor Who a bad reputation. The kind of bad that wouldn’t feel out of place in a comedy sketch.

This alien may have been designed by a child, but that doesn’t excuse the woeful direction and performance that brought it to life, and in fact, the world would be a better place had it never been brought to life at all.

Peter Kay has since admitted that this episode is one of the only regrets of his career, and you know what… I can see why.

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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.