20 Worst Moments In Modern Doctor Who

The Star Beast arrived with enormous levels of hype back in 2023, though it ended on a bit of a weird note with Rose and Donna’s lines to the Doctor that he “doesn’t understand”, because he’s no longer a “male-presenting Time Lord”.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to empower a particular group of people, but to put another group of people down in the process feels quite reductive, and quite unlike Doctor Who itself. But what really makes this a misjudged moment is the fact that the Doctor was literally a woman literally several hours ago, and as a result the very important gender-fluid aspect of the character feels like it’s being conveniently ignored, at best. 

Moreover the Doctor is an ancient alien from a society that has long since moved beyond our “petty human obsession with gender” (to quote the Twelfth Doctor), so of course they would understand, regardless of what form they’re currently taking.

It’s not really clear what Russell T Davies was trying to say or do here, and it’s a strange moment in an episode that otherwise made important strides with trans representation in Doctor Who.