20 Worst Moments In Modern Doctor Who

13. The Systems Aren’t The Problem (Kerblam)

Doctor Who Kerblam Charlie Duffy death
BBC Studios

Kerblam is one of the strongest episodes in Jodie Whittaker’s first year as the Thirteenth Doctor, but oh boy does it fumble the bag at the end.

Given the current AI boom the story almost feels ahead of its time in its warnings about 90% of jobs being overtaken by machines. “They want us to be grateful that ten percent of people get to work?” bemuses maintenance worker Charlie, in one of many examples of the episode sticking up for the working man and woman.

That is until writer Pete McTighe decides to pivot and give two big thumbs-up to the bloodsucking corporation by having the Doctor declare, “the systems aren’t the problem”, before doing very little to prevent Charlie from being blown to smithereens.

McTighe either didn't understand his own message or worse, wilfully ignored it. For the Doctor to not acknowledge that Kerblam exploiting its workers and treating them like dirt is the problem is just bad writing, and very un-Doctor-like, resulting in a clunky and muddled end to the episode.

In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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.