Doctor Who: 8 Matt Smith Era Problems The New Series Should Improve Upon

5. Don't Throw The Doctor In The Deep End

One of the issues that Doctor Who faces, and indeed has always faced, is having to recast the leads every few years. While this is one of the most unique and famous aspects of the show, it delivers a challenge for the writing staff who must tailor their scripts to benefit the strengths of the new performers, while still ensuring that it retains the same "feel". This essentially means that the writers and directors are responsible for reselling their show to its audience. Luckily though, the revived series of Doctor Who has €“ whether consciously or not is unknown €“ employed a three-episode structure to ensure the return of its fans. So far in New Who, the standard model for introducing a new Doctor or a new Companion is goes like this €“ the first episode in a modern, earth setting; one episode on a different planet; one episode set in the past. This structure serves to introduce the new characters, and to explore their chemistry in three varied settings. This also allows for enough time to pass for the actors to feel confident in their roles and the audience to be comfortable with the new faces. By the end of the third episode the seeds of the new story arc have been planted and fans have seen enough to know whether they will continue with the new Doctor or not. The 11th Doctor learned the hard way that the circumventing of the structure does not bode well with the critics, as his third episode, which found him battling Daleks, was not well received. While the setting - World War II England €“ seemingly fits the structure, the inclusion of Daleks saw the Doctor accept a challenge that an audience was not yet ready for. Not only are the Daleks possibly the most infamous and easily recognisable of Doctor Who villains, but they were so heavily connected to the plot of the previous two Doctors that it caused unfair comparisons to David Tennant's performances €“ a comparison that Matt Smith was not yet ready to confront. The Victory of the Daleks is the lowest rated episode of the fifth series, and only one of five episodes in the entire revived series to score less than a 7 on IMDB. 12th Doctor, you have been warned.