Doctor Who: 10 Reasons Why The Rings Of Akhaten Sucks

5. If A Space Bike's Too Difficult To Do Properly, Don't Have A Space Bike

Next up for roasting is a practical effect. Namely, the space moped that the Doctor and Clara rent from the woofing Dor'een.

Leaving aside the distinctly "meh" design of the vehicle, the worst aspect of the blocky scooter was that it couldn't be shown to take off and land. Disastrously, the script called for it to do both of these things.

To portray a landing, for example, the bike was put down on the set, the cameras started filming, and the actors had to judder as best as they could to try and indicate they'd just come down with a thump a split second before the scene began. No two ways about it, that's terrible.

The solution: Since everyone else is using teleports to get about, why couldn't the Doctor and Clara rent a teleport device instead of a bike? Sometimes, when a practical effect isn't working out, it just needs to be ditched and replaced by something far simpler. This was one of those times.