Doctor Who: 10 Worst "New-Who" Episodes Ever

Orphan 55 is the third episode of the twelfth season of Doctor Who. It sees The Doctor travel with her companions to the Tranquility spa, aiming for some rest and relaxation. Of course, given that this is Doctor Who, that doesn’t last very long. Strange creatures invade the spa and begin to attack the guests. Eventually they all end up in a military vehicle, venturing outside of the resort to the desert wasteland that the monsters call home. Eventually there is a Planet of the Apes- style twist in which the desert wasteland planet is revealed to be a future version of Earth, devastated by climate crisis.

Doctor Who has always been a progressive show that highlights issues such as racism, classism, environmental matters and the horrors of war to name just a few. However, a frequent criticism of the Chibnall era of the show is the ham-fisted way in which these positive messages are often handled. Whilst some of these criticisms are unfair sentiments spewed by trolls online, this episode is a good example of a time when the episode feels more like it is lecturing the viewer than actually having a discourse with them. For example, compare this episode to season 11’s Rosa which had a fantastic, informative message without compromising the entertaining nature of the show.

Another problem with Orphan 55 is the costume and hair design. Doctor Who has always been known for fairly cheap production budgets but this episode looks unforgivably bad for an episode made in the 21st Century.