9. The Idiot's Lantern
Don't get me wrong, there are some decent moments in this episode. I love the scene where Rose berates the abusive father for hanging the flags wrong and referring to them as Union Jacks. The story is weak, but not offensively bad. Ultimately what brings it down is the monster of the week: The Wire. The concept isn't horrible, I guess, but the execution redefines camp. The deafening cries of "HUNGRY!" are laughable, not threatening. It comes off as a third-rate version of Little Shop of Horrors, but one that takes itself far too seriously. Also, I never quite came to terms with how the faceless victims were able to breathe without mouths or noses. Yes, in a show about a regenerating alien who can travel through space and time in a police box, that's apparently where I draw the line.