Doctor Who: All Chris Chibnall Episodes Ranked From Worst To Best
11. Arachnids In The UK
Of all the entries on this list, this is one episode that was so easily redeemable, with one line of dialogue required to boost it from mediocre to brilliant. The episode addresses a spider infestation that is devouring innocent Sheffield citizens, having mutated from toxic waste dumped underground. The special effects are first rate, and the conundrum of what to do with innocent spiders that are killing innocent people due to instinct thoroughly engaging.
Unfortunately, the episode makes a major misstep when it comes to resolving the spider problem, with The Doctor and her companions seemingly losing their moral compass. The spiders are deliberately lead into a room to suffocate to death, with the mother spider seemingly left to the same fate. This in itself was not an issue, but Chibnall makes the staggering mistake of siding with the Doctor's actions. Chris Noth plays an obvious Trump caricature, and while this character is largely annoying for the bulk of the episode, his decision to shoot the mother spider as a mercy killing is a big moment.
But rather than allow the Trump caricature to question the Time Lord on what the right course of action was, The Doctor is portrayed as taking the moral high ground. It's an incredible waste of a great opportunity to question the Doctor's complete pacifism at any cost, something that has been addressed well before in previous Who episodes.