Doctor Who: Every Doctor's WORST Episode

Time and the Rani definitely isn't as irredeemable as some fans would have you believe. However, in a run as consistent as Andrew Cartmel and Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor era, its flaws really stand out.

There's a good reason for this, of course. Due to the slightly chaotic exit of his predecessor, script editor Cartmel only had one workable script for the Seventh Doctor's debut story – courtesy of Rani creators Pip and Jane Baker – and it wasn't in line with his vision for Doctor Who.

A lot of the Bakers' worst excesses are on show throughout Time and the Rani, from their overwrought dialogue to a diabolical scheme that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The greatest minds in all of time and space funneled into a giant brain? An asteroid made of strange matter? Combined to create a Time Manipulator? Sure, why not?

Meanwhile, McCoy is still finding his feet and leans a bit too far into clowning, which does provide some irritation. Kate O'Mara's hilarious Bonnie Langford impression and some genuinely impressive 1980s visual effects make this worth watching, but it's still the low point of the McCoy era.