Doctor Who: Every Russell T Davies Episode Ranked From Worst To Best

2008’s Christmas special was essentially a great big publicity stunt to bait the audience into thinking they were about to meet David Tennant’s replacement.

And it worked: 13 million viewers tuned in.

To those who were more plugged-in than others though it was obvious that David Morrissey wasn’t actually the next Doctor. Trouble is, the first half of the story relies on you thinking that he is.

It’s like a joke that goes on too long (literally in the case of stuff like his “sonic” screwdriver, or TARDIS balloon). It doesn’t exactly have a lot of rewatch value.

That aside, The Next Doctor has some awesome imagery (Cybermen marching through a snowy graveyard! The blood-red Miss Hartigan! A giant Cyberman stomping through Victorian London!). And Morrissey is brilliant as Jackson Lake.

It's a tale of two halves. A bit too self-indulgent with quite a lot to like.