Doctor Who: Every Series 1 Episode Ranked Worst To Best

After Rose, The End of the World really feels like Doctor Who taking shape. We’re off into the future, into space, and surrounded by quirky aliens that wouldn’t be out of place in a Douglas Adams book, like evolved tree-people and Cassandra, who is essentially an upright trampoline made of human skin cells.

The Doctor has brought Rose to a small gathering in the stars to witness the heat death of planet Earth, until something inevitably goes wrong.

In a vacuum, as part of Eccleston’s run, this is a dose of great writing and performance. We see early looks into Nine being a tad careless after his time in the war and away from companions, dragging Rose to the end of the Earth without thinking about the effect it could have on her. In this episode, Rose becomes a valuable part of the Doctor’s conscience, and the two reflect and play off each other brilliantly.

As a piece on the greater tapestry of Who, this feels a lot more like the direction the series would head in. The End of the World is no less enthusiastic than the pilot episode but it certainly has a clearer sense of identity. Gone are the awkward parts, shaved off for wacky but concise sci-fi.