Doctor Who: Every Series 2 Episode Ranked Worst To Best

10. Love & Monsters

Doctor Who Love & Monsters Abzorbaloff
BBC Studios

Now and then, it can be quite interesting to see the effect the Doctor has on the universe without him taking centre stage. Love & Monsters is a comedic search for the truth behind the man, from those whose lives he has changed.

Whereas Fear Her had moments that didn’t connect with the series’ overall tone, Love & Monsters at least lovingly jabs at the show. Marc Warren puts in a decent turn as awkward everyman Elton, but it's hard not to criticise the episode for its misuse of UK comedy legend Peter Kay, who gets to do very little.

There are flashes of brilliance in its silliness, but understandably, some of it may put fans off. The closing moments of Elton discussing his relationship with Ursula, who is now a face on a slab of concrete, are certainly designed to throw viewers off a little. And they worked!

The production team needed this Doctor-lite story in order to make their schedule work. Furthermore, the rather bland Abzorbaloff design was a necessary addition, since it won a competition to be included in the show on kids programme Blue Peter.

Thus, Love & Monsters is an unfortunate product of circumstance.

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Coming from a content creation background that now spans over two decades, Psy cut her teeth on personal video production and community radio. Originally joining the team as a writer and presenter, she added video editing duties to her responsibilities over time and became the longest-standing editor of the irreverent gaming show Tues Your Own Adventure. Psy has worked on many previews and reviews, long-form editorials (either her own, or supporting as an editor), as a frequent quizmaster and more. Praised for the two-pronged attack of her hard work ethic and light-hearted editing style, Psy is otherwise known as a font of retro video game knowledge which has caused her to rack up many gaming quiz wins. Outside of WhatCulture, Psy runs First Aid Spray Podcast - a long-running channel that focuses on Resident Evil in all of it's forms. You can follow her on BlueSky at http://psywhite.bsky.social and Instagram at http://instagram.com/therealpsywhite