Doctor Who: EVERY Series Opener Ranked Worst To Best

It’s no coincidence that our next entry was also a Doctor’s second story. The fact that Tooth and Claw and The Girl in the Fireplace were both considered for the episode one slot tells you that even the makers of the show weren't confident that New Earth was the best way to properly launch the Tenth Doctor era.

It does earn points for bringing back Cassandra, and for making her more three-dimensional (literally and metaphorically). It also has an exciting pre-titles scene, some neat parallels between the new Doctor and the “New Humans”, and plenty of opportunities for Tennant to demonstrate his range (his anger at the Sisters of Plenitude is a particular highlight).

But like Space Babies, it's completely out of whack with the stories that follow, and hardly gives new viewers a reason to stick with the show. Though a nice idea, the body-swapping quickly becomes silly and tedious, and even at this early stage, Ten and Rose are ever-so-slightly insufferable.

A good opener should be essential viewing, but that simply isn’t the case here.