Doctor Who: EVERY Series Opener Ranked Worst To Best

The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar is far from terrible. It boasts some all-timer Doctor/Davros scenes and the genius double act of Clara and Missy (whose promotion to guest lead was a highlight of the entire Twelfth Doctor era).

It’s also a treat for Dalek fans, with the most varied array of props yet, and plenty of callbacks to the very first Dalek story, from Clara controlling a Dalek casing, to the beautifully recreated Dalek city.

But aside from the hook of the Doctor meeting a child Davros, the first half is essentially just 45 minutes of setup. And there’s nothing new to cling onto, making it impenetrable to anyone who’s not seen the show before.

Part two is an improvement, but it's way too self-indulgent with all its Moffat-isms that quickly overshadow the plot, plus the highly questionable moment of the Doctor removing Davros from his life support chair.

Overall it’s a bit of a mixed bag, falling short as both a standalone story and a series opener. That said, the more Julian Bleach we get in Doctor Who, the better!