Doctor Who: EVERY Steven Moffat Episode Ranked Worst To Best

28. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar

Doctor Who The Magician's Apprentice handmine field
BBC Studios

The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar revisits the question posited by the Fourth Doctor in Genesis of the Daleks: "Do I have the right?"

But instead of the entire Dalek race at the Doctor's mercy, this time, it's a young Davros. Seeing the creator of the most evil creatures in the universe as a scared boy on a battlefield brought a fascinating dimension to the character, and to his relationship with the Doctor.

It's quite talky for a series opener but there's some thought-provoking stuff in there, along with a great performance from Julian Bleach as Davros, some typically witty Moffat one-liners ("It's the wicked stepmother... everyone hiss!"), and the energetic chaos of Michelle Gomez's Missy.

The only downside is the unfortunate introduction of the Twelfth Doctor's ridiculous sonic sunglasses... but that's a topic for another time.

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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.