Doctor Who: EVERY Steven Moffat Episode Ranked Worst To Best

38. The Girl Who Died

The Girl Who Died Doctor Who
BBC

Back to the co-writes!

Penned by Moffat and the extremely talented Jamie Mathieson (Flatline, Mummy on the Orient Express), this one should have been so much better than it was.

The Girl Who Died is most remembered for the introduction of Maisie Williams' Ashildr. Beyond that, while a fairly entertaining episode, it doesn't stick in the mind in the grand tapestry of Moffat offerings.

It is somewhat significant in Doctor Who history though, with the satisfying in-universe explanation behind Twelve having the same face as Caecilius from Series 4's The Fires of Pompeii. Whether it was necessary to address the recasting of Peter Capaldi or not remains up for debate, but it did allow for a great performance from Capaldi and provide a strong catalyst for a wider plot to develop with Ashildr.

Oh, and the vikings were pretty cool.

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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.