Doctor Who: EVERY Steven Moffat Episode Ranked Worst To Best

36. The Name Of The Doctor

Doctor Who Clara The Name of the Doctor
BBC Studios

The Name of the Doctor had a lot of promise and managed to both deliver and disappoint at the same time.

The resolution to the mystery of Clara is satisfying – if slightly problematic for the show's continuity – and it's always great to see River Song return, but the high stakes of the Doctor's name being revealed never felt realistic when it was clear that the show was never going to actually answer the question.

I of course must mention that hilarious final moment between the Doctor and River, and the 'end' of River's chronological story. It was a clever way to allow us to see more of a post-library River, allowing her to return without compromising the emotion or finality of her sacrifice in Forest of the Dead.

And the bit where the Doctor kisses thin air in front of the Paternoster Gang gets a big laugh from me every single time!

As for the reveal of John Hurt as the War Doctor, it was genuinely shocking at the time and still remains powerful today. It's just a shame it wasn't attached to a more remarkable episode.

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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.