Doctor Who: EVERY Steven Moffat Episode Ranked Worst To Best

35. The Return Of Doctor Mysterio

Doctor Who The Return of Doctor Mysterio
BBC Studios

Unlike most Doctor Who Christmas specials, The Return of Doctor Mysterio steps away from an inherently festive setting but still provides a fun outing for Christmas Day.

Though it feels more trite today than it did on release, the idea of a Doctor Who episode centred around a superhero immediately sparked intrigue back in 2016, before superhero saturation truly set in.

Throw in an alien gemstone and some tongue-in-cheek comments about the inaccuracies of superhero comics and the result is an enjoyable sci-fi spin on a genre that was ruling the box-office at the time. With the MCU in full swing, Moffat was smart to cash in on the popularity of superhero stories while dialling up the Who-ness and putting it on telly at the biggest time of the year.

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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.