Doctor Who Series 11: Ranking Every Episode From Worst To Best
8. Kerblam!
Peter McTighe’s satire on internet shopping and automation in the workplace is by far the strongest script of the series. The dialogue sparkles and there is little exposition and padding. It is also brilliantly directed and shot. The acting is solid throughout and the design work is exceptional. So what on earth is it doing so low down on the list?
In short, Kerblam presents not one, but two of the most tasteless deaths ever featured on the show. The Doctor’s failure to call to account both the system and those who created and manage it is so antithetical to the spirit of Doctor Who that it almost beggars belief that it wasn’t addressed by Chibnall in the script editing stage. When the Doctor and her friends leaves there is no sense that the events won’t repeat themselves, and the rights of the workers to revolt against poor conditions are unhelpfully called into question.
Amazon, or any other major online retailer had nothing to fear about what this episode said about them. There is satire here, especially with the symbolic use of humans to carry out menial tasks that could easily be handled by the machines. It’s not an economically sensible business model, but it works a treat when it comes to maintaining class divisions. But those counter messages are totally obscured by the Doctor’s failure to save Charlie and his girlfriend, Kira. This is relentlessly grim and doesn’t sit well with the Thirteenth Doctor’s message of hope.