Doctor Who Series 11: Ranking Every Episode From Worst To Best
2. The Witchfinders
Unlike Rosa, The Witchfinders isn’t particularly concerned with historical accuracy. Indeed, in the characterisation of King James, much that is presented as fact is based on supposition and speculation. Linking the paranoia of the King to his troubled childhood fits in well with the overarching theme of the family in series 11, but it does lead to the rather silly idea that he would be happy to mingle with potential assassins, protected only by a mask.
We are happy to suspend our disbelief, however, on the strength of Alan Cumming’s performance. Whilst the human characters are given a fair bit of nuance, once again the aliens of the piece feel rushed and underserved. The Morax are imprisoned on Earth but we never find out why or by whom, and their ability to possess and reanimate bodies, offers little other than to conveniently fit some of the legends about witches in the seventeenth century. It’s also not clear why the wood from the tree is such a weakness to them, or why the Doctor thinks it is safe and appropriate to lock them away again on our planet.
Try not to overthink it and The Witchfinders can be remembered as a most entertaining romp. It contains some of the funniest lines of the series, such as when Graham quotes Tarantino to King James, but it also tackles head on the elephant in the room - the issue of gender politics - with the Doctor identifying with the struggles of women to be heard in a patriarchal society.