The Best And Worst Episode Of EVERY Doctor Who Series

Worst: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

Chibnall has confessed that the on-screen version of his first finale was, due to timing constraints, a first draft script, and boy does it show. Series 11 was lacking in stakes and a defined personality for The Doctor, and this finale delivered neither. We’ve jumped from the very best finale to the very worst. Thirteen does precious little to defeat the recurring villain absolutely no-one asked for, Tim Shaw, Graham and Ryan subject Shaw to an eternity of torture because good guys don’t kill people, and I can only assume that Yaz may also have been there. This really shouldn’t have made it to screen, It Takes You Away would have been a better note to end the series on. 

Dishonourable Mention: The Ghost Monument

Best: Demons of the Punjab

Demons of the Punjab is, by far and away, the best story of Chibnall’s first run. The episode tackles a major moment in history that western audiences are almost entirely unfamiliar with, and the setting is such a breath of fresh air. It’s a story that gives us a vision of how, with the right script, Jodie’s Doctor can absolutely work, and it even gives Yaz stuff to do. Demons of the Punjab is a story with deeply personal stakes for one of our protagonists, and more than one genuinely intriguing mystery. What really sets this episode apart though, is those heartbreaking final fifteen minutes, which reach emotional heights that I’d argue the era doesn’t reach again. 

Honourable Mention: It Takes You Away