The Best And Worst Episode Of EVERY Doctor Who Series

Worst: The Devil’s Chord

According to some fans, Doctor Who jumps the shark multiple times per series, a notion I’ve always found laughable in relation to a show that pretty much has carte blanche to do whatever it likes,  and yet, after rolling my eyes at such sentiments for twenty years, this is the episode where, for me, it really did. With its fourth wall breaks galore, cartoonish music note visuals, and a MUSICAL NUMBER, The Devil’s Chord finally stretched my suspension of disbelief to breaking point - it just strays too far from its sci-fi roots. 

I’m sorry to say that I’m not a fan of Jinxx Monsoon’s hammy portrayal here, and the plot turns Fifteen into an agency-lacking coward in only his third episode. Lastly, I must mention the elephant in the room - this was billed as a Beatles episode. We didn’t get a single Beatles song, nor were they on screen for more than five minutes. I’ve been begging for the show to feature a historical musician for years, and this is what we got. I’m crushed.

Dishonourable Mention: The Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death

Best: Boom

I have missed Steven Moffat more than words can describe. Watching another episode penned by this man after many years of withdrawal is the happiest Doctor Who has made me in a very long time. Let me tell you, the man has not lost his touch.

The premise of Boom is so simple that it’s a wonder it hasn’t been done before. Stopping The Doctor from moving or emoting sounds like a snooze fest, but it’s one of the most compelling a tense episodes in years - a bottle episode where the stakes keep rising and rising. Fifteen and Ruby shine so brightly with Moffat’s dialogue that I’m disappointed to only get a short glimpse (for now), and Ncuti and Millie absolutely knock it out of the park in their own right. 

This one is going to be a classic. I feel it in my bones.

Honourable Mention: Rogue