The Best And Worst Episode Of EVERY Doctor Who Series

Worst: The Crimson Horror

This might be the most Mark Gatiss episode that Mark Gatiss has ever Gatissed (and by that I mean it’s diabolically boring but otherwise inoffensive. This episode reintroduces the Paternoster Gang, who I am a fan of, but in this outing they are… not great. The Doctor spends half the episode absent or turned into a BBC budget version of Red Skull, and once he’s freed, Matt Smith puts in his worst performance as the Doctor thanks to a script that dials his whimsy up to eleven and has him skidding round corners and randomly forcing himself on Jenny. It’s a bit iffy.

Dishonourable Mention: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Best: A Town Called Mercy

A Town Called Mercy is so, so underrated. It’s a run of the mill mid-series caper, but the Wild West setting is perfectly realised and is the perfect backdrop to the story being told. Both Kahler-Jex and the Gunslinger are incredibly compelling and the latter has one of the coolest monster designs in the revival. It also gives us some great ‘darker’ moments for the Doctor, with Matt Smith really getting to showcase his range.

This is monster-of-the-week episode that absolutely perfects the formula. 

Honourable Mention: The Angels Take Manhattan