10 Greatest CGI Moments In Doctor Who History
7. The Pting (The Tsuranga Conundrum)
No, this isn’t a joke!
While most Whovians have grown accustomed to seeing The Tsuranga Conundrum appear on plenty of “worst” lists, it does have one saving grace which could genuinely be considered “great” – the Pting.
Say what you will about the episode itself but the Pting is one of the most convincing CGI creations we’ve ever seen in Doctor Who! The early years of the modern era were still finding their feet when it came to CGI creatures – cast your minds back to the likes of the Krillitane or the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe – the detail was less defined and the movements were often janky and simplistic.
By 2018 however, the skill and technology available was far more advanced. Just look at the detail on the Pting design. The texture of its skin, the shine in its eyes, the smooth & realistic body movements. For all intents and purposes, this looks like a real animal and blends into the scenes seamlessly without any tell-tale signs that it’s entirely computer generated – other than being an alien, of course. And all this on a notoriously tight BBC budget!
The Tsuranga Conundrum is never going to be a winning episode and as much as it pains me to praise it, the Pting deserves to be recognised for the glorious feat of CGI it turned out to be.