10 Most Overrated Doctor Who Episodes

[@En1ow]

Silence in the library

[@WhoCulture]

Pinning so Ellie can see (and scream)

[@Kazavop]

​@WhoCulture 🤭

[@En1ow]

@@WhoCulture So overrated🙄🙄

[@williamcaldwell3212]

Douche

[@chicha400]

The most deserved pin of shame.

[@adelaideas]

With respect, most people completely missed the point of the Rings of Akhaten. And this video shows why. The doctor’s heart and soul wasn’t beat out by “a magic leaf”. The entire episode is about how items of personal value are used as currency in Akhaten, rather than items of inherent value (like gold or silver). The meaning we place in objects gives them value, and history beyond their inherent qualities. The Doctor, while willing to give stories of his past, is just giving that-the past. Nothing more. Clara’s leaf is just a leaf, nothing more to it, except to HER its meaning is exceptionally special. It’s the leaf that represents all the potential futures her mother could have had. It’s not that this leaf is “more important” than the doctor or anything like that; it’s that the unlived infinite futures are more powerful than a finite one. It’s a story about the grief over loss, not just losing the person, but all the potential days they never got to live. That infinity is more powerful than the Doctor’s finite history. It’s not about Clara or the leaf itself, it’s about the meaning of lost futures with the ones we lose too early.

[@TheWhovinerd-1963]

Thank you 😊. Another civilised individual who actually understands the beauty of The Rings Of Akhaten. It’s my favourite Smith era episode for how beautiful it is. Xx

[@Bacbi]

That was how I read it on the first watch, though I also thought "did no one else during all those years ever bring an item that represented their lost loved ones?" And upon a rewatch the way the Doctor looks at her made me wonder if maybe he was being kind, thinking that it shouldn't have worked but went along with it for Clara's sake. And that the reason it did work was because when the Doctor went after Clara in his own timestream where he sends the leaf to Clara so that he could pinpoint her location. That was meant to be the explanation. Granted how that whole thing worked doesn't make much sense. Why wouldn't the Doctor himself get spread all across the timeline like Clara did, how did he get the leaf to begin with. How was he able to bring them both out after she for whatever reason passed out. That last chunk of name of the doctor really was Moffat having to write himself into a corner because no contracts were signed for the 50th when he wrote it. So he needed to have the back up story of Clara meeting alternate versions of possible Doctors in various timelines. And then felt like he either forgot to write a scene having the two discuss the leaf. Or just wanted to leave anything that had to do with the impossible girl ark behind once he could actually write the ending.

[@Kayjee17]

I think it takes losing someone who was your whole world, like a very beloved mother or such, to understand the weight of all of those infinite "could have beens" if that person had lived longer. It's been 9 years since my mother died, and yet I still mourn the fact that she missed my youngest son's birth by 4 months and 27 days - and he's the child who is the most brilliant, ornery, emotional, talented, and fantastic of all 9 of my kids... and I know she would have loved him so much, and he would have loved her so much, too. The leaf in my life is found in him, and it is embodied in the five locks of white hair he was born with in the midst of his blond hair that have remained a light blond as the rest of his hair has gotten darker. It looked like she had placed her fingertips on the crown of his baby head just before he was born, because our hands were the same size and my fingertips fit the spots exactly, and I believe she blessed him right before birth since she couldn't be there for him.

[@IAmABoss2]

I do understand the sentiment in what you're saying, but the Doctor means so much to so many people. He has created and allowed billions of futures. He carries the weight of the whole universe with him, past, present, and future.

[@IAmABoss2]

Also, it just makes one of Matt Smith's greatest performances seem redundant in the way that it is presented.

[@Paul_McSeol]

This list hurts my soul. Both Listen and Girl in the Fireplace are among the very best of episodes in my book. Actually, I really liked most of these. Well, taste is subjective and all. Time for a cup of tea and a rewatch of Army of Ghosts.

[@Luke88888]

Listen is boring, but I agree for the Girl in the fireplace

[@chickensandwichman5443]

I'm honestly really glad someone has pointed out the glaringly obvious about The Girl in the Fireplace. I've been saying this for years, the entire episode is written like it's totally standalone, which for most elements of the series, this works. But when you're trying to establish a multi-series romance between two characters, having a one-off love interest episode creates some major dissonance, when repercussions are not addressed at all in relation to the on-going arc. Taken on its own, it's a fine enough story--but it's not entirely on its own, and Moffatt really should've known this when writing it.

[@jd_music23]

@@chickensandwichman5443 i agree. Although I feel RTD is more to blame than Moffat here as RTD approved it and as show runner it was up to him to make his series have the correct arc/feel consistent etc. He could have easily requested a rewrite or at least have them address it later in the series.

[@charlottebjuren72]

I agree

[@richardfurness7556]

The Girl In The Fireplace is one of the finest examples of storytelling I have seen on any TV show. It was intriguing, educational, creepy, funny, bombastic and at the end unbelievably tragic. How anyone can sit with a dry eye through the scene where the Doctor discovers that Mme de Pompadour has died is beyond me. I put the episode up there with Dalek, Turn Left, Blink and Heaven Sent.

[@RuptimusPrime]

I agree, it's one of Moffat's best. Saying it's overrated because it ignores The Doctor's relationship with Rose is ridiculous to me, I wish more episodes ignored The Doctor's relationship with Rose 😂

[@retrogiftsuk4812]

Don't forget the twist that the Doctor never works out why the clockwork robots chose Madame de Pompadour... But the audience sees why in the closing shots. Pure genius.

[@HariSeldon913]

Also, The Doctor didn't trap himself in the past because he was choosing Madame de Pompadour over Rose, he did it to trap the clockwork robots in the past as severing their link to the ship took away their reason for existence.

[@PsyrenXY]

GitFP would have been amazing as a companion-free Doctor Special similar to Waters of Mars or Next Doctor. But abandoning Rose and Mickey to starve to death in space to go groom and snog Pompadour was truly awful behavior from 10. WhoCulture is 100% right to put this at the top of the list.

[@PsyrenXY]

@@RuptimusPrimeI mean, I hated the TenRose ship too but put the relationship aside - knowingly leaving your companions stranded in space is shitty behavior regardless of romance. At least he could have set up Protocol 1 to take them home before jumping on the horse...

[@foxxknight8847]

"Rose, the episode, not the companion, isn't very good" Hot take: The companion isn't very good either...

[@julianaylor4351]

Personally I don't believe in the overrated episodes thing. Niggling. Underrated is often more interesting.

[@DogsAreTheBest312]

Personally I don’t believe in either. It leads to people being told their favorite episode sucks. People should just let others enjoy the show and not talk down on someone just because their opinions differ

[@julianaylor4351]

@@DogsAreTheBest312 Starts unwanted arguments between friends and relatives. Don't go there.

[@fazolis2024]

i didnt know that was a word

[@silashellebrand462]

Yeah, I've always felt "Overrated" to be an invalid criticism. The whole point of critiquing is to improve the art piece. What is anyone supposed to do with "Most people like this, even though it's not _that_ great"?

[@georggggggge]

i think people need to understand that something being over or underrated doesnt inherently mean its good or bad, just that it gets way more or way little attention/appreciation than someone feels it deserves. at the end of the day it completely comes down to personal preferences

[@frontier51]

The Girl in the Fireplace is not overrated and I will not stand for this slander. But also, isn't it pretty harsh to call any Jodie Whitaker episode overrated considering the degree to which that entire era has gotten buried by the fanbase? They're currently rated a D- by most of the fandom. For them to still be overrated they'd have to actually be an F or below.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

Only fake fans (NMDs and bigots) have that "opinion" on the JW era. True fans know otherwise.

[@thesagebrushkid1]

Preach. The Jodie episodes mentioned were some of her better ones but nobody’s singing their praises in the same breath as heaven sent or blink, surely to be overrated they should be celebrated to the point where you’re like “I don’t get it”? Like woman who fell to earth, one of Jodie’s better ones but nobody’s under any illusion that it’s not a patch on 11th hour.

[@richardgurney1844]

Well, The Woman Who Fell to Earth currently has a 7/10 on IMDb. So I'd say that's definitely overrated! 5.7 at best imo - I thought it was really lackluster, like most of the Chibnall era

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@richardgurney1844 Said no-one with a brain ever. Your inability to spell "lacklustre" (let alone use it correctly) is simply further proof of your absence of working brain.

[@frontier51]

@@richardgurney1844 7/10 is overrated but I am surprised that's so high and it might speak to a difference between IMDB's audience and the hardcore fandom.

[@bluesceptre260]

Listen isn't overrated, it's underrated. There was always a large group of people who didn't like it because they didn't get it.

[@BaldBasket]

Listen would honestly be in my top 10.

[@jd_music23]

Yeah. I was surprised to see it on this list tbh. I definitely agree with points they make the whole danny/clara drama is really contrived and just feels like the random divorce subplot in Asylum of the Daleks i.e. infuriating drama that comes out of nowhere for the sake of drama (man can't write romance) but the rest of it really is a masterpiece and I feel those scenes don't detract from the good as they're just kind of inconsequential to the episode. It's as beautiful as it is scary and mysterious.

[@LisaBeta-42]

Have a good look at the TARDIS interior at the beginning of this episode: candels all around - there is a deleted scene, where all those candels are really burning to catch any draught a HIDDEN creature might produce (is there no air-conditioning in the console room?). But those optics are to near to Peter Capaldi's Angel Islington role in Neil Gaiman's 1996 tv mini-series "Neverwhere". Candles in the darkness of a cavernous space (TARDIS / London Underground) together with a trapped monster. Happened a lot to the 12th Doctor, that he is viewing the world as a battleground for fighting evil and monsters and NOT all of those encounters meet these criteria: "Ups, there is no evil plan - I don't know how to react"

[@RuptimusPrime]

I don't think it's because people didn't get it. I think it's, like she said in the video, because that future scene at the end just throws the atmosphere out the window, and a lot of people (myself included) think it ruins the whole episode, which was great up to this point. I agree it's not overrated, though. I know more people that dislike it than people who like it.

[@dw7704]

I get it, and the first half (approximately) is real good, and probably why most people like it. But the last half goes downhill, and fast It goes off track, and takes me out of the story I have watched it a couple more times, and I like the start even better, but dislike the rest even more So it feels overrated to me, but if someone likes it, and if it’s in their top 5 or whatever, that’s cool. Enjoy it. But it’s not in my top 5, or even close. And Capaldi is my favourite Doctor

[@patriciaannvines4536]

I feel the girl in the fireplace was only put in to get comments through controversy. This episode was great in the fact that anyone can jump in and enjoy this episode without being an established fan. It still excited those of us who have watched every Dr. Who ever made. And it came at a point when some of us were just bored with the sexual tension between the doctor and rose. Girl in the fireplace will always be a go to episode for me when I just need to be happy and sad and excited.

[@koudak2329]

That's what happened to me, Girl in the fireplace was my first episode of DW ever and it started my Whoian career. Since then, I watched whole series, listening to Big Finish audios and more. 😃

[@olb3587]

It's great, but I think the video just means that it isn't quite as good as people make it out to be, and doesn't compare to Blink, Midnight, Hell Bent, etc.

[@kieranleehamilton]

Considering 12 is my favourite Doctor, and I think he’s the most consistently under appreciated incarnation, I can’t agree with any of his eps being overrated. He deserves all the flowers. Both him and Coleman - one of the very best TARDIS teams.

[@hazmat7949]

Capaldi might be the best doctor out of all 15 listen is good but not even the best of his weakest seasons imo

[@grace-the-poet]

I’m offended, how is listen included in this video? 😂 No 12th doctor episodes should be on this list!😭😭😭

[@dmitriiglass]

Ellie hates the 12th. Cause he's not dreamy enough. And, furthermore, old and Scottish. Awful, right?

[@grace-the-poet]

@@dmitriiglass awww, that’s not true! Peter Capaldi is very handsome! 😻 12 is the perfect doctor for me (but I am rather biased)❤️

[@doctor_sixty]

please don't make negative videos about the thing we all love so much

[@Luke88888]

True

[@Luke88888]

You're only allowed bullying the 13th Doctor

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@Luke88888Nope. No Doctor should be bullied, just like no creature at all should be bullied.

[@LokiDaHyena0427]

My only disagreement on the list is the Zygon Invasion/Inversion two parter. There's lots more memorable moments like "Doctor Disco", Petronella and "Basil", the Union Jack parachute as camouflage, "London! What a dump!", the Doctor calling the two little girls "very blobby", poncing about in a big plane, the body horror of Bonnie forcing that one Zygon to change. Sure, most of the episodes' hype comes from the war speech, but the rest of the episodes have good moments too!

[@aidankelly1169]

Hot take but I think Midnight is actually quite overrated, as much as I like the idea of the doctors cleverness working against him, I find the characters to be really annoying and get bored with the one room setting

[@arch1017]

Yup. I also don't think it's very scary/creepy either.

[@therandommikaela]

I think the weirdest thing about Listen is that Danny Pink grows up and begins a romantic relationship with a woman who broke into his bedroom when he was 10

[@sbi168]

Village of the angels was brilliant. Not as good as haunting of villa diodate but still brilliant. Listen is brilliant superbly brilliant. Rings of akhaten is great, it does look a little too Flash Gorden but it goes well with great heart and superb performances. Tho I agree army of ghosts and doomsday are poor.

[@Luke88888]

I think completely the opposite 😅 (All the 13th Doctor eposides are rubbish)

[@sbi168]

@@Luke88888 and that's what is great . Everyone has different opinions and tastes. While season 11 was up and down I like season 12 (except orphan 55 which I hated) and while flux had issues I have loads of fun with it and the first four episodes are great.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@Luke88888There are no "eposides" because there is no such word. Fake fans like you are not welcome. Leave.

[@Luke88888]

​@@DrWhoFanJI think you're the fake fan, because if you had seen the previous seasons, you would probably agree that the 13th Doctor is by far the worst one

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@Luke88888 I’ve seen all _Doctor Who_ between 1963 and 2023, and I know that nothing you’ve said anywhere in this chain is even remotely truthful.

[@JonEVodunakaBroXVII]

Ready to hate your choices. *sits judgingly*

[@dmitriiglass]

It's Ellie from Whoculture. Her choices are garbage by default.

[@sanddagger36]

funny enough, most criticism i've seen for the girl in the fireplace has been the lack of focus on the B plot. The creepy androids on a ship made of flesh might have been a better idea on its own without the time windows at all.

[@WiccanRai]

The woman who fell to earth is overrated? Eh? Am I in a parallel universe? I like it a lot, but I've been under the impression I was in a minority.

[@MJW000]

It is quite widely regarded as not being a good episode anyway so i don't get how it can be overrated when it isn't liked anyway.

[@sauvixcustoms]

I think Rose is one of the best episodes that introduce a new Doctor. To be perfectly honest, and I'm gonna need riot gear to protect myself from all the people who praise the episode, I think that the Eleventh Hour is one of the most overrated episodes. And while a decent episode, Girl in the Fireplace deserves its place on this list.

[@hollymatton474]

Agreed! 🙈😊

[@BoxOfFear]

Agreed, Rose was a fantastic introductory episode. It doesn’t hold up so well over time, maybe that’s more what this list was about.

[@AmberMetallicScorpion]

the vfx were crappy even then considering the next episode was the end of the world. not to mention that it only has enough plot to fill a standard 24 minute episode. the remaining 20 minutes is just filler. the 11th hour however makes great use of its entire hour long run time as it's constantly doing something to advance the plot. the only thing remotely close to filler in it is the scene of the doctor eating various dishes and throwing them away. and unlike rose, the episode has a plot that's actually engaging enough for you to want to watch it, with an interesting set of two different threats done in a similar way to smith and jones, it even adds to the shadow proclamation as an idea, saying that it's not just the judoon and other humanoids we see in the RTD era, but special prison guards too. Moffat made better use of the autons in the big bang, than RTD did in rose, and that's despite the fact that rory is the only auton in the big bang

[@stuffyouotterlistento1461]

I agree with the video. "Rose" is pretty cringey, and though I quite like Eccleston's Doctor (and am very thankful to him for selling the character and the show to an audience who could easily have reacted similarly as to the '90s movie), I think Series 1 is pretty weak, and I'm kind of embarrassed to start people there. And you can't really start with Series 2, even with the arrival of a new Doctor, as it so much a continuation of Series 1. I do think that Series 5, taken in a vacuum, would be perfectly good to jump into, but you'd be skipping too much good stuff, and the show becomes increasingly lost up its own ass in the series that follow. So there unfortunately isn't a great place to start NuWho.

[@DogsAreTheBest312]

Agreed! Rose was my first episode, and it’s perfect for someone who knows nothing about the shows history like I did at the time. Tbh I think it’s here because Ellie seems to hate Rose. The character not the episode

[@rileytipper5110]

I shall not take any Girl in the Fireplace slander , that is a definitive doctor who episode. If someone who hasn’t seen this show wants to understand what’s it’s about and it’s tone/vibe. I’ll always a recommend that episode. It has everything you want and expect from Doctor who.

[@myriad926]

The Girl in the Fireplace?! Really? Complaining that the Doctor forgets all about Rose for Reinette seems silly when Rose is wandering around with her boyfriend who she has ignored for two seasons because of the Doctor.

[@lukeskywalker8543]

Now do most underrated episodes.

[@CptnWolfe]

The Idiot's Lantern

[@SathySlade]

With all the hate the Capaldi era gets, there’s no reason for any of those episodes to be on this list

[@vyvienn]

I wasn’t super happy with a lot of the Capaldi episodes, always thought he deserved better writing. He was an excellent, cantankerous Doctor, and they never really wrote to his abilities, which is a shame.

[@ryano7220]

"Doomsday" wasn't the weakest RTD finale. The plot at least made sense. As for "Last of the Time Lords"... people chanting at the sky to make Space Jesus, anyone?

[@kbg12ila]

Fires of Pompeii, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, The Girl in the Fireplace are some of my favourite episodes... 🥲

[@WatchwithMarcella]

The Girl in the Fireplace is my favorite Who episode ever. But I understand it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And I wouldn’t say Rose was totally chill with the doctor dropping her. She was butt hurt for sure.

[@TNEQL]

If Listen is in this list, I WILL scream... Edit after watching the video: ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

[@ShinyFeesh38]

I feel your pain lol

[@PsyrenXY]

It's in the thumbnail lmao

[@Skyeefo]

Why are half of the list on WhoCulture so negative? I'd like to see it celebrated, but it's always worst this, mistake here, overrated that. Or is it me?

[@Luke88888]

It's just you

[@dmitriiglass]

It gives clicks and comments.

[@chickensandwichman5443]

I'm honestly really glad someone has pointed out the glaringly obvious about The Girl in the Fireplace. I've been saying this for years, the entire episode is written like it's totally standalone, which for most elements of the series, this works. But when you're trying to establish a multi-series romance between two characters, having a one-off love interest episode creates some major dissonance, when repercussions are not addressed at all in relation to the on-going arc. Taken on its own, it's a fine enough story--but it's not entirely on its own, and Moffatt really should've known this when writing it.

[@stuffyouotterlistento1461]

Not being into the multi-series romance at all (Rose was a teenager and the Doctor a superhumanly intelligent 900-year-old time traveler; you don't have to be uptight about such things to find that pretty icky), I welcomed the shift in focus. I'll admit that it doesn't seem to square with how Rose behaved in "School Reunion", but emotions can be fickle, with people seemingly randomly reacting very differently to similar situations... and the situations had some major differences. While "School Reunion" may have involved aliens, it was on modern day Earth in a school, so familiar terrain for Rose. That's quite different from creepy spaceship with windows into 18th century France, and may have helped explain her being in a different headspace. So could Mickey's presence. And she could've grown a bit after coming to terms with Sarah Jane and what she represents (or just not had the emotional energy to repeat the process). And Reinette could've seemed strange and figuratively (in addition to literally) foreign to her, especially since she didn't interact with her much. I do think it was still weak in terms of continuity, and that such things should've been touched on or at least hinted at if they were in play, but in terms of headcanon, explanations aren't hard to find. In any case, Sophia Myles's performance as Reinette and the chemistry she had with Tennant's Doctor were so amazing that I hardly care about the other stuff... except for the Doctor's utter stupidity of going through the fireplace without Reinette and not expecting time to skip again, like it had been repeatedly doing throughout the episode. When I first watched the episode, I was like "What are you doing?!?!" before anything even happened, because it was so obviously a danger. _That_ is what mars the episode for me. _That_ is the thing I can't get over. It's still a really good episode overall, but there's always that "but..." in there anytime I think about it, and that's tragic. The RTD-era Moffat story I think is dramatically overrated is "The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances". I honestly don't even like it that much, and everybody's fondness for it baffles me.

[@NinjAsylum]

Putting Listen on this list completely decredits everything this channel has ever said about the show. Literally one of the top 5 best episodes in the shows entire history. I am actually disgusted that this video was even uploaded.

[@Vim-Wolf]

One of the best Tennant era stories an number one? Really?

[@Luke88888]

I agree with you

[@dmitriiglass]

She hates Tennant with passion. Which is very noticeable in all the negative lists.

[@LibertyBridgeProductions]

Listen isn’t overrated no one speaks about it and it’s awesome. Girl in the fire place is also awesome so is akhatem.

[@josephabrams4059]

I agreed up to number 1. The Girl in the Fireplace is one of the top episodes of ALL TIME.

[@Number6_]

She did well as Victoria for 3 seasons. Better than just taging around after the doctor.

[@markpostgate2551]

I think in terms of series 2, and it's placement within series 2, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing with GITF. It ruins Human Nature, because Human Nature is about the Doctor falling in love because he is human, which Time Lord Doctor couldn't foresee because Time Lords don't... oh, yeah but GITF! (Okay, I remember now that Human Nature is in series three but still illustrates how GITF doesn't fit with the stories around it). In GITF he says to Rose, "I let you bring Mickey" when in School Reunion Rose was clearly peeved at Mickey gatecrashing the party and it was the Doctor who invited him along. I don't think Moffat is aware that the other episodes in the season would be shipping the Doctor and Rose. It's a fine standalone story but oblivious to the rest of the series.

[@DogsAreTheBest312]

Yes this entirely. It’s a decent episode… if you ignore literally the overarching arc of the past two series. Also, like the River Song arc, the “romance” makes no sense and feels forced in

[@markpostgate2551]

@@DogsAreTheBest312 Yeah, Silence in the Library isn't really part of the RTD era; it is the prologue to the Moffat era.

[@mr.jaws158]

about human nature, i think doctor never foresee himself fall for someone because he still hadnt moved on from rose. his human version didnt know that ofcourse, so he thought doctor never could love someone, but maybe doctor didnt consider it cuz of rose. about mickey, that might have just been his "rude" and sassy side to throw shade on mickey, its a running gag with 10th doctor to be rude and of 9th and 10th throwing shade on mickey.

[@mr.jaws158]

@@DogsAreTheBest312 yeah. maybe a season of 11 and river's romance arc would have been good. it certainly doesnt feel forced as we see the progression of doctor falling for her. but it does lack the buildup. cuz the only buildup it got was silence in library, then the moment 11 meets song, she is flirting like crazy. not unbelievable cuz of their timelines being wibbly wobbly, but yeah. still its a good one though.

[@markpostgate2551]

@mr.jaws158 Stop being an apologist for bad creative decisions.

[@LCBK]

Could a clara echo be in village of angles, she stepped into a dead 11’s timeline, so how would she have access to future events

[@robo3007]

Honestly? I think Girl in the Fireplace is at least twice as good as Silence in the Library. The writing is Moffat at his best and the idea is so much more inventive than "The Empty Child again but with spacesuits"

[@joshuajordan64]

Rant time: Rings of akhaten is definitely criminally underrated I kinda ran kut of things to say but i agree on girl in the fireplace its actually so bad

[@simononeill2374]

To quote 9 taking about humans “you’re stupid” if we didn’t see the bin burp “mikey” could of just put vasciline on his head 😂

[@marvelljones72]

You can really tell this is an Ellie list, there aren't more episodes that have River Song in them on it. Let's Kill Hitler should have been in the top 3 easily.

[@danthemeegs8751]

Let's Kill Hitler isn't overrated though. It's quite a divisive episode

[@adifferentsky]

@@danthemeegs8751I don't think it's really even divisive, just universally disliked.

[@flamerama7344]

I got a 90% on my university assignment from 3 weeks ago. Thanks for the support

[@scottfromspace]

Congrats! The Doctor would be proud 😁

[@paultapner2769]

Resurrection of the Daleks. I recall an interview with Eric Saward once where he said he didn't get the balance right in the script. It has far too many elements it can't knit together successfully. It desperately wants to be another Earthshock. But Matthew Robinson whilst a decent director wasn't Peter Grimwade. I have no idea what the point of Rula Lenska's character actually was. It's a bit of a mess. Although Peter Davison's acting when Tegan says she wants to leave is amazing. He shows the Doctor's shock and reaction just with body language. Amazing to think this one beat the Caves of Androzani in the dwm 1984 season poll.

[@AdamKyles]

It's nice to see a comment from a fan of the classic era. I found Resurrection of the Daleks disappointing. The violence is gratuitous, there's too much stuff to fit into 4 episodes, and it makes no sense for the Daleks to hide a bomb on Earth.

[@alex-oh8bh]

1. Silence in the library 2. Silence in the library 3. Silence in the library 4. Silence in the library 5. Silence in the library 6. Silence in the library 7. Silence in the library 8. Silence in the library 9. Silence in the library 10. Silence in the library

[@agent95_]

I personally think Micky gets too bad of a rap. He had the best character arch in the entire show. He started out a happy guy who had an alien offering the entirety of time and space to his girl come and whisk her away in his spaceship. While going through untold horrors no one prepared him for, he came out the other side not only a freedom fighter against some of the most dangerous soldiers in the multiple universes and married arguably the most independent and underrated companion of the entire show, Martha. Truly, a lot of companions may have changed a little, but Micky had the most growth. And probably the highest respect earned from the Doctor.

[@JoeThornhill]

6:26 But if Micky hadn't touched the Genesis ark, they would've blown up the sun (or switched it off, I can't remember) so either way, the Daleks weren't gonna just leave it, they would do anything to release their army and complete their mission. "So, you've done us a favor."

[@SAMEEDEE56]

6:22 If Micky didn’t open the ark, the Daleks would have forced it open and it would’ve blown up the sun, 10 says that Micky ‘did them a favour’

[@dawgdayz4884]

If you have nothing nice to say, shut up. Hate the way British complain about their number 1 show to the world. Should always look for the brightest stuff, not point out your negative options. Some of these are my favorite episodes, maybe we just have different thoughts on this show. I'm surprised any show makes it there with all the complaints.

[@chicha400]

It’s a completely subjective list and it is coming from a channel dedicated to doctor who with a team that is clearly bananas (good source of potassium btw) about it. I know what you’re getting at, because people nowadays love to critique things and there are in fact whole channels which have nothing but videos complaining about modern television, but this channel certainly isn’t one of them. If anything, a true fan is willing to open up these kinds of discussions about the potential shortcomings of a film/series instead of just blindly acting like all 10+ series are utter perfection. The list was done in a respectful way in my opinion, even if I disagree with some of the picks.

[@ospero7681]

...mate, have you ever interacted with a British person? This kind of kvetching is how you know they really like something; sincere, hand-on-heart gushing makes them uncomfortable. Also, every single one of these entries goes out of its way to emphasize some good parts about the episodes in question.

[@Luke88888]

Criticism can be constructive

[@josephcooter5763]

here are my episdoes that are under rated Hell Bent The Idiots Lantern Fugative of the Jadoon The Timeless Child Rose Dalek Army of Ghosts/Dooms Day Cold War, I loved the return of the Ice Warriors The Empress of Mars, loved the Cameo by Alpha Centauri which links this episode to the Pertwee era And last but certainly not least here is one from the Classic Era Logopolis- Tom Baker's swan song which would be the last great episode of Doctor Who until the revival.

[@hollymatton474]

The Idiot's Lantern remains one of my favourite episodes of doctor who! 😊😊

[@sbi168]

I'm with you except for idiots lantern . Absolutely horrible. I'm not a huge fan of rose but it does the job well enough.

[@josephcooter5763]

@@sbi168 The only problem i have with was where it was place in the Schedule. It was sandwhich inbetween the Age of Steel/ Rise of the Cybermen and The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit two very good two part stories. That causes it to get over looked.

[@tskmaster3837]

5:35 Why do people have a problem with that? Yes, 4 Daleks can obliterate an army and 3 can beat UNIT, that's not only a given, that's the point. In the other corner, Cybermen are the most overrated mooks in fiction. They're corpses on life support; Their threat is "that could us as corpses on life support! Instead of just being corpses!"

[@killertortoise1]

Too me, listen is so amazing because it's the one that really sold me on capaldi.

[@michaelstorm9794]

I havent even started and I disagree already 😂 Peter Capaldis zygon double is easily the best 2 parter ever recorded on tv

[@mehdiaqarabi5369]

I guess you kinda missed the importance of that leaf. That leaf is to some extent the source of Doctor's existence, because if it wasn't there, there wouldn't be any Clara, hence there was no one to protect Doctor against the great intelligence. ergo, one can argue the leaf is a key item that realizes the value of Doctor's memories

[@TheJxn38301]

I totally agree on The Zygon Invasion/Inversion. Not enough plot for two episodes, but to be fair, that was a mighty good cliffhanger at the end of the first episode. Also, thumbs up for the Flatline shoutout!

[@faydaway]

The entire Matt Smith era is ridiculously overrated in my opinion. If I were to choose an episode I'd say the pandorica opens/the big bang receives far too much praise then I believe it deserves. I think it's very convoluted and undermines every villain in the show.

[@Luke88888]

I agree

[@AndyTheRoo]

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I can't agree at all with the Army of Ghosts/Doomsday take

[@SakariWolf13]

Same. The tense moment where people thought the Daleks were going to team up with the Cybermen, the twist with the ghosts and the sphere and tearjerking goodbye between Rose and 10. It's definitely hyped, but I'd say with good reason.

[@SailorAllan]

she didn't call us "sweetie"..........

[@dmitriiglass]

Thanks fuck for that. It's annoying when River does that. When it's the girl with the most annoying voice it's unbearable.

[@justtwobrotherspokemon]

And I loved fires of Pompeii it's one of my favorite episodes top 20 at least

[@AlDuke14]

I used to love you Ellie. I was going to leave my wife for you. How dare you say Girl In The Fireplace is overrated... But after a few deep breaths I'm all good.

[@DalekJr625]

My list: - Midnight (great premise but the other characters grate on me) - Rosa (it was good but the villain was boring) - Spyfall (Part 2 is amazing, part 1 is meh) - Rose (I agree) - The Angels Take Manhattan (The angel of liberty bothers me which is a shame cause the every day statue weeping angels are terrifying) - A Christmas Carol (I never vibed with this one. But its overdue a rewatch so I may change my mind) - Journeys End (The Daleks should not have been beaten like that I'm sorry not sorry) - Asylum of the Daleks (Set design was top tier, story was decent. But I don't like the path webb stuff.) The 60th anniversary - Honestly should have been a serialised story involving the toymaker as the main villain.

[@robo3007]

Agree with all but Spyfall and Asylum of the Daleks

[@Luke88888]

I disagree for Rose, Journey's end and Midnight (one of the best episodes ever, with a low budget, that's what doctor who is made of)

[@DalekJr625]

@@Luke88888 I like Midnight. I just can't stand the extra characters. I find it a bit off putting

[@bretth342]

Midnight might be the single greatest episode that I absolutely cannot stand to rewatch. I know the people on the bus don't know the Doctor like we do but he's CLEARLY the only one who knows what's going on. Even if you suspect he's posessed you keep him alive in case he knows/has anything useful.

[@DalekJr625]

@@bretth342 I understand why they are like that. Human paranoia taking over and stuff. But the characters and honestly the copying in the early point of the episode is just annoying

[@MarkWiseTechno]

The Woman Who Fell to Earth doesn't have a high enough reputation to be considered overrated. Who has ever called that story anything better than just "decent?"

[@hazmat7949]

I really dont think they like rose watching recent videos

[@Luke88888]

😂

[@chrisbellon3739]

Same list for classic dr who

[@ethan___1215]

Those are some crazy opinions

[@elizanix]

Capaldi's Zygon Invasion is a solid two parter it was too much for a single episode, but not quite enough for two, but that doesnt mean its not an amazing episode. Also, criticism about cameos in 13 run, is honestly the same issue i had with later seasons of Mando. and Fireplace would have been PERFECT, if it was a post rose episode.

[@thesphereicalone]

Girl in the fireplace HOW DARE YOU

[@jd_music23]

I kind of feel the series 5 finale is a bit overrated. It's still really beautiful with great mystery box (literally) and ties up some story and character arcs really well but there's just so much nonsense for the sake of it and a lot of scenes or sequences that are fun to watch but are actually just style over substance. Like the random cyberman head scene or the first 10 mins of part 2 with all the time travel. It's fun but I don't know what any of it has to do with developing the story or character building. Even the whole thing with the eloborate plan to use Amy's memories to trick the Doctor as creepy and dark as it is just a bit inconsequential to everything. The story that actually needed told here could have been told in one episode if you took out all the misdirection and filler I don't dislike it, i actually enjoy those scenes but I do remember feeling like I was a baby being entertained by shaking keys for half the run time when I last watched it. Feel that trait of Moffat's did get more and more prominent.

[@cameronsutherland1325]

I listened to the argument for girl in the fireplace and it has made me realise 10 was an arse but I still love that episode. Rose and Doomsday my heart is broken at the shade thrown at those. My childhood lies smashed and broken in front of me

[@phoebejean82]

10 was amazing.

[@augustus4047]

To say an episode is overrated except for this bit that makes it an absolute legend is to misunderstand the concept of overrating. Also some stories, many of them 13th Doctor/Chibnall episodes are so utterly despised logically they can only be underrated. The Haunting Of Villa Diodati, for example, doesn't get the credit is deserves entirely because it's a 13th Doctor/Chibnall story.

[@NealKlein]

Oh, look at that! My first downvote on WhoCulture!

[@TimeLady8]

I just rewatched The Girl In The Fireplace today. My biggest bone of contention is how the Doctor, a Time Lord and expert in time travel, completely forgets the time element when he is able to get back the ship and promises to be back "in two minutes." As Donna would say, "You big Dumbo!" Last time he did that, Reinette went from a 7 year old to a grown woman. How did he think this time would be different?

[@reignergaming1801]

You did not put 'the girl in the fireplace' as no. 1 😢

[@Luke88888]

It shouldn't have been there

[@briandunlop9262]

Agreed one of the best episodes

[@PsyrenXY]

It's absolutely overrated

[@anthonykeefe971]

Partners in crime: the Keystone Cops stuff where the Doctor and Donna keep ducking down in the office, and then mime to each other from opposite windows, is toe curlingly naff, and the adipose aliens equally so. It had me wondering whether this series was going to be worth watching.

[@iseetea47]

Gotta agree with you and disagree with most of the comments here on Girl In The Fireplace. I'm a girl and I like girls, but I didn't like the way Madame d Pompadour was displayed as a sort of sex god. I read the script for the episode on BBC's script library and there's a line where moffats written "Mickey has been monitoring this conversation and cos he’s a bloke, has picked up what Rose won’t ever" which is straight up sexism! When I first watched it I didn't think it was anything special. Infact I was a bit creeped out by Reinettes and the Doctors relationship. Although, I think the episode would've benefited for me more if it was put in Series 3

[@davidwiddick]

You’re 100% right about Girl in the Fireplace. It’s easily Moffat’s weakest effort. I really like Listen though.

[@WelshRaptor367]

No tennant era episode is overrated

[@Luke88888]

True. At last, someone reasonable

[@WelshRaptor367]

@@Luke88888 ikr thankyou

[@twigbranch4556]

Staring of with Zygon invasion and Zygon inversion felt kick a kick to my shin. Frankly most of my overated ones are the just Amy and The Doctor in the Tardis episodes. A goodman goes to war, and hate on me or not: River Song episodes. Angles take manhattan always felt pretty rough.

[@punkchloe]

my birthday is 5 days after the Doomsday episode finale, that makes my life so sad. why does my bday have to be 5 days after that sad and depressing finale? i was born in the very same year too TT

[@tazman2253]

love how you mention everything that makes Silence in the Library overrated with Fires of Pompei. Especially considering the importance that episode gets later on when Capaldi becomes the Doctor. Silence in the Library was a much weaker almost goosebumps level horror story compared to the horror of the Weeping Angels.

[@drewcampbell8555]

Agree with all of these except the Zygon pair. It is a tad thin as a two-parter, but there are lots of superb moments before the climax. Capaldi carries the comic lines brilliantly (natch), the forced conversion scenes seriously chilling, and the Clara-Bonnie ploy is a stroke of genius. One of my absolute faves.

[@camerontungate]

10: Defitnely agreed with it being too long and chunks of it being quite lackluster. 9: Was okay, Hated that Bradley Walsh line "are you going to blame that on your Dyspraxia too?" 8: I liked it and felt it's had the right amount of praise/love. 7: Not seen as I couldn't get past Jodie's first season and a few other stories sprinkled in. 6: Maybe a little overated. But seeing two of the biggest enemies (aruably not true Cybermen we know and love as it's from a parallel universe 21st century, so they aren't as advanced) finally meet on screen was done really well. 5: Didn't think much of it. Hated all the singing. I felt he should have won without Clara's leaf. 4: I can still watch it without cringing. I grew up with reruns of the classic series and fell in love with this series straight away. I can handle a bit of campy/cheesey story. 3: I hated the Fugative reveal due to what it mean't for Hartnell, of course it got 10x worse when we got to the end of the Timeless Child Arc. 2: Decent story but brining in Awesome Pink was terrible. Didn't need to have Clara meet the child Doctor. Felt unneeded to say the least. 1: I can understand and agree with some points made for this story. Doesn't hugely chnage my thoughts on being a fantastic story. Shame no classic Who stories were on this list, unless that's coming soon.

[@petervandervliet640]

disgraceful, I love girl in the fireplace, it is a brilliant episode.

[@Luke88888]

True

[@sciencecafe1543]

I agree that The Girl in the Fireplace is overrated. It's a decent episode but it would probably not be nearly as beloved if it came out now.

[@Jimbob_Offical]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the dislikes are out ratio the likes in this video.

[@ceciliaslepmet4840]

2:33 you're right, I totally disagree with you about this one. I barely even see it on top of people's ranking of the episodes so it's not even that loved when it's actually one of the best episode ever.

[@calvinpanho]

This is NOT on my WhoCulture top 10 videos... Painful!

[@iandalby4273]

Sorry Ellie anything with River Song in, I think Silence in the library would be so much better without her....and don't get me started on Capaldis story with her!!!

[@Luke88888]

I agree, she is so annoying!

[@ChaoticYak1]

I think she was good as a one-off character in Silence in the Library, but beyond that, I completely agree that she got really annoying.

[@TheWhovinerd-1963]

I disagree with nearly the entirety of this list. The only two placements I agreed with are Rose and Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday. For me personally there are far more overrated episodes that should have been included on this list such as. Blink Heaven Sent The Waters Of Mars The haunting of Villa Diodati Wild Blue Yonder etc. I don’t think people actually understand the point of The Rings Of Akhaten. The whole episode emphasises the importance of objects and the memories that they contain and the sentimental value is seen as much more important than currency such as paper or coins. The “magic leaf” everyone mocks in the episode also represents history as a whole and the unpredictability of Time itself. The Doctor doesn’t defeat the god because he only channels memories of the past and his pain. Clara gives the false deity Time, history, memories and her grief. The creature feeds off of all the memories and emotions of its victims. The episode itself also creates so much world building to the Whoniverse and so much character development for both 11 and Clara. Xx

[@JamSwoosh]

A lot of these I wouldn't call overrated. People talk about the good scenes yes, however, I don't see people justifying them as better episodes than most because of it. To me, the most overrated episode has always been Midnight. I've watched it several times over the years and can't understand how it's put top or near the top. Yes it's still a good episode, but it's very basic and doesn't go that far. It's about turning on each other quickly and seeing what people would do in that situation, that's about it. I don't think it's a god tier episode like I hear most people say it is, again in my opinion.

[@jackmozenrath135]

Did you hear, TARDIS Wiki has gone independent and forked from FANDOM?

[@timothyweers8054]

I actually like Jo Martin incarnation of the Doctor. I would like to see a complete series containing her version of the Doctor. I thought the scene in the David Tenant episode on the spaceship Titanic went a bit overboard when at the near end the Doctor used the mechanical men to fly up back to the passenger part of the ship.

[@Sparx632]

I agree so much with Listen being on this list, the episode is so confusing and boring to me it’s genuinely one of my least favourite episodes of the entire show and would be dead last if Chibnall hadn’t come along with Orphan 55. Speaking of unpopular opinions, Blink would be one I would consider for the overrated list. It’s a fantastic episode but I bothers me to no end how consistently it beats masterpieces like the Library two-parter, Midnight, Turn Left or Heaven Sent.

[@burf90]

Strangely, I agree with nearly all your picks. Personally, I love The Girl in the Fireplace, but that's largely down to the fine acting by Sophia Myles, not the overall script. Each of those episodes have some redeeming qualities, but as a whole they weren't nearly as great as they could have been. For me, number one would have been The Woman Who Fell to Earth. In spite of some really cool characters, it was just such a weak introduction for a new Doctor. Rose would be right behind it, again despite the great characters.

[@Mercure250]

The only thing this video and the comments under it prove is that people are different and have different tastes. I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[@MarxiaInachi]

Doomsdale Is not overrated. Is a little bit trash, and that's the reason why it is my preferred episode of all time. Like, I rewatch it every two months.

[@chickenfly2496]

Talking about 10 seeming Dickinson cause he’s not pining for Rose, who’s boyfriend is literally right there.. I’d argue it’d be weirder if he was flirting with rose in front of Mickey.

[@smkfet]

I agreed with the first 9, but the last one should be Midnight and Girl in the Fireplace obviously shouldn't be on the list.

[@purefoldnz3070]

any Chibnall era stories need to be rated before they can be overrated. Which isnt going to happen

[@porygatto]

Noooo you shouldn't have said that about Doomsday's music 😔 Btw, I agree about "Rose": I hated it since the first time. If I started Doctor Who with that episode, it wouldn't have turned me into the fan I'm today