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We always talk about the awful CGI in Doctor Who, but what about the times it wasn't?
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00:00There aren't many things out there that have better special effects than the Who culture editors,
00:04but Doctor Who, at its best, might be one of them.
00:08Yes, it's easy and often amusing to point out the less-than-stellar examples of CGI used in Doctor Who's history,
00:14but that isn't to ignore the times when it has been executed phenomenally.
00:18The aim of good CGI is to not be noticed, but that also means they aren't often praised either.
00:24Now, of course, the vast majority of the classic era relied on practical effects to achieve these otherworldly creations,
00:30but as technology evolved, so too did Doctor Who.
00:33So, when the 2005 revival came around, the creatives had a whole new wheelhouse to experiment with.
00:38From elaborate spaceships to giant insects, the modern era of Doctor Who is full of incredible CGI moments
00:44that deserve a moment in the spotlight, away from the looming shadows of talking babies and sticky wheelie bins.
00:51I'm Ellie for Who Culture, and these are the greatest CGI moments in Doctor Who history.
00:57Number 10. The TARDIS Collapsing, Eve of the Daleks
01:00While the TARDIS interior has always been a practical set,
01:05by 2022, the CGI skills and technology available allowed for incredible sequences
01:10like the collapsing of the TARDIS control room in Eve of the Daleks.
01:14This moment looks fantastic, with the walls crackling and collapsing as Jodie Whittaker runs in slow motion through the chaos.
01:22The editing must also be commended for seamlessly cutting between the footage shot on the physical set
01:27and the sequence created in post-production.
01:29It blends together so well that it's impossible to tell where reality ends and the CGI begins.
01:34In the past, a scene calling for the collapsing of the TARDIS interior
01:38would probably have required the destruction of the physical set.
01:41Looking at you, the end of time part 2.
01:44And so, to be able to achieve the complete implosion of the TARDIS
01:47without damaging a single round thing
01:50is both remarkable from a technical standpoint,
01:53but also from a practical one too.
01:55We all know Doctor Who loves to penny pinch.
01:57Gone are the days when the best substitute for the TARDIS set
02:00was hanging up a sheet and turning down the lights
02:02in the hope that no one noticed.
02:04How times have changed.
02:05Number 9. Giant Wasp. The Unicorn and the Wasp.
02:10When we think about insect-like creatures in the classic era of Doctor Who,
02:14it's difficult not to picture the likes of the Zabi or the Wirren,
02:18either blatantly obvious men in costumes
02:20or giant puppets made from pipe cleaners and paper mache.
02:24The modern era, however, had the luxury of CGI at its fingertips
02:28and aimed for more realistic creations.
02:30You might not remember it being this good in your head,
02:33but the giant wasp in series 4's The Unicorn and the Wasp
02:36was incredibly accurate and believable despite its impossible size.
02:40It neither looked fake, nor did it look out of place in the scene.
02:43Now, creating an entirely new CGI monster or alien
02:46comes with a degree of freedom and artistic license in your designs.
02:50But to recreate a believable image of an existing creature
02:54requires an arguably greater level of skill.
02:57We know what a wasp looks like.
02:59We know how wasps make us feel.
03:01So it's important for this CGI version to accurately replicate that.
03:05The development of CGI technology opened up entirely new avenues
03:09for Doctor Who storytelling.
03:11Episodes like The Unicorn and the Wasp
03:12simply wouldn't have been possible with only practical effects available.
03:16The giant wasp would never have looked believable or realistic
03:19as a man in a costume or a puppet on some string.
03:22Just ask the web planet.
03:23Number 8. Spaceship Fleet. The Pandorica Opens.
03:28The Stonehenge speech is arguably one of Matt Smith's greatest moments as the 11th Doctor.
03:34And so it's only fitting that it also features some remarkable CGI to boot.
03:39You'd be forgiven for overlooking the alien spaceships
03:41when up against the epicness of the rest of the scene.
03:44But therein lies the secret.
03:46Great CGI blends into the scene without detracting or distracting from it.
03:51This moment is powerful.
03:53It highlights Eleven's intelligence and ingenuity.
03:56It would not have achieved these things if the alien ships he's giving a verbal spanking
04:00looked fake or comical or egregiously out of place.
04:03Instead, the vast expanse of CGI buzzing and whirring around Stonehenge
04:08elevates the scene and emphasises the scale of the threat the Doctor faces.
04:12It's also worth noting the variety of ships on display.
04:15The scene calls for all of the Doctor's enemies to be assembled,
04:18and so there is great attention to detail to ensure that an array of alien vessels
04:23are seen whizzing around their greatest foe.
04:26We can see Dalek ships, Sontaran ships, Jadoon ships, and even the Atraxi vessel from the 11th Hour.
04:32The attention to continuity should be applauded.
04:35This is a level of realness and attentiveness that Classic Who simply couldn't achieve.
04:39But with CGI, Modern Who has excelled at world-building like this,
04:44even in scenes where most wouldn't have even noticed.
04:47Number 7. The Pating, the Saranga Conundrum
04:51Note, this isn't actually a joke.
04:53While most Whovians have grown accustomed to seeing the Saranga Conundrum appear on plenty of
04:58worst lists, it does have one saving grace which could genuinely be considered great.
05:03The Pating. Say what you will about the episode itself,
05:06but the Pating is one of the most convincing CGI creatures we've ever seen in Doctor Who.
05:10The early years of the modern era were still finding their feet when it came to CGI creatures.
05:15Cast your minds back to the likes of the Krylatane,
05:18or the mighty Jagrafess of the holy Hadrojacic Maxarodon foe.
05:22The detail was less defined, and the movements were often janky and simplistic.
05:26By 2018, however, the skill and technology available was far more advanced.
05:31Just look at the detail on the Pating design.
05:34The texture of its skin, the shine in its eyes, the smooth and realistic body movements.
05:39For all intents and purposes, this looks like a real animal,
05:41and blends into the scene seamlessly without any telltale signs that it's entirely computer-generated.
05:47Well, you know, other than the fact that it's an alien, of course.
05:49And all this on a notoriously tight BBC budget.
05:52The Saranga Conundrum is never going to be a winning episode,
05:55and as much as it pains me to praise it,
05:57the Pating deserves to be recognised for the glorious feat of CGI it turned out to be.
06:03Number 6. The Colony Ship, World Enough and Time
06:06We've seen our fair share of spaceships in Doctor Who,
06:10but few are as impressive as the Colony Ship in World Enough and Time.
06:13The CGI for this behemoth is superb,
06:16specifically the opening shot which really conveys the scale of the ship,
06:20with its many different flaws and dizzying length.
06:23In the early years of the modern era, shots of computer-generated things were often shown very briefly,
06:28with lots of quick cuts made to avoid lingering on and exposing any imperfections.
06:33Here, though, we spend extended periods of time focusing and zooming in on this creation,
06:38inviting extensive examination and attention.
06:41And then there's the black hole.
06:42It looks fantastic.
06:44The attention to detail, the colours, the depth and magnitude all make it feel epic and grand in scale.
06:50Compared to the black hole seen in The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit,
06:54this is a vast improvement in CGI.
06:56The skill and technology on display here is top-notch.
07:00Just look at the attention to detail and quality in only a reflection of the black hole in a window,
07:05let alone the shots of the thing in its full, proper glory.
07:08For a story that ends in such a tragic way,
07:10it begins with some truly stunning imagery.
07:13An image of something so contradictory in its beauty and terror.
07:17A description most accurate for this entire two-part finale.
07:21Number 5.
07:22The Toymaker Flatpacks.
07:24The Giggle.
07:25By the time the 60th anniversary rolled around,
07:28CGI technology had expanded wildly since 2005.
07:32And so too had the Doctor Who budget.
07:34Now under the Disney umbrella,
07:36the possibilities were near endless in what could be achieved.
07:39While some uses of CGI left me baffled as to what the hell they were thinking,
07:43looking at you, corridor scene in Wild Blue Yonder,
07:45others left me equally baffled as to how on earth they managed to achieve it.
07:49This is absolutely the case with the Toymaker's final moments in The Giggle.
07:53After the 14th and 15th Doctors defeat the Toymaker in an epic game of catch,
07:58he suddenly begins to flatten and fold up before falling into his boxed prison.
08:02What's so impressive about this scene is how seamless the merging of real life and CGI is.
08:08Neil Patrick Harris is delivering dialogue throughout this transformation,
08:12which blurs the lines even further.
08:14You cannot tell where the practical performance ends and the CGI begins.
08:18To this day, my mind is still boggled by this sequence.
08:21Full of the tongue-in-cheek charm so intrinsic to Doctor Who,
08:24while also showcasing immense skill from the VFX team,
08:27this demonstration brought optimism for what Disney Doctor Who would look like moving forward.
08:33And then came along Space Babies a few months later.
08:35Number 4. Planets in the Sky and the Dalek Invasion – The Stolen Earth
08:41The Stolen Earth and Journey's End have so many strengths.
08:44Daleks, Davros, double David Tennant, and every modern companion you can shake a Sonic at.
08:50And among all that epicness, there is also some powerful CGI.
08:53Firstly, we have the stunning visuals of the planets in the sky.
08:57Right from the off, as Rose stands in awe of the crazy plan the Daleks have concocted,
09:02this incredible image showed that the two-part finale to Series 4 was going to be something special.
09:07The depth of the image, the colours, the way it blends into the live-action footage.
09:11It's beautiful, but also quite scary.
09:14It makes you wonder how on earth the Doctor is going to fix this one.
09:16And that's because the CGI here looks so damn believable.
09:19The arrival of the Dalek fleet also looks incredible.
09:22Entire CGI sequences from the perspective of space as the Dalek ships head towards Earth.
09:27A combination of live-action and CGI as Rose walks down a London street,
09:31and the planets can be seen overhead as a Dalek ship emerges and attacks.
09:36Not once did this ever feel fake or unrealistic.
09:39It felt terrifying, and terrifyingly real.
09:41And then we have the Medusa Cascade.
09:43Vibrant, vast, ethereal.
09:45It looks like an oil painting.
09:47This is a great improvement on even the CGI of the beginning of the modern era.
09:52How far they came in only the first few years,
09:54and how much further they go in the decade that followed.
09:58Number 3, 13th's Regeneration, The Power of the Doctor.
10:02The 13th Doctor's Regeneration is by far the most visually stunning regeneration sequence in the history of Doctor Who.
10:09The setting, the colours, the music, no notes. Beautiful.
10:13What's most impressive about the scene is that it was achieved almost entirely through CGI.
10:17Aside from the TARDIS and Jodie Whittaker herself, everything we see is not really there.
10:22For obvious health and safety reasons, filming on the very edge of Durdle Door was not an option.
10:27But you would be forgiven for assuming that the sequence was shot on a similar cliff-top location to double as the Jurassic Coast landmark.
10:33This wasn't the case, however. All of Jodie Whittaker's performing was filmed in a green-screen studio in Cardiff,
10:39while the Doctor Who team were given permission to capture the aerial shots of Durdle Door to be added later in post-production.
10:45So realistic was the CGI, in fact, that the Lulworth estate, private owners of Durdle Door,
10:51feared the scene would encourage fans to endanger themselves by attempting to reach the location.
10:56And they accused the BBC of dishonesty for not revealing the nature of the scene when requesting to film the drone shots.
11:02Not so great for the BBC, but one heck of a compliment to the VFX team.
11:06Health and safety issues aside, the final scene is a sight to behold.
11:09The fiery regeneration energy blends into the sunset over the ocean beautifully,
11:14and really was the perfect send-off for the bubbly, always-optimistic 13th Doctor.
11:19Number 2. Dr. Constantine's Transformation – The Empty Child
11:24Perhaps this entry should come with a trigger warning for the entire generation of kids who were traumatised by this scene, myself included.
11:31Despite being an early use of CGI within modern Doctor Who,
11:34the scene in which Dr. Constantine's face transforms into a gas mask remains as terrifying and affecting 20 years later.
11:41While some examples of CGI body horror in the show have perhaps aged a little poorly and become more humorous,
11:47Miss Evangelista's disfigured face, for example.
11:50There is nothing remotely comical about this scene, even in 2025.
11:54As with The Toymaker, the combination of a real actor and the use of CGI blurs the lines between what is real and what isn't.
12:01And again, has the audience wondering how this was achieved.
12:04How did they make it seem like the mask was forcing its way out of Constantine's mouth?
12:08How did his eyes morph like that?
12:10For 2005 BBC Budget VFX, this is an impressive achievement.
12:14It may not be the most extravagant or elaborate use of CGI in Doctor Who's history,
12:19but it has remained one of the most talked about scenes of the revival era.
12:23And that is all down to the impact of this computer-generated transformation,
12:27as well as the chilling writing and performance of the scene that surrounds it.
12:30Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my mummy.
12:34Number 1. Mr. Ring-a-Ding – Lux
12:36Lux brought something entirely new to Doctor Who.
12:40An impressive achievement for a show that's been running for over 60 years.
12:43Animation combined with live-action isn't a new concept by any means,
12:47but the Disney dollars meant that it was now possible to explore in the Hooniverse.
12:51And explore it they did.
12:53Mr. Ring-a-Ding wasn't a CGI creature with limited screen time and quick cuts in the edit
12:58to avoid noticing any inaccuracies in the VFX.
13:01He was a main character, with plenty of dialogue and plenty of screen time.
13:05There was no room for error here, and the final result was remarkable.
13:08The attention to detail in the cartoon design.
13:11The seamless combination of Shuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu's live-action performances with the added animation.
13:17The entire old-school cartoon aesthetic, complete with film grain and flicker.
13:22This episode and this character was a sight to behold.
13:25Sometimes the oldest tricks work the best, and that is certainly the case here.
13:29Mixing cartoons with live-action is a technique as old as Doctor Who itself.
13:32But with the development of computers and computer-generated imagery, it's a technique far easier to achieve nowadays,
13:39and one which delivered one of the strongest episodes of Season 2,
13:42and one of the greatest examples of CGI used in Doctor Who history.
13:47And that concludes our list, but if you think we missed an obvious example,
13:51then do let us know in the comments down below.
13:53I've been Ellie for Who Culture, and in the words of Riversong herself, goodbye, sweeties.
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