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It's not easy being the new kid on the block. But which Doctor did it best?
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00:00The longer that Doctor Who goes on the harder it has to be for a new Doctor to make an instant
00:04impression. Not only do they have to assert their presence as a lead but the latest torchbearer of
00:08a 60 year legacy desperately trying not to drop it and set the TARDIS ablaze. Fan wisdom suggests
00:13that the first episode of any Doctor will never go down in history as their best. There's certainly
00:17some truth to this as it can take actors a few episodes before they settle into the role. The
00:22best Doctor Who debuts are the ones that hit the ground running. Look at Matt Smith popping his
00:26head out of a crashed TARDIS in the 11th hour or Tom Baker karate chopping bricks in robot. You
00:30immediately buy them as the Doctor and are quickly swept into their next adventure. So with that in
00:35mind which of our 15 main Doctors hit the ground running and which flop out of the TARDIS with a
00:40whimper. I'm Sean Ferrick for WhoCulture and here is every Doctor's first episode ranked worst to best.
00:45Number 15 The Twin Dilemma. The Twin Dilemma is notorious for its companion throttling scene so
00:51let's not dwell on it. It's there it's not good but it's not the only issue with the sixth
00:55Doctor's debut story. In fact Colin Baker's brash and bombastic Doctor isn't even the problem with
01:01The Twin Dilemma. After the unpleasantness of the opening episodes he makes an immediate
01:05impression a righteous crusader who is in sharp contrast to Peter Davison's meek moralising.
01:10Rather the biggest problem with The Twin Dilemma is its placing at the very end of Doctor Who
01:14season 21. The money has clearly run out and the script could have benefited from some more attention
01:19during the gap before season 22. There was a good reason for putting it at the end of a season
01:23however rather than at the beginning. Producer John Nathan Turner was worried that strike action may
01:28have seriously impacted production on season 22 so brought Colin Baker's debut forward to avoid it
01:32being derailed. Unfortunately that debut was already derailed by having to follow the dark and gritty
01:37The Caves of Androzani with a story about some twins that were really good at maths.
01:42Number 14 Castrovalva. Castrovalva has some amazing moments from the TARDIS being lured to the Big Bang to
01:49Castrovalva folding in on itself however as a debut for the fifth Doctor there's not much of him in it
01:54for the first two episodes. The main dramatic thrust of episode 1 is his need to have a good nap and
01:59then in episode 2 the sleeping Doctor gets carted around in a little TARDIS wardrobe by Tegan and Nyssa.
02:04After all that rest he's still not up to full strength by episode 3. Castrovalva relies on the
02:08companions to lead the story in the Doctor's absence which works when the companion is an established
02:12character like Clara or Rose. Tegan and Nyssa have only been around for a few episodes prior to
02:17Castrovalva making them almost as much of a mystery as the new Amnesiac Doctor. Adric is the longest
02:21serving character at this point in Doctor Who but he's trussed up in the master's climbing frame for
02:25the majority of the story. With so many characters unable to establish their presence the fifth Doctor's
02:30debut feels quite wishy-washy setting the tone for the whole era. Number 13 The Starbeast. The
02:36Starbeast is a hard one to judge because its central premise relies on viewers seeing the 14th Doctor
02:41as an aged virgin of the 10th but 14 never establishes himself as a new incarnation with an old
02:46face. Instead he's just the 10th Doctor but with stubble and bags under his eyes. On the plus side
02:50that means any tedious post-regeneration amnesia is quickly dispensed with as the Doctor's crisis
02:55becomes a core part of the story. Why has the Doctor chosen that face? What will it do to Donna
03:00Noble? On the downside the Starbeast just feels like a throwback to 2008 but doesn't signal some
03:05bold new era for Doctor Who. While that's very obviously the point this was the big 60th anniversary
03:09party after all that makes it a strange entry in the long history of Doctor debuts. Number 12 Time
03:16and the Ranny. Like the twin dilemma Sylvester McCoy's debut story Time and the Ranny was hampered
03:20by behind the scenes drama. This time it was the dramatic exit of script editor Eric Sayward and
03:25the firing of Colin Baker. Sayward's departure meant that John Nathan Turner had to find a replacement
03:30quickly and also meant that there was a dearth of workable scripts. Colin Baker's refusal to film a
03:34regeneration scene meant that the seventh Doctor's debut came out of a fairly unremarkable end from
03:40his predecessor. It's a minor miracle that Time and the Ranny even got made and it's a lot better than
03:44many would have you believe. It marks a significant upgrade in Doctor Who's VFX and Sylvester McCoy is
03:49great fun as the seventh Doctor. However the tedious aliens and the Ranny's giant brain can feel like an
03:55embarrassing hangover from the worst sci-fi tropes of 1980s Doctor Who. Time and the Ranny doesn't
04:00resemble what the McCoy era would quickly become meaning that many see the superior Paradise Towers
04:05as the true start of the seventh Doctor's era. Number 11 Deep Breath. Peter Capaldi's debut as
04:11the 12th Doctor was an atmospheric Victorian horror movie with dinosaurs but it dials down the fun of
04:16that premise way too much. Deep Breath is emblematic of the mistakes that were made during Capaldi's first
04:21series. It's a strong run of episodes but the 12th Doctor is rarely afforded the chance to lighten up a
04:26little. Still there are some great set pieces in Deep Breath from the Doctor and Clara's tense
04:30meeting in the restaurant to the unveiling of his new costume and TARDIS colour scheme. The scene
04:34where the Doctor reveals that he didn't abandon Clara after all is a proper punch the air moment
04:39that confirms this more abrasive incarnation is still the same character underneath. By the end
04:43of Deep Breath Capaldi has arrived as an older more serious Doctor. Still the same hero that we've
04:48followed for 50 years which is why it's utterly insane for Steven Moffat to write in that scene where
04:53Matt Smith tells Clara and the audience not to worry about the grumpy old man not being boyfriend material.
04:59Number 10. The Christmas Invasion. The Christmas Invasion runs the risk of making the same mistakes
05:04that Castrovalva did way back in 1982. However it's thanks to Billy Piper's brilliant performance
05:08as Rose Tyler that the modern era's first post-regeneration story works as well as it does.
05:13Ultimately it's the story of the Doctor just needing a good lie down all over again but with
05:17a bit of Christmas tinsel. However the absence of the Doctor adds to the drama of the worsening
05:21situation with the Sycorax. If he doesn't wake up quickly and be the Doctor again Earth is going to fall
05:25to an alien invasion. Rose is the audience identification figure throughout, gradually
05:30coming around to the new Doctor and reassuring the viewers at home that the new guy is going to be
05:34pretty great. David Tennant then gets his big hero moment by ripping off the Lion King, defeating the
05:38Sycorax leader in a sword fight and flinging a tangerine at a handily placed button. It doesn't
05:42really get much more Doctorish than that. Number 9. The Church on Ruby Road. There are moments in the
05:48Church on Ruby Road that announce Shutigatwa as a brand new type of Time Lord. The scene of the kilt wearing,
05:53gin and tonic saving Doctor dancing in a nightclub affirms that this is an incarnation who wants to
05:58savour every moment and experience. The Doctor's rooftop dash to hang with Ruby on the goblin ship
06:02is joyous while Gatwa excels at delivering hand wavy dialogue about the language of rope. In this
06:07respect the Church on Ruby Road does its job at establishing who this new incarnation is. So it's
06:13disappointing that the majority of the episode takes place in Ruby's flat. It's hard to see the Doctor
06:17truly fly when they're moving from cramped room to cramped room. Things pick up again when the Doctor
06:21travels back to save baby Ruby but there's a constricting atmosphere to much of 2023's Christmas
06:26special that feels like it's keeping Shutig back from properly letting loose as the Doctor. Thankfully
06:30though the policeman scene was added to give the Doctor more screen time early on. It's a moment
06:34that allows Gatwa to flex his Doctor muscles and he nails the kindness and confidence of the character
06:40in the span of a few lines. Number 8. The TV Movie. Say what you like about the 1996 TV movie. There's no
06:46doubting Paul McGann's magnetic performance as the eighth Doctor. While it's a bit too mired in
06:50decades of Doctor Who continuity to be an effective introduction for a brand new audience it's still
06:54a pretty great introduction to a brand new Doctor. Grace Holloway is the Dana Scully to Doctor's Fox
07:00Mulder stroiling to believe the impossible things she's seeing unfold before her very eyes. Paul McGann's
07:04breathless delivery and vibrant energy shows that he completely understands how to reinvent the
07:09character of the Doctor for a 90s audience. While it leans heavily into the post-regenerative amnesia trope,
07:14Matthew Jacob's script never forgets to make the Doctor our hero giving him big romantic and heroic
07:19moments as he begins to remember who he is. Sadly outside of that special for the 50th anniversary
07:24the TV movie never led to more live action adventures for the eighth Doctor but its failure to take off
07:29in America was nothing to do with Paul McGann as evidenced by the slew of big Finnish performances.
07:35Number 7. The Woman Who Fell to Earth. From the minute that Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor crashes
07:40through the roof of that train she hits the ground running. Chris Chibnall's script for The Woman Who Fell to Earth
07:44wastes no time in letting the first female Doctor take charge of the situation. As a debut story for
07:49both a new Doctor and a new showrunner The Woman Who Fell to Earth establishes a more grounded and
07:54realistic urban setting than some of Russell T Davies best work. The images of Sheffield at night
07:58as an alien trophy hunter rampages through the streets felt like a modern take on Doctor Who and
08:03not only was The Woman Who Fell to Earth a great debut for Jodie Whittaker it felt like a reinvention of the
08:08show that marked a clear departure from the Moffat era. That doesn't quite carry over to the rest of the
08:13the Chibnall and Whittaker era. What does is Whittaker's infectiously enthusiastic portrayal of the
08:18Doctor. She does it all in this episode. She faces down weird cable monsters, investigates a space
08:23mushroom, builds a new Sonic and even finds time for a nap. Number 6. Robot No actor has ever grasped
08:29the Doctor with as much enthusiasm as Tom Baker. That's clear from his very first story Robot in
08:34which he commands your attention from the moment he sits up in the unit laboratory. Placing Tom Baker's
08:38Doctor in a unit story is a perfect way to show how this fourth incarnation is different from his
08:43immediate predecessor. The fourth Doctor is far shabbier and rough around the edges than the
08:47sharply dressed third Doctor and this difference in style carries over into the science. For example
08:52it's hard to imagine that the third Doctor lobbing a bucket of metal eating virus over an enormous K1
08:57robot that would have been more of a Sergeant Benton job but here the fourth Doctor gamely leans out of
09:02the side of Bessie and flings a pain of the solution over the giant rampaging android. Overall Robot is a
09:07hugely enjoyable story that does a great job setting up the tone of the Tom Baker era.
09:11Number 5. Rose The first episode of Doctor Who's 2005 revival had a big job to do and the fact
09:18that we're all sitting here in 2024 proves that it surpassed all expectations. Rose is a Doctor Who
09:23episode that fizzes with chaotic energy. From burping wheelie bins to plastic mickeys there's a cartoonish
09:29aesthetic to Russell D. Davis 2005 relaunch but it's grounded by Christopher Eccleston's excellent
09:34performance. Where other actors in the role may have leaned into the chaos Eccleston's matter of fact
09:38performance makes you believe in some of Rose's more outlandish moments which is exactly what you
09:43want from your Doctor. Both a brand new character and the Doctor that older fans knew and loved Eccleston
09:48is truly phenomenal in Rose. He's a 21st century upgrade of the chilly outsider we first met in a
09:54junkyard and despite being battered and bruised he retains the charisma of his previous incarnations.
09:59Number 4. The Power of the Daleks The Power of the Daleks introduces the concept that the Doctor
10:05can change their face by renewal but doesn't get bogged down in the minutia of how the process works.
10:10Instead it kicks into gear with one of the greatest Dalek stories of all time. David Whittaker's Dalek
10:14scripts are always a joy because he writes them not as unthinking robots but as sneaky manipulative
10:19aliens. Here they position themselves as compliance servants but they're secretly plotting against
10:24everyone on Vulcan. It was a genius move to pit a brand new Doctor against the Daleks. After all
10:28between 1963 and 1965 they were arguably the biggest stars that Doctor Who had produced. Bringing them
10:33back for Patrick Troughton's first story means that the pressure is taken off him as he finds his feet.
10:38Not that Troughton wastes any time. He instantly is charming as the second Doctor retaining the impishness
10:44of Hartnell's incarnation but dialing it all the way up. Many Doctor Who actors say they don't feel like
10:49they've arrived until they face the Daleks. Troughton does that on day one and the rest is history.
10:54Number three. An Unearthly Child. Okay yes, an unearthly child introduces us to a lead character
10:59who is a kidnapper and potential murderer. That's not the Doctor Who we would come to know and love.
11:04However Doctor Who's first 25 minutes should be taught in schools. The way that it builds up the
11:09mystery of Susan Foreman and her enigmatic grandfather is masterful. The atmospheric foggy streets
11:14and the creepy old junkyard add to the sense of foreboding around what lies behind the gates of I
11:19M Foreman and then finally the Doctor arrives emerging out of the fog coughing and spluttering
11:24and deeply suspicious of those trespassing teachers. This isn't quite the Doctor that we'll grow to
11:28love but the way that he tries to teach a disbelieving Ian and Barbara about the TARDIS is great.
11:33This won't be the last time that he has to try and explain insanely complicated scientific theories
11:38to pudding brained earthlings. An Unearthly Child more than lives up to the name Doctor Who and
11:43though the rest of the story devolves into dull cavemen and aimless wandering that first episode still
11:48holds up today as a solid 25 minutes of drama. Number 2 Spearhead from Space. We wouldn't be
11:54here today without Spearhead from Space. Doctor Who was facing cancellation at the end of the 60s
11:59inspiring a radical budget saving rethink and then a technician's strike meant that John Pertwee's debut
12:05story also had to be radically rethought in terms of production. As a result we get the most gloriously
12:10cinematic bit of Doctor Who until the 11th hour which is heavily inspired by this. Like Matt Smith's debut
12:15Spearhead from Space is all about an alien who falls from the sky and is then immediately thrown
12:20into saving the earth. The third Doctor is also immediately charming introducing himself to Liz
12:24with his endearing eyebrow acrobatics and generally running rings around the Brigadier. It must have been
12:29a major culture shock to viewers at the time to have the Doctor exiled to earth and given a car
12:33instead of a TARDIS. However John Pertwee's performance as the Doctor is so great that it reassures
12:38viewers that this is still the same show. So successful was Pertwee as the Doctor that it led to a brand new
12:43golden age for Doctor Who the influence of which can still be felt today. Number one the 11th hour.
12:49The 11th hour had to make sure that Doctor Who could survive the loss of David Tennant and Russell
12:54T Davies. By the time the episode finished the show's future was assured thanks to an exceptional
12:59performance by Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor. Stephen Moffat writes a deceptively simple story
13:03of an alien prisoner loose on earth which allows Smith the chance to demonstrate every facet of the
13:08modern Doctor. We get the chaotic energy of the fish fingers and custard scene, the poetry of the
13:13apple and the big confrontational speech on a rooftop. Smith pulls all of this off beautifully and gives
13:19the most fully formed Doctor performance since Tom Baker in Robot. His awkward physicality is brilliant
13:24for the new Doctor like a baby gazelle learning to run. On top of this there's Karen Gillan and Arthur
13:28Darville bringing sitcom couple energy to Doctor Who, Olivia Flippin' Coleman and the Doctor literally
13:33eyeballing one of the monsters of the week and a long overdue cameo by Sir Patrick Moore. It's one
13:38of Doctor Who's most confident and thrilling debuts. The 11th hour more like the finest hour.
13:43That is everything for our list today folks. Thank you so much to Mark Donaldson who wrote this article
13:47upon which this video is based. Please make sure you check that out over on whatculture.com. I have
13:51been Sean you can find me in the various socials at Sean Ferrick. Please make sure that you're following at
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