- 50 minutes ago
It's not easy being the new kid on the block. But which Doctor did it best?
Category
📺
TVTranscript
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
01:48to Castrovalva folding in on itself however as a debut for the fifth Doctor there's not much of him
01:54in it for the first two episodes. The main dramatic thrust of episode 1 is his need to have a good nap
01:58and then in episode 2 the sleeping Doctor gets carted around in a little TARDIS wardrobe by Tegan
02:03and Nyssa. After all that rest he's still not up to full strength by episode 3. Castrovalva relies on
02:08the companions 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 and the
03:16Ranny. Like the twin dilemma Sylvester McCoy's debut story Time and the Ranny was hampered by behind
03:21the scenes drama. This time it was the dramatic exit of script editor Eric Sayward and the firing
03:26of Colin Baker. Sayward's departure meant that John Nathan Turner had to find a replacement quickly and
03:30also meant that there was a dearth of workable scripts. Colin Baker's refusal to film a regeneration
03:35scene meant that the seventh Doctor's debut came out of a fairly unremarkable end from his predecessor.
03:40It's a minor miracle that Time and the Ranny even got made and it's a lot better than many would have you
03:44believe. It marks a significant upgrade in Doctor Who's VFX and Sylvester McCoy is great fun as the
03:50seventh Doctor. However the tedious aliens and the Ranny's giant brain can feel like an embarrassing
03:56hangover from the worst sci-fi tropes of 1980s Doctor Who. Time and the Ranny doesn't resemble what the
04:01McCoy era would quickly become meaning that many see the superior Paradise Towers as the true start
04:06of the seventh Doctor's era. Number 11 Deep Breath. Peter Capaldi's debut as the 12th Doctor was an
04:12atmospheric Victorian horror movie with dinosaurs but it dials down the fun of that premise way too
04:17much. Deep Breath is emblematic of the mistakes that were made during Capaldi's first series. It's
04:21a strong run of episodes but the 12th Doctor is rarely afforded the chance to lighten up a little.
04:26Still there are some great set pieces in Deep Breath from the Doctor and Clara's tense meeting in the
04:30restaurant to the unveiling of his new costume and TARDIS colour scheme. The scene where the Doctor
04:35reveals that he didn't abandon Clara after all is a proper punch the air moment that confirms this more
04:40abrasive incarnation is still the same character underneath. By the end of Deep Breath Capaldi
04:45has arrived as an older more serious Doctor, still the same hero that we've followed for 50 years
04:49which is why it's utterly insane for Steven Moffat to write in that scene where Matt Smith tells Clara
04:55and the audience not to worry about the grumpy old man not being boyfriend material. Number 10 The
05:00Christmas Invasion. The Christmas Invasion runs the risk of making the same mistakes that Castrovalva did
05:05way back in 1982 however it's thanks to Billy Piper's brilliant performance as Rose Tyler that the modern era's
05:10first post-regeneration story works as well as it does. Ultimately it's the story of the Doctor
05:15just needing a good lie down all over again but with a bit of Christmas tinsel however the absence
05:19of the Doctor adds to the drama of the worsening situation with the Sycorax. If he doesn't wake up
05:23quickly and be the Doctor again Earth is going to fall to an alien invasion. Rose is the audience
05:27identification figure throughout gradually coming around to the new Doctor and reassuring the viewers at
05:32home that the new guy is going to be pretty great. David Tennant then gets his big hero moment by
05:37ripping off the Lion King, defeating the Sycorax leader in a sword fight and flinging a tangerine
05:41at a handily placed button. It doesn't really get much more Doctorish than that. Number 9 The Church
05:46on Ruby Road. There are moments in the Church on Ruby Road that announce Shuti Gatwa as a brand new
05:51type of Time Lord. The scene of the kilt wearing gin and tonic saving Doctor dancing in a nightclub
05:55affirms that this is an incarnation who wants to savour every moment and experience. The Doctor's rooftop
06:00dash to hang with Ruby on the Goblin ship is joyous while Gatwa excels at delivering hand wavy dialogue
06:06about the language of rope. In this respect the Church on Ruby Road does its job at establishing
06:10who this new incarnation is. So it's disappointing that the majority of the episode takes place in
06:16Ruby's flat. It's hard to see the Doctor truly fly when they're moving from cramped room to cramped room.
06:20Things pick up again when the Doctor travels back to save baby Ruby but there's a constricting
06:24atmosphere to much of 2023's Christmas special that feels like it's keeping Shuti back from properly
06:29letting loose says the Doctor. Thankfully though the policeman scene was added to give the Doctor
06:32more screen time early on. It's a moment that allows Gatwa to flex his Doctor muscles and he
06:37nails the kindness and confidence of the character in the span of a few lines.
06:41Number 8. The TV Movie. Say what you like about the 1996 TV movie there's no doubting Paul McGann's
06:47magnetic performance as the eighth Doctor. While it's a bit too mired in decades of Doctor Who
06:51continuity to be an effective introduction for a brand new audience it's still a pretty great
06:55introduction to a brand new Doctor. Grace Holloway is the Dana Scully to Doctor's Fox Mulder,
07:00strolling 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 90's audience. While it leans heavily into the post-regenerative
07:13amnesia trope Matthew Jacobs's script never forgets to make the Doctor our hero giving him big romantic
07:18and heroic moments as he begins to remember who he is. Sadly outside of that special for the 50th
07:24anniversary the TV movie never led to more live action adventures for the eighth Doctor but it's
07:28failure to take off in America was nothing to do with Paul McGann as evidenced by the slew of big
07:34Finnish performances. Number 7. The Woman Who Fell to Earth. From the minute that Jodie Whittaker's
07:3913th Doctor crashes through the roof of that train she hits the ground running. Chris Chibnall's script
07:43for The Woman Who Fell to Earth wastes no time in letting the first female Doctor take charge of the
07:47situation. As a debut story for both a new Doctor and a new showrunner The Woman Who Fell to Earth
07:52establishes a more grounded and realistic urban setting than some of Russell T. Davis' best work. The images of
07:57Sheffield at night as an alien trophy hunter rampages through the streets felt like a modern take on
08:03Doctor Who and not only was The Woman Who Fell to Earth a great debut for Jodie Whittaker it felt like
08:06a reinvention of the show that marked a clear departure from the Moffat era. That doesn't
08:11quite carry over to the rest of the Chibnall and Whittaker era what does is Whittaker's infectiously
08:16enthusiastic portrayal of the Doctor. She does it all in this episode she faces down weird cable monsters,
08:22investigates a space mushroom, builds a new Sonic and even finds time for a nap. Number 6. Robot.
08:27No actor has ever grasped the Doctor with as much enthusiasm as Tom Baker. That's clear from his
08:32very first story Robot in which he commands your attention from the moment he sits up in the unit
08:37laboratory. Placing Tom Baker's Doctor in a unit story is a perfect way to show how this fourth
08:41incarnation is different from his immediate predecessor. The fourth Doctor is far shabbier and
08:46rough around the edges than the sharply dressed third Doctor and this difference in style carries
08:50over into the science. For example it's hard to imagine that the third Doctor lobbing a bucket of
08:55metal eating virus over an enormous K1 robot that would have been more of a Sergeant Benton job but
08:59here the fourth Doctor gamely leans out of the side of Bessie and flings a pain of the solution over
09:04the giant rampaging android. Overall Robot is a hugely enjoyable story that does a great job setting up
09:09the tone of the Tom Baker era. Number 5. Rose. The first episode of Doctor Who's 2005 revival had a big
09:17job to do and the fact that we're all sitting here in 2024 proves that it surpassed all expectations.
09:22Rose is a Doctor Who episode that fizzes with chaotic energy. From burping wheelie bins to
09:27plastic mickeys there's a cartoonish aesthetic to Russell D. Davis 2005 relaunch but it's grounded by
09:32Christopher Eccleston's excellent performance. Where other actors in the role may have leaned into the
09:37chaos Eccleston's matter of fact performance makes you believe in some of Rose's more outlandish moments
09:42which is exactly what you want from your Doctor. Both a brand new character and the Doctor that older
09:46fans knew and loved. Eccleston is truly phenomenal in Rose. He's a 21st century upgrade of the chilly
09:52outsider we first met in a junkyard and despite being battered and bruised he retains the charisma
09:57of his previous incarnations. Number 4. The Power of the Daleks. The Power of the Daleks introduces the
10:04concept that the Doctor can change their face by renewal but doesn't get bogged down in the minutia of
10:09how the process works. Instead it kicks into gear with one of the greatest Dalek stories of all time.
10:13David Whittaker's Dalek scripts are always a joy because he writes them not as unthinking robots
10:18but as sneaky manipulative aliens. Here they position themselves as compliance servants but
10:22they're secretly plotting against everyone on Vulcan. It was a genius move to pit a brand new
10:27Doctor against the Daleks. After all between 1963 and 1965 they were arguably the biggest stars that
10:32Doctor Who had produced. Bringing them back for Patrick Troughton's first story means that the
10:36pressure is taken off him as he finds his feet. Not that Troughton wastes any time, he instantly is
10:41charming as the second Doctor retaining the impishness of Hartnell's incarnation but dialing it all the
10:46way up. Many Doctor Who actors say they don't feel like they've arrived until they face the Daleks.
10:51Troughton does that on day one and the rest is history. Number 3. An Unearthly Child. Okay yes,
10:57an unearthly child introduces us to a lead character who is a kidnapper and potential murderer. That's not
11:02the Doctor Who we would come to know and love. However Doctor Who's first 25 minutes should be taught in
11:07schools. The way that it builds up the mystery of Susan Foreman and her enigmatic grandfather is
11:12masterful. The atmospheric foggy streets and the creepy old junkyard add to the sense of foreboding
11:16around what lies behind the gates of I.M. Foreman and then finally the Doctor arrives, emerging out
11:22of the fog, coughing and spluttering and deeply suspicious of those trespassing teachers. This isn't
11:27quite the Doctor that we'll grow to love but the way that he tries to teach a disbelieving Ian and Barbara
11:32about the TARDIS is great. This won't be the last time that he has to try and explain insanely complicated
11:37scientific theories to pudding brained earthlings. An Unearthly Child more than lives up to the name
11:42Doctor Who and though the rest of the story devolves into dull cavemen and aimless wandering, that first
11:47episode still holds up today as a solid 25 minutes of drama. Number 2. Spearhead from Space. We wouldn't
11:54be here 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 into
12:20saving the earth. The third Doctor is also immediately charming, introducing himself to Liz with his endearing
12:25eyebrow acrobatics and generally running rings around the Brigadier. It must have been a major
12:30culture shock to viewers at the time to have the Doctor exiled to earth and given a car instead
12:34of a TARDIS. However John Pertwee's performance as the Doctor is so great that it reassures viewers
12:38that 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 1. The 11th Hour.
12:50The 11th Hour had to make sure that Doctor Who could survive the loss of David Tennant and Russell T
12:55Davis. 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
13:08the modern 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 the
13:19most 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
13:28Arthur Darville bringing sitcom couple energy to Doctor Who, Olivia Flippin Coleman and the Doctor
13:33literally eyeballing one of the monsters of the week and a long overdue cameo by Sir Patrick Moore.
13:38It's one of 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 upon
13:48which 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
13:54following at WhoCulture on the various socials as well. We are in fact very close to 200,000 subscribers
14:00so thank you so much to everyone who is subscribing. Please click those buttons every time that somebody
14:05does makes a serious change here on the channel. So thank you, keep things wibbly wobbly, and I will talk to you soon. Thanks!
Comments