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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
00:03instant
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.
00:46Number 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 Doctor's
00:56debut 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 moralizing.
01:10Rather the biggest problem with The Twin Dilemma is its placing at the very end of Doctor Who Season
01:1521. 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
01:27may have seriously impacted production on Season 22 so brought Colin Baker's debut forward to avoid
01:32it being 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 Castravalva. Castravalva has some amazing moments from the TARDIS being Lord to the Big Bang
01:48to Castravalva 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
01:58good 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. Castravalva 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
02:17Castravalva 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
02:26the 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
02:46an old face. Instead he's just the 10th Doctor but with stubble and bags under his eyes. On the plus
02:50side
02:51that 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?
03:00On the downside the Starbeast just feels like a throwback to 2008 but doesn't signal some bold new era
03:06for Doctor Who. While that's very obviously the point this was the big 60th anniversary party after
03:10all that makes it a strange entry in the long history of Doctor debuts. Number 12 Time and the
03:16Rani. Like the twin dilemma Sylvester McCoy's debut story Time and the Rani was hampered by behind the
03:21scenes drama. This time it was the dramatic exit of script editor Eric Sayward and the firing of Colin
03:26Baker. Sayward's departure meant that John Nathan Turner had to find a replacement quickly and also meant
03:31that there was a dearth of workable scripts. Colin Baker's refusal to film a regeneration scene meant
03:36that the 7th Doctor's debut came out of a fairly unremarkable end from his predecessor. It's a
03:41minor miracle that Time and the Rani 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
03:507th Doctor. However the tedious aliens and the Rani's giant brain can feel like an embarrassing
03:55hangover from the worst sci-fi tropes of 1980s Doctor Who. Time and the Rani doesn't resemble what the
04:01McCoy era would quickly become meaning that many see the superior Paradise Towers
04:05as the true start of the 7th Doctor's era. Number 11 Deep Breath. Peter Capaldi's debut as the 12th
04:11Doctor was an atmospheric Victorian horror movie with dinosaurs but it dials down the fun of that
04:16premise way too much. Deep Breath is emblematic of the mistakes that were made during Capaldi's
04:21first series. It's a strong run of episodes but the 12th Doctor is rarely afforded the chance to
04:25lighten up a little. Still there are some great set pieces in Deep Breath from the Doctor and Clara's
04:30tense meeting in the restaurant to the unveiling of his new costume and TARDIS colour scheme. The scene where
04:34the Doctor reveals that he didn't abandon Clara after all is a proper punch the air moment that
04:39confirms this more abrasive incarnation is still the same character underneath. By the end of Deep Breath
04:44Capaldi has 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
05:05did way back in 1982 however it's thanks to Billy Piper's brilliant performance as Rose Tyler that the
05:10modern era's first post-regeneration story works as well as it does. Ultimately it's the story of the
05:14Doctor just 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
05:32at home that the new guy is going to be pretty great. David Tennant then gets his big hero moment
05:37by ripping 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 Shutigatwa as a brand new type
05:51of Time Lord. The scene of the kilt wearing gin and tonic saving Doctor dancing in a nightclub affirms that
05:56this
05:56is an incarnation who wants to savour every moment and experience. The Doctor's rooftop dash to hang
06:01with Ruby on the goblin ship is joyous while Gatwa excels at delivering hand wavy dialogue about the
06:06language of rope. In this respect the Church on Ruby Road does its job at establishing who this new
06:11incarnation is. So it's disappointing that the majority of the episode takes place in Ruby's flat.
06:16It's hard to see the Doctor truly fly when they're moving from cramped room to cramped room. Things pick up
06:21again when the Doctor travels back to save baby Ruby but there's a constricting atmosphere to much of 2023's
06:26Christmas special that feels like it's keeping Shutig back from properly letting loose as the
06:30Doctor. Thankfully though the policeman scene was added to give the Doctor more screen time early
06:34on. It's a moment that allows Gatwa to flex his Doctor muscles and he nails the kindness and
06:38confidence of the character in the span of a few lines. Number 8 The TV Movie. Say what you like
06:44about the 1996 TV movie there's no doubting Paul McGann's magnetic performance as the eighth Doctor. While
06:49it's a bit too mired in decades of Doctor Who continuity to be an effective introduction for a brand new
06:54audience it's still a pretty great introduction to a brand new Doctor. Grace Holloway is the Dana Scully
06:58to Doctor's Fox Mulder stroiling to believe the impossible things she's seeing unfold before her
07:03very eyes. Paul McGann's breathless delivery and vibrant energy shows that he completely understands
07:08how to reinvent the character of the Doctor for a 90s audience. While it leans heavily into the
07:13post-regenerative amnesia trope Matthew Jacob's script never forgets to make the Doctor our hero,
07:17giving him big romantic and heroic moments as he begins to remember who he is. Sadly outside of that
07:2450th anniversary the TV movie never led to more live-action adventures for the eighth Doctor,
07:28but its failure to take off in America was nothing to do with Paul McGann as evidenced by the slew
07:33of
07:34big Finnish 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
07:53more grounded and realistic urban setting than some of Russell T. Davis best work. The images of Sheffield
07:58at night as an alien trophy hunter rampages through the streets felt like a modern take on Doctor Who.
08:03And not only was The Woman Who Fell to Earth a great debut for Jodie Whittaker, it felt like a
08:07reinvention of the show that marked a clear departure from the Moffat era. That doesn't quite carry over to
08:12the rest of the 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,
08:34in which 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 sharply dressed
08:48third Doctor and this difference in style carries over into the science. For example it's hard to imagine
08:53that the third Doctor lobbing a bucket of metal-eating virus over an enormous K1 robot, that would have
08:58been more of a Sergeant Benton job, but here the fourth Doctor gamely leans out of the side of Bessie
09:02and flings
09:03a pain of the solution over the giant rampaging android. Overall Robot is a hugely enjoyable story that does a
09:08great job setting up the tone of the Tom Baker era. Number 5 Rose. The first episode of Doctor Who's
09:152005 revival had a big job to do and the fact that we're all sitting here in 2024 proves that
09:20it's
09:21surpassed all expectations. Rose is a Doctor Who episode that fizzes with chaotic energy. From burping
09:26wheelie bins to plastic mickeys there's a cartoonish aesthetic to Russell D. Dave's 2005 relaunch but it's
09:32grounded by Christopher Eccleston's excellent performance. Where other actors in the role may have
09:36leaned into the chaos Eccleston's matter of fact performance makes you believe in some of Rose's
09:41more outlandish moments which is exactly what you want from your Doctor. Both a brand new character
09:45and the Doctor that older fans knew and loved Eccleston is truly phenomenal in Rose. He's a 21st
09:51century upgrade of the chilly outsider we first met in a junkyard and despite being battered and bruised
09:56he retains the charisma of his previous incarnations. Number 4 The Power of the Daleks. The Power of the
10:03Daleks introduces the concept that the Doctor can change their face by renewal but doesn't get bogged
10:08down in the minutia of how the process works. Instead it kicks into gear with one of the greatest
10:12Dalek stories of all time. David Whittaker's Dalek scripts are always a joy because he writes them
10:16not as unthinking robots but as sneaky manipulative aliens. Here they position themselves as compliance
10:22servants but they're secretly plotting against everyone on Vulcan. It was a genius move to pit a
10:27brand new Doctor 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.
10:56Okay yes an unearthly child introduces us to a lead character who is a kidnapper and potential murderer.
11:01That's not the Doctor Who we would come to know and love. However Doctor Who's first 25 minutes should
11:06be taught in schools. The way that it builds up the mystery of Susan Foreman and her enigmatic
11:11grandfather is masterful. The atmospheric foggy streets and the creepy old junkyard add to the
11:15sense of foreboding around what lies behind the gates of I.M. Foreman. And then finally the Doctor
11:21arrives emerging out of the fog coughing and spluttering and deeply suspicious of those trespassing
11:26teachers. This isn't quite the Doctor that we'll grow to love but the way that he tries to teach a
11:31disbelieving Ian and Barbara about the TARDIS is great. This won't be the last time that he has
11:35to try and explain insanely complicated scientific theories to pudding brained earthlings. An Unearthly
11:40Child more than lives up to the name Doctor Who and though the rest of the story devolves into dull
11:45cavemen and aimless wandering that first episode still holds up today as a solid 25 minutes of drama.
11:51Number 2 Spearhead from Space. We wouldn't be here today without Spearhead from Space. Doctor Who was
11:57facing cancellation at the end of the 60s inspiring a radical budget saving rethink and then a technician's
12:03strike meant that John Pertwee's debut story also had to be radically rethought in terms of production.
12:08As a result we get the most gloriously cinematic bit of Doctor Who until the 11th hour which is
12:13heavily inspired by this. Like Matt Smith's debut Spearhead from Space is all about an alien who falls
12:18from the sky and is then immediately thrown into saving the earth. The third Doctor is also immediately
12:23charming introducing himself to Liz with his endearing eyebrow acrobatics and generally running
12:28rings around the Brigadier. It must have been a major culture shock to viewers at the time to have
12:31the Doctor exiled to earth and given a car instead of a TARDIS. However John Pertwee's performance as
12:36the Doctor is so great that it reassures viewers that this is still the same show. So successful was
12:41Pertwee as the Doctor that it led to a brand new golden age for Doctor Who the influence of which
12:46can
12:46still be felt today. Number one, the 11th hour. The 11th hour had to make sure that Doctor Who could
12:52survive the loss of David Tennant and Russell T Davis. By the time the episode finished the show's
12:57future was assured thanks to an exceptional performance by Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.
13:01Stephen Moffat writes a deceptively simple story of an alien prisoner loose on earth which allows
13:06Smith the chance to demonstrate every facet of the modern Doctor. We get the chaotic energy of the
13:11fish fingers and custard scene, the poetry of the apple and the big confrontational speech on a rooftop.
13:16Smith pulls all of this off beautifully and gives the most fully formed Doctor performance since
13:21Tom Baker in Robot. His awkward physicality is brilliant for the new Doctor like a baby gazelle
13:26learning to run. On top of this there's Karen Gillan and Arthur Darville bringing sitcom couple
13:30energy to Doctor Who, Olivia Flippin' Coleman and the Doctor literally eyeballing one of the monsters
13:35of the week and a long overdue cameo by Sir Patrick Moore. It's one of Doctor Who's most confident and
13:39thrilling debuts. The 11th hour more like the finest hour. That is everything for our list today folks,
13:45thank you so much to Mark Donaldson who wrote this article upon which this video is based. Please
13:49make sure you check that out over on whatculture.com. I have been Sean, you can find me in the
13:52various
13:53socials at Sean Farrick. Please make sure that you're following at WhoCulture on the various
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