The Most HATED Doctor Who Era

In this video, I break down the cast (TARDIS team) of Series 11 and 12 of Doctor Who, featuring Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor and her companions Yasmin Khan, Ryan Sinclair, and Graham O'Brien. Why are they so disliked? Were they really that bad? And why do people think they were? I try to answer all of those questions and more, so stay tuned. Also, let me know what you think in the comments!

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Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television series produced by the BBC. The show follows the adventures of a time-traveling alien known as the Doctor, who travels through time and space in a TARDIS, a time machine disguised as a blue police box. The show has had several actors play the role of the Doctor, including Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, and Ncuti Gatwa who is currently portraying the 15th Doctor. The show has explored a wide range of themes and topics, including politics, social issues, and science-fiction concepts. The show has also introduced iconic villains such as the Daleks. Doctor Who has inspired a large and passionate fanbase, and has been the subject of numerous commentaries, video essays, and retrospectives. This paragraph is absolutely just to get some tags into the description. Hope you enjoy the video though. #Justinfication

[Justinfication]

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[mjm]

I would argue that some of the older series may be more hated... But for me Chibnail's era is the biggest waste of something that could have been really good. The cast was fine, their backstories were fine, Jodie was great. But none of these good things were utilised well. Starting with Grace dying first episode.

I feel like, if her death was pushed to the end of the season and if Yazmin (of maybe even Ryan) joined next season - that would already make the dynamics different, as Grace was the most fun character out of that group of companions, actively doing things and having good lines and she stood in the middle of Ryan and Graham, somehow making this family work.

Overall just writing was not consistent and sometimes just bad. Jodie's Doctor flipfloping from letting spiders die of starvation and in suffering, to then letting Kerblam dude die, to telling Graham that killing is bad, but herself letting villains suffer for centuries? Like she is really hypocritical. Like if we wanted to go full Valeyard/Time Lord victorious - this would have been really damn great. But she jumps from good to evil and show presents her as ultimately right in all situations. Comparing that to like Waters of Mars - where Doctor was challenged for his wrongdoings. And I feel - if Grace was longer alive, she could have been the force to stop Doctor.

Also I feel like especially in the first season they jumped into too deep of the water. I genuinely feel like bringing old villains for some of the earlier stories helps base the new Doctor into the story, it makes it feel like the same story. I would leave experimenting for like middle and end of the season.

I also feel it was major fault of Chibnail that he made Jodie not watch any of the previous episodes. Sure bringing a new fresh air could be good, but with how this has been one of the youngest Doctors and a first female one - I think going for more traditional approach would have ease both the actor and the viewers into it more.

This has worked for Matt Smith, who even if the youngest Doctor - brought that elderly vibe to his Doctor (having Amy in original episode be an actual child, also helped, because you had visible age difference between the characters).

And I strongly believe, if they gave Jodie Daleks or even some less common classic villain and let her maybe watch Tennant and Baker (who I feel like she had the best connection with, due to the outfit and her previous work with David) this would have worked. Especially as when she actually does get her Dalek story - it works extremely well.

I mean Fugitive Doctor and work Jo Martin put into her portrayal, would have made for a better transition into the newer era. They made her portrayal more classic, with a sprinkle of action, we have seen more commonly in the NuWho.

And I feel like Jodie easily could have taken such role as well - as especially during Flux and the later seasons and other times where writing was solid (including the pilot) - she was giving a really good performance.

And that's not to mention the companions that were just waste of good backstories. Yazmin never uses her background as a cop (and she should have been the force that pushes the story, when Doctor is missing). Ryan never really struggles due to his disability, which would have been nice to see him stumble in the most dire situations. And Graham's whole cancer storyline was probably one of the best moments, when Doctor who calls their group fam should have had the biggest speech of the whole damn series, with Graham actively getting support. Heck they missed opportunity for Graham to literally had his illness come back adding a real level of drama to this fantastical adventure. Especially as he could be hiding it for a big reveal near the end of the season.

[drwfigureadventures]

Honestly my biggest problem is the timeless child and all that comes with it. If it weren’t for that this whole era would’ve just felt more like an era I’d just not come back to. But because of that it’s forced itself to have a more direct impact on everything that came before and after

[jasonsmith]

I'm glad I rewatched her era because it's genuinely very enjoyable. Even if it will never be my favourite it's still good.

[kiba_the_lucky]

"confused, gay, and semi-guilty"
bro described the concept behind the doctor entirely

[blueboxstudios]

Honestly my biggest problem with this era is the second destruction of galifrey I rewatched and overall I like it especially the later seasons in this … the timeless child isn’t my favorite thing but I can live with it …. It technically was hinted at in previous classic and knew who that the doctor could have been around longer than we think …. So at least it kinda can work…. Not that it adds a ton which is the main problem…. But dang it just let the timelords return …. We waited for it to be saved I want episodes with other timelords on galifrey but destroying it a second time was lazy especially since it wasn’t even seen on screen … that’s honestly the main problem for me

[JjVstraalen]

The first female doctor was Joanna Lumley. In a sketch with Rowan Atkinson. You must see that too.

[ofskittlez]

Ryan and Graham are so forgettable that I literally can't remember which was which. Yaz was worse than forgettable because not only was she forgettable but 13 also said she was "the most amazing person I've ever known". Seriously? Not Rose? Not Donna? Not River?

[Reirek]

I’m pretty dyspraxic, but I found Ryan’s struggle with dyspraxia was just stupid, a bit insensitive, rushed and honestly unasked for.

I think dyspraxia is a very unique form of neurodivergence that isn’t known or talked about and it should be tackled in media but… I’ve literally had conversations with people where I’ve been mocked because of how Ryan is portrayed

[sola_is_chilling]

4:14 bros saying that like the doctor was always straight 💀

[kib]

The reason i didn't like this era is because it felt like an unrecognisable show. Different style of sound track, different style of camera work different style of story telling, it was a completely unfamiliar vibe. That's a huge gamble, and I just didn't vibe with it. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but I couldn't force myself to watch it longer than 1.5 seasons. Although it was painfully obvious that they were trying to artificially introduce diversity into the set of characters, that really didn't bother me anywhere as much as the decisions to completely change the production style. Remember the first regeneration in new who where Rose was having a crisis in not recognising the doctor who she was starting to fall for as the same man? And how by the end of the episode they used brilliant writing to show her family having a touching moment of recognition that made this feel like a genuine continuation? That really helped the audience to accept the change, and that is what was completely lacking here, when the change was even much greater. The continuity was lost, and it's no surprise that this also broke the connection with a large segment of the audience.

[conanbarbarian]

There is a difference between 12 and 13 when it comes to the lecturing. When 12 does it it usually feels like there's either some consistent moral point to the lecture or he is trying to say something interesting. In this way he acts as a good professor, one who professes to know things and be able to speak well about them. But when we arrive at 13, she simultaneously professes to know and be a representative of the good and just truth and also to not really care about it the next moment. One episode she has something supposedly profound to say and the next she has totally changed her interests and motivations. She claims to stand for moral truths, and then endorses actions which contradict them. 12 is a good professor(most of the time), 12 is not.

Series 11 is the worst with this I think, but the rest of 13's run ends up short and uninterested enough that folks might not make it all the way through to see her "development" even if things marginally improve. The series didn't deserve the hate it still receives, but the writers and showrunner did not do right by the characters or the show as a whole.

[AbiAbsinthe]

Shorter episodes has really ruined who for me. Even with the recent season, I didn’t know Ruby and I still don’t really know this doctor yet either. We need more time to connect with everyone, I honestly didn’t give a shit about Ruby when she left😅

[drwfigureadventures]

You mentioned how you like the multi-part stories and that’s a reason you love series 9. I feel like RTDs first era worked so well and captured so many people (let’s face it, NuWho was at its height and everyone at least caught glimpses of it) is because he and the other writers and actors somehow managed to have those lingering character moments and really flesh out and define each character even within one 45 minute episode.

Edit: Outside of just the nostalgia it’s one of the things I love most about that era. They spent time letting the characters feel real, setting up a world that was lived in and consistent. In terms of world building things didn’t just come out of left field for the sake of a story.

[terry]

The poor writing was the biggest flaw. The poor acting being a close 2nd, Graham was by far the best acted and he's a TV presenter.

I stopped watching after Orphan 55, that episode is just a collection of all the worst things they did during Series 11, and I'm glad I missed what came after.

For me Doctor Who ended with Capaldi, and I hope they bring it back one day.

[timidwolf]

I agree with almost everything from the first comment, the inconsistent character being from Jodie relying too much on the writers to shape her character while the writers relied on her for it. Where I differ (sort of) is the part about the lecturing, yes other Doctors have lectured, but there is a subtle difference.
Peter Capaldi's lectures for the audience would challenge the listener, there'd be arguments for different sides of the debate, though he may insinuate his own stance on it, he'd still give the audience a chance to understand the reasoning for each side.
Jodie's however, seemed very one sided, "I'm right for these reasons, you're wrong for those reasons", never questioning the flaws of her own arguments nor the strength of the opponent's. Just made it sound like preaching and propaganda.


Though for me, it was the Timeless Child that took me out of the series. Throughout NuWho, my main pet peeve was how the Doctor or their companion seemed to be the centre of the the universe, how everything seemed to revolve around them, ruined by their own celebrity. The Timeless Child story amped that up to eleven. I miss the nomad Doctor interfering in (and usually solving) other peoples' problems.

[Zero-]

your intro makes it sound like the cast are the issue. i say nay, the writers and show runner were the issue

[DoctorVision]

I don't mean to sound one-dimensional but I just found her era boring for the most part. I just couldn't connect with the companions, they were so bland and never challenged the Doctor. 13 herself was so inconsistent. She spent most of the episodes flapping around helplessly talking nonsense and then you'd get glimpses of the Doctor you know and love but they were all too fleeting. Even the fact the music changed so drastically when you could trust Murray Gold to salvage a mediocre episode or series with a decent soundtrack, Segun Akinola's score just didn't cut it for me (for the most part). It really tested my perseverance and was the first time in 13 years of being a fan that I was seriously contemplating not watching the next series (ultimately I did and there was a slight improvement which kept me hanging on, but I came close to stopping watching).

In a nutshell: the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era was one with wasted potential. In my opinion, it is a disappointing era with a cluster of great episodes scattered throughout (Spyfall, Haunting of Villa Diodati, War of the Sontarans, Village of the Angels, Power of the Doctor).

[NotSpaggety]

Tbh i didn't mind the 13th doctor series too much.i liked it more than the 15th doctor now. Flux was fun, and i liked graham, ryan and yasmin. Overall it was fine, it could've been better. But how it turned out now is also fine.

[damienkakoschke]

I found after watching series 11, I had to go watch some Capaldi/Gomez episodes to wash the bad taste out of my mouth, mainly due to the rubbish writing. The later seasons weren't so bad, Flux was actually not bad. Ryan was so boring & pointless and his "disability" only got mentioned/featured when he rode a bike at the beginning & end of his arc. Graham was surprisingly ok, I put it down to the actor. But should have been 13 & Yaz, with the odd guest character popping in for a few episodes (like series 1, with 9 & Rose, with Mickey & Jack popping every so often, or 11 & Amy with, Rory & River). The whole "they used to have 3 companions back in the day, lets do it again" was such a dumb idea, because in the past it failed (Tegan/Nyssa/Adric), Something Chibnall should have known, since he was a fan of the show during that era & complained about it on national TV.