I need to rewatch Joy to the World - I think i enjoyed the first half an hour but then then ending wasn't the best.

I guess I gave my views on WW/TRW on Joseph's thread. But seems a bit mad to see it top 10 and also ahead of the other finale. Whilst both had issues, I think TRW has way more problems, but maybe the timing of the rate favoured it :D

8

Rogue

Written by Kate Herron & Briony Redman

Directed by Ben Chessell

41 points

7

Boom

Written by Steven Moffat

Directed by Julie Anne Robinson

42 points

First of all, both of these episodes finishing below Dot and Bubble, are we okay people? The two guest-written episodes of Season 1 finish back-to-back in eighth and seventh place. Boom marked Steven Moffat's return to the show for the first time since Twice Upon a Time (and, as far as we know, serves as his penultimate episode). This was a really great concept for an episode, and one that really put Ncuti in the spotlight early on in what felt like such a claustrophobic setting and it really worked. And there was a daring moment of killing Ruby off... even if we knew it was going to be resolved, but watching the episode live and seeing that happening, damn it was good. A great character piece that really gave us time to see how the Doctor and Ruby interacted with one another in such a perilous situation and more of the Doctor's ingenuity. And then we have Rogue, Doctor Who's very own Bridgerton episode by Kate Herron and Briony Redman, both writing their first (and hopefully not last!) episode for the show. Rogue - while having a camp, nothing-y villain - had some interesting ideas sprinkled throughout... and Paul Forman. Paul Forman, that is all. Criminally underused in the episode and he had too many clothes on for my liking but of course the biggest exploration of this episode was the Doctor's (very fast!) relationship with Rogue the bounty hunter. When caught up in the moment watching the episode, it all feels very grand and emotional, but you're left wondering how impactful Rogue's sacrifice is supposed to be on the audience when we've been on a whirlwind of a journey for the last 45 minutes (and the episode itself only spanning the duration of an evening). That aside, Rogue really is a beautiful episode and the tone was just right throughout, and the more sci-fi and typical Doctor Who elements worked alongside everything else.

JTTW was definitely the better of the 2 christmas special, agree that the first half is better than the second,

TRW/WW suprised it being this high considering the almost universal backlash coming out of TRW, im guessing WW helps rank it so high

Rogue I think it probably would of finished higher if the doctor Rogue relationship actually was developed further in future episodes but I guess its another casualty of the changes,

Boom again suprised was ranked so low considering its almost universal praise everywhere but alas

Thought Boom would be higher!

6

Dot and Bubble

Written by Russell T Davies

Directed by Dylan Holmes Williams

44 points

5

Lux

Written by Russell T Davies

Directed by Amanda Brotchie

46 points

Just outside the top five episodes of the Ncuti Gatwa era is episode 5 of Season 1, Dot and Bubble. Personally not quite sure how it's ended up this high despite still being an enjoyable episode, because I do think for all there is to love in there there are some fatal flaws that don't quite stick. But there's also the weight of those closing moments where the episode feels so much heavier and opens up so many avenues to go back and rewatch and put all of the pieces together. The episode goes back to the more formulaic Doctor Who giving us what - from previews - suggests a monster of the week type story but in the end the monsters aren't who we first thought, and while predictable and nothing to sniff at, where the episode is let down is the fact that it's the second episode in a row in an already more limited run that Ncuti's absence is felt. In a series that should be establishing a brand new Doctor and a brand new era of the show as much as possible (with us now having the complete collection, too) it just feels a massive shame. Fast forward to Season 2 though and we have, quite possibly, what felt like the beginning of the era really ramping things up in terms of storytelling and giving us an episode for the history books. While Lux does fall back on the Pantheon by introducing Mr Ring-a-Ding as another member it was visually such a beautiful story and had all the makings of a classic with brilliant performances from Ncuti and Varada. This was RTD on top form, and it didn't let up for most of the rest of the series. And no matter what you think of the fan sequence in the midst of all the chaos this episode certainly can't be accused of not being bold and daring.

Dot and bubble so high how like it had its moments but still 😬😬

Lux is much more deserving f a top 5 though

Dot and Bubble has become one of my fave ever Who’s!

I think this ranking is about right so far (I guess that's not too surprising given I was one of just four voters oops x) - Both finales let the seasons down, as I documented in Joseph's thread, and the others, the obvious duff Space Babies aside, were all decent but missing something that made them great, Boom did have a great concept and start, but the ending was so cheesy and convoluted, I had to deduct it points.

Now from the top 6, I think we're getting somewhere. Dot and Bubble is really good, I mean it is essentially Black Mirror, but it feels the most contemporary and challenging to the usual message of Doctor Who it's been in a while, there are flaws, but they seem intentional and add to the overall narrative. Lux was a really clever episode as well, even if I do wish there was more they could've done with breaking the fourth wall.

Boom and The Story and The Engine deserve way more 😭 both great episodes and ones I would rewatch a lot I reckon. I love how contained the settings are for both, helps with how tense it is for me.

4

73 Yards

Written by Russell T Davies

Directed by Dylan Holmes Williams

48 points

3

The Interstellar Song Contest

Written by Juno Dawson

Directed by Ben A Williams

49 points

me found chuckling in the corner at 73 Yards only coming in at #4... Fan favourite (for reasons I'll still never understand) 73 Yards finishes in fourth place; our first taste of a Doctor-lite episode in Ncuti's era where he ends up separated from Ruby right at the beginning of the episode and not showing face until the closing moments again. Props to Millie Gibson, she does manage to carry the episode well despite it feeling like a story like this would evolve more naturally in a second series for a companion, which makes the length of time Ruby had been travelling with the Doctor at this point seem more questionable. I remember reading rumours about the final showdown of the episode involving a massive monster made of footballs (or similar) on the football pitch, so in the end what we did get was miles more palatable even if Roger ap Gwilliam ended up being a damp squib. Was there more coming with him? Quite possibly, but alas with a lot of things in this era we will never know. All that said though it's always nice to see Doctor Who experiment even if the folk horror vibe taking centre stage for longer could've made this episode better. Taking the bronze medal is The Interstellar Song Contest, the final standalone episode of the show before we head into Ncuti's farewell story. A lot of the online discourse for this episode is very bold in assuming quite a lot of things especially when you consider this episode will have been written before any current world events happened. While most will claim Juno Dawson misfires by showing a darker side to the Doctor (the opposite is true of the Doctor as a whole, granted) with his treatment of Kit, I feel like this was a moment that really made you sit back and appreciate both Ncuti's acting chops and just what this incarnation of the Doctor is capable of having not been totally grounded by anyone just yet. Had this not been the last time we'd see him in this light, I feel there was definitely room for continued exploration and eventual redemption. But overall, the campness served with the whole idea behind this episode is great, and the visuals are great. The only ick with the episode is the Rani's reveal being delegated to a mid-end-credits scene where some more unsuspecting people have already switched over or closed the iPlayer tab.

2

Lucky Day

Written by Pete McTighe

Directed by Peter Hoar

54 points

1

The Well

Written by Sharma Angel-Walfall & Russell T Davies

Directed by Amanda Brotchie

61 points

Second place goes to Lucky Day, Pete McTighe's third script for Doctor Who following Kerblam! and Praxeus in the Chibnall era and our visit to the life of Ruby Sunday post-TARDIS travelling through time and space with the Doctor. Lucky Day feels like a continuation in theme of sorts to 73 Yards, occupying the episode 4 slot of the series, being heavily focused on Ruby, UNIT being involved, and feeling like a bold risk. Here, it certainly paid off. We're introduced to Conrad who Ruby's become romantically involved with only for that to all turn on its head with a twist halfway through and I feel that turning point in the episode really ramped things up and we have what I'd say is McTighe's best script to date, as well as - clearly - one of the defining episodes of this era. There's so much to enjoy, from something reminiscent of RTD1 seeing the Doctor and Ruby on random adventures away from what's actually happening, to Ruby's character feeling much more developed (and dare I say likeable, actually wanting to root for her this time), and an epic conclusion.

Seven points ahead though and taking the crown, probably very predictably, is The Well. Intriguingly the only official co-write of the era and one that was subject to a lot of online discourse. While there's an argument to be made for both sides, this ending up as a Midnight sequel is probably the best thing that could have happened or we'd have found ourselves in a situation where people would just draw comparisons and claim it's a poor man's version. RTD has openly admitted that the original concept wasn't for it to be a sequel, but the pieces fell into place and that's the direction it went in. Watching Unleashed it's a shame that Sharma Angel-Walfall seems not to be given or take any credit for how things panned out (likely being behind the original concept then adapted more with the lore by RTD), but what we have is a stellar episode. Varada Sethu really shines here alongside Ncuti and the guest cast are largely great even if it feels a little crammed to begin with. All in all though this was a statement. The stakes felt so high and the unnerving nature of the Midnight entity certainly lived on, right until the final act where we still don't know for sure if everybody's out of the dark.

Doctor Who: The Ncuti Gatwa Era (2023-2025) Ranking

Full Results

1. The Well

2. Lucky Day

3. The Interstellar Song Contest

4. 73 Yards

5. Lux

6. Dot and Bubble

7. Boom

8. Rogue

9. Wish World / The Reality War

10. Joy to the World

11. The Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death

12. The Robot Revolution

13. The Story & The Engine

14. The Church on Ruby Road

15. The Devil's Chord

16. Space Babies

Thanks for following along everyone (at last ), and to those of you who submitted a ranking! And if that's not enough Doctor Who counting-down for you, of course Joseph's Moffat era hate train NuWho ranking is still counting down the top 100 at the moment too!