In celebration of the latest Doctor-lite episode of Doctor Who gracing our screens tonight (and tomorrow on BBC One), I thought I would deliver a ranking of the show’s Doctor-lite episodes, ranked worst to best. The beloved sub-genre of the Timey-Wimey show became a popular thing in the show’s early revival and was often used as a means to give whichever actor was playing the Doctor a break from the filming schedule, or it allowed them to work on two episodes side-by-side, essentially double banking the show.
For example, Series 2’s Love and Monsters was double-banked with The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, because of the addition of a Christmas special to the show’s schedule, so David Tennant and Billie Piper could film the double-parter while another unit worked on the Peter Kay-billed episode. This perfectly leads me to the worst of the show’s Doctor-lite serials…
#6. LOVE & MONSTERS – SERIES 2, EPISODE 10
ELO and Peter Kay – what more could you want? Hated by most, this episode brings a new perspective to the show, removing the Doctor and Rose from the forefront and giving us a new pair of eyes to see the world.
Love and Monsters contains a number of genuinely funny moments scattered throughout its bizarre plot as we follow a young man, named Elton, who finds himself joining a group, all with the same interest, with one mysterious man named The Doctor. Over the course of the episode, he hunts for Rose Tyler, even infiltrating the Tyler household and meeting Jackie. Despite some weak plot points throughout, this episode is highly rewatchable and entertaining even if the Abzorbaloff is hideous.
#5. “FLATLINE” – SERIES 8, EPISODE 9
Flatline offers an alternative story where Clara (Jenna Coleman) is forced to save the day whilst The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is confined to the decreasing-sized walls of the TARDIS due to a new, two-dimensional enemy known as the Boneless.
One of the major highlights of this episode is achieved by giving Jenna Coleman the spotlight, Clara has always been one of my favourite companions, so seeing her alongside Rigsy for the majority of the episode fight the creepy Boneless always ends up a treat.
#4. THE GIRL WHO WAITED – SERIES 6, EPISODE 10
Whilst not a completely Doctor-lite episode, The Girl Who Waited is still regarded as fitting within the sub-genre. The Girl Who Waited sees The Doctor take Amy and Rory to the planet Apalapucia for a holiday, but Amy accidentally gets separated from the Doctor and Rory, when they try to rescue her, they arrive 36 years later in her timeline…
Not only is the episode an interesting one, but it was one of the first time’s I truly appreciated Arthur Darvill’s role as Rory Williams. Seeing his portrayal of heartbreak and desperation as he rescues his Amy is incredibly effective, and makes for an incredibly unique episode with the couple trapped in parallel timestreams.
#3. 73 YARDS – SEASON 1, EPISODE 4
Witches, politicians and One Woman… 73 Yards is the latest Doctor-lite episode and finds itself at third in the ranking. The episode sees The Doctor and Ruby land on a clifftop in Wales, and before you know it, The Doctor breaks a mysterious charm circle and Ruby finds herself going solo for the rest of the episode, but why?
Worth watching for the sheer wonderful performance from Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. The introduction of myth and the inclusion of the Mysterious Woman allows for an incredibly unique Doctor-lite episode, providing the closest thing we’ve had to almost replicating Turn Left for quite some time.
#2. “TURN LEFT” – SERIES 4, EPISODE 11
The way in which Turn Left goes back to key moments in the show and Donna Noble’s history and imagines how everything would have played out without The Doctor and her meeting is a stupendous example of RTD’s masterclass, when on his day. From beginning to end, the retrospective and alternate storytelling works really well… plus, viewers are treated to the first major reappearance of Rose Tyler after a number of cameos and hints in the build-up.
Another great feat for the episode is how well it works when you watch it independently, without watching any of the prior or following episodes from Series 4 – it’s an incredible stand-alone serial with such a great ability to stand on its own, though I must admit, the closing moments with The Doctor being warned of Bad Wolf is unreal television. I might just go and rewatch it after finishing this article!
#1. “BLINK” – SERIES 3, EPISODE 10
The Weeping Angels will always be the show’s most iconic villain, first introduced in the 2007 episode – the first-ever iteration of a Doctor-lite story, and I think it will be the best of them all for a long time to come.
Carey Mulligan is ridiculously good in this episode too, but it’s Steven Moffat’s script that will always win me over. Maybe he should write a full series of this show one day, who knows?!
Doctor Who Season 1, Episode 4 “73 Yards” releases on Disney+ (excluding the UK) on June 21 and BBC iPlayer on June 22. Check out the trailer below.