The BBC partnered with Disney to co-produce Doctor Who in 2023, and the show’s best episodes since the deal was finalized all share something very interesting in common. Doctor Who‘s Disney era has been divisive among fans for its drastic aesthetic overhaul and uneven scripts, and the studio may be stepping away from the franchise in the coming months.

There’s currently no obligation for Disney to make any more episodes within the Doctor Who saga, so its arrangement with the BBC may be done for good when spinoff The War Between the Land and Sea airs later this year. As the era’s primary star, all of Ncuti Gatwa’s best moments as the Fifteenth Doctor took place under the collaborative regime.

Still, it seems there was a bigger appeal than Gatwa. Ending his run with just 19 appearances as Fifteen in less than two years, Gatwa’s time in the TARDIS felt incredibly condensed and was over incredibly quickly. However, he wasn’t the only actor to lead Doctor Who during its Disney era.

David Tennant Appears In The Top 3 Episodes Of Doctor Who’s Disney Era

“The Well,” “Wild Blue Yonder,” & “The Giggle” all score the highest

Russell T. Davies’ return as the Doctor Who showrunner co-coincided with the BBC’s deal with Disney and the show’s 60th anniversary. Davies wasted no time recalling David Tennant to the role of the Doctor with the twist of the Time Lord regaining Ten’s face after the exit of Jodie Whittaker as Thirteen. Tennant’s comeback as Fourteen made immediate waves.

So, it would make sense if the trilogy of 2023 specials that Tennant led were the most beloved of the Disney era. Surprisingly, only two of the three episodes are ranked the highest, and neither of those two snagged the top spot. On IMDb, Doctor Who season 15, episode 3, “The Well,” is in first place with a rating of 8.4/10.

After “The Well,” the Tennant-led episodes “Wild Blue Yonder” and “The Giggle” are in second and third place respectively, each with a rating of 8.2/10. What’s interesting is that even though “The Well” is a Fifteenth Doctor story, it features Gatwa as the episode’s star, but also features a brief appearance from David Tennant.

The Tenth Doctor flashes on the screen in “The Well” to reinforce the reveal that the episode is a sequel to 2008’s “Midnight.” So, all three of the top-rated Doctor Who installments co-produced by Disney feature David Tennant, even if his role in “The Well” happens via archive footage. Either way, Ten’s other connections to the episode are unmistakable.

The Fourth-Best Doctor Who Episode Made By Disney Barely Features The Doctor At All

“73 Yards” is a Doctor-lite episode

It makes sense that Tennant’s presence, directly or otherwise, would have an impact on the rankings of Doctor Who‘s Disney-era episodes. He originally led the show during one of its most successful periods and played a beloved version of the Doctor. What’s perhaps more surprising is that, even outside the top three episodes of the post-2023 era, Doctor Who immediately fails to focus on Gatwa.

Gatwa had other commitments while Doctor Who season 14 was being made, meaning his first run as Fifteen had to get creative at times. While he was shooting the final season of Sex Education, Davies wrote “73 Yards” to account for the actor’s absence. So, Fifteen is reduced to a very limited role while Millie Gibson leads the cast as Ruby Sunday.

What’s unfortunate about the solution to Gatwa’s scheduling conflict is that it produced one of the best episodes during his run, and he is barely in it. “73 Yards” is light on sci-fi storytelling but goes in hard on the mystery/fantasy elements that were favored during Fifteen’s era.

Sadly, it took Gatwa’s absence for the script to come into existence, and it wouldn’t make sense if he had a larger role. It’s the Doctor’s disappearance near the beginning of “73 Yards” that kickstarts the intriguing storyline. It’s among the best of Doctor Who‘s Doctor-lite episodes, and there’s even an argument for it being one of the best of the show’s modern era.

Ncuti Gatwa’s Run As The Fifteenth Doctor Was Better Than IMDb’s Rankings Suggest

Fifteen had some incredibly underrated adventures

Nostalgia was always going to play a huge role in how the Disney-era episodes of Doctor Who rank on IMDb. That said, ignoring Tennant’s episodes for a moment, the period largely led by Gatwa has been unfairly maligned. While episodes like “Space Babies” (5.0/10) understandably have terrible IMDb scores, certain installments are rated far lower than they should be.

For example, Doctor Who season 14, episode 3, “Boom,” has a rating of just 7.7/10, when I think it deserves, at the very least, 8.0/10. It was a classic Steven Moffat script that immediately shone while also giving Gatwa the chance to show off his acting talents in a very challenging environment.

“Boom” also paid homage brilliantly to Moffat’s time as showrunner, with returning elements like Villengard and the militarized Clerics. It wasn’t exactly a sequel, but it did feel wonderfully familiar to established Doctor Who fans like me while also offering something new.

Similarly, “Lux” (7.7/10) and “Dot and Bubble” (7.2/10), while well-placed on IMDb’s ranking, have scores not entirely reflective of their quality. “The Church on Ruby Road” (6.8/10) was a little cheesy at times, but didn’t feel overly so thanks to its status as a Christmas special. In short, Fifteen’s Doctor Who run wasn’t perfect, but it was better than IMDb makes it seem.

Source: IMDb

Doctor Who

5/10

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Directors

Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie

Writers

Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat

Franchise(s)

Doctor Who / Whoniverse