The Worst Episodes of Doctor Who
Every episode of Doctor Who ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Doctor Who!
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "Doctor Who" is "The Space Pirates (6)", rated 4.7/10 from 308 user votes. It was directed by N/A and written by Robert Holmes. "The Space Pirates (6)" aired on 4/12/1969 and is rated 0.2 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "The Space Pirates (5)".
4.7/10 308 votes#1 - The Space Pirates (6)
Season 6 Episode 34 - Aired 4/12/1969
With Clancey and Issigri trapped aboard the LIZ, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe try to convince Madeleine to help them before Caven destroys Ta.
Director: N/A
Writer: Robert Holmes
4.9/10 306 votes#2 - The Space Pirates (5)
Season 6 Episode 33 - Aired 4/5/1969
Madeleine is revealed to be working with Caven, who comes up with a way to kill the Doctor and his friends whilst framing them for the piracy.
Director: N/A
Writer: Robert Holmes
5.0/10 307 votes#3 - The Space Pirates (3)
Season 6 Episode 31 - Aired 3/22/1969
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe flee from the Space Corps with Clancey, who decides to seek refuge on Ta.
Director: N/A
Writer: Robert Holmes
5.0/10 306 votes#4 - The Space Pirates (4)
Season 6 Episode 32 - Aired 3/29/1969
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are held prisoner by the space pirates while Caven comes up with a plan to throw suspicion onto Clancey.
Director: N/A
Writer: Robert Holmes
5.1/10 327 votes#5 - The Space Pirates (1)
Season 6 Episode 29 - Aired 3/8/1969
Space beacons are being destroyed by pirates, who are salvaging the argonite metal. When the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on one of the beacons, they are mistaken for pirates.
Director: N/A
Writer: Robert Holmes
5.3/10 513 votes#6 - The Twin Dilemma (1)
Season 21 Episode 21 - Aired 3/22/1984
Earth, the future. The genius Sylvest twins, child prodigies, are kidnapped by the mysterious Professor Edgeworth and taken to the planet Jaconda. But who is Edgeworth? Why does he serve the giant slug Mestor? And what is Mestor's plan?
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Anthony Steven
5.3/10 455 votes#7 - The Twin Dilemma (2)
Season 21 Episode 22 - Aired 3/23/1984
The Doctor takes Peri to Titan 3, a desolate hunk of rock in space where he hopes to find some solitude for a while. Instead he finds the lone but unconscious survivor of a recent spaceship crash in sight of a mound-shaped complex where no formalised structure should exist.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Anthony Steven
5.3/10 457 votes#8 - The Twin Dilemma (3)
Season 21 Episode 23 - Aired 3/29/1984
The Doctor arrives on Jaconda, once lush and green, to find it completely devastated by giant gastropods. Old legends about the planet's half-human/half-slugs weren't just myths after all. With or without help from the Doctor and his unpredictable mood swings, Lt. Lang is up for rescuing the twins, who are finally informed of the grand purpose they've been brought to Jaconda to accomplish.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Anthony Steven
5.3/10 459 votes#9 - The Twin Dilemma (4)
Season 21 Episode 24 - Aired 3/30/1984
The Doctor and Edgeworth deduce that the real plan of Mestor, the gastropod ruler of Jaconda, will not only destroy Jaconda but lead to the devastation of other planets. Together they hope to thwart him despite his formidable ability at slipping into people's minds and controlling them.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Anthony Steven
5.3/10 508 votes#10 - Time and the Rani (3)
Season 24 Episode 3 - Aired 9/21/1987
The solstice nears, making it time for the Rani to bring her plans into fruition. The Doctor's sympathies for Beyus, ruler of the Lykertyans, are rather qualified. Beyus' heart is for his people yet something prompts him to collaborate fully in helping the Rani reach all her objectives. The answer, he's told, lies within the Center of Leisure.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Jane Baker, Pip Baker
5.4/10 518 votes#11 - Time and the Rani (4)
Season 24 Episode 4 - Aired 9/28/1987
The Rani, at last, links the Doctor into her great brain machine, the crowning jewel in her component packet of geniuses brought together to turn Lakertya itself into one vast cerebral mass capable of redirecting time anywhere in the universe, giving her absolute power over all creation.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Jane Baker, Pip Baker
5.5/10 660 votes#12 - The Centre
Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 3/20/1965
The Doctor and Vicki are taken before the Animus but the isoptope is left behind in the laboratory.The only hope of victory lies with Barbara and her Menoptera allies.
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: Bill Strutton
5.5/10 475 votes#13 - Timelash (2)
Season 22 Episode 11 - Aired 3/16/1985
The Borad accepts no opposition and enables Maylin Tekker to expose the rebels and trap Peri with the Morlox. The Doctor tries to avert a war between Karfel and the Bandrils.
Director: Pennant Roberts
Writer: Glen McCoy
5.5/10 527 votes#14 - Time and the Rani (2)
Season 24 Episode 2 - Aired 9/14/1987
The Rani's impersonation of Mel backfires badly because Urak can't tell the difference, while the Doctor attempts to learn the secret of the Loyhargil.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Jane Baker, Pip Baker
5.6/10 670 votes#15 - Crater of Needles
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 3/6/1965
Ian and Vrestin are captured by the subterranean Optera while Barbara and her Menoptera allies attempt to escape from the slave camp.
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: Bill Strutton
- 5.6/10 660 votes
#16 - Invasion
Season 2 Episode 20 - Aired 3/13/1965
Barbara and the surviving Menoptera take refuge in the Temple of Light while the Doctor and Vicki attempt to escape by taking control of a Zarbi.
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: Bill Strutton
5.6/10 367 votes#17 - The Space Pirates (2)
Season 6 Episode 30 - Aired 3/15/1969
With the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe trapped on a beacon segment, Hermack becomes suspicious of the unruly prospector Milo Clancey.
Director: N/A
Writer: Robert Holmes
5.6/10 516 votes#18 - Timelash (1)
Season 22 Episode 10 - Aired 3/9/1985
The planet Karfel, in the distant future. The tyrannical Borad rules with an iron fist, and any who oppose him are cast into the Timelash - a space-time tunnel leading to the past of an alien world called Earth...
Director: Pennant Roberts
Writer: Glen McCoy
5.6/10 582 votes#19 - Time and the Rani (1)
Season 24 Episode 1 - Aired 9/7/1987
The alien world of Lakertya. With the aid of the savage Tetraps, the Rani has conquered this planet to allow her to continue her depraved biochemical experiments. But she finds herself needing the Doctor's assistance...
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Jane Baker, Pip Baker
5.7/10 667 votes#20 - Escape to Danger
Season 2 Episode 18 - Aired 2/27/1965
The Doctor is forced to co-operate with the Animus but Ian uses the opportunity to make an escape attempt.
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: Bill Strutton
5.7/10 490 votes#21 - Delta and the Bannermen (2)
Season 24 Episode 10 - Aired 11/9/1987
Mel's just discovered something very interesting about the life cycle of her new friend and the Doctor has been cornered by an alien bounty hunter wearing blue suede shoes.
Director: Chris Clough
Writer: Malcolm Kohll
5.7/10 499 votes#22 - Delta and the Bannermen (3)
Season 24 Episode 11 - Aired 11/16/1987
As Billy and Ray do what they can to help save Delta and the baby, the Doctor and Goronwy the beekeeper face Gavrok and his Bannermen one last time...
Director: Chris Clough
Writer: Malcolm Kohll
5.8/10 446 votes#23 - The Underwater Menace (4)
Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 2/4/1967
With Zaroff's plan nearing completion, the Doctor and Ben realise the only way to save the world is to destroy Atlantis.
Director: Julia Smith
Writer: Geoffrey Orme
5.8/10 432 votes#24 - Underworld (2)
Season 15 Episode 18 - Aired 1/14/1978
After 100,000 years, the Minyans have found the long-lost P7E. But what awaits them on the ship, long buried in the core of a newborn planet?
Director: Norman Stewart
Writer: Dave Martin, Bob Baker
5.8/10 430 votes#25 - Underworld (3)
Season 15 Episode 19 - Aired 1/21/1978
The Minyans have, at long last, found the P7E. But a host of guards and robotic seers stand between them and the race banks.
Director: Norman Stewart
Writer: Dave Martin, Bob Baker