Following the broadcast of The Reality War, we asked our members to rate Series 15 out of ten and to tell us their thoughts on the series as a whole. Curiously, although the society generally liked Series 15’s individual episodes more than those from Series 14 – the average rating for all nine episodes from Series 15 combined (6.70) was slightly higher than that for Series 14’s nine episodes (6.48) – the average rating for Series 15 (5.67) was actually lower than that of Series 14 (6.27). This drop-off is likely to have been a consequence from having watched the disappointing The Reality War, the recent departure of Ncuti Gatwa from the show, and Doctor Who entering its first effective hiatus since it was revived in 2005. Either way, nobody rated Series 15 higher than a 7, which happened to be the most common rating given by our members.

Despite the low average rating, the overall sentiment was that the society enjoyed watching Series 15 and that it was lots of fun. Some members highlighted their standout episodes (The Well and Lucky Day) while others said that they enjoyed every episode in the series, with even the weaker episodes having great individual moments or being well-executed. Comparatively, multiple members felt that Series 15 started out better than Series 14, but declined in quality as it reached the “nonsense”, “weak”, and “ropey” finale. Some felt that Gatwa’s second series was more “satisfying”, more “consistent”, or even “a definite step up” from his first series, but a few others said it was too similar in terms of episode structure (a series opener set in space, a Pantheon episode, soldiers on an alien planet, a Doctor-lite episode…) If there was one thing that everyone could agree on, it was that eight episodes was too few and left us wishing they could spend more time with the three “excellent” leads.

Belinda’s characterisation was a source of frustration: one member was hugely disappointed that they never got to know her properly, felt that she was repeatedly upstaged by Ruby, and described the resolution to her story arc (in which she was “shunted off with a baby that she didn’t originally have”) as “deeply regressive”. Another member felt that more time was spent with Ruby than Belinda, which led to them liking Ruby more after Series 15 than during Series 14, while others lamented how Belinda started out strong but was eventually pushed into the background.

One member wrote up a scathing critique of what they regarded as the “inexcusable” inconsistencies of Series 15, despite acknowledging the production troubles and last minute changes which happened behind-the-scenes: “an intriguing dynamic” between the Doctor and his distinctly reluctant companion, Belinda, along with her mysterious connection to Mundy Flynn from Boom, was emphasised in The Robot Revolution – before both threads were immediately dropped without explanation; Belinda’s apparent motivation for returning to 2025, and thus the driving force behind the entire series, suddenly switched from wanting to see her parents again to having a daughter back at home; And Mrs Flood’s recurring cameos set her up as the main villain of the series, only for her to become an assistant to The Rani (whose return was tagged onto the end of an otherwise unrelated episode), who was in turn subservient to the real villain, Omega. As a result of introducing all these extra storylines in the final few episodes, there was no time to fully explore these ideas and the questions they raised, which led to the return of Susan, the original companion, being overshadowed and forgotten. “Let these characters, ideas and stories live again, not simply be seen again.”

The Ncuti Gatwa era overall

With Ncuti Gatwa stepping down as the Doctor, we asked the society to give their thoughts on his era as a whole. Both series were praised for having some of the show’s “most experimental episodes… while also relying on lots of old characters and enemies for shock value”, and that the format was pushed to its limits, with musical numbers, comebacks, and fourth-wall breaks. On the other hand, multiple responses described the era as “a missed opportunity” that was over too soon. The relatively low number of episodes featuring Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor (nineteen in total, three of which were Doctor-lite) was a major complaint: some members felt they were less invested in the companions and barely got to know the Fifteenth Doctor, while others thought that the main arcs were unable to fully unfold after their initial promise and thus ultimately unsatisfying. Although the individual episode quality had been high thanks to the increased budget and talented cast, it was felt that missteps occurred at crucial moments (Space Babies, Empire of Death) which harmed fan confidence. Despite these occasional duds, the majority of members enjoyed the era and agreed that it had been fun to watch.

Although Gatwa himself was praised for being “absolutely phenomenal as an openly emotional and joyous Doctor” by one member, who was “devastated” that he wasn’t receiving a third series and certain that he would have stayed had Disney recommissioned the show, others felt that he was “sadly underserved” or were frustrated that he didn’t fulfill his potential: one member suggested that he was “holding back” compared to the performances of past Doctors, and another pointed out how he never had the opportunity to confront the Daleks. A third member highlighted several episodes in which his Doctor ultimately doesn’t save the day and argued that his strongest relationships were with Anita and Rogue rather than his own companions: whereas Ruby and Doctor spent six months becoming besties off-screen and his dynamic with Belinda was changed by a single visit to the TARDIS wardrobe in Lux, the Doctor was allowed to interact and enjoy Anita and Rogue’s company without the chaotic distraction of adventure.

Russell T Davies did not receive much praise from the society. While there was an appreciation for his consistent attempts at new episode concepts and suggestions that his original plans were derailed by both Disney’s reluctance to renew the deal and casting problems (Millie Gibson leaving after one series, Ncuti Gatwa being unavailable for the first block of filming in Series 14), Russell was described as somebody who approached Doctor Who not as a fan desperate to prove why his favourite show should be loved, but as a celebrated showrunner reliant on his own legacy and past iconography for its own sake without the grounded feeling of Series One through Four. One member even stated that their favourite episodes were those written by guest writers because they offered something completely different, rather than indulging in lore. It was also asserted that “Russell’s more fannish proclivities towards continuity, returning classic era villains, and nostalgia” directly conflicted with the BBC’s intention to relaunch the show for younger and global audiences, and created “internal contradictions” between international streaming television and British pop culture. To quote a third member: “The best analogy I can come up with is the Star Wars prequels – some really promising ideas overshadowed by bad decisions because nobody was able to rein in the once-great executive producer’s worst instincts and bad calls.”

The future

Although the future of Doctor Who looked very uncertain (with no new episodes announced until much later in the year), the majority of respondents were confident that the show would eventually return in some form, regardless of the involvement of any streaming platforms. There was a concern that Disney’s decision on whether to continue their involvement with the show would be treated as the final judgement on this era’s success, rather than reflection of Disney’s internal conflicts and their ongoing lack of confidence in streaming generally. The most pessimistic member correctly predicted that Disney would drop their support for Doctor Who and that the show would go on hiatus while Bad Wolf scrambled for funding elsewhere. For others, The Reality War “felt like a goodbye from more than just this Doctor” and that it was perhaps time for fans to carry the torch once again.

Our members also mentioned what they wanted to see in the next series of Doctor Who: despite the challenges of modern television production, there were desires for a “longer, more consistently scheduled series”, a greater focus on character development, a stable cast, and more straightforward but interesting stories instead of stunts. One member in particular wished that the show would trust its audience and lean more heavily into “the occasional mature standout episodes…” (73 Yards and Wild Blue Wonder) “rather than swinging for big revelations and missing, often spectacularly”, while also recognising that the show’s standard model from 2005 is no longer fit for purpose. Indeed, another member who had watched The Reality War in the cinema suggested that the entire finale felt like a pitch for a pivot towards movie specials…

Surprisingly, not much was said about whether Billie Piper would eventually be confirmed as the Doctor’s sixteenth incarnation. While one person said they were confident that Piper would be an excellent Doctor regardless of how long she stayed, others were more willing to take a “wait and see” approach or predicted that we might be surprised by how little her Doctor might have to do with Rose herself. However, there were one or two more negative members who claimed that the decision “screams of stunt-casting and pushes the show towards self-parody”, although they also would “reserve judgement until it’s clearer exactly what nonsense Russell has planned for the future”.
Finally, we asked our members for their initial thoughts on the upcoming spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, for which its first trailer was released after the conclusion of The Reality War. The aforementioned pessimistic member didn’t think it looked very interesting “if all it has to offer are guns, business suits, and sexy female monsters”, but confessed that they would watch “out of obligation” due to the casting of Jemma Redgrave and Russell Tovey. However, most of our members were optimistic and looking forward to it. Some were particularly drawn in by the more serious tone, without becoming too adult like Torchwood, and the “grittier edge” which would make for “a nice change from the overly saturated colours of recent seasons”. Others felt that while the trailer was full of familiar tropes and “unconvincing” realisations of the Sea Devils, it seemed different enough from previous spinoffs for them to keep an open mind. Either way, we would have to wait for another seven months to see how UNIT – and ourselves – would survive without the Doctor…

Series 15 Episode Rankings

Ranking	Episode	Mean Rating
1	Lux	8.09
2	Lucky Day	8.00
3	The Well	7.90
4	The Story & the Engine	6.78
5	The Interstellar Song Contest	6.50
6	Joy to the World	6.40
7	The Robot Revolution	6.20
8	Wish World	5.75
9	The Reality War	4.67

The Oxford Doctor Who Society’s Fifteenth Doctor era rankings in full

Ranking	Episode	Mean Rating
1	Lux	8.09
2	Lucky Day	8.00
3	Rogue	7.91
4	The Well	7.90
5	The Church on Ruby Road	7.50
6	73 Yards	7.47
7	The Devil’s Chord	6.88
8	Boom	6.87
9	The Story & the Engine	6.78
10	Dot and Bubble	6.64
11	The Interstellar Song Contest	6.50
12	Joy to the World	6.40
13	The Robot Revolution	6.20
14	The Legend of Ruby Sunday	6.09
15	Wish World	5.75
16	The Reality War	4.67
17	Empire of Death	4.50
18	Space Babies	4.47