Doctor Who: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes

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Critics Consensus

Ncuti Gatwa's dashing interpretation of The Doctor brings a breath of fresh air aboard the TARDIS, piloting this perennial sci-fi series into an exciting new era.

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Hugo Rifkind

Times (UK)

Gatwa is magnetically watchable and not technically gay as a sexless alien, but also, come on. His chemistry with Gibson works, if anything, a little too well.

May 17, 2024

Full Review

Wenlei Ma

The Nightly (AU)

Ncuti Gatwa’s full radiance and considerable charisma is on display in every scene.

May 15, 2024

Full Review

Clint Worthington

RogerEbert.com

Where previous versions of "Who" felt geared towards a broader family audience, Disney's take reads as more lasered in on the younger set peeking out from behind the sofa.

May 10, 2024

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…the lack of any real suspense, tension or danger feels like a major problem…smug guys explaining the universe to silly girls doesn’t cut it anymore…

Rated: 2/5

May 16, 2024

Full Review

Dominic Patten

Deadline Hollywood Daily

Rollicking, jumping into the fray with swagger and a sense of personal and global legacy, Gatwa’s Doctor is very much of his time, but intriguingly not of this place.

May 13, 2024

Full Review

Aidan Smith

Scotsman

The FX are undoubtedly impressive but, no, I reckon it’s Ncuti Gatwa’s accent. This keeps the show grounded and that ground is in Edinburgh’s Oxgangs, with a bit of Dunfermline as phonetic topsoil.

Rated: 4/5

May 13, 2024

Full Review

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Zteven C

I was excited about the new Doctor and intrigued with the new companion, but the writing on this episode was dull and trite. I was hoping the show was perhaps just having trouble finding its footing, but the second episode was even worse than this one, something I didn't think possible.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Dean P

Was hoping things would improve and get back on track under RTD but instead, the show is just spiraling down into the abyss, meh. Space Babies was just really cringe, the second episode was better though it could not really be worse but these two episodes mean I'm now noping out, I'm done.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Adam J

The fact this was made by the same guy that lead the excellent Tenant run is really confusing. This is nowhere near as good and feels like the end of Doctor Who. Initial excitement because Russel T Davies was back quickly turned into disappointment. The 20-teens and twenties....where old franchises go to die.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Lewis B

Russel was never too good at openers in my opinion, only really doing great ones with Smith and Jones and Partners in Crime, so space babies being the 6/10 it is isn't too shocking to me. However, despite the bad cgi mouths and fart joke it's a solid episode with some especially stand out moments like Ruby making noise to distract the bogeyman and the Doctors determination to save life at all costs. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson both knock it out the park in both episodes and I'm sure 15 will turn into a fan favourite doctor in no time. The second episode, The Devils Chord, is much better with great emotion, acting and effects with Jinkx Monsoon providing a stand out performance as Maestro, being one of the best and most entertaining Who villains in years. I hate to see this show getting review bombed for such stupid reasons as "Wokeness." Anyone who claims Doctor Who has never had strong political messages leaning heavily on the left genuinely does not understand the show and likely just remembers being a child and only caring about the monsters and spectacle. There are many things, like the 4th wall breaking jokes that worry me with the possible lore implications but for now I trust it's building the season ark so I'll save my criticism until I've seen the full series. I'd like to see more new writers, directors ect in the future so the show doesn't fall too much into repeating what we've already seen but for now I'm thoroughly enjoying what this new era is bringing, which is pure unfiltered fun with the capability to get emotional when it needs, especially with Ncuti Gatwa's fantastic performance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Sava B

I was incredibly excited to see Ncuti's interpretation of the Doctor, especially after enjoying his work in Sex Education. However, my anticipation quickly turned to disappointment as I watched the episode unfold. The writing fell flat, leaving me wondering what happened to Russell T. Davies' (RTD) once-strong storytelling abilities. Even potential in characters like Jinx seemed wasted, overshadowed by the poor writing. Comparing this to RTD's earlier Doctor Who episodes, there's a stark difference in quality and vision. Back then, there was a clear mission to deliver compelling stories and put unique twists on established characters. Now, the Doctor feels unrecognizable, and it's hard to invest in the narrative. Millie's character stood out, but even she couldn't escape the weight of the subpar writing and the mismatch with RTD's new version of the Doctor. It's a disservice to Ncuti and the entire cast, who deserved better material to showcase their talents.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Adam T

Like many fans I was expecting the returning RTD to bring the show back on top form like the previous David Tennant era but after the disappointing 60th specials the first two episodes have been worse - space babies I think is possibly the worst episode of the post 2005 show and the Devil's Chord was so silly, the awful song and dance routine at the end like its a Austin Powers movie

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

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Ncuti Gatwa

The Doctor

Millie Gibson

Ruby Sunday

Joe Anderson

John Francis Vater

Jinkx Monsoon

Maestro

Golda Rosheuvel

Jocelyn Sancerre

Kit Rakusen

Henry

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Episode 1

Aired May 10, 2024

Space Babies

Ruby learns the Doctor's secrets when he takes her to the far future; there, they find a baby farm run by babies.

Details

Episode 2

Aired May 10, 2024

The Devil's Chord

The Doctor and Ruby meet the Beatles but discover that the all-powerful Maestro is changing history; London becomes a battleground with the future of humanity at stake.

Details

Episode 3

Aired May 17, 2024

Boom

The Doctor and friends travel from the dawn of human history to distant alien worlds; everywhere they go, they find adventure, terror, fun, chases, joy and monsters.

Details

94%

81%

American Born Chinese

TRAILER

for American Born Chinese

%

87%

Intertwined

%

33%

The Quest

TRAILER

for The Quest

100%

89%

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire

%

43%

Journey to the Center of the Earth

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Director: Julie Anne Robinson, Ben Chessell
Executive Producer: Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Anne Robinson, Steven Moffat
Screenwriter: Russell T. Davies, Steven Moffat
Network: Disney+
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date: May 10, 2024

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