Let’s take a look at four underrated adventures from David Tennant’s time as the Doctor. Do we have hidden gems lurking in our Doctor Who libraries?
Fear Her
Yes, we’re going there. Let’s not shy away from the fact that ‘Fear Her’ is not the most popular of David Tennant’s stories. In fact, it can be deeply embarrassing to say anything positive about this episode at all, given its reputation. But is it really that bad?
It’s certainly one of the cheapest David Tennant adventures, and it had to be. ‘Fear Her’ from Series Two was a last minute replacement for another story which fell through, so don’t expect any lavish sets or CGI wonders. This adventure all takes place on a housing estate against the backdrop of the 2012 Olympics – a distant, future event at the time of recording.
Now, the lack of budget shows, but if Doctor Who fans worried about the lack of budget, then we’d have to ignore almost the entirety of Classic Who, which was made on a shoestring.
Is it cheesy? A tad. The enemy in this David Tennant story is defeated by (spoilers) a mother and daughter singing a song about a kookaburra, so this isn’t quite on the level of ‘Warriors’ Gate.’ But if you’ve ever seen Eric Roberts’ interview on the Doctor Who movie VAM, he points out that ‘cheesiness’ is one of the series’ selling points.
“I got turned onto Doctor Who in 1973,” he notes, “and I just found it wonderfully cheesy and fun to watch, and I was always tuning in.”
So if it was good enough for the Master, it should be good enough for us, right? Maybe we should give ‘Fear Her’ another chance before we consign it to Stahlman’s rubbish dump.
Gridlock
When we posted about the ‘4 underrated Matt Smith stories,’ we were inundated with comments about ‘Vincent and the Doctor,’ which made it to the list. Dozens of Doctor Who fans took to our social channels claiming that this Series Five adventure was one of the greatest of all time, and in no way underrated. This is a happy problem, as obviously we think it’s great too.
Perhaps, then, the same can be said about ‘Gridlock.’ This is an excellent David Tennant story, and yet seems to get lost in all the noise about Weeping Angels and disappearing planets and never-ending drumbeats. But there is much to love in this simple story from 2007.
And it’s a weird one: It’s all about people stuck in a traffic jam, with the Doctor travelling from car to car. This is no ordinary traffic jam, though; these people have been trapped for years, and have taken to living in their vehicles. And in the undercity, a machine-eating menace lurks in the swirling fog, ready to devour drivers who drift too close.
And to cap it all, it’s (wait for it) the Macra – an obscure Doctor Who monster that hadn’t been seen the late 1960s. In fact, for UK viewers, they were seen only once, as ‘The Macra Terror’ was never repeated, and its tapes were wiped shortly after transmission. Nobody was expecting them to return to New Who before the Master or even the Ice Warriors or the Sontarans, or any other more ‘popular’ Doctor Who villain, but return they did, and what a great surprise for hardcore fans.
So, if you love this David Tennant story as much as we do, it’s time to step out of the smog. Tell us how much you love ‘Gridlock.’ You are not alone…
Planet of the Dead
There’s no whining about the budget in this David Tennant story. ‘Planet of the Dead’ had the audacity to ship its entire cast and crew (and a bus) all the way to the deserts of Dubai, and it looks stunning. The next question is: Is it actually a good story?
Well, it’s inoffensive, if nothing else. There are no half human subplots or Timeless Children showing up to send Doctor Who into a spin, but it’s fair to say that ‘Planet of the Dead’ has a somewhat ‘gentler’ pace compared to other David Tennant adventures. However, it looks great on screen, and the image of a red London bus nestled on the alien sand dunes is movie poster material.
We also have a fascinating new character in the form of Lady Christina, ably played by guest star Michelle Ryan of Eastenders fame. This is a Lara Croft-type aristocrat and treasure hunter, and a fun new foil for the Time Lord.
It’s also important to remember that ‘Planet of the Dead’ was made in the midst of a crisis. The London bus (the crux of the whole story) was wrecked on its arrival in the UAE, and almost brought the production to its knees. It’s a miracle that this David Tennant adventure got made at all, and that the production team were able to bring the vital prop back from the dead.
So the next time you watch this episode, just remember the pains the cast and crew went to. Would you rather watch ‘Planet of the Dead,’ or a blank screen? (Okay, don’t answer that question.)
Wild Blue Yonder
Finally, we have ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ from 2023. This is David Tennant’s second episode as the Fourteenth Doctor, and one of a trilogy of 60th anniversary specials written by Russell T Davies, co-starring Catherine Tate.
In fact, Catherine Tate is practically the only other actor in the episode, save for a couple of short scenes involving ‘Isaac Newton,’ and of course Wilfred Mott. Now, this episode has the potential to be the most divisive on this list; we’ve previously posted about why we think this episode is a modern day classic, and naturally not everyone agrees. Some of the common complaints about ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ are the references to ‘The Timeless Children’ and the Flux, which weren’t the most beloved of plot points from the Chris Chibnall era.
Moreover, some fans were disappointed that this David Tennant story didn’t have any returning Doctors, or even returning villains; it just didn’t ‘feel’ like a 60th anniversary adventure to some. But does that make it a bad story?
Well, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ takes a very simple idea and turns it into something terrifying, and the entire episode is sustained by the acting skills of David Tennant and Catherine Tate, for reasons that will become apparent when you watch. To really get the most out of this story, turn off your phone, turn off the lights, don’t turn your back, don’t blink etc. and you’ll have a rollicking ride.
And if you really don’t like the scene about the Flux, remember: that’s why God gave us the fast-forward button.
So tell us, reader: are these David Tennant episodes really underrated, or have we just reeled off a list of bona fide classics? And are there any other stories you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
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