Best of 2018-19 Awards: The Winners (Part 2)
Last month, Doctor Who TV asked you to vote in our awards celebrating the best of the show from the past year. After 11,000 votes we can now present the second set of results.
Best Monster / Villain: The Recon Dalek
For all ten of its episodes, Series 11 boldly resisted bringing back any classic monsters or villains. Instead, a host of new creations were brought to life, some more successful than others (nobody mention the Pting). The return of the iconic Daleks (or more specifically, a Recon Dalek) couldn’t have come at a better time in the New Year’s special then. The pepper pot was all but guaranteed to exterminate the other contenders in this category.
Best Male Guest Actor: Alan Cumming
A host of both recognisable and newer male acting talent featured in Series 11, but in terms of votes, there was very little completion here. Alan Cumming comfortably ran away with this award. His campy and charismatic take on King James in “The Witchfinders” was clearly a big hit with DWTV voters.
Best Female Guest Actor: Sharon D Clarke
This category proved to be a very close battle between Vinette Robinson (Rosa Parks) and Sharon D Clarke (Grace). Ultimately though, the prize goes to the latter. Despite being tragically killed in her first episode, Grace still managed to appear in multiple episodes of Series 11. No doubt due to her ongoing presence and her heart-breaking scenes with Graham, Sharon D Clarke just edged the final result.
Best Lead Performance: Bradley Walsh
The lead acting category has traditionally been won by the incumbent Doctor. However, it appears that Jodie Whittaker didn’t do quite enough this time. Instead, Bradley Walsh rather easily takes the grand prize with 62% of the votes. Despite being known best as the host of The Chase at the time of his casting, Walsh ended up being a big surprise to many. He was given some of, if not the strongest material of the run. From his moving funeral speech in the opener, to his grandfatherly bonding with Ryan, to having to confront his demons in the final two episodes. He also delighted with his quips, his everyman nature and his love of sandwiches. “Yippee ki-yay” indeed.
Best Episode: “Rosa”
“Rosa” was given the highest episode score in our weekly polls, not to mention critically praised and with the fanbase. So, our final category winner this year will not be that surprising. It should be noted though that the gap wasn’t that large, with the episode winning by just five percent over “Kerblam!” and “It Takes You Away”. “Resolution” also performed better than it did in the after air poll.
“Rosa” was an episode that took Doctor Who back to its historical and educational roots, as well as tackling difficult themes. Our main review concluded: “Offering brilliant social commentary in a way that Class and The Sarah Jane Adventures aspired to, but which few shows about time travel ever achieve, “Rosa” is an instant-classic, and deserves the praise it will surely reap. Like “Vincent and the Doctor,” “Rosa” is Doctor Who at its best: science fiction as relevant exploration of the human condition.”
