10 Awkward Things That Must Have Happened After Doctor Who Episodes
The Doctor doesn't stick around after their adventures because it's too bloody awkward!
There's a trope in Doctor Who of the day being saved, and the Doctor and their companions quickly leaving in the TARDIS before they're asked to help with the clean-up.
It's a trope for a reason: the Doctor very rarely sticks around to see the consequences of their actions. This formed the basis of the classic Tom Baker serial The Face of Evil, in which the Fourth Doctor returned to a planet from his past, only to discover the repairs he made to a computer had created a mad god.
This isn't the only awkward situation the Doctor has created in their centuries of travel across time and space. The Fifth Doctor caused the Great Fire of London, while the Eleventh Doctor hijacked the Moon landing to broadcast an invitation to commit genocide against the Silence.
Sometimes, the situations the Doctor creates can be more socially awkward, such as when an astronaut gatecrashes Clara and Danny's night out, or when the Doctor invites the Pope to Bill's first date with Penny.
A lot of the time, we don't get to see these awkward moments for ourselves, due to them (probably) happening after the Doctor has departed...
10. The Post-Saxon General Election
The year is 2008, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Harold Saxon (aka The Master) has just assassinated the President of the United States live on national television. Even when time is rolled back in the next episode, this incident has still taken place.
How does any country even begin to address the global ramifications of such an insane political situation, let alone two of the most powerful nations in the world? Doctor Who is surprisingly vague on what happens after this extraordinary event.
Removing one bad Prime Minister doesn't instantly solve the many problems they created. Many people voted for Harold Saxon, and many politicians attached their wagon to the campaign promises of a megalomaniacal Time Lord.
So surely, there were several awkward editions of Question Time, where the great and good of the British political establishment discussed what to do next.
After all, "must not lead an alien invasion and assassinate the US President" is a pretty low bar for the next Prime Minister of the UK.