10 Doctor Who Background Events You Might Have Missed
Time to put your sonic screwdriver in "zoom and enhance" mode.
Doctor Who is one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever. It's been around for so long that there really is an episode for every mood, whether you want something light-hearted and silly, or serious and thought-provoking.
But no matter the show, one of the biggest joys in rewatching something is noticing those details you missed the first (or even second) time around.
Doctor Who is an absolute embarrassment of riches in this department, with each episode containing scores of easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to pick out. But something else the show likes to do is to hide funny or interesting moments in the backgrounds of certain scenes - moments that aren't necessary to understand what's going on, but add that little something extra to a scene once you notice them.
Doctor Who does this surprisingly often, even if you only look at the modern era of the show. From important plot details to fun cameos to throwaway, yet brilliant gags, there are so many random events happening in those easy-to-miss areas of the frame, so set your TARDIS scanners to "magnify", and let's take a look at some!
10. Hand Around The Elbow (The Idiot's Lantern)
The Tenth Doctor enjoyed throwing out snarky quips at people, and he was really darn good at it too - see his "I'm the Lord Of Time" retort to Madame de Pompadour's lover in The Girl In The Fireplace. Burns don't get much hotter than that!
Another brilliant one occurs just a few episodes later, when the Doctor is being interrogated by two burly police officers in The Idiot's Lantern.
When asked by these officers to tell them everything he knows about the recent alien incursion, the Doctor - deliberately misinterpreting the question - hits them with a random piece of knowledge instead, stating "you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet."
You're trying it right now, aren't you? Well, trust the Doc - you've got no chance.
Anyway, in the foreground of this scene, the first officer scolds the Doctor for his cheekiness, but in the background, the second officer can be seen attempting this impossible feat, quickly throwing in the towel when he realises his elbow is just too chunky. The Doctor lies... just not in this case.