Doctor Who: 10 Behind The Scenes Bust-Ups BBC Doesn't Want You To Know

Godzilla vs. Kong, Batman vs. Superman... and Barrowman vs. Moffat.

By Danny Meegan /

Barely a week goes by without us hearing about some fresh behind-the-scenes drama in the entertainment world, whether it's a director getting fired from a big-budget movie, or stories of stressful crunch periods on AAA video games.

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Whenever you have hundreds and hundreds of people working on a project together - each with their own ideas and work ethics - it's simply inevitable that there will be clashes from time to time, and Doctor Who is no exception.

Every single era of the show has suffered its own unique production problems, from major issues (like actors being fired) to smaller annoyances (such as props or costumes being unintentionally damaged). But without a doubt, the most interesting bits of drama to discuss are the bust-ups between creatives, and in that department, the TARDIS doors are just about ready to burst. Who doesn't love a bit of gossip?

Whether they're heavily based in rumour and speculation, or whether we have some real factual evidence backing them up, Doctor Who is littered with all kinds of disputes that the BBC probably wishes it could've kept hidden.

10. Peter Capaldi Vs. Gareth Roberts

Gareth Roberts began writing Doctor Who episodes with 2007's The Shakespeare Code, and went on to pen the likes of The Unicorn And The Wasp, Planet Of The Dead, and The Lodger. Hardly timeless classics, but entertaining stuff nonetheless.

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He also wrote a single episode during the Peter Capaldi years with 2014's The Caretaker, his final contribution to the world of televised Who. Officially, it's unknown why he wasn't asked back for Capaldi's final two seasons, but a prevalent rumour within fan circles claims to hold the answer.

The rumour states that Roberts got into a major falling-out with Capaldi on the set of The Caretaker, due to some inappropriate behaviour on the writer's part. Based on Capaldi's "angry eyebrows" and his unparalleled ability to unleash a torrent of swear words upon those who cross him... this is one argument we wouldn't want to be in.

Again, Roberts didn't return for the rest of the Capaldi era, and this bust-up - if true - would explain why. Roberts was also fired from a Doctor Who anthology book in summer 2019, so it's not unheard of for him to be in trouble with the BBC.

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