10 Best Doctor Who Time Travel Stories
9. The Aztecs
Whilst Doctor Who had visited cavemen and travelled with Marco Polo, it was the sixth serial The Aztecs which first attempted to deal with the morality of time travel. Travelling to 15th Century Mexico, history teacher Barbara Wright is mistaken for a god and is tempted to use this new-found status to save the historic civilisation, much to the horror of the Doctor.
William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill had great chemistry throughout their time together on the show, and their scenes where they argue about interfering in Aztec society are one of the early stand-outs in the show. It's also here that the rules of time travel in Doctor Who are firmed up.
Over the course of The Aztecs, you can't rewrite history, not one line becomes, you can't rewrite history but you can change one man's mind. Much like the Doctor and Donna in The Fires of Pompeii, Barbara saves the life of Autloc by opening his eyes beyond his faith.
The final scene with the Doctor suggesting this to Barbara is wonderful. She has succeeded, on a small scale, in her attempt to end the human sacrifices at the hearts of Aztec society.