10 Big Differences Between New And Classic Doctor Who

4. A History Of Violence

Hiding behind the sofa has become a decade-spanning national pastime for watchers of Doctor Who. Today's fans are terrified by the spectral activities of the Silence, or even an unseen threat, as nearly-shown in Listen. Yet there is one aspect of the Classic version that has the edge over its young upstart. It's typified by the eras of producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor Eric Saward. In the 70s and 80s respectively, they presided over a welter of out and out violence. Children bore witness to bloodied hands, stabbings, bludgeonings and even death by acid... as if the various monsters roaming around eating people weren't traumatic enough! BBC boss Michael Grade highlighted the atrocities of the Colin Baker years as the lynchpin of his dastardly plan to remove Who from the schedules once and for all. Despite it being seen as very much a kids' production, it bore all the hallmarks of Hammer Horror. NuWho, by comparison, has its grim moments, but not much is shown. Certainly nothing to compare to Pilot Toos being throttled almost to extinction in The Robots of Death, or Mr Jobel having a syringe plunged into his chest during Revelation of the Daleks! The stuff of nightmares.