10 Dark Doctor Who Moments You Weren't Allowed To See
2. The Original Flood (The Waters Of Mars)
The Daleks, Cybermen, and Weeping Angels might be Doctor Who’s most iconic monsters, but the Flood definitely rival them in terms of being scary.
With their cracked skin, black mouths and dead eyes, these water zombies pushed the show’s boundaries more than any other creation in RTD1.
They also proved a major challenge for the production team. Their original design (below) was deemed too terrifying, and had to be significantly toned down.
Even then, there were concerns about going too far, to the point where the look of the zombies was changed midway through filming.
The Waters of Mars co-writer Phil Ford has since recalled, “It was the only time I believe that Russell saw dailies and went onto the studio floor to change something because it was too scary”.
Specifically, it was felt that the contact lenses used to make Andy and Tarak’s eyes white made them too frightening. It was then decided that for Maggie Cain's transformation, actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster would not wear them.
The Waters of Mars is already one of the darkest episodes of the revival, and these original designs would've cemented that reputation even further.