10 Darkest Doctor Who Moments

Following Danny Pink's shock death, the Doctor and Clara end up at the 3W Institute in an effort to track him down. Inside, both are welcomed (the Doctor in particular) by Missy, who calls Dr Chang. Chang asks the Doctor and Clara, "Is there a particular dead person you want to talk to?"

The BBC received over 100 complaints for the scene that follows. It's not visually vicious like many others on this list, but it's quite possibly the most psychologically traumatising.

In Chang's office, the Doctor and Clara ask what 3W means. Chang replies, "The three words", and braces them for a shocking revelation. He tells them that 3W's founder, Dr Skarosa, played white noise through a translation machine and recorded a babble of voices, which he believed were from the recently deceased. Skarosa managed to isolate some of the voices, and Chang warns of the bone-chilling words they're about to hear:

"Don't cremate me. Don't cremate me!"

In other words, the dead are still conscious, and are aware of what's happening to their bodies. Feeling cold? You're probably still in a mortuary fridge. Screaming in agony? Choosing Burn Baby Burn for your committal song doesn't seem quite as funny now.

The BBC defended this plotline, reminding everyone that the Doctor dismisses it as a con and a racket (which it was). Still, remember that a lot of people's minds were uploaded to the Nethersphere, and most would've been put down as a "burner" by default.