10 Doctor Who Cliffhangers That Made You Say WHAT?!

Cliffhangers are a vital element of any TV show, and Doctor Who is no exception.

They're key to keeping the audience gripped, making sure they’re desperate to come back the following week. There really is nothing quite like that feeling of being left on the edge of your seat after a massive bombshell has dropped, and knowing you’ll have to wait seven whole days, or even several months (looking at you, Series 6) to find out what happens next!

Doctor Who is, of course, no stranger to a good ol’ cliffhanger. In fact, those dreaded “To Be Continued” title cards have graced our screens on countless occasions, leaving everyone watching eager to know what’s going to happen next, while simultaneously shaking their fists at Messrs Davies/Moffat/Chibnall for forcing them to wait for the next episode.

Sometimes it’s a major revelation, sometimes it’s an unexpected twist or a bizarre turn of events, and sometimes it’s… Father Christmas?!

What?!

As if Bad Wolf didn’t already have enough going on with the killer Anne-droid, the rather permanent Big Brother evictions, and Captain Jack Harkness pulling a gun from, um, somewhere. On top of all that madness, RTD just had to throw the Daleks into the mix, didn't he?

The revelation at the end of Bad Wolf that the Skaro natives had survived their supposed destruction and it was they who were in control of the Game Station was the first major cliffhanger of modern Doctor Who.

The backstory of Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor implied that the Daleks were all destroyed during the Time War, so the discovery of an entire Dalek fleet heading towards our heroes was quite the bombshell, both for the Doctor and the audience.

That closing moment where the Doctor defies the Daleks' orders and essentially risks Rose being exterminated was inspiring but also rather risky, and left audiences unsure about whether to applaud his nerve or chastise his recklessness.

It really was a perfect encapsulation of the Ninth Doctor.