10 Doctor Who Episodes More Important Than You Realised
7. Fear Her
It's easy to miss, but the moment in Fear Her when the Tenth Doctor says "I was a dad once", is the first time modern Doctor Who confirms that the Doctor was a parent. You could say that it's the first time this fact has been confirmed in the entire history of Doctor Who.
Despite the Doctor being a confirmed grandfather in Doctor Who's very first episode, some fans – and '80s producer John Nathan-Turner – were uncomfortable about the idea of the Doctor, er, procreating.
To that end, then-script editor Eric Saward wrote Birth of a Renegade for the Radio Times 20th anniversary special in 1983. The non-canon story revealed that Susan was actually a descendant of Rassilon, given shelter in the TARDIS by the Doctor, during a bloody uprising on Gallifrey.
So, what, "grandfather" was just a nickname?
What's wrong with off-handedly mentioning that the Doctor was once a parent and quickly moving on before you have to consider William Hartnell a sexual being? It worked for Fear Her!
The Tenth Doctor would once again state that he used to be a father in The Doctor's Daughter, confirming his offhand comment in Fear Her and putting any doubt to bed.