10 Doctor Who Episodes That Accidentally Changed The Show Forever

While the first series of Russell T Davies' 2005 revival went off without a hitch on the screen, its production was far from smooth, with a long and intense shooting schedule that was reportedly a big factor in Christopher Ecclestone's decision to depart after only 13 episodes.

And so, in an attempt to lighten the load for Series 2, Davies decided to experiment with a Doctor-less episode.

While this had been done before with 1965’s Mission to the Unknown, that episode had long been lost to time, and, importantly, it featured the Daleks at the height of '60s Dalekmania, when their fame rivalled the Doctor’s own.

Love & Monsters had no such help. It would have to stand alone with no returning villains, next-to-no budget, and only a few short appearances from the Doctor. And while the episode itself was of questionable quality, it kick-started a trend that led to some of the best episodes in the show’s history.

So the next time you see Love & Monsters on a ‘worst episodes ever’ list, just remember: without it, we wouldn't have got Blink, Midnight, or Turn Left. Now isn’t that a scary thought?