10 Doctor Who Moments More Disturbing Than You Remember

Eric Saward has earned a reputation for writing some of the bleakest episodes of Doctor Who, with his tenure as script editor characterised by nihilistic narratives, cynical side characters, and extreme violence (sometimes being committed by the Doctor himself).

Some of his most infamous moments include shockingly killing off Adric at the end of Earthshock, Attack of the Cybermen’s gratuitous torture scene, and, well, pretty much all of Revelation of the Daleks.

One of his disturbing stories that has flown slightly under the radar is Resurrection of the Daleks. Largely overshadowed by the subsequent Revelation of the Daleks, Resurrection has the same bleak and depressing atmosphere that defines most of Saward’s scripts, but lacks any of the standout moments of shock horror that make his other stories stick in your brain.

There is one huge exception though, as Part One opens with a chilling sequence where a squad of British policemen armed with submachine guns casually mow down a group of fleeing civilians. It's grounded and it's brutal, with authentic police uniforms and real-world weaponry instead of the usual aliens with lasers, and the filming at such a run-down location adding a dreariness that wouldn’t be achievable on studio sets.

For a moment, it's easy to forget that you're watching that silly old police box show.