10 Doctor Who Moments That Will Haunt You Forever
1. I Have Until The Rain Stops (Blink)
You'd be hard pressed to find a moment in Blink that isn't iconic – there's a reason it's considered one of the best episodes ever. But after nearly two decades, the most haunting scene in the episode is one of its most low-key.
About half-way through the episode Sally Sparrow meets charming police officer Billy Shipton who, after a bit of light-but-successful flirting, is sent back in time by the Weeping Angels. The next time they meet, Sally is 10 minutes older, but Billy is on his deathbed. And according to the Doctor, he has "until the rain stops" – the very same rain that was falling when he first met Sally mere minutes ago.
What follows is a beautifully quiet scene that expertly plays with themes of aging, death, the time we have, and the fleeting nature of life. Billy is both clearly the same person, and yet so fundamentally changed by time, the youthful and energetic young man now frail and aged.
The scene is incredibly sad and captured beautifully by director Hettie MacDonald, with the shadows of the rainfall sweeping across Billy's face as he speaks, almost counting down to the inevitable.
Blink is of course a belter of an episode with moments of genuine horror, witty writing, clever sci-fi and more, but this is yet another example of how important the human moments are to Doctor Who, and how, when done well, they are often the most affecting parts of their stories.