10 Doctor Who Moments That Will Haunt You Forever
5. The Autons' Rampage (Spearhead From Space)
We tend to assume that alien invasions will happen somewhere important – the Slitheen spaceship crashing into Big Ben, Cybermen marching down the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, Daleks on Westminister Bridge.
To quote Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day 2, "They like to get the landmarks". Also, sorry for reminding you that movie exists.
Perhaps that's why the Auton shop-window dummies attacking innocent bystanders in Spearhead From Space is such a disturbingly compelling image decades on. It's not an assault on the government or the military, but on ordinary people doing everyday things.
The emotionless plastic faces of the Autons juxtaposed with the horrified faces of the civilians gives the scene a real nightmarish quality. It's very rare that Doctor Who kills off innocents who have no connection to the story so the horror of Spearhead's commuter carnage stands out even more – especially as the killing is so wanton and merciless.
It's a truly frightening sequence that chills the blood over 50 years later.