10 Doctor Who Moments That Will Haunt You Forever
3. That's What They Called Them Last Time (Turn Left)
Turn Left contains enough bleak moments that it could populate this entire list. That said, there's one scene that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to leaving you shell-shocked.
Later in the episode, as the world without the Doctor becomes increasingly hopeless and the United Kingdom slides further into authoritarianism, the Colosantos – the friendly Italian family the Nobles are house-sharing with – are sent to a “labour camp”. This is already suitably horrifying, but the scenario is made infinitely worse with one simple line of dialogue from a distraught Wilfred Mott: "That’s what they called them last time."
With just seven words, Russell T Davies is able to evoke such horrific imagery that this scene managed to leap-frog any of the actual depicted moments of horror, and become the definitive scene in Turn Left. It's that moment when the penny drops (for us and for Donna) and you realise what is actually happening to the Colasantos that was done so incredibly well. It leaves you stunned – like Wilf himself.
It's the understated nature of the scene that makes it stick with audiences many years later. It doesn’t just create historical parallels to the Holocaust, it emphasises the powerlessness ordinary people have in the face of the authoritarian regimes that create these things. It's a dark reminder that the Daleks might not actually be the most evil creatures in the universe.