10 Doctor Who Moments You Didn't Get As A Kid (But Do As An Adult)

Some kids watching the Fifth Doctor meet the Tenth Doctor during Children in Need night 2007 might have been perplexed by mentions of Nyssa, Tegan, and the Mara, but Time Crash's best gag would've gone over the heads of even the most up-to-date Davison-era convert.

During this minisode, the Fifth and Tenth Doctors inevitably end up discussing the Master, who had returned earlier that year in the Series 3 finale, and who was also a big part of the Fifth Doctor's era.

Their brief exchange doesn't seem to make sense at first – that is, until you're old enough to understand the context:

FIFTH DOCTOR: "Does he still have that rubbish beard?"

TENTH DOCTOR: "No, no beard this time. Well, a wife."

Historically, a "beard" is a term that refers to a man or woman who enters into a relationship with someone, to hide the other person's true sexuality.

The gag here is that Lucy Saxon, the Master's wife, is actually his "beard", and the Tenth Doctor is insinuating that the Master is actually gay. Although, if you listen back to that phonecall between the two characters in The Sound of Drums, it becomes less of a joke and more of a canonical reality.

Still, kids watching Time Crash in 2007 wouldn't have picked up on why the Master's beard was important, and honestly, neither would a good chunk of the adults!