10 Doctor Who Problems That Time Travel Would Have Solved

4. Bill's Long Wait

Doctor Who Bill Potts shot
BBC Studios

Did The Doctor just not like Bill or something? While they seemed to make a great pair, her sudden assault and technical murder seems to be enough to make The Doctor forget he's standing in front of a Time Machine.

Bill is taken down to the lower decks of the ship they have arrived on. It is parked on the edge of a black hole, messing with the flow of time so that it is much slower for The Doctor, Missy and Nardole but much quicker for Bill. While they dither, she waits ten years.

The Doctor elects to take the elevator down to find her. The elevator. The TARDIS can travel anywhere in time and space and...anyway, once he arrives, he discovers that he is just too late. Bill has been converted into a Cyberman, one of the original Mondasian Cybermen that had last made their appearance in the 1966 serial The Tenth Planet.

The ending is shocking, sad and sudden, only slightly overpowered by the return of John Sim's Master as well. Yet it could all have been changed had The Doctor simply hopped in the TARDIS, nipped downstairs and brought her to the hospital on New Earth!

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"