10 Doctor Who Scenes More Terrifying When You Know The Truth

For Doctor Who’s Robin Hood episode, writer Mark Gatiss paid homage to the 1980s drama Robin of Sherwood, choosing the title Robot of Sherwood.

This was a reference to Robin's nemesis the Sheriff of Nottingham, who, in a shock twist during the final battle, was originally supposed to be decapitated and exposed as a cyborg.

This key moment was cut from the finished episode, in truly tragic circumstances.

In the months leading up to broadcast, headlines were dominated by the terrorist group ISIS, who had been releasing horrific beheading videos online. Just days before Robot of Sherwood was due to go out, the group claimed their latest victim: US journalist Steven Sotloff.

Less than 48 hours later, the BBC announced that an edit had been made to the episode. And because early cuts of the first five Series 8 episodes had leaked earlier that summer, fans were able to quickly put two and two together.

Sure enough, when Robot of Sherwood aired, the decapitation scene present in the early cut (which can still be viewed online) was absent.

It was completely out of the team’s control, but nevertheless cast a saddening shadow over the episode.