10 Doctor Who Scenes More Terrifying When You Know The Truth

Black Orchid isn't just any old historical: it’s a pure historical. As such, the villain is not some alien menace, but the entirely human George Cranleigh.

Cranleigh’s disfigurement (the result of a run-in with an Amazonian tribe on a search for the titular black orchid) is unfortunate, particularly in light of the recent Davros discourse. Likewise, the idea that the experience should leave him deranged and murderous is questionable.

Regardless, this is the direction the story goes in, concluding with Cranleigh having a fatal fall from the roof of his family home.

It’s a sticky end, and as Peter Davison recalled on the episode’s DVD commentary, it was almost as painful for the actor playing Cranleigh, Gareth Milne, whose stunt went horribly wrong:

“You can actually see him push off too far as he goes off the side of the roof… half of him missed the boxes, and his legs went slapping into the concrete. It was a very, very nasty moment… I don’t think he broke anything, but he was very badly bruised.”

To this day there have never been any more pure historicals. Can’t think why.