10 Doctor Who Scenes You Didn't Know Were Unscripted

40 years before Nardole entered the scene, the Third Doctor had his own right-hand man in the form of the Brigadier. And like Matt Lucas, actor Nicholas Courtney was partial to a bit of improvisation.

Though the Brigadier was mostly played straight, Courtney explained to Den of Geek that he had lots of comic potential, and that he would try to get ad-libs into scenes as a way of exploring that side of the character.

This resulted in such classics as the Brig’s reference to a female prime minister in Terror of the Zygons, correctly anticipating Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power.

But Courtney's greatest contribution came in the Third Doctor swansong Planet of the Spiders, where he suggested a line that perfectly sums up both his and the Brigadier’s feelings about once again having to contend with a change of Doctor: “Well then, here we go again.”

So iconic is this line that it was quoted by Madame Vastra 40 years later in the Twelfth Doctor's debut story, Deep Breath. Not bad for an ad-lib! And a much more tasteful tribute to Courtney than CyberBrig, many would agree.