Doctor Who has never shied away from tackling serious subjects and it got real personal for Rose Tyler back in Series 1 when she travelled back to 1987 to spontatenously save the father she never knew on the day he died in a road accident. It all escalated very quickly. In the episode that is argubaly responsible for making the nation take former pop princess Billie Piper to its heart as the Doctor's coveted new companion, Pete Tyler eventually sacrifices himself to put history back on track with this heartbreaking quote which summed up why his daughter should never blame herself for his (second) untimely demise. It was based on something writer Paul Cornell's father said to him as a child which makes it even more noteworthy and poignant.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
