10 Greatest Doctor Who Deaths Of All Time

2. Adric

Adric's death has lost its shocking immediacy over time but it still remains as one of Doctor Who's greatest moments, as well as deaths, of all time. Even the fact that a large amount of fans didn't - and still don't - like the character and question the acting abilities of actor Matthew Waterhouse can't take away from the impact of the death of an established companion, particularly one who had travelled with two Doctors. Adric was devised as an Artful Dodger type but soon just became the classic irritating child genius. When the producer realised that three companions was perhaps a bit much, it was obvious that it was going be Adric who got the chop. Over the course of Earthshock, Adric gets a lot to do, especially in examining his problematic relationship with the Doctor. It's the kind of deft character work that the new show thrives upon but it was relatively rare for Classic Doctor Who. Adric gets a great death, too, after being trapped on the freighter heading towards Earth carrying a huge Cyber-bomb. Sure of his abilities to the point of arrogance, Adric is convinced he will be able to unlock the controls and stop the crash, however his actions lead to him becoming an established part of the Web of Time and his tinkering causes the freighter to time jump backwards to cause the extinction event that ended the reign of the dinosaurs. His last words - "Now I'll never know" - sum up a companion who was endlessly curious and the close up of his face, clutching his Outlander sash as he awaits the inevitable, is poignant. The shocked reactions of Tegan and Nyssa and the Doctor's speechless face, followed by the titles scrolling over Adric's badge without music, only reinforce the importance of this death. It was almost as if Doctor Who lost its innocence that day. It was a glimpse into the death and destruction that would follow in the later Davison years and into the Colin Baker era.