10 Moments That Changed Doctor Who Forever

While technically a science-fiction show, Doctor Who has always had a foot firmly planted in the fantasy genre.

Over the years there have been werewolves, ghosts, witches, vampires, and even the Loch Ness Monster. Still, the show is always careful to remind audiences that what they're watching isn’t actually fantasy, and these magical elements are always explained away at some point – usually by revealing that it's actually aliens.

That was until the 60th anniversary special Wild Blue Yonder, when the Fourteenth Doctor made the fatal mistake of casting a line of salt and invoking superstition at the edge of the universe – “where the walls are thin, and all things are possible.”

As he very quickly realises, this has crazy consequences, permanently altering the nature of reality and opening it up to myth and legend.

Since then, Doctor Who has taken a hard turn into the fantasy genre. The Giggle, The Church on Ruby Road, The Devil’s Chord, and 73 Yards all play with elements that would've previously been explained as some sort of alien scheme, while bi-generation might have changed the concept of regeneration forever.

It remains to be seen how far this will go but the gloves are firmly off – fantasy and superstition are very real, and the Whoniverse is no longer the same.