10 Most Paused Doctor Who Moments Ever

A tip for all you Doctor Who fans: the Weeping Angels are weak to the pause button.

Doctor Who Blink Sally Sparrow Weeping Angels
BBC Studios

Doctor Who fans are a passionate bunch, for better or worse. Whenever a new Doctor is announced, the angry screams are often as loud as the enthusiastic ones, but generally speaking, these intense emotions are coming from a place of love for the show, from a desire to see it handled well and treated with the respect that it's earned.

This passion for the show also means that Whovians have a habit of scrutinising every single episode like a detective analysing a crime scene, searching for references to Doctor Who's vast lore and history, laughing at bad CGI, or picking out that one eye-catching frame to use as the perfect desktop background.

We see this all the time, whether it's with the latest episode in the series, or a classic serial that has been around for decades. Sites like Reddit are consistently flooded with screenshots that point out cool details and easter eggs, and on top of all this, there are those who simply want to share some of their standout moments from the show.

To put it another way, there are countless moments from 1963 to the present day that prompted Who fans to reach for the pause button, and these are the biggest ones.

10. The Moving Angels (Blink)

Doctor Who Blink Sally Sparrow Weeping Angels
BBC Studios

The Weeping Angels cannot move if they're being observed. This applies to both the characters in the scene, as well as us, the viewers: if a character or an audience member can see an Angel, then that Angel cannot move.

But those stone ninjas are lightning quick, and as soon as they're blocked from view, they can change positions, and creepily, this means that there are certain moments where you might notice that they've moved after an obstacle passes in front of them.

One of the coolest examples of this is in the Angels' debut episode, Blink. Check out the above image of protagonist Sally Sparrow, and note the positions of the two Angels behind her - they both have their hands away from their faces.

But as Sally stands up, she blocks these Angels from view, giving them a split-second window of opportunity in which to move. And they take it.

Doctor Who Blink Sally Sparrow Weeping Angels
BBC

Once the Angels are visible again, you can see that their hands are now covering their faces. Bear in mind that there are no cuts here - Sally stands up and blocks the Angels, and when she's out of the way, they've moved their hands. It's all one shot, and it's really spooky.

Because it happens in the background, this isn't something that's immediately obvious, and it's one of those moments where you'll say to yourself "wait a second... did those Angels just move?" a question that the pause button will help you answer.

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WhoCulture Channel Manager/Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture. Can confirm that bow ties are cool.