10 Notorious Doctor Who Urban Legends
A show where anything is possible... unless you're American.
When a show grows as big and as far-reaching as Doctor Who, it's simply inevitable that various myths, legends, and widely-assumed "facts" will sprout up within the fanbase, whether they're completely true, semi-true, or a big load of Skaro sewer crap.
A whopping 57 years into its run, the show is almost like a creepy old house in the vein of Wester Drumlins or Gabriel Chase: endless twisting corridors, secrets in every room, and there's also that one guy who'll tell you "the attic is haunted!" even though he just heard that from a friend of a friend, and he might not actually know for sure.
The point is, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes stories - or certain things about the show itself - that have just become ingrained within the fandom, even if nobody is fully sure where they came from, what they mean, or whether they're true or false.
From aborted story arcs to production problems, Doctor Who is a neverending time vortex of urban legend and internet gossip, so let's dive in and look at some of the most prolific - and weird - stories you might've heard about over the years.
10. The Time Of The Doctor Was Originally Going To Be Stretched Into Series 8
Matt Smith's regeneration story The Time Of The Doctor tries to do a ton of things at once, and while a lot of fans love it, there are some who feel like it's a bit overstuffed.
Whenever this particular criticism is brought up, you might see some fans stating that then-showrunner Steven Moffat had initially believed he would get another series with Smith as the Doctor, allowing him to stretch out the Siege of Trenzalore into a full series, while also giving him more time to wrap up the various dangling plot threads from the Eleventh Doctor's era.
But here's the thing: Smith once told The Hollywood Reporter that he'd "always" thought about leaving after the 50th anniversary special in November 2013, one month before his final episode. The actor has also mentioned this to other outlets too, explaining that his decision to exit was decided long in advance. Furthermore, Moffat has previously stated that he initially planned to exit the show when Smith did.
Now, once upon a time, could Moffat have thought that he'd get a longer period of time with the Eleventh Doctor? Sure. But the idea that The Time Of The Doctor was some sort of hasty, last-minute, "let's cram everything in!" rewrite after Smith suddenly decided to leave just doesn't seem true in the slightest.