10 Notorious Doctor Who Urban Legends

by Danny Meegan

1. Regeneration Was Modelled On LSD Trips

Second Doctor Regeneration
BBC

One of the most genius decisions in television history, the concept of changing the Doctor's face every couple of years has pretty much made Doctor Who immortal.

Most fan circles are familiar with how this idea came about: William Hartnell's deteriorating health required him to leave the role of the Doctor behind, prompting the creative team to devise a way to keep the show going without him.

On the other hand, something that isn't widely known is that the onscreen depiction of regeneration was influenced by... well, drugs.

According to an internal memo written in 1966, regeneration was described as a "horrifying experience" during which the Doctor would relive some of his most painful memories. The process was also compared to the effects of taking LSD, but instead of experiencing a positive high, the Doctor would feel nothing but "hell and dank horror".

Damn. No wonder Ten didn't want to go.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.