10 Times Doctor Who Definitely Wasn’t A Family Show

Up until its sixth episode, the first series of 2005 revival hadn’t devoted much time to exploring the mental trauma of its protagonist, who was fresh off the back of a double genocide. The heavy weight of the Time War, and the moment it finally came to an end, came to define the character through much of Russell T Davies’ run, and the introduction of this concept to the show opened the doors to explore some more mature storylines.

Casual viewers will have settled down to watch Dalek expecting another fun, silly romp (especially given the previous two episodes had been devoted to farting aliens in skin suits…). What they got instead was a heel turn from a character they were beginning to trust. The Ninth Doctor, confronted with a Dalek for the first time since the Time War, tortures the creature, taunting it repeatedly as he electrocutes it, seemingly delighted with the fact that the Dalek is alone in the universe. He later points a big old gun at the Dalek and orders it to kill itself, and ultimately comes off looking like as much of a villain as the vengeful pepper pot. Not a good look.