10 Times Doctor Who Definitely Wasn’t A Family Show

Of course this was going to be here. The final act of The Waters of Mars is arguably the most famous example of the Doctor having a bit of a wobble, and for good reason. This seemingly run-of-the-mill base under siege story, with a delightfully creepy villain in ‘the flood’, takes a turn in the closing minutes as Ten decides to alter a fixed point in time by saving the crew of Bowie Base One. This Doctor has been alone for some time after losing Donna, something we’d yet to see in the revived series, and has reached his breaking point in terms of losing people.

He flouts his own rules, returning to save Adelaide Brooke and her crew, but, after crossing this line and realising the power it grants him over life and death, he develops a god complex, going so far as to proclaim himself ‘the winner’ of the Time War. After the revelation that her death on Bowie Base One would inspire her granddaughter to lead the human race in its expansion across the universe, Adelaide attempts to prevent the Doctor from changing history. He disregards this, stealing her final moments away from her and returning her to Earth, which culminates in one final exchange between her and the Doctor, where she challenges his arrogance and tells him he is wrong to play with time. The Doctor shrugs her off coldy, and Adelaide, in a dark twist, shoots herself in an attempt to restore the timeline, breaking Ten out of his power trip. There is only one other time we see the Doctor stray so far from his promise...