10 Times Doctor Who Definitely Wasn’t A Family Show

In Doctor Who, it is a sad inevitability that every passing companion we come to love will eventually be pulled away from us (and the Doctor) in heart-breaking fashion. Whether they are sucked into a parallel dimension, zapped back in time by a Weeping Angel, or have their memories wiped forever, there is always an element of trauma involved. Unless, of course, their name is Martha Jones, who manages to leave to the correct universe and time with her memories and dignity intact. Good for Martha (side note: this is an underrated exit).

However amongst all these goodbyes, there is one certainty: Bill Potts definitely got the short straw. After having a sizeable hole blasted through her in the first ten minutes of World Enough and Time, she is then forced to live in a creepy hospital for a decade, as the cries of pain from her fellow patients are resolved simply by turning down the volume on their speakers. As if this wasn't already enough of a rough time, Bill is then converted into a Mondasian Cyberman. Seeing the conversion process and subsequent trauma of living as a monster through the eyes of a companion, especially one as bubbly and optimistic as Bill, is heart-breaking. The remainder of this two-parter keeps this rather morbid tone throughout, as the protagonists are caught in a hopeless fight, with the Doctor finally meeting a rather cold end. The Doctor Falls, remains, to date, the only episode to ever kill off the entire main cast in one go, and it is truly impactful.

This might have even edged out the top spot, if it weren’t for Moffat’s Puddle-ex-Machina.