10 TV Scenes Shot For Real
6. The Circus Tent Explosion - Doctor Who
The final episode of Doctor Who's 25th season, "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy," features a memorable scene in which The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) exits a circus tent mere seconds before it explodes.
However, the scene ultimately wasn't a note-perfect, expertly executed special effects showcase, but basically exactly what you see - a man walking in front of a real-life explosion.
As it turned out, the effects crew brought the incorrect equipment to set, and so were left with no choice but to generate the explosion for real.
Even though McCoy was informed of this ahead of time, the final filmed explosion was still decidedly larger than expected.
This allegedly resulted in the back of McCoy's jacket setting alight, but because he's such a damn pro and knew they had no second chance to secure the take, he just calmly walked out of frame.