10 Unnecessary Doctor Who Details You Need To Know

In an ideal world, the universe of Doctor Who would be much more connected than it is. But because of the pace at which the show moves, this is rarely possible.

That said, it does occasionally foreshadow plot points within the same series – or, if the writers are really on the ball, a series or two in advance.

RTD was particularly good at this – though he’s since admitted that the original “repeated meme”, Bad Wolf, didn’t acquire its full meaning until production was well underway.

One of the more deliberate examples of foreshadowing came in Series 4 opener Partners in Crime. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but when Stacey’s taxi pulls up, a sticker can be glimpsed in the window for a company that we’re about to become very familiar with indeed: ATMOS.

ATMOS debuted a few episodes later in The Sontaran Stratagem, as a key component of the Sontarans' plan.

If you want a really impressive example of forward-planning, consider that the Saxon Master was first alluded to not in Series 3, but way back in Series 2's Love & Monsters, during which the Abzorbaloff reads from a newspaper bearing the headline “Saxon leads polls with 64 percent”.

Talk about playing the long game!