11 Great Doctor Who Moments The Writers Chickened Out Of

There are a number of people who are quite mean about Clara Oswald, a chirpy and three dimensional companion who, in this writer's opinion, was a sheer delight. Unlike more timid characters like Amy Pond and Martha Jones, Clara regularly stood up to The Doctor, refusing to have her life dictated to, while challenging the Time Lord when his moral compass became a little misguided.

The major issue many had with Clara wasn't the performance of Jenna-Louise Coleman, or even her character, but head writer Steven Moffat's awful plotting of her story arc. Apart from the stupid leaf metaphor that added nothing to her story despite being constantly referenced, the biggest issue was how many times she would decide to leave The Doctor only to change her mind and come sulking back.

The first example of this came in Capaldi's first entry as the Doctor, 'Deep Breath,' when the Time Lord left his companion to die. He eventually changed his mind and rescued her, but Clara rightfully didn't want to stick around. But one phone call from Smith's Doctor later and everything was right as rain.

In the divisive 'Kill the Moon' episode, Coleman delivers a powerful speech outlining why she no longer wishes to be alongside someone who would willingly put her life in danger. It is a big moment and a great way to wrap up her character arc- until she changes her mind one episode later. It was lazy and weak writing on Moffat's part that sadly summed up his time as chief writer.