Starring a man in a headache-inducing coat of many colours, the Sixth Doctor's era is not usually labelled as stylish. However, this next cliffhanger is not only one of the most stylishly-done of 80's Doctor Who, but it is one of the cleverest cliffhangers ever. On a planet where the populace loves to tune into live torture, the Doctor believes he is dying in a desert when in fact he is only hallucinating live on television. Just as he seems to have collapsed from exhaustion, the Governor in charge waits until the right moment for the maximum amount of drama before cutting transmission. And that's right as the credits start to roll. The show had occasionally broken the fourth wall before but those occasions had been light-hearted affairs. For example, the First Doctor once ended an episode wishing everyone at home a merry Christmas. This moment of metafiction, though, is not only a genius play on Doctor Who's trademarks but it also makes us feel complicit in the people of Varos' sadisitic viewing tastes, emphasising the story's similarities with today's society. Plus, the Doctor isn't wearing his coat, which is always a bonus!
