Doctor Who: 10 Behind The Scenes Decisions We Can't Forgive

5. The BBC Intentionally Spoils John Simm's Return

Doctor Who World Enough and Time John Simm Master
BBC Studios

The revelation that Razor was actually John Simm's Master hiding under a rubber mask was one of the best moments in the Series 10 finale, and one of the most mind-blowing twists in the entirety of NuWho.

Or at least, it would have been if the BBC hadn't spoiled it three months earlier.

Yes, for some bizarre reason - perhaps an attempt to boost ratings - the BBC actually put out a goddamn news story that spoiled Simm's return, which took place during the cliffhanger in World Enough And Time.

The episode treats its Master reveal as some sort of shocking plot twist, but for most fans, it was anything but. Even those who managed to avoid the news story were spoiled during the "next time" trailer at the end of the previous episode, The Eaters Of Light, which included a full, unobscured shot of Simm as the Master. Just... why?

It feels like there was some sort of disconnect here between writer Steven Moffat and the BBC's marketing team, because again, Moffat (who is known for being extremely secretive) clearly wanted this to be a big twist... but the BBC had other plans.

"Hello Missy. I'm the Master." Well, no sh*t, dude.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!