Peter Capaldi's debut series began with controversy and it was destined to end with controversy, too. The prominent inclusion of the "afterlife" in the Series 8 finale proved to be a particularly touchy subject for some viewers - 124 of them, to be precise - who actively reached out to the BBC to express their concerns over the show's suggestion that dead people are subjected to pain during cremation. It was arguably an extremely sinister avenue for the series to venture down but its later time slot was an implication that the plot was going to be much darker than those of its previous finales. That's true of this year's series as a whole, really. Over the 12 episodes it explored themes such as guilt, addiction (in terms of companion Clara Oswald not being able to let the Doctor go), the brutality of war, which for the first time in the show's history was explored within the context of modern human society, and subsequently the concept of characters - most notably in the form of Danny Pink - seeking redemption for their past sins. The climactic two-parter Dark Water/Death in Heaven only highlighted these themes and it was a testament to the show's writing that they were explored in such a way which stayed true to the characters whilst ultimately remaining appropriate in the overall context of the series. This was something the BBC affirmed in response to the complaints as they affirmed that the shocking truth of Missy's Nethersphere stayed true to the "heightened sci-fi" reality of the Doctor's world. Of course, death is no stranger to Doctor Who and the series is acclaimed for its attempts to tackle some of the more fundamental questions about human existence. Some would say that's even when the series is at its best - when it's putting its own unique spin on genuine ssues and using its far reaching fantasy format to encourage discussion and debate which continues in the real world, long after the end credits have rolled. That's pretty much what all of the controversies included on this list have done, too. What do you think of this list? Are there any other Doctor Who controversies we've missed out? We'd love to hear your views on the various topics we've raised in the comments section below.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
