Doctor Who: 10 Moments In NuWho That Made Us Cry

5. The Girl In The Fireplace

Doctor Who Vincent and the Doctor Tony Curran
BBC Studios

The Girl in the Fireplace is another Steven Moffat episode. It comes early in season two and features David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. The Doctor, Rose and Mickey discover a 51st-century spaceship with windows into the life of Madame de Pompadour.

Over the course of the story, the Doctor develops a close relationship with Pompadour and is even ready to take her with him in the TARDIS.

After defeating the villain, the Doctor returns for Pompadour but finds a dark room. The King stands by the window, looking out over the courtyard. He tells the Doctor that Madame de Pompadour spoke of him all the time and wished he had come back.

It turns out Reinette has died, and the Doctor returns just in time to see her leave Versailles in her funeral carriage. The King gives him a letter that she had written, and the Doctor leaves. It's a devastating scene with a haunting score by Murray Gold which only adds to the sadness.

The Doctor returns to the TARDIS, where Rose notices something is wrong, but the Doctor brushes it off. Mickey and Rose leave him alone, and the Doctor reads the letter, which is narrated by Pompadour. It’s one of those moments that never fails to reduce us to an ugly-crying mess.

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Simon is a writer, cat dad and presenter of a geeky radio show with his husband. He loves Doctor Who (except 10 who can get in the bin…only joking.) He idolises Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lara Croft and would 100% be a Sith Lord in a galaxy far, far away. He wishes life was like a musical so he’d actually be a good singer.