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Sometimes huge things happen in the Whoniverse and end up meaning absolutely nothing.
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00:00As the series tries to progress since its debut in 1963, Doctor Who has had its fair share of
00:05huge moments. With 15 so far actors taking up the mantle of our titular Time Lord, each Doctor goes
00:12through their own adventures, adding to their incarnation's personal stories, as well as the
00:17larger story of the Time Lord and those around them. Everyone has their own personal favourite
00:22moments, but some events are literally entrenched within the DNA of the show. Huge moments in Who
00:28include first landing on Scarrow, the Doctor's exile on Earth in the War Games, fighting the Time
00:33War and the fall of the 11th on Trenzalore, all having lasting consequences for the Who-niverse
00:39and the characters within it. But sometimes these huge moments don't stick. We bear witness to so
00:45many revelations in one story, but by the following week it has meant very little, and any development
00:50is unwritten, forgotten about or simply replaced by something totally different. So with that in
00:56mind then, I'm Ellie with Who Culture, and here are 10 huge moments in Doctor Who that no one cared
01:02about. Number 10. The Doctor, Lord President of Gallifrey. This is a tricky one. Lord President
01:08of Gallifrey is the highest level of office among Time Lord society, and once or twice the Doctor has
01:14found himself raised to that position. In the five classic stories including Gallifrey, starting with
01:19the deadly assassin, the Doctor goes from running for president but declining at the end to coming back
01:24the following season to take the role to defeat a foe, before returning in his next incarnation to
01:29find he is no longer president, to then being offered it again in the 20th anniversary later
01:34that year, but still runs from the responsibility. The Doctor makes one final return to Gallifrey in
01:39season 23, where the sixth Doctor is met by the line, since you willfully neglected the responsibility
01:45of your great office, you were deposed, resetting this moment once again. So whilst this does pop up on
01:52and off in the classic era and is touched on in Hellbent, the presidency of the Doctor is never
01:56actually explored, besides in the odd expanded media story. Hello big finish. It's a thread which
02:02comes and goes when the Doctor revisits Gallifrey depending on the story and the writers. The Doctor
02:07as Lord President is a big deal, but never seems to carry any weight or last beyond a story. Surely
02:12President Doctor would make a great storyline if fleshed out beyond one outing. Although that may be a
02:18little tricky now. Number 9, the death of the Master again. We all know the Master is the Moriarty to the
02:25Doctor's homes. That was always his intention during his original conception in the 70s, and like the
02:31Doctor, we've had a fair share of incarnations. But unlike our titular Time Lord, we barely see these
02:36regenerations taking place on screen. Sometimes we are simply left believing the Master is dead. A common
02:41thread of the Master story in the 1980s especially, their appearance would often end with their death
02:47before reappearing a few stories down the line inexplicably. Looking at you, Planet of Fire,
02:52this season 21 story sees the Aenly Master literally burning to nothing with the Doctor
02:58just watching on. However, the following season's Mark of the Rani just has the same incarnation turn
03:03up with no real explanation. The trope returned in New Who, with the first three storylines including
03:08the Master, Saxon, End of Time and Death in Heaven, all ending with the death of the character.
03:14However, two of these occasions, we're actually provided with reasons for the return, through both
03:19resurrections and very handy last-minute teleports. It's an endearing character trait, and we don't
03:25always need the exposition of how the Master survives each encounter, but when death to the
03:29character becomes so casual, you start to wonder why the writers bother, when realistically, all major
03:34fans know they will not properly call it quits on such a bankable villain after one appearance,
03:39leading to a lack of caring towards the stakes of their life.
03:43Number 8. The Time Lord Victorious
03:452009's Waters of Mars is regarded by many as one of Tennant's finest hours, and the ending of the
03:52story has some major ramifications for the character. But guess what? It doesn't beyond this
03:57story. The end of The Waters of Mars has the Doctor declare himself the Time Lord Victorious,
04:02as the last survivor of his race, and gaining a god-like complex when it comes to the laws of time.
04:08However, after changing time and saving the last few residents of Bowie Base One,
04:12one member, Adelaide Brooke, does not believe this is right. Returning home, Brooke kills herself,
04:18setting her timeline back on course, leaving the Doctor to wonder if he's gone too far.
04:22But by the next episode, The End of Time, this seemingly huge moment is totally forgotten about.
04:28Yes, 2020 saw a massive, multi-expanded media storyline exploring the moments after this, but in the show,
04:35the moment the Tenth Doctor almost became comparable to a god is swiftly moved on from.
04:39This entry is a real shame. The fact this is glossed over, as this would have provided a
04:45fascinating new dimension to the show. The Time Lord Victorious is almost like an anti-hero arc,
04:50where Tennant is doing what he believes is right when it actually goes against everything he and
04:55the Time Lords should stand for. Non-interference.
04:59Number 7. The Flux
05:00Okay, okay, Jodie and Chibnall's tenure in control of the TARDIS is not over yet,
05:05so there is still room to rectify this, but right now, this is a hugely glossed-over plot point from Series 13.
05:11For the first time in New Who, Series 13 embarked on one interconnecting serialised arc,
05:17a refreshing change that updates Who to the style of other modern series.
05:21The series focused on the titular Flux, a huge apocalyptic event in time and space,
05:26described as a hurricane ripping through the structure of the universe. Pretty cool, right?
05:30Doctor Who is going pretty bold here. Well, obviously being a show which isn't entirely bleak,
05:36the Doctor and co. stop the Flux, after it wipes out the combined forces of the Daleks,
05:40Cybermen, and Sontarans, and finally when it is absorbed by a passenger.
05:44The passengers were an endless space intended to hold prisoners, and the vast space within was
05:49seemingly enough to extinguish the chaos. Fair enough, but what about all the destruction?
05:54Azure states that the Ravagers would restore the universe after the final Flux event,
05:58but did that happen? The end of Series 13 is a little vague-slash-confusing,
06:02and come the next episode, Eve of the Daleks, the events are barely mentioned.
06:06The Daleks know a considerable amount of their feat was destroyed,
06:09not the entirety we're originally led to believe, and Dan mentions how the Doctors saved the universe,
06:14but is that it? We just gloss over the cataclysm that just occurred. For now, yes.
06:20Number 6. The Doctor is Merlin
06:22Sylvester McCoy's seventh Doctor is renowned from going from a clown-like buffoon in his first season
06:28to becoming the great schemer by his final adventures, using his companion Ace as his pawn.
06:33As a part of this, 1989's Battlefield introduces the idea that the Doctor at some point in his life
06:39will be the man behind the myth of Merlin. As Merlin, the Doctor would help Arthur fight
06:44the Sorceress Morgaine. As the Doctor had no memory of being Merlin, he assumes that this must be a fate
06:49for him that'll occur later in his life. We've had plots of the Doctor being woven into various
06:53histories, occasionally arriving sometime before this in his timeline, but the legend of Merlin is
06:59quite a big position to fill. Sadly, Season 26 is Doctor Who's final classic season, with both the TV
07:05movie and New Who providing reboots, so whether this would develop further if a Season 27 happened,
07:11we may never know. Therefore, the idea goes nowhere. The concept has been followed in expanded media
07:16in various differing ways, but on-screen, this is simply a loss we have to bear.
07:21Number 5. Daleks without the Doctor
07:23Asylum of the Daleks gives us our first introduction to Jenna Coleman in Who, playing Oswin Oswald,
07:29who's seemingly connected to our future companion Clara Oswald. However, in the end, it is revealed
07:34poor Oswin has been converted into a Dalek. As a last gift to the 11th Doctor to escape,
07:39she reveals to him that she removed every trace of him from the Daleks' database,
07:43allowing him to escape the asylum. Upon making it back to the Dalek Parliament,
07:48we are left with the final knowledge that all the Daleks have forgotten him,
07:51and not just those in the asylum, leaving them to question Doctor Who.
07:56So with that ending, surely the next appearance of the Doctor versus the Daleks,
08:00it's Doctor Who that's obviously going to happen, is going to be pretty interesting, right?
08:04Wrong. The next appearance of the Daleks,
08:07barring their 50th anniversary appearance in the Time War, is in the time of the Doctor. And once
08:12again, the Daleks remember their arch-nemesis. When asked by the Doctor how they knew who he was,
08:17we get the convenient explanation of they took the memories of Tasha Lem, a character we are only
08:22just introduced to in this episode, who is apparently significant enough to provide the Daleks with
08:27everything they need to know about the Doctor. In the end, it feels lazy to write the ending of
08:32Asylum to then simply do a full 180 as soon as they reappear for convenience. And why bother in the first place?
08:394. I'm Half Human On My Mother's Side
08:42Love It or Hate It, the 1996 TV movie did one thing absolutely perfect, the casting of Paul McGann as the
08:498th Doctor. But one major aspect of his character has not ever been taken too seriously.
08:555. I'm Half Human On My Mother's Side is a comment made various times throughout the American produced
09:00special. Now that is pretty huge. Not a lot is ever really discovered about the Doctor's past in the
09:05classic series. The only family member we are introduced to is granddaughter Susan in the first
09:10seasons of the show. But otherwise, it is always just assumed the Doctor is 100% Time Lord. Of course,
09:16once again, the Chibnall era has decided to add its own spin on the character's origins, and currently
09:21seems a lot more concrete of an explanation than this throwaway line. But even before this retconning
09:26in 2020, the half-human comment is never really taken as gospel. It's a storyline that maybe could
09:32have worked properly, but almost feels too cliché. With no follow-up to the TV movie, we'll maybe never
09:38truly know the intentions. Both RTD and Moffat have mentioned before they don't truly believe into it,
09:44with another widely believed theory of whom the Doctor's mother is being the nameless woman in the
09:48end of time. This could be a monumental moment for the show, but after the TV movie is pushed aside,
09:54many chalk this up to post-regenerative trauma. Maybe lineage should be left alone, keeping the
10:00mystery in Doctor Who. 3. Morbius Doctors
10:04In 1976's The Brain of Morbius, during a mind battle with the titular villain, it is revealed the
10:09Doctor had faces before the Hartnell incarnation. Did the fandom go mental? What did this mean for
10:15the series going forward after such a shock reveal? Not a lot. Granted, this potentially means more now
10:21in 2022 with the Timeless Child plot, but in 1976, this meant nothing in the show or to fans, really.
10:28It is a widely known fact that New Who is definitely a lot more plot-lore-heavy than classic, with various
10:34contradictions in the original run, some of which we will get into later. The Morbius Doctors are
10:40brought to life on screen by members of the production dressed in classical outfits, meant
10:44to boost up the scope of the Doctor and Morbius' mind battle. These incarnations were portrayed by
10:49directors Graham Harper, Douglas Canfield, and Christopher Barry, as well as writer Robert
10:54Holmes and producer Philip Hinchcliffe. Some fans believe these incarnations were Morbius' rather than
11:00the Doctors, however this seems to have been proven wrong since. Yes, we now have the wonderful Joe
11:05Martin, who we are currently led to believe is a pre-Hartnell Doctor, and a very brilliant montage
11:11in the Timeless Children, but before this, these chaps had no acknowledgement in canon besides maybe
11:16being considered a gag. More Doctors should be huge events, as the War and Fugitive Doctors were,
11:22but it's taken 44 years for this true potential meaning to come to screen.
11:262. The Valiard The Sixth Doctor's era receives mixed reviews
11:30from the fans, but his final story drops a bombshell to rock the character to their core.
11:35The Trial of Time Lord sees the Doctor put on trial for his exploits through time,
11:39and is being prosecuted by a Time Lord referred to as the Valiard. As the series comes to a head,
11:45the Master returns and reveals that he knows the Valiard as the Doctor. The Valiard is an amalgamation
11:51of the darker sides of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation.
11:55So surely something exciting must happen with this character next? An evil incarnation of the Doctor?
12:01Surely a big deal for our hero? Nope.
12:03Whilst he goes on to play various parts in expanded media, the Valiard only appears in Season 23 and
12:09is briefly mentioned in Capaldi's final story. As a premise, the Valiard is a really interesting
12:15idea, and has so much potential, especially since after David Tennant's second incarnation,
12:20the Valiard is meant to come about. When written in 1986, obviously the intention of the Doctor is
12:25to have 13 lives, so this fits between Tennant and Smith. However, since the time of the Doctor,
12:30the Doctor's lifespan has been expanded, and so there is now a full cycle of possibilities.
12:36Hopefully, this is one moment which is eventually addressed, as seeing what happens when all the
12:40darkness of the Doctor takes form would be a real treat. But for now, this is another moment no one has
12:46cared about. Number 1. Gallifrey Returns
12:50The planet of the Time Lords has been a part of the show's history since the late 60s,
12:54with later seasons fleshing out the planet, society, and people. But turn to New Who,
12:59and Gallifrey is gone, wiped out by the Doctor in the Time War. That, again, is until the 50th
13:04anniversary, where the planet was saved. So surely now, Gallifrey is back as a staple of the Hooniverse?
13:10I think again. Series 9's finale Hellbent marks our first proper exploration of the Doctor on Gallifrey,
13:16with the planet being stuck at the end of the universe, but very much there. However,
13:20the next time we see Gallifrey in Series 12's Spyfall, the Master has reduced the planet to a
13:25smouldering wreck. Yes, the shot in Spyfall is beautiful, but after the work of the 50th,
13:30the 11th Doctor's last stand on Trenzalor and the arc of Series 9, Gallifrey and the Time Lords are
13:36once again taken from us. Some may argue that the Time Lords as a species aren't that interesting.
13:41We'll tell them to go check Big Finish's Gallifrey series. But there is so much potential,
13:47and another monumental U-turn makes you question the point of the build-up to its return if not
13:51to be explored. Of course, there is every chance Gallifrey and the Time Lords are restored once
13:56again. That could be useful for the Timeless Child arc, since it is literally its foundation.
14:01But right now, the return of Gallifrey feels like a meaningless waste of time.
14:05And that concludes our list. If you can think of any other huge moments that no one cared about,
14:10then do let us know in the comments below. And while you're there, don't forget to like,
14:13and subscribe, and tap that notification bell. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there,
14:18and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
14:22I've been Ellie with Who Culture, and in the words of Riversong herself, goodbye, sweeties.
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