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One simple fix could've made the Weeping Angels so much scarier...
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00:00Over the last 60 years, Doctor Who has given us some amazing characters and some truly
00:05astonishing stories. From one-off belters like Blink to more complex storylines that
00:10span across multiple seasons such as the River Song story arc. These moments remind us just
00:16how astonishing this wibbly-wobbly series can be.
00:19But it goes without saying that with that many decades worth of content, there are always
00:24going to be moments that don't quite hit the mark.
00:27Well with that in mind, I'm Ellie with Who Culture, here with 10 simple fixes that would
00:32have improved Doctor Who.
00:3410. Film the Doctor and River's confrontation at the same time as the impossible astronaut
00:39When Series 6 opened with a mysterious astronaut rising from Lake Silencio and shooting the
00:45Doctor dead, there was universal confusion as to who was in the spacesuit. By the time
00:50the Wedding of River Song aired, the pieces had been put together to reveal that it was
00:54River, trapped in a pre-programmed suit by the silence. Now the impossible astronaut version
00:59of that scene was filmed on location in Utah, but the Wedding of River Song version was filmed
01:05at a later date in a studio with the use of a green screen. And a rather shoddy green screen
01:10at that, with these really unconvincing visuals distracting from what should have been the most
01:15engaging and emotional moment of the entire series. And that's not to mention the blatant lack
01:21of continuity. Now in the original version, the astronaut opens the visor with one green
01:27fingertip gloved hand, but River opens it with two hands which suddenly change colour from
01:32green to clear. The Doctor's hair is completely different, the reflection in the visor also
01:37different and the mountains in the background are different between the two shots.
01:42Now there's a really simple fix to these issues. Film both versions of that scene whilst
01:46on location in Utah. Understandably, there were some very valid reasons why they didn't do this.
01:53Firstly, both episodes had different directors, but for a tiny little scene like that, that really
01:58shouldn't have made much of a difference. But more importantly, there was a real fear of spoilers
02:03being leaked as fans had spotted the filming in Utah and they really didn't want that reveal of who was
02:09in the spacesuit to be leaked. And obviously we all know how River Song feels about spoilers.
02:13Number 9. Actually show Jack's resurrection abilities in Revolution of the Daleks
02:19When Captain Jack Harkness first took that second breath of new life in Parting of the Ways,
02:24it opened a new chapter in the Time Agent's life. From that moment on, he could no longer die. Or
02:30rather,
02:30he couldn't stay dead. His ability to resurrect himself became a handy tool when trying to force the
02:36hand of a menacing alien, or to trick his way into or out of places he shouldn't be. That iconic
02:42gasp of new life became the character's signature move, being showcased at least once in almost
02:48every episode of Doctor Who he appeared in. Imagine then the disappointment fans felt when
02:53Captain Jack made his long-awaited and highly anticipated return in Revolution of the Daleks,
02:58only to remain alive and kicking throughout the entire runtime. Now it's fair to say that fans were
03:04expecting him to dramatically die and come back to life at least once during that episode, and he even
03:09spoke to Yaz, Graham and Ryan about his resurrection abilities, which really felt like Chris Chibnall
03:14was setting that seed ready for a future scene. But that scene never came! Captain Jack's deaths are
03:20among his most iconic moments in Doctor Who, and it was actually quite disappointing when another one
03:25wasn't delivered. And considering how many Daleks were in that episode, it would have been pretty
03:30simple to script one. Number 8. Tone down the design of the new paradigm Daleks
03:36The Daleks are as iconic to Doctor Who as the TARDIS and the titular Time Lord, the evil foe that
03:42torments the Doctor throughout their life, always wreaking havoc and always finding a way to survive.
03:48The most important element of an iconic symbol like this is a maintained design across the decades.
03:53Although there have been some minor alterations to the Daleks' design over the years,
03:58the overall layout remains the same. Metallic casing, round nose and toilet plunger arms.
04:03The most daring upgrade came in series 5 with the new paradigm Daleks. And while the overall shape
04:09remained the same, the bright new colours and larger size did not receive praise from fans.
04:15Placed next to even the World War 2 camouflage design, these bold giants seemed too cheerful
04:20and lacked the steely cold aura of these soulless creatures.
04:24Now, the simple solution here would have been to stick more closely with what worked,
04:29making the new paradigm Daleks just slightly less vibrant and slightly less chunky.
04:34Even Steven Moffat admitted that these were a mistake. He said,
04:38When I looked at them in person, I thought,
04:40My God, the new Daleks are awesome. They're so huge and powerful. They're brilliant.
04:46But I learned a grave lesson, which is that when you put them on screen,
04:50of course, they don't look bigger. They just make all the other Daleks look smaller.
04:53Even the man responsible for this new design can admit that it was a mistake,
04:57then you know that it didn't work. And it is no surprise, then,
05:01that these Skaro Skittles were barely seen again after this episode.
05:057. Make Swarm Azure and the Grand Serpent One Character
05:10The events of Flux sent the Doctor in all different directions to find answers and solutions.
05:15The story did, at times, feel rather jumbled and busy, which is perhaps why the big bads of the series
05:22seem to lose their steam almost as soon as they got going. Now, Flux was already in an unfortunate
05:27position with its reduced episode count, and there was already so much to cover. You had Belle and Vinda,
05:33you had Jericho, Claire, and the Weeping Angels, you had Carvanista, Dan, and Diane,
05:39you had the Sontarans, you had Tectayune, you had the Division, and that's just a few.
05:43All of those main plotlines going on, it just felt like everything was incomplete,
05:49or at least rushed to an ending. And with regards to those big bads, Swarm, Azure, and the Grand Serpent,
05:55it probably would have been better for the series to have a single, consistent,
06:00memorable villain as opposed to those three characters who all fell short of the mark.
06:05The best candidate would have been Swarm, since Azure felt more like a henchman anyway.
06:10Swarm definitely had potential to be a truly remarkable villain,
06:13but was seemingly dismissed in exchange for the Grand Serpent halfway through the series.
06:17Now, it was a bit jarring, to say the least, to suddenly be introduced to this whole new,
06:22seemingly disconnected story about the origins of Unit, right in the middle of all those other
06:26storylines. And even worse, the Grand Serpent was just left on an asteroid at the end of the series,
06:31almost as if Chris Chibnall didn't know what to do with him. Now, imagine that same plotline,
06:37but with Swarm, who we'd already spent two episodes getting to know as the Mastermind,
06:42instead of the Grand Serpent. The audience probably would have been more engaged with that,
06:46and then that plotline would have felt more closely linked to the main events of the series.
06:526. Don't shoot the Absorbel off in broad daylight
06:56Lover Monsters is considered, almost universally, one of Modern Who's weakest episodes. The first of
07:02many stories to follow the Doctor Companion light format, it received very divisive opinions from fans.
07:08Some applauded the offbeat structure of the episode, while others criticised it for feeling
07:13like a parody rather than a proper episode of the show. Now, the overall storyline actually showed
07:18great potential, but the main gripe viewers had was the questionable design of Peter K's Absorbel off.
07:25Extremely grotesque in premise, but rather laughable and false-looking in its execution.
07:30Now, it must be acknowledged that this creature was designed by the winner of a Blue Peter competition,
07:36but still, one cannot help but criticise the final masterpiece.
07:39Now, of course, in the classic era of Doctor Who, the costumes and makeup were much simpler,
07:44and they lacked the budget or the technology of modern visual effects. But you would think that a
07:50creature that was created in the same year as the Ood and the Clockwork Men would be just slightly more
07:55refined. But there is one simple fix that would have at least helped to make the Absorbel off just be
08:01a little bit more intimidating and slightly less rubber-looking. Shoot those scenes with more
08:06shadows and dimmer lighting. By simply adding an element of ominous mystery and darkness,
08:11the Absorbel off could have actually been much scarier. But at the very least, they could have
08:16given him some pants. 5. Give Dalek a different episode title
08:20It was only a matter of time before Russell T Davies would bring the Daleks into his 2005 reboot, and
08:27the
08:279th Doctor episode, aptly titled Dalek, marked the much-anticipated return of Doctor Who's most iconic
08:34monster. The episode centred around the last surviving Dalek of the Time War, and the consequences
08:40of it absorbing energy from Rose in order to repair itself. The premise of an emotionless cold machine
08:45developing compassion and hopelessness in the wake of a long, devastating war was a great avenue to
08:51explore with the Daleks, and the episode did a remarkable job of switching those dynamics around
08:56to show the Doctor as the merciless monster rather than the Dalek. What was slightly disappointing
09:01though was the lack of mystery or surprise surrounding the episode. The big reveal of the
09:06Dalek is treated like some massive twist, but it's literally there in the title, and that left nothing
09:12up to the imagination and kind of ruined that big reveal. Imagine that same episode, but with a more
09:18ambiguous title, something that hints towards that big surprise, but also maintains an innocence,
09:24like Metaltron or something like that. Now, really it's an unrealistic change to make, because it would
09:30have been foolish for them to hide the Daleks in the lead up to Series 1, but just imagine how
09:37chilling
09:37it would have been to have learned of the Daleks' survival in the exact same moment that the Doctor does.
09:43Number 4. Introduce Melz before Let's Kill Hitler. Let's Kill Hitler was an episode filled with
09:49surprises, not least of all the revelation that Amy and Rory's childhood best friend Melz was in fact
09:56their long-lost daughter Melody Pond, aka River Song. Towards the beginning of the episode, we were
10:01treated to a montage that showed the trio growing up together and the parental role that Amy and Rory still
10:07managed to play in Melody's life, as well as the strong interest Melz took in the Doctor. Although it is
10:13often easy to forget, of course the Doctor's companions had a whole life before they met
10:17this madman with a box, and so it was great to see them hanging out with their more normal friends.
10:23What didn't make sense though, is that Melz is supposedly Amy and Rory's oldest and closest friend,
10:29and yet the audience had never seen her before Let's Kill Hitler. Now, although her absence from their
10:35wedding was explained away with her saying that she doesn't do weddings, it did then make it hard to
10:40believe that she was as close to them as they proclaimed. And there's a really simple fix for
10:45this, which would have been to just add a brief scene between the three of them at the beginning
10:50of the series. And there was the perfect opportunity for this at the beginning of The Impossible Astronaut,
10:55when we saw Amy and Rory in their everyday life before they went to America. So why not add a
11:02birthday
11:02party scene? Or a dinner? Or even just a shot of Melz leaving their house before the postman arrives
11:08with the invitation from the Doctor? Hell, even just mentioning her name would have at least been
11:13something. Number 3. Have the 13th Doctor reassure Graham with a hug.
11:18The closing moments of Can You Hear Me included a touching, heartfelt moment between the 13th Doctor
11:24and Graham. Or more accurately, Graham opened up to the Doctor about the fear of his cancer coming back,
11:29and the Doctor just shuffled away awkwardly. By her own admission, she can be socially awkward.
11:34And we know that the Doctor has a history of struggling with acts of affection. See Eleven's
11:39wavy hands when River kisses him for the first time, or Twelve saying he's not a hugger in deep breath.
11:44But this particular moment just felt rather insensitive and actually resulted in the BBC
11:49receiving multiple complaints about the way in which the Doctor responded to Graham's confession.
11:54And eventually they issued a statement which explained,
11:57The intention of this scene was to acknowledge how hard it can be to deal with conversations
12:01on this subject matter. When faced with these situations, people don't always have the right
12:06words to say at the right time. By showing the Doctor struggling to find the right words,
12:11the intention was to sympathise with all those who may have found themselves in a similar position.
12:16In this particular situation, we can't help but feel that it would have been more appropriate
12:20for the Doctor to just simply give Graham a hug. No additional dialogue was needed,
12:25just a simple gesture to let him know that he has people who care about him.
12:29And actually, it could have been a moment to show growth in the Doctor,
12:32heeding Twelve's departing instructions to laugh hard, run fast, be kind.
12:37I mean, what's kinder than giving Graham a hug in his moment of need?
12:40Number two, don't show the weeping angels moving.
12:44The weeping angels are without doubt some of the scariest monsters in Doctor Who.
12:49The entire premise of a statue hunting you in the dark and killing you with time is
12:54arguably more terrifying than just a grotesque creature with a gun.
12:57One of the most intimidating elements of the angels is the way they approach their victims,
13:02jumping forward with each flash of darkness as their mouths widen and their arms raise.
13:08Part of the fear factor comes from never actually seeing them physically move.
13:12When light shines upon them, they are still as a statue. Yes, pun intended.
13:17And so we only ever see them progressing forward in unseen jumps.
13:21That is, until the Series 5 episode, Flesh and Stone.
13:24Although the majority of the episode does show the angels moving in their normal way,
13:29there's one moment where we see them slowly turning their heads as they approach Amy.
13:33Now, arguably, the reason that we can see them moving here is because Amy has her eyes closed,
13:38and so technically they're unseen. But for the audience, this kind of ruined that ominous element
13:44of how they move and merely reminded us that they're just performers in costumes.
13:48So the simple fix here would have been to maintain that ambiguity of the weeping angels.
13:53Simply remove those scenes of the slow human-like movement and make better use of flashes and
14:00faster cuts to build up that tension even further. When the weeping angels attack,
14:05the audience needs to feel like they cannot blink. But all this scene really did is make them roll their
14:10eyes.
14:10Number 1. The 10th Doctor visits Joan Redfern, not her great-granddaughter.
14:16The final moments of the end of time saw the 10th Doctor embarking on a farewell tour,
14:21revisiting his friends and companions for one last time before he regenerated.
14:25Now, most of the people in that line-up made absolute sense. Friends that have played important
14:31parts in his 10th life. But there is one amongst those that doesn't make sense,
14:35and that is the great-granddaughter of Joan Redfern. Now, of course, Joan Redfern played a very important
14:42part in the short-lived human life of John Smith. And it cannot be denied that the Doctor experienced
14:47great feelings for her. Whether those final feelings were that of continued love or the guilt of breaking
14:53her heart remains to be seen. Perhaps it's both. So, of course, it does make sense that in his final
14:57hours he'd wish to learn what became of her. Whether she was happy, whether she remembered the time they
15:02shared together. But what doesn't make sense is that he sought these answers out from her great-granddaughter
15:08rather than from Joan herself. Now, there are some who believe that this scene should have been
15:13removed entirely. But there are two simple fixes that could have at least made it make more sense.
15:18Firstly, the Doctor has a time machine. So why not simply travel back in time and find out those
15:24answers for himself? He needn't have interfered, just observed from afar. Or, if travelling back in time
15:30was too risky, why not visit Joan as an old lady? We've seen a similar concept to this in a
15:37deleted
15:37scene from the Unicorn and the Wasp when the Doctor and Donna visit an elderly Agatha Christie. Now,
15:42this would have removed that risk of interfering with her timeline and altering her life, but it
15:47would have given Ten the closure that he needed. Instead, he questions a woman who couldn't possibly
15:52know how Joan truly felt. Which just was very odd. And that concludes our list. If you think we missed
15:58any then, do let us know in the comments below. And while you're there, don't forget to like,
16:02and subscribe, and tap that notification bell so you never miss a Who Culture video. Also,
16:07head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias just by
16:12searching Ellie Littlechild. I've been Ellie with Who Culture, and in the words of Riversong herself,
16:17goodbye, sweeties.
16:19that always.
16:19And then I can just see how it does be.