11 Heart~Melting Doctor Who Moments

Uh-oh, get the hankies ready Blog~a~trons for Blogtor has collected up his favourite moments in Doctor Who that melted the cold hard circuitry of his unloved titanium computer core. So here are eleven times in Whostory that got old Blogtor teary the most. Set eyes to blub...

11. "Did I also mention it also travels in time?" Rose, 2005

We were only forty-odd minutes in to the new series and I started welling-up. And what caused this outburst? A flippin' slow-motion sequence. So easily manipulated was I. Yup, as Rose ran towards the TARDIS, after her Auton adventure, the tears started to come. But why? This isn't a particularly heartstring-tugging moment, many of you might be saying (or typing in the comments section). No, but it was at the end of this story, whilst Rose was slow-mo-ing towards the Time Lord's ship, where I realised that Doctor Who was back, really back - something I had waited a long time for. And on the evidence of this first episode, it was something I was going to care about deeply. Already less than an hour in, and my heart was full of strange feelings, not normally associated with the show....

10. "Quite right too." Doomsday, 2006

I know this was a kicker for many, many people (most probably at the top for a great number of you) and it's still an incredibly powerful watch all these years on. Bad Wolf Bay was the scene of one of the most remarkable scenes in Whostory - The Doctor was clearly in love with his "companion". The final ten minutes or so of the Series Two finale were emotionally challenging and charged as television's favourite couple save the Earth (both of them) and were then separated by, well, whatever separates Parallel Universes. [I think that's "Void Stuff" - Ed.]  Poor little Bills blubs away, declaring her lurve for Davey T, yet he goes all Han Solo on her simply affirming what she says without a reply of his own (typical man!). Still, we all knew what the three words he really wanted to say were.

9. "Now I'll never know if I was right" Earthshock, 1982

Oh, Adric. Dear, dear Adric. Even in the face of death, his arrogance and petulance are as strong as ever - "if I was right." His last words, though affecting, weren't mawkish and were true to his character. Here, it's not so much the moment of his death but the aftermath. The stunned silence of the TARDIS crew (being repeated in every home in the land at the time) and the beautiful credits - smashed badge, no music. Devastating.

8. "Only forty three when she died." The Girl in the Fireplace, 2006

"My dear Doctor. The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again, but I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my love. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak. God speed, my lonely angel." *dabs hanky*

7. "It's stopped being fun Doctor" Resurrection of the Daleks, 1984

Now this is quite the goodbye scene. After the bloodbath that was Resurrection of the Daleks, comes a slightly disturbing moment when Tegan 'fesses up to not enjoying life in the TARDIS anymore (though, I'd actually like to know when she was having a good time!). It's disturbing as the Australian obviously hits a nerve with The Doctor, who is rather knocked for six when she reveals she wants to travel no more. The Time Lord pensively troddles off, leaving the Earth behind for some time. But what really gets the old tear ducts preparing for the wet stuff is Tegan's quick return revealing, that after her emotive and heartfelt speech, she didn't really want to go after all. Too late though, as the TARDIS vworps off into space and time.

6.  "The finest painter of them all." Vincent & The Doctor, 2010

Despite the slightly manipulative nature of this scene, where The Doctor and Amy take Vincent Van Gogh to the future to see his own legacy, one cannot help but cry in equal parts joy and utter sympathy for the troubled artist. Yes, it may well have Athlete plugging away in the background (and foreground) and Richard Curtis may well be pulling a Love, Actually on us but it's such a tremendous outpouring of real joy and pain (the painter) mixed with the fictional (Amy's relationship with him). Of course, the Doctor's companion also has the extra layer of being in love with someone she can't remember. Tony Curran's performance in the episode is one of the finest in Doctor Who, hence why we care so much - Vincent is real, his pain is real. And his astonishment, bewilderment and then unbridled happiness are all real to us, and why it elevates us and hurts so much.

5. "Was she happy? In the end?" The End of Time, 2010

This is a most curious moment at the end of The Tenth Doctor's time in the TARDIS. Whilst visiting his previous companions and chums is perfectly understandable, Davey T's pit-stop to visit Verity Newman, great-grandaughter of Joan Redfern from the Human Nature two-parter, really adds an air of forlornness but also context to the proceedings. Much like The Fifth Doctor's final utterance of "Adric" whilst regenerating (revealing an unspoken guilt and regret that had laid heavy on his mind), here The Tenth reveals that Joan was indeed someone very special indeed. His query exposes his affection, which had remained hidden for some time, and the genuine care he felt for his one-time love. Verity responds positively to the question and asks, "Were you?" Unable to reply, the Time Lord moves on, glassy-eyed full of memories of what could have, or should have, been.

4. "Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose." Parting of the Ways, 2005

The Series "One" finale was full to the brim with heart-pounding scenes and Eccleston's regeneration was certainly emotionally-electric. But I have chosen the moment where The Ninth Doctor displays utter bravery ("Hope it's a good death") and selflessness - by sending Rose back home, unbeknownst to her, in the past and on Earth, in safety. He saves her, and his TARDIS, full in the knowledge that he's about to bite the big one. Speaking to her holographically, the Time Lord says, "let the TARDIS die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it; no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world will move on and the box will be buried." It's almost as if Russell T Davies was talking about Doctor Who itself, as there was no certainty the show would continue when writing that piece of dialogue (incredible to think now almost eight years on). It's a beautiful and moving speech that displays everything good, positive and life-affirming about the world's greatest television show.

3. "Don't forget me!" The Hand of Fear, 1976

Similarly, though for a different reason, The Fourth Doctor had to return Sarah Jane Smith back to her home whilst he returned to his. After spending three and bit seasons with the curly-haired one, lovely Lis Sladen got a send off like no other companion in the "classic" era. The pair got to work on the scene and it shows. There's a genuine warmth and yet utter sadness behind what's happening; her plea of "Don't forget me" is delivered with a smile - a smile that undoubtedly hides an inner melancholy. Tom's "Till we meet again" may have seemed like a throwaway line but becomes prescient as Sarah Jane would indeed team up with The Doctor(s) again. Of course, the tears have no time to dry before the Time Lord's eccentricity has us giggling as the journalist had been dropped off in the wrong place. A perfect summing of their fun and strong friendship.

2. "That's not dying, 'cos a better world takes its place." Turn Left, 2008
Though Donna's send-off, as it were, in Journey's End was deeply distressing (I don't mind admitting that I was utterly miserable for days after its broadcast), it was in this story, her finest moment, that reduces me to an absolute wreck every time. I mentioned bravery with the Ninth Doctor earlier and here we see it in abundance again from Donna who has completed her journey of self-obsessed Chiswick temp to saviour of the world. Her bravery is augmented by a scintillating performance from Catherine Tate who ponders, "The Doctor's world! And I'm still alive! That's right, isn't it? I don't die. If I change things, I don't die." But then her positivity soon changes as Rose's expression reveals all and the ravishing red-head pleads, "That's... that's right, isn't it?" All to the soundtrack of one of the most stirring pieces of music I've ever laid my ears on from Mr Murray Gold (another finest moment in this episode). It's the perfect storm of emotion, adrenalin and beauty.

1. "I did some things, it went wrong." The End of Time, 2009

Whenever Bernard Cribbins popped up in a scene in any Doctor Who story, I was immediately welling-up -  no idea why, but that lurvable old chap just brought out the tears in me. And here, in The Tenth Doctor's opulent finale, it was so wonderful and so gratifying to see him back - especially side-by-side with everyone's favourite Gallifreyan, sitting in a plain old cafe, having a chat about this 'n' that.

Having said that, the rejoiceful feeling, emboldened by seeing Donna again, soon turned to sheer heartbreak as the Time Lord revealed his take on the awful events of The Waters of Mars. His fallibility and insecurities were on show for the world to behold, and Tennant's touching performance coupled with Cribbins fatherly assistance made for some of the most sorrow-filled seconds in Doctor Who's history. It's a simple moment, of two men in a humdrum greasy spoon, but a moment of huge honesty and ravaging, raw emotion; a conversation as powerful as it was enlightening. A moment that, for me, is still to difficult to actually sit down and watch, such is the woe that it still elicits.

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Feel free to leave your favourite moments in the comments section below. And pictures of ALL OF THE TEARS, please.*

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Top 10 Doctor Who In-Jokes

Doctor Who has been full of lovely self-references and in-jokes over the years; some obvious, some not so obvious (and some probably the result of a bored mind). Collected here are some of Blogtor's personal favourites. Incidentally, I've resisted using any use of the question "Doctor who?" as this will be the focus of another list coming soon...

10. THE POISON SKY

A nice, quick and obvious one to kick off with. The Poison Sky in 2008 very specifically referenced 2005's The Empty Child with Davey T's Doctor asking a bemused Colonel Mace, "Are you my mummy?" Oddly, he doesn't reply or ask, "What you talkin' about you weirdo?" Mind you, we wouldn't have heard him if he had due to our collective guffaws.

9. DESTINY OF THE DALEKS

Ok, this one is a slight cheat. And a crossover with The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy at that. Check out Tommy B having a read of Oolon Colluphid's book The Origins of the Universe and being rather disdainful about its accuracy. Of course, Oolon was mentioned in the aforementioned Hitchhikers, which was written by Douglas Adams - the script editor on this season of Doctor Who.

Actual in-japery can be found in the amusing opening sequence where Romana tries on some new regenerations before deciding on Lalla Ward.

8. THE STOLEN EARTH

This joke wouldn't really have worked with Peter Davison at the helm - "Saturday! Good! Good. I like Saturdays!" proclaims The Tenth Doctor (despite it being the end of the universe - apparently). Can't imagine The Fifth Doctor saying "I like Mondays!" Anyway, it's a knowing nod to the very day that Doctor Who is synonymous with - for many of us, the show is the very essence of Saturday - and a great way to kick off a finale.

Also, fans of "spatial genetic multiplicity" had a chortle when the Gwen Cooper/Gwyneth conundrum was finally answered.

7. THE ROBOTS OF DEATH

Poul (pictured right), that poor bastard. Thankfully, in the Twenty10s, nobody suffers from "robophobia" though I think the Church of England have something to say about it (and robosexuals). But back in the Seventies, a different time [steady - Ed.], it went under the name "Grimwade's Syndrome". Which sounds pretty nasty, to be honest.

Of course, some of you may know that the use of "Grimwade" was actually a reference to then production assistant (and future director of stories such as Kinda and Earthshock and writer of Mawdryn Undead amongst others), Peter Grimwade. Apparently his first wife was, wait for it, a robot...

6. THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY

"I've got all sorts of souvenirs. All the posters. I had a long correspondence with one of the founder members too, soon after it started. Although I never got to see the early days, I know it's not as good as it used to be but I'm still terribly interested."

Sound familiar? Yup, Whizz Kid (pictured left) was the archetypal Doctor Who fan (just check out that bow-tie for timey-wimey-wibbly-wobbly-ness) with his "it's not as good as it used to be" mantra and collect-everything-he-can mentality. In 1988, it was quite timely as fandom hadn't been so fannish for that long. Spot on from the production team. Some years later, The God Complex would imitate this character, somewhat less successfully I have to admit due to the fact that Who~fans seemed to have moved on (though I'm sure some do still exist in that fashion). Also worth pointing out that Ace tries on Tom Baker's scarf and one of Mel's costumes for more in-gaggery from The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.

5. THE END OF TIME PART TWO

Now, there are a lot of references to the past there are in here, but the one that really counts as good old in-joke is Davey T's almost final words to the lurve of his life Billie P. Staggering against a wall like a Who~fan on meeting John Barrowman at a convention, The Doctor tells her, "I bet you're gonna have a really great year," after she says it's 2005.

Of course, we all had a really great year that year. *sniff* #memories

4. THE UNQUIET DEAD

Oh I do like this one, quite subtle. The Ninth Doctor, who older readers may remember was played by Christopher "I'm Not A Grump" Eccleston, turns to Charles Dickens, after claiming his "fan" status, queries Charlie, "that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean it's rubbish, that bit."

The key word here is American. Russell T Davies, showrunner at the time, made no bones about his disdain for the Paul McGann 1996 TV Movie which was, by and large, an American production (yes, it was filmed in Canada - I know).  A lot of criticism was aimed at this "Americanised" version of Doctor Who and this is perhaps, if not definitely, what the subtext is here.

3. BLINK

In a world where pop culture t-shirts are made instantly and without a second's thought (or imagination), along comes SteeMo to show off his street smartz. As soon as his 2005 episode The Empty Child aired, a tee was made (by a fan) with "Are You My Mummy?" emblazoned on it - and look what he did in Blink. As soon as we hear The Doctor say, "The angels have the phone box," Larry purrs, "I've got that on a T-shirt." It's a funny line in its own right, but there's added giggles for those in the know.

Blink also gets extra in-gag points for the almost hilarious "wrong size windows on the TARDIS" one-liner. "Fans" had debated on an internet forum (don't go there kids, only bad things happen there) that the new TARDIS windows were of incorrect dimensions (as I say, don't go there unless window-measuring is something you're particularly keen on). Moffat, ever the wag (and one-time forum dweller), picked up on this and prepped his acerbic penmanship to eviscerate these "humans".

2. REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS

"This is BBC television, the time is quarter past five and Saturday viewing continues with an adventure in the new science fiction series Do..."

Dot to Dot? Dorothy In Space?? Just what was the name of that show the announcer was about to blurt out as Ace was leaving the house??? Given that the story is set in 1963, I think we can guess. (Yet, pedants note, it's quite bright outside for November at tea-time, yes?)

It's certainly the most brazen and obvious of the in-jokes here, though many are critical of its placement within the story. But given that it was broadcast in an anniversary year (the 25th), we can forgive them such a shoe-horned clanger. Can't we?

1. THE SNOWMEN

There's a few knowing gags going on here, possibly. We'll get the casting of two-time Doctor Who, though never actually a "proper" one, Richard E Grant (Scream of the Shalka, The Curse of Fatal Death) out of the way as it's tenuous at best.

But let's take a look at Clara's entrance into the TARDIS and The Doctor's expectant, almost smug, face waiting to hear that line for the first time again. It's like he's us! But good old Ozzy is too smart for that (or maybe even SteeMo is) and beams that the Time Lord's ship is "smaller on the outside!" Not only a fabulous tip to 49 years and a bit of Whostory but an amazing joke from Moffat.

And then there's her gravestone. I'm assuming you all freeze-framed it like I did and studied the date? Well, in case you're not like me, check it out in the picture above - she was born on November 23. Blimey. That's a coincidence! #smirk

Interestingly, and I use the word quite wrongly, her initials spell "COO" - like a pigeon or how Scottish people say "Cow." Her "back" initials spell "AND" as in - "AND what was the point of that joke Blogtor?"

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10 Moments That Made You Go WHAAA??

You know what I'm talking about, those unique moments, those very Doctor Who~ey moments when your jaw drops to the floor and your mind is scrambled with a revelation so trouser~tighteningly amazing that the only way to express yourself is through exasperated gasps, flailing arms and dolphin-like squeals. So here are Blogtor's particular favourite Whaaa?? moments, all ten from "new" Who incidentally.

10. Melody Regenerates in Let's Kill Hitler

The Doctor Who Series 6, Part 2 opener was full of surprises but none more so eyebrow-raising as newly-introduced character Mels regenerating. And not only that, she only went and regenerated into River flippin' Song! This, of course, led to more shocks and questions (like how did she get to be Mel in the first place and hang out with the Ponds and how come her clothes changed size, etc...) but as a Whaaa??, it was a doozy.

9. Oswin Oswald in Asylum of the Daleks

How did they manage to keep this quiet?? The Whaaa?? here isn't so much the character Oswin, but who was playing her, Jenna-Louise Coleman. We all knew, sorry thought, that The J-LC was making her debut in the Christmas Special (which, in a way, she did - but, in another more accurate way, she didn't) and yet here she was, prettying up the screen as a deranged soufflé-loving Dalek. The joy at the reveal was proof that secrets are best kept to oneself.

8. Four Knocks in The End of Time Part Two

The sadness! The feels!! Yup. That moment we had been preparing for since Easter the previous year came but no-one saw the heartbreak that it would cause. Most assumed the four knocks would originate from The Master (even The Doctor did in Part One), and he would bring everyone's favourite Time Lord's demise - not lovable old Wilf! The sound of his pathetic knocks still ring in the mind as Davey T suddenly realises his recent survival at the hands of his friendly Gallifreyans was about to come to an end. A powerful blow to the stomach.

7. "Astronaut Baby" Regenerates in Day of the Moon

The opening two-parter in 2011 had plenty going on, The Doctor's own regeneration in The Impossible Astronaut (though this surprise was blown by the BBC who released promo pics of the moment on the day, *coughs*), all the groovy Silence action, the origin of Nixon's taping and the gang all "dying" at the start of this episode (though there's only so many times you can watch Rory die and take it seriously) but the regeneration after everything had been "solved" was a real Whaaa?? moment that was the tasty topping to a juicy story.

6. "I'm Regenerating!" in The Stolen Earth

It's amazing to think that Doctor Who was all over the media in 2008 during the week between this episode and the Series 4 finale, Journey's End. It even made the news as secrecy was so hot - was The Doctor about to regenerate??? Of course, those paying attention had seen the filming pics from that year's Christmas Special but still, even I had to wonder what audacious trick Russell T Davies had pulled. Was he actually going to regenerate? We know he didn't but, with all that was going in in the final moments of the episode, it was a helluva cliffhanger.

5. Donna Noble in Doomsday

The tears were still rolling down our collective cheeks when the UK's top comedienne in The Noughties suddenly appeared, almost ghost-like, in the TARDIS. I don't know who was more shocked, Donna, The Doctor or the audience. Given just how big Cathy T was, it's genuinely amazing how they kept that quiet (as revealed some time later, very few people knew of this scene with only a few involved in the scene's filming in the know, as the Series 3 wrap party was taking place). The episode also gave rise to the now much-missed "What? What? What???" trope.

4. Rose Returns in Partners in Crime

I remember watching this one banging the floor (with my hands, you dirty lot) in amazement when the blonde turned round and it was good ole Billie Piper. Like Oswin up top [steady - Ed.], we were all prepared for Rose to return later in the series, so Rusty D's coup, shoehorning in her appearance in the Series 4 opener with utmost ninja-like precision, not even letting the press see these moments. Best of all, Rose's return begged so many questions that frazzled the brain cry (in a good way).

3. The Daleks in Army of Ghosts

Even though I had read some time before that the intergalactic pepper~pots would be back (and even the previous week's "Next Time" trail had actually shown a Dalek lazer-death - nice one Beeb), I was still completely blindsided as The Cult of Skaro came flying out of the void ship in the Series 2 finale. I'd completely forgotten, so engaged in the return of the Cybermen and the introduction of Torchwood was I. It's only brief Whaaa?? as the episode closed pretty damn quickly but the surprise reveal of Skaro's finest lives long. A treat and a half from the production team.

2. Bad Wolf in Turn Left

If I was banging the floor for Rose's return in Partners In Crime, I was positively digging through to Australia in sheer brain~scratching astonishment. Like a few stories here, we get the main thrust of the episode and seemingly everything is over (and I should say Turn Left is one of my very favourite Doctor Who stories ever) and then creeps in that moment. When Donna says, "Bad Wolf" it still makes my body shake with paroxysms of bewilderment; just thinking about it makes me quiver. And then we get the end of the universe! Blimey!

1. The Master in Utopia

For me, it's tight between this and number two but I'll give it to Utopia for being and first and for its sustained level of Whaaa??~ness. The throw to the Series 3 finale kicks off impressively with  Captain Jack's pre-titles return, a TARDIS ride to the end of time (well, end of humanity at least) and the wonderful Derek Jacobi as a doddery old man. But then, oh Rusty. Dear old Rusty whacks us in the face with the biggest shock in the series' history.

The fob-watch reveal of The Master is so well and thoughtfully constructed (building on the magnificent Human Nature two-parter) and so exquisitely played-out that one sweats in excitement simply from memory. But it's not just one moment, it's about fifteen minutes of palpable adrenalin as we discover who he is, watch him hiss with sublime evil, "I am the Master!" as he kills his buddy off whilst Team TARDIS are helping the remnants of the human race reach the stars as a bunch of Duran Duran video extras (along with Annie Lennox) attack the base that houses them.

And then he flippin' regenerates into John Simm and takes the bloody TARDIS! I cannot imagine any other show, or film, evoking such pleasure, wonderment and stupefaction as this wonderful episode. This is pure Doctor Who. Utterly, utterly perfect.

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