Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction drama of all time. Since 1963, Doctor Who has captured audiences with its audacious and imaginative stories, following the titular Doctor as they travel through time and saves various planets from terrifying aliens, horrifying monsters, and even human evil.
However, any show that has been airing for over 5o years is bound to have some skeletons in its closet. Due to the fact that this show was airing in a time in which certain problematic ideas were commonplace, there are some things the show did in the past that would not be accepted today.
Poor Special Effects
This isn’t a fault of the original show at all. In fact, the low production values on the show helped to create some of the show’s most iconic monsters. After all, the Daleks have a toilet plunger and whisk as their main weapons.
However, there’s no denying that even the Daleks would struggle to be accepted today without their iconic history. If Doctor Who had similar levels of special effects, it would be ridiculed to kingdom come.
Abduction
How women are treated in media has changed dramatically over the past few decades. The ‘damsel in distress’ trope has finally started to become a thing of the past. However, one Doctor Who story in particular was very creepy.
The First Doctor abducted Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton after they accidentally stumbled into the TARDIS, believing that it would be dangerous to let them out after they’d seen the TARDIS. Kidnapping people is hardly a heroic virtue.
Treatment Of Ace
Despite the fact that Doctor Who was canceled in 1989, many of the elements from the final few seasons would persist into the show’s revival in 2005. In particular, the character of Ace would be a blue print for many of the Doctor’s companions to follow.
However, for some reason, the Seventh Doctor seemed to insist on mentally torturing the poor woman. He took her to an allegedly haunted house that had haunted Ace for years, and even insisted on taking Ace to meet the mother she hates.
Historical Inaccuracy
One of the most iconic elements of Doctor Who is the show’s ability to educate viewers of the past. In recent times, this has included seeing the Doctor meet former historical figures, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Winston Churchill.
However, while the modern Doctor Who appears to take care with its interpretation of the past, the classic show played fast and loose with history. The most blatant example of this came in the Time Meddlers, which saw the First Doctor holding a horned Viking helmet, even though Viking helmets did not have horns.
Story Format
The modern Doctor Who format has an overarching series arc combined with several standalone episodes that may or may not further the overall series story. However, the Doctor Who serials of yesteryear did not follow this formula.
Instead, the old series had one story that one last across several episodes, with one serial even lasting for 12 episodes.
Genocide
Recently, particularly during the Tenth Doctor’s run, genocide has been the Doctor’s biggest hate. This was spelled out most clearly in the episode the Doctor’s Daughter, with the Tenth Doctor giving an impassioned speech on the matter.
However, the Doctor didn’t feel this way throughout all of his life. During the Sixth Doctor’s run, the Time Lord wiped out a species of sentient plant life known as the Vervoids.
Abandoning Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane Smith, played by the late-great Elisabeth Sladen, is one of the most iconic Doctor Who companions of all time, with the companion most well known for travelling with the Third and Fourth Doctor.
However, the Doctor abandoned Sarah Jane Smith before a visit to Gallifrey, without even a goodbye. Clearly Ghosting is far from a modern phenomenon, with the Doctor delivering a classic example of it to Sarah Jane.
Sexism
On the face of it, Doctor Who was set in motion by the actions of women. Verity Lambert helped make the show into what it is today, insisting on repeating the first ever episode of the series after it performed poorly due to the assassination of John F Kennedy.
Despite this, there are still several sexist elements that persisted through the earlier seasons of the show. William Hartnell’s run in particular was blighted by it, with the Doctor even threatening to spank his granddaughter, Susan.
Racism
Doctor Who has made huge strides with its inclusivity as of late. Martha Jones was the first Black companion and this was even followed in the latest season of Doctor Who, with Jo Martin playing the first Black Doctor.
However, the show still has an uncomfortable history with its treatment of ethnic minorities. The most notorious example of this comes from the serial the Talons of Weng-Chiang. The serial had white actors in yellowface and frequent uses of racist Asian slurs. The rampant racism in this episode even led the creators of BritBox to include a trigger warning before the episode on its streaming service.
Strangling A Companion
Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor is far from the most popular Doctor. However, it would be unfair to lay the blame at Baker’s feet. Instead, the blame should be firmly placed on the writers, with Baker’s era representing a downturn in the show’s popularity overall.
Immediately after regenerating, the Sixth Doctor would attack and strangle his companion, Peri, which certainly didn’t endear this version of the Doctor among fans.