Doctor Who’s traumatizing moments (and why we love them)

Doctor Who is not just one of those rare family shows that can scar children for life. It’s also a show that kids love to be traumatized by.

Earlier this week, our latest Site Contributor Julie Marie wrote about some of the best ways to introduce your children to Doctor Who. It’s an excellent piece, and it reminds me of how I became a fan in the first place: mum sitting me down in front of the TV, both of us enjoying the awesome theme music and going, “Ooh-wee-ooooooooooooooh!” Honestly, Doctor Who is just an absolute joy to watch as a kid, especially with your family.

But then it got me thinking. Yes, with its stories of heroes fighting monsters and good versus evil, Doctor Who is excellent entertainment to watch as a kid. But it’s also full of extremely dark, horrific and disturbing moments, too.

This is especially true of the Classic Series. While the New Series offers plenty of darkness, the Classic Series could often go so much further. Whether it was horrifically scarred villains, shockingly violent deaths (see below), or moments of pure insanity, the Classic Series made sure to throw as much to traumatize the kids as possible.

Why? Because, naturally, we loved it.

Safe shocks

Watching Doctor Who as a kid was (and I’m sure still is for many) like having your cake and eating it too. It felt like being exposed to some real adult horror, or even dark, complex themes, but in a safe way. And it never felt like you were being talked down to, either. Unlike other shows you’d watch as a kid, Doctor Who never shied away from death or darkness.

But at the same time, while it went further than most other TV series aimed at the family audience, it didn’t overdo it. Because it gave us something to absorb those scares and ideas more easily: the Doctor. With the Doctor around, there was something always comforting about the idea that they’d be there to save the day. They may not be able to save everyone, but they’d always be able to save their friends. (Well, OK, there were a few obvious exceptions. But 99.9% of the time, they did a great job, at least!)

Going too far?

Even during those rare moments when the show did feel like it was going too far, it still worked. Because it didn’t do that too regularly. And when it did happen, those moments felt almost magical. Not only were those moments that stood out. But they highlighted what really made the show so special.

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And, in my case, it helped to build up my strong love of horror. I don’t think I’d be itching to watch films like Suspiria or Color Out of Space if Who hadn’t given me my first taste of what it was like to be scared, or even completely shocked.

It’s not just because of Doctor Who, either. Being exposed to shockingly violent deaths in movies like Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark is part of the reason why we love them. For better or for worse, we remember sliced off limbs and exploding heads for the rest of our lives!

Because of my fondness for so many of these classic moments, I feel it’s worth looking at those that stand out. The ones that made us run behind the sofa or exclaim a swear word if we knew any and our parents weren’t there to hear. Because at Doctor Who Watch, we enjoy celebrating the best parts of our favorite show, and traumatizing us or our children is definitely one of its greatest strengths.

What Doctor Who moments scared you or made you run behind the sofa? Which moments purely shocked you? Were there times when you thought Doctor Who went too far? Let us know in the comments below.