10 Times Doctor Who Made Obvious Mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes, even the Doctor, who at least has a time machine and infinite regenerations with which to make amends.

In the high-pressure world of television production however, there's never enough time and never enough money. That's often how mistakes get made, as the constant grind to get something up onscreen supersedes any concerns over how that thing will look, or how poor the script is.

William Hartnell's line fluffs were legendary, but they were the product of a time where second takes were nigh-on impossible. But if we're honest, those line fluffs helped to humanise the First Doctor, making him the cuddly grandfather figure that he quickly became.

Not all of the mistakes in Doctor Who have led to unintended positive results, however. Some mistakes have overshadowed a lead actor at a time when they should have been front and centre, while others have threatened to ruin legendary Doctor Who monsters for good.

However, almost all of these Doctor Who mistakes were made out of a desire to improve the show or push it in new directions. But as the old saying goes "The road to Fear Her is paved with good intentions..."

The Capaldi era would've likely done far better in the Sunday evening slot occupied by Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor.

The issue with the 8pm, sometimes 8:30pm Saturday evening time slot for Peter Capaldi's episodes was that it was too late, designed to sit between Strictly Come Dancing and the subsequent results show. However, younger kids were being put to bed by the time the theme tune kicked in, while the older kids who grew up with Matt Smith's Doctor were out drinking cider on park benches.

Worse still, the constant shuffling of start times only served to confuse those who stayed at home. If the Capaldi era had aired on a Sunday evening after Countryfile, however, it would've had a far more captive audience.

In an era where pop-culture juggernaut shows no longer air on Saturday teatime, instead preferring slots like Sunday (House of the Dragon, The Last of Us) or Friday (Star Trek: Picard), maybe Doctor Who doesn't sit comfortably on a Saturday night anymore. It's not a hospital soap like Casualty, nor is it a glitzy light-entertainment show. It's a prestige family sci-fi drama that might be better placed elsewhere in the week.

Granted, this could change with the new RTD era, but the constant shuffling of the Twelfth Doctor around the Saturday night schedules does prove that Davies may have a hard time relaunching the show between Michael McIntyre and the National Lottery results.