BBC Doctor Who’s biggest scandals – from fiery romances to exploding typewriters

As difficult as it may be to believe, Doctor Who fans are now celebrating the show’s 60th anniversary, and there’s certainly been plenty of shock and scandal over the years, both on set and off. With 13 doctors, countless companions, and plenty of jump-out-of-your-skin moments, few programmes can boast such rich world-building and extraordinarily original storytelling.

Now Channel 5 is set to dig into the behind-the-scenes history of Doctor Who with new documentary Doctor Who: 60 Years Of Secrets And Scandals, which delves into the creation and development of the classic sci-fi show, complete with exclusive interviews and startling revelations.

As Whovians settle in to enjoy a night of nostalgia, we cast our eyes over some of the biggest scandals in Doctor Who history, from hairy armpits to complaints over violence.

Tempestuous romance

Sparks flew behind fourth doctor Tom Baker and Lalla Ward, who played companion Romana II throughout Season 17 and most of Season 18 (from 1979 to 1981). Their chemistry was made especially apparent in fan-favourite episode City of Death (1979), which saw the pair dashing around Paris together hand in hand, meeting Leonardo da Vinci and unravelling an alien plot to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre.

It wasn’t all love’s young dream, however, and their fiery on-off relationship ended up affecting certain key scenes. For example, in the episode State of Decay (1980), viewers couldn’t help but notice that Tom and Lalla could hardly bear to look at each other. This apparent coolness was later addressed in the Blu-ray commentary of The Leisure Hive (1980), with Tom himself admitting: “There was a certain kind of unease, because of course Lalla Ward is in this, isn’t she?” He added: “It was an extraordinary period of romantic madness, really.”

The couple tied the knot in December 1980, but called it quits just 16 months later. Reflecting on the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the TARDIS at a BFI event in 2019, co-star Matthew Waterhouse, who played fellow companion Adric, told Digital Spy: “There were certainly tensions between Tom and Lalla, which affected the atmosphere in the rehearsal room. It wasn’t a bundle of laughs! I’m very fond of them both… but it wasn’t an easy relationship and it wasn’t easy, as a very young person, to observe.”

Sophie was praised for her portrayal of a thoroughly modern companion ( 

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Getty Images)

Producer John Nathan Turner initially couldn’t understand why she wanted to keep her hairy armpits ( 

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Mirrorpix)

Armpit alarm

Sophie Aldred, who played seventh doctor Sylvester McCoy’s companion ace, ended up causing a bit of a ruckus after revealing her unshaven armpits in the episode Dragonfire (1987). The character proved hugely popular regardless of criticism, however, with fans falling for Ace’s modern, true-to-life personality. She and co-star Sylvester also got along famously, sharing a similar ‘rebellious’ streak.

Opening up about their warm working relationship during an interview with Den of Geek, Sophie recalled: “We just very much got on from the moment we met. We shared a similar-ish background; I was an ex-radical feminist student with hairy armpits, and he really liked that. A bit rebellious, and he’d come from this very subversive background with his Ken Campbell roadshow.”

It was a different matter however when it came to producer John Nathan Turner, who didn’t quite understand Sophie’s image at first. Sophie, who went on to become great pals with John, continued: “He was an amazing man. At first, it was awful. I really had a tough time. But then I realised that he was testing me. He didn’t really understand me, because he came from the world of Joan Collins-ish type glam, the Kate O’Maras of this world, and Bonnie Langford. And he didn’t really understand at all why I didn’t want to shave my armpits, y’know. Although he had this fantastic instinct for the right thing, and I owe my later career to him.”

Exploding typewriters

Doctor Who is known for its well-written, and often very complicated storylines, attracting some of the most inventive screenwriters in the business. There is one episode however that didn’t go down at all well with critics or viewers – the notoriously disliked The Twin Dilemma (1984).

The now infamous episode, which featured sixth doctor Colin Baker failed to impress, widely regarded as having dull pacing and plot holes the size of galaxies. Long-time fans also weren’t happy with the way the new doctor was given a much darker, more violent persona – a far cry from the likeable hero they’d come to love. Of course, the episode has gone down in history for prompting one of the most intriguing excuses of all time.

In a bid to try and explain away his slow progress with The Twin Dilemma, screenwriter Antony Steven, made a number of increasingly baffling excuses to the production team, eventually telling them that his typewriter had ‘literally exploded’. Ultimately, Antony was unable to finish the script due to illness, and so fellow writer Eric Saward stepped in to finish the job.