Doctor Who’s adventures in Earth’s history were intrinsic to the format devised by the show’s creators, Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson. Further developed by producer Verity Lambert and story editor David Whitaker in 1963, these ideas resulted in some of the best-loved serials of the black-and-white era.
But there were a number of problems with this approach. While Newman in particular felt it was important to use the series as a way of educating its young audience, writers struggled to reconcile some of the bloodier aspects of history with Doctor Who’s prevailing fantasy elements. Accordingly, the camera averted its gaze from the worst atrocities of Aztec human sacrifice, the French Revolution and the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre.
