![GallifreyAutographs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/GallifreyAutographs.jpg)
The long-running British
science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Doctor Who'' has developed a large fan base over the years.
''Doctor Who'' fans are sometimes referred to as Whovians, or simply as the ''Doctor Who'' fandom. The usage of "Whovian" was restricted to fans in the United States during the 1980s, when the ''Doctor Who Fan Club of America'' (pronounced by members as Dwifca – now defunct) published the ''Whovian Times'' as its newsletter.
An early use of 'Whovian', outside of the 'Whovian Times', is from
Flaming Carrot Comics
''Flaming Carrot Comics'' was an American superhero comic book created by Bob Burden, featuring the absurd, surreal adventure of the Flaming Carrot.
The series first appeared in ''Visions'' #1, a magazine-size comic book publication. Flaming Carr ...
issue number 19 (circa 1988), when Flaming Carrot leads a combined group of
Trekkie
A Trekkie or Trekker is a fan of the '' Star Trek'' franchise, or of specific television series or films within that franchise.
History
Many early Trekkies were also fans of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1964–1968), another show with scienc ...
s into rebellion.
Fan organisations
''Doctor Who'' fans in Britain have had a formally recognised organisation – the
Doctor Who Appreciation Society
The ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society (DWAS) is a society for fans of the television series '' Doctor Who''. It was founded in May 1976, emerging from the Westfield College ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society and the editors and readers of the ...
(or DWAS) – since the late 70s. It has thousands of members and enjoyed an ongoing relationship with the classic series and later with BBC Worldwide.
The Oceanian ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club was founded soon after DWAS, in 1976, to galvanise resistance to the responsibilities and decisions of the
Australian Broadcasting Commission
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...
to cease broadcasting the Doctor Who series (and was ultimately successful in having the decision overturned). The club president also edited
Zerinza the club fanzine, until 1986. In the 1990s the club was renamed several times, today being the
''Doctor Who'' Club of Australia (or DWCA) which publishes a newsletter, "Data Extract".
In the 1980s, some US fans staged "Save ''Doctor Who''" publicity campaigns, trying to urge their local television stations to keep airing the show.
The North American ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society was founded in the 1980s and served as an umbrella organisation for dozens of local fan groups throughout the continent. Its demise in the early 1980s led to the foundation of the ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club of America, and later the Friends of ''Doctor Who''. FDW ended unceremoniously in the mid-1990s, and since then, American ''Doctor Who'' fandom has been served mostly through local fan clubs.
The ''Doctor Who'' Information Network (DWIN) was founded in Canada in 1980 and continues to serve fans in North America. It was one of the first ''Doctor Who'' clubs in North America and is the longest running Doctor Who club on the continent. DWIN supports the monthly Toronto Tavern fan gatherings. DWIN also sponsored several local chapters throughout Canada.
Also in Canada is th
''Doctor Who'' Society of Canada(DWSC), a social network for Whovians of all ages whose community focuses on social interaction, intelligent exchange and commonality. The DWSC launched in 2011 and provides monthly social gatherings, online community forums and have been featured prominently at Toronto area Fan Conventions including Fan Expo, as well as Montreal & Ottawa Comic Con. The DWSC has launched its own ''Doctor Who'' Festival on 17 November 2012 – REGENERATION – and is branching out into local chapters across the country including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Kitchener/Waterloo.
The New Zealand ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club (NZDWFC) was founded by Scott Walker and Andrew Poulson in 1988 and remains the country's major fan support group. They continued to run the club until 1991. The club puts out a fanzine, ''Time Space Visualiser'' (TSV), twice-yearly.
In 2012, The ''Doctor Who'' Fan Groups Google Map project was set up with the aim of making it easier for UK-based Doctor Who fans to find a local fan group and, in turn, to help local fan groups to find new members.
Conventions
![4thDoccostume](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/4thDoccostume.jpg)
Many ''Doctor Who'' conventions are held worldwide. The first one in 1977 was organised by The ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society and continued in the UK as the long runnin
PANOPTICON Other past conventions include the Manchester-based Manopticon and Swindon-based Leisure Hives and Honeycomb. More recently, the company 10th Planet has held conventions such as Bad Wolf, Dimensions and Invasion. There was also Regenerations in Wales, and other signing events held on the Strand by London-based Scificollector. The Doctor Who Appreciation Society has re-established itself as an event organiser too, and whilst Panopticon, a name still associated with the Society, has not been held since 2003, other brands, namely 'Time' and 'Doctor Who Unleashed' are well known among fans.
In Australia a variety of events (half day "parties," or full-scale conventions) have been organised, many "Whoventions" being held in Sydney by the ''Doctor Who'' Club of Australia, and by some other clubs in various states. The high cost of travel and small population base makes it hard to pay for many of the stars, so many events have been organised at short notice during any visits by a star, or other person linked to the show, such as Jon Pertwee (1980), Peter Davison and Janet Fielding (both 1983).
North America's first events were based in Los Angeles in 1979 and 1980 with Who One (featuring Tom Baker). Soon followed an enormous convention heyday during the 1980s in the Chicago area with the Spirit of Light events, which attracted many thousands of fans due to the show's popularity on public television, and
Creation Convention
Creation Entertainment is an American for-profit entertainment company located in Glendale, California, which produces fan conventions for fans of various films and television series, mainly in the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. Crea ...
s held in various cities (and including other science fiction shows' merchandise and programming as well). In the late 1980s other events such as Omnicon and Megacon showcased the classic series. The 1990s saw a decline in major events, though Chicago featured the relatively large-sized
Visions events throughout the decade, and the popular
Gallifrey One
Gallifrey One is an annual North American science fiction convention focusing primarily on the British television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, ''Torchwood'', '' K-9'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', with an additional emphasis on ...
convention began in Los Angeles. As of 2015,
Gallifrey One
Gallifrey One is an annual North American science fiction convention focusing primarily on the British television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, ''Torchwood'', '' K-9'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', with an additional emphasis on ...
and the
Chicago TARDIS convention (Visions' successor) continue, with the addition of Georgia's WHOlanta (formerly TimeGate) in Atlanta (begun 2005), Florida's Hurricane Who (begun 2009), Alabama's Con Kasterborous (begun 2012), New York's L. I. Who (begun 2013), and the annual Sci Fi Sea Cruise featuring Doctor Who guests departing from different ports each year. Startup events exist in the form of CONsole Room in Minnesota, (Re)Generation Who in Maryland, Time Eddy in Kansas, and WhoFest in Texas.
Fanzines
Doctor Who
fanzines began to be published in the UK in the 1970s. Much of the content of the first fanzines was devoted to documenting plots and characters, interviews, news, book reviews, letters, fan fiction and art. One of the first was hand-produced and published by Keith Miller in Edinburgh, but by the mid-1970s fanzine-creators switched to photocopying; however, output faded in the following years.
The "second generation" of such fanzines began around 1975–76, such as
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...
, around which the
DWAS was organised. In Australia, the national ''Doctor Who'' Club was similarly established around the 'zine ''
Zerinza'' in 1976 (to 1986). A quarterly magazine called ''The Whostorian'' was published in
Newfoundland in conjunction with the As Yet Unnamed ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club of Newfoundland (AYUDWFCON). Other zines from the first decade of fandom included ''Gallifrey'', ''Oracle'', ''Skaro'', ''Shada'' and ''Frontier Worlds''. Information on some of these is documented at fan website ''Nith Circle of Hell''.
The growth of the merchandise range lead to
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
* ...
's ''
Doctor Who Weekly'' (later ''Doctor Who Magazine'' – DWM). Initially the reference materials were largely reissues of the work done by Jeremy Bentham for DWAS (itself usually reliant on BBC plot outlines). Initially it was considered poor quality compared to the DWAS due to it being dominated by American-style comics, which did not fit with the style of the series. It rivalled the DWAS after it switched to a monthly format with a higher-budget production. The DWM became a better source of reference, with regular interviews and news from the studio. Over time, fanzine editors began to concentrate more on opinion than reference, for example by featuring fan reviews of stories and the letters page, which was the main conduit for debate pre-internet. The need to find new, original content meant that fanzines began to look closer at the series, subjecting stories and characters to ever-deeper analysis, providing detail and discussion unavailable through more "official" channels.
As technology developed, so did fanzines. A move from photocopying to offset litho printing in the early 1980s allowed the bigger selling fanzines to improve print quality, although lower-circulation titles continued to use
photocopying
A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers ...
for many years after this. Bath-based ''Skaro'' was one of the first fanzines to be professionally typeset, but that was the exception as this was such an expensive process. The 1970s–80s fanzines were all produced well before widespread home computer and printer ownership, making the process long and difficult.
The mid-1980s has been described by some fans as "the golden age of A5 fanzines", as this period saw an explosion of activity, particularly in the UK. Although the enthusiasm of some editors could not be matched by their resources and many fanzines failed to see a second issue, some of the most popular zines appeared then, including ''Queen Bat'', ''Chronicle'', ''Star Begotten'', ''Paradise Lost'', ''Spectrox'', ''Black and White Guardian'', ''Cygnus Alpha'', ''Five Hundred Eyes'', ''Eye Of Horus'' (in print between 1983–85 and online since 2004) and ''Purple Haze'' (edited by Steve O'Brien, later of ''SFX Magazine'').
Format seemed to play a disproportionate role in how a fanzine was perceived, with divisions appearing between the cheaper-looking
A5 fanzines and the glossier, more professional
A4 "pro-zines" such as ''The Frame'' and ''Private Who''. The news-zine ''Doctor Who Bulletin'' (DWB) (later named ''
Dreamwatch
''Dreamwatch'' was a British magazine covering science fiction and fantasy films, books and television programmes.
Published monthly by Gary Leigh (July 1983 to January 2001) and then Titan Magazines (2001 to 2007), it was a leading genre entert ...
'' ''Bulletin'') managed to straddle this divide, sometimes controversially, combining a professional A4 magazine format with some of the anarchism and disrespect for authority of the underground. The BBC's discontinuation of the series, and ratings decline, meant that many titles faded out unless backed by a large club.
To a large extent, today fanzines have been replaced by websites, podcasts and discussion boards, but a few do still exist. Many of them are published by fan clubs including the DWAS zine ''Celestial Toyroom'', (which was launched in 1976 and has been published continuously since then, making it the oldest surviving Doctor Who fanzine in the world, the New Zealand ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club zine ''Time-Space Visualiser'' (TSV) which has been in existence since 1987, the DWIN fanzine ''Enlightenment'' which has been published six times a year since 1983, and ''Data Extract'' launched by the
''Doctor Who'' Club of Australia in 1980. Other individuals and groups still produce fanzines. ''Black Scrolls'' was the first prozine to offer a multimedia CDROM on its cover in 2005, featuring interviews with actors, Who-related art, a back issue archive and an alternative voice-over commentary for one of the episodes and the distinction of being professionally printed and entirely in colour which was a modest success that ran for eight issues between 1993 and 2005. Doctor Who Fanzines ''FANWNAK'' and ''Vworp! Vworp!'' are among the full colour A4, printed fanzines available today, as well as others such as ''Panic Moon'', ''The Finished Product'' which are smaller sizes and black and white. Many fanzines still take the time-honoured route of printing and distributing their zine by mail, but many now distribute their fanzine as downloadable and printable PDFs such as ''Planet of the Ming Mongs'' and "The Terrible Zodin", finally removing what was often the main cause for a fanzine's closure, the cost of printing and distribution – but in so doing also losing the appeal of a unique hardcopy publication, and therefore the only true identifier of a 'fanzine'.
Many professional ''Doctor Who'' writers, for both the current TV series and the books, began their careers writing for fanzines, including
Paul Cornell
Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as ''Doctor Who'' fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield.
As well as ''Docto ...
,
Rob Shearman
Robert Charles Shearman, sometimes credited as Rob Shearman, is an English television, radio, stage play and short story writer. He is known for his World Fantasy Award-winning short stories, as well as his work for '' Doctor Who'', and his ass ...
,
Matt Jones,
Marc Platt,
Gareth Roberts,
Clayton Hickman
Clayton James Hickman (born 5 January 1977, in Bristol) is a British scriptwriter, magazine editor, journalist and designer.
Magazine work and ''DWM''
Hickman's first published work was in '' SFX''. Hickman officially joined the magazine indus ...
,
David Howe and
Stephen James Walker.
Fan productions
Like other shows which have developed a large following, ''Doctor Who'' also has groups of fans developing their own productions based on the show, the most notable is the uncompleted 1996 ''
Devious'' for having the last acting appearance of Jon Pertwee and featured as a special feature on ''
The War Games
''The War Games'' is the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969.
In the serial, an unnamed alien r ...
'' DVD.
One of the most significant fan groups producing dramatised stories were
Audio Visuals
The Audio Visuals were an unlicensed series of '' Doctor Who'' audio dramas made by British fans in the 1980s.
Featuring Nicholas Briggs as the Doctor, twenty-eight audio plays were recorded and distributed on audio cassette between 1985 and ...
, who distributed their works on audio cassettes during the 1980s. Many involved in this group would later form the commercial company
Big Finish Productions and be licensed by the BBC to produce official ''Doctor Who'' stories for a retail market on audio CD. Several of these productions were later broadcast by BBC Radio.
Another fan group, The Doctor Who Audio Dramas, has produced their own version of the show since 1982 and has been running for over 38 years uninterrupted. (Longer than the uninterrupted BBC version of Doctor Who.) A number of their writers and actors have been professionals or gone on to professional work.
Celebrity fans
The series has a devoted global following of people from a range of backgrounds.
Some fans have ended up working creatively on the television series. One of the most prominent examples is the creator of ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'', the late
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...
, who wrote or co-wrote several television scripts (''
The Pirate Planet
''The Pirate Planet'' is the second serial of the 16th season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 September to 21 October 1978. It forms the second seria ...
'', ''
City of Death
''City of Death'' is the second serial of the seventeenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor. It was produced by the BBC ...
'' and ''
Shada'') and was script editor of the original series' seventeenth season. Adams had been a fan since the first season, and made two attempts to pitch a script for ''Doctor Who'' in the early 1970s before his first serial was commissioned. ''
Queer as Folk'' creator
Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...
, ''
Coupling
A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end mov ...
'' creator
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
, and ''
Broadchurch
''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV for List of Broadchurch episodes, three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote a ...
'' creator
Chris Chibnall
Christopher Antony Chibnall (born 21 March 1970) is an English television writer and producer, best known as the creator and writer of the award-winning ITV mystery-crime drama ''Broadchurch'' and as a showrunner of the long-running BBC sci ...
were all lifelong fans of the series, and all in turn became head writer, or
showrunner, of the revived series in 2005, 2010, and 2018 respectively. Chibnall's fandom extended to an appearance, as a representative of the ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society, on a 1986 episode of the BBC feedback show ''
Open Air
Open air, open-air or openair may refer to:
*'' Open Air'', a BBC television program
* Open-air cinema or outdoor cinema
* Open-air concert, a concert taking place outside
*Open-air museum, a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out- ...
'', in which he was critical of the ending to ''
The Trial of a Time Lord
The twenty-third season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', known collectively as ''The Trial of a Time Lord'', aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986. It contained four adventures: ''The Mysterious ...
,'' the 23rd season of ''Doctor Who.''
Other celebrity fans have donated to the show in alternative ways. For example, the Panini publication ''The Complete Seventh Doctor'' (p47) lists singer
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
as a "great fan", such that he permitted his music to be used in the opening moments of season twenty-five without royalty. (Although Dylan's music was not in the event used).
William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg (14 July 192829 December 2012) was a British newspaper journalist who was Editor of ''The Times'' from 1967 to 1981. In the late 1970s, he served as High Sheriff of Somerset, and in the 1980s was Chairman of t ...
, editor of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' newspaper from 1967 until 1981, publicly declared his enjoyment of ''Doctor Who'' on an edition of the BBC's current affairs series ''
Panorama'' in 1980.
Prompted by this, the actor and dramatist
Emlyn Williams
George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor.
Early life
Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flints ...
admitted in the pages of ''The Times'' that he too was a keen follower of the series.
In 2013,
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
and
Camilla, Queen Consort
Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the ac ...
(the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, respectively) visited the Doctor Who set in Cardiff. Charles had met Eleventh Doctor actor
Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series '' Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series '' House of the Dr ...
and stated to him that he had been a big fan of the show since he was 15.
List of celebrity fans
Additionally, the son of
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...
(former
Archbishop of Canterbury), is a fan and Williams invited
Richard Dawkins to
Lambeth Palace; in part because Dawkins's wife,
Lalla Ward
Sarah Jill "Lalla" Ward (born 28 June 1951) is an English actress, voice artist and author. She is best known for playing the role of Romana II in the BBC television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1979 to 1981.
Career
Early career
Ward's stage na ...
played the Fourth Doctor's companion,
Romana.
List of celebrity fans who have appeared in episodes
*
Kylie Minogue - "
Voyage of the Damned
''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, and Malcolm McDowell.
The story was inspired by actual events co ...
" (2007)
*
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...
– "
The God Complex
"The God Complex" is the eleventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', first broadcast on BBC One on 17 September 2011. It was written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Nick Hurran.
In t ...
" (2011)
*
Rufus Hound
Rufus Hound (born Robert James Blair Simpson 6 March 1979) is an English actor, comedian and presenter.
Early life
Hound was born on 6 March 1979, in Essex and moved to Surrey at the age of seven. He was educated at Hoe Bridge School Woking ...
– "
The Woman Who Lived
"The Woman Who Lived" is the sixth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 October 2015. It was written by Catherine Tregenna and directed by Ed Bazalge ...
" (2015)
*
Corey Taylor – "
Before the Flood" (2015)
*
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
, – "
Spyfall" (2020)
Additionally, Tenth Doctor
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
has repeatedly said that he wanted to play
the Doctor since he was a little boy, and had appeared in numerous
Big Finish audio plays both before and after his casting as the Doctor. Twelfth Doctor
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in '' The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), for ...
is a fan and has been since he was a teenager.
Music inspired by ''Doctor Who''
Since the show's debut, various musical groups and artists have been inspired to write music either about or relating to ''Doctor Who''. The first known example was the song "I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With a Dalek", the first and only single released by British band The Go-Go's. The song was released in December 1964 and distributed through
Oriole Records, but did not make the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
The first single about the show to make the UK Singles Chart was "Dr. Who" by Mankind. The track was based on the
''Doctor Who'' theme music in a
disco style and was Mankind's first and only charting single(follow up 'Chain Reaction'was a flop). Released by
Pinnacle in 1978, the song peaked at Number 25 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 1985, charity ensemble Who Cares? released a single protesting at the BBC's decision to place ''Doctor Who'' on hiatus for 18 months, entitled "
Doctor in Distress". The single was released in aid of
Cancer Research
Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.
Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...
, and featured various ''Doctor Who'' cast members (such as
Colin Baker
Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor who played Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series '' The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series ''Docto ...
,
Nicola Bryant
Nicola Jane Bryant (born 11 October 1960)[England & Wales Birth ...](_blank)
and
Anthony Ainley
Anthony Ainley (20 August 1932 – 3 May 2004) was an English actor. He was the fourth actor to portray the Master in ''Doctor Who''.
Early life
Ainley was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, the son of the actor Henry Ainley, on 20 August 1932, al ...
), as well as contemporary musicians (
Bucks Fizz,
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The g ...
and
Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
). As with "I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With a Dalek", the single did not make the UK Singles Chart.
The most famous example of ''Doctor Who''-inspired music is "
Doctorin' the Tardis
"Doctorin' the Tardis" is a 1988 electronic Novelty record, novelty pop Single (music), single by the Timelords ("Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", aliases of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, better known as The KLF). The song is predominantly a Mashup (m ...
" by The Timelords (a pseudonym for the
ambient house
Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It ...
and situationish act
The KLF
The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band formed in London in 1987. Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) began by releasing ...
), which reached Number One on the UK Singles Chart in 1988. The song's lyrics referenced the
Daleks
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Wh ...
and the
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...
, and its melody was based largely around the show's opening theme.
As well as both Mankind and The Timelords, many other acts have incorporated the ''Doctor Who'' theme music into their own compositions. British rock band
Pink Floyd briefly used the theme during their 1971 single "
One of These Days", which featured a
''Doctor Who''-related music video. The theme music has also been
covered by several other acts, such as
Orbital, while other bands such as
Coldcut
Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
have featured samples of the theme.
Comedian and singer
Mitch Benn
Mitchell John Benn (born 20 January 1970) is an English comedian, author and musician known for his comedy rock songs performed on BBC radio. He was, until 2016, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's satirical programme '' The Now Show'', and h ...
's 2002 album ''
Radio Face'' features a song entitled "
Doctor Who Girl". The song talks about how the singer would like to find a girlfriend who is like the female companions of ''Doctor Who''.
Since the series' renewal on BBC, a genre has developed under the name 'Trock' (a term created by YouTuber and (at the time) unsigned musician
Alex Day
Alex Richard George Day (born 8 April 1989) is an English musician, vlogger and writer. Day has released seven studio albums, two EPs, and had three UK Top 40 hits.Holiday, RyanYouTube and Chart Sensation Alex Day the Future of Music? ''Forbes ...
, aka Nerimon), meaning
Time Lord
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, the Doctor, is a member. Time Lords are so named for their command ...
Rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
. Propagated mainly via the internet on sites such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, Trock songs include references to the show's theme tune, as well as characters and plots from the show. The band ''
Chameleon Circuit'' produces music exclusively relating to ''Doctor Who'', and in addition to general fandom songs, has episode-specific songs like 'Kiss the Girl' and 'The Big Bang 2'. They have a fast-growing online following, and as of 2011 have released two albums: ''Chameleon Circuit'' in 2009, and ''
Still Got Legs'' in July 2011, both on DFTBA records. ''Still Got Legs'' charted on the
Billboard Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart at No. 23.
The industrial/EBM band
Rotersand
Rotersand is a German electronic music act, formed in September 2002 by musician/producer Gun and singer Rascal with dance music producer/DJ Krischan J.E. Wesenberg joining them shortly after. Rotersand's music can generally be described as fut ...
also features themes related to ''Doctor Who''. Mainly the song "Exterminate, Annihilate, Destroy" using Dalek soundclips.
Hard rock band
Anno Mundi
(from Latin "in the year of the world"; he, לבריאת העולם, Livryat haOlam, lit=to the creation of the world), abbreviated as AM or A.M., or Year After Creation, is a calendar era based on the biblical accounts of the creation o ...
's 2011 album ''Cloister graveyard in the snow'' features a
suite entitled ''Gallyfreyan's Suite'', divided into three sections: ''Journey to the 4th Dimension'', ''
Tardis
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...
'' and ''
Time lord
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, the Doctor, is a member. Time Lords are so named for their command ...
''.
In 2013 the musical group Legs Nose Robinson became a varied all in house musical style
Trock band, recording albums, touring
fan conventions
Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...
. Their all self made videos have gained over 375,000 views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
.
TV series
"
Whovians" is an Australian comedy panel, chat show hosted by
Rove McManus
John Henry Michael McManus (born 21 January 1974), better known by the stage name Rove McManus, is an Australian triple Gold Logie award-winning comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the e ...
, who engages with a team of four ''Whovians'' or superfans of ''Doctor Who'' to analyse, critique and unravel the mysteries of the show.
The first show screened on Sunday 16 April 2017 at 8.30pm AEST on
ABC2
ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...
, as a companion piece to the first episode of Season 10 of ''Doctor Who'' which had just screened on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
.
See also
*
Celebrity appearances in ''Doctor Who''
*
''Doctor Who'' in North America
*
''Doctor Who'' in Australia
*"
From The Doctor to my son Thomas"
References
External links
An annual American ''Doctor Who'' conventionList of ''Doctor Who'' conventions in the United States
{{Doctor Who