"Doctorin' the Tardis" is a

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

single by the Timelords ("Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", aliases of

Bill Drummond William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...

and

Jimmy Cauty James Francis Cauty (born 19 December 1956), also known as Rockman Rock, is an English artist and musician, best known as one-half of the duo the KLF, co-founder of the Orb and as the man who K Foundation Burn a Million Quid, burnt £1 million ...

, better known as

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 who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish people, Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias Ki ...

). The song is predominantly a mash-up of the ''Doctor Who'' theme music and

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer who achieved fame and success during the 1970s and 1980s. His career ended after he was convicted of downloading child pornography i ...

's "

Rock and Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

" with sections from "

Block Buster! "Block Buster!" (also sometimes listed as "Blockbuster!") is a 1973 single by The Sweet. Written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and produced by Phil Wainman, "Block Buster!" was the band's sole UK No. 1 hit. Released in January 1973, it spen ...

" by

the Sweet Sweet (known as the Sweet until the early 1970s) are a British glam rock band who rose to prominence in the 1970s. Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer ...

. The single was not well received by critics but was a commercial success, hitting number one on the UK and New Zealand singles charts, and reaching the top 10 in Australia, Finland, Ireland and Norway. The Timelords followed up their chart-topping record with a "how to have a number one" guide, '' The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)''.

Context

The release of "Doctorin' the Tardis" followed a self-imposed break from recording of Drummond and Cauty's sampling outfit,

the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish people, Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias Ki ...

(the JAMs). The single continued the JAMs' strategy of sampling and juxtaposing popular musical works. However, unlike the cultish limited releases of the JAMs, in which Drummond's Clydeside

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

and social commentary were regular ingredients, "Doctorin' The Tardis" was an excursion into the musical mainstream, with the change of name to "The Timelords" and an overt reliance on several iconic symbols of 1970s and 1980s

British popular culture The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by its History of the United Kingdom, combined nations' history, its interaction with the cultures of Europe, the individual diverse cultures of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and ...

, including

's " Rock and Roll Parts 1 and 2", the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' theme tune, ''Doctor Who's''

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...

s and the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

's "

" and

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created ...

's character Loadsamoney. The song also featured the "You what?" chant from Steve Walsh's version of the Fatback Band's " I Found Lovin'". "We were going to make a dance record", Drummond explained, "a house recording using the Doctor Who theme tune... Jimmy had been working on some rhythms for it and he played it for me in the car when we were driving down to the studio... and I said 'that's a Glitter beat, we can't have a Glitter beat on a house record, that won't work at all'... y thethird day f working on itwe realised we'd got a number one single". "We just had to go with it in the end" agreed Cauty.The KLF interview, '' Snub TV'', 30 January 1989 Drummond recalled the experience in a

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

interview with Richard Skinner in late 1990. Skinner called the record an "aberration", to which Drummond pleaded "guilty", adding that "we justified it all by saying to ourselves 'We're celebrating a very British thing here... you know, something that

Timmy Mallett Timmy Mallett (born 18 October 1955) is an English television presenter, broadcaster, author and artist. He is known for his striking visual style, colourful glasses and shirts, and a giant pink foam mallet (known as "Mallett's Mallet"), as we ...

understands'". In a KLF Communications information sheet, Drummond called "Doctorin' the Tardis" "probably the most nauseating record in the world" (a claim also made on the label of the record itself) but added that "we also enjoyed celebrating the trashier side of pop".

Ford Timelord

Credit for the "Talent" behind the song was attributed not to Drummond (Time Boy) and Cauty (Lord Rock) but to "Ford Timelord", Cauty's 1968 Ford Galaxie American

police car A police car is an emergency vehicle used by police for Police transport, transportation during Patrol, patrols and responses to Call for service, calls for service. Police cars are used by police officer, police officers to patrol a Beat (po ...

reg plate "WGU 18G", formerly known as the JAMsmobile. The car, which had previously appeared on the cover of the JAMs' album '' Who Killed The JAMs?'', was thematically tailored to the JAMs, depicting their 'pyramid blaster' emblem on its doors and the number 23 on its roof; it was also Cauty's daily driver. Cauty and Drummond claimed that Ford gave them instructions on how to make the record. Ford featured prominently on the sleeve of "Doctorin' the Tardis", where he is quoted as saying "Hi! I'm Ford Timelord. I'm a car, and I've made a record", and "...I mixed and matched some tunes we all know and love, got some mates down and made this record. Sounds like a hit to me". Promotion of the single centred around Ford Timelord who was even "interviewed" on television. The "Doctorin' the Tardis"

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

features Ford Timelord driving around the countryside in pursuit of some rather crudely designed Daleks, his wailing siren audible throughout. The music video was filmed in central

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England. Two of Wiltshire's landmarks, the Cherhill White Horse and the Lansdowne Monument, can be seen in the video. The video was filmed in part at the now defunct RAF Yatesbury, a Royal Air Force base in

, and—according to the Timelords—cost in the region of £8,000 to make.

Critical reception

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' described "Doctorin' the Tardis" as "pure, unadulterated agony ... excruciating". '' Sounds'' reasoned that it was "a record so noxious that a top ten place can be its only destiny", calling it a "rancid reworking of ancient discs". In a retrospective look at novelty records and a defence of the genre, Peter Paphides wrote in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

s music monthly that "the one novelty record most people admit to liking is 'Doctorin' The Tardis' by The Timelords... The reason for this, presumably, is that it's nice to be in on the same joke as arch pop ironist Bill Drummond. Fine, but let's not forget that if The KLF weren't passionate about how brilliantly dumb pop can be they wouldn't have got to Number One." The "reason we purport to hate novelty records", he argued, "is because we continue to romanticise the creative process. We feel that our intelligence is insulted by novelty." A 1994 piece in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called "Doctorin'" a "piss-take". "It was a triumph for Trash Art and it spent exactly one week at the top of the chart. Perfect." Music critic Tom Ewing, writing for

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...

, later gave the song a 9/10 in a series where he individually reviews every UK number one single ever, saying it mixes the Doctor Who theme tune "with the pop sounds of 1974, the year of glam rock and

Davros Davros () is a fictional Character (arts), character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial '' ...

, scarves on the Rollers and scarves on the new Doctor, glitterbeat and “Blockbuster” airhorns. It's a companion piece to " Theme From S'Express" in that sense and just as good – part of the same rediscovery of the 70s, beckoning the boy gangs of yobs and nerds onto the dancefloor, the ones

Mark Moore Mark Moore (born 12 January 1965) is a British dance music record producer and DJ. He was founder of dance/ sampling pioneers S'Express, and runs the London nightclubs Electrogogo, and Can Can. Biography Moore began his DJ career in 1983 play ...

didn't invite to his party. You could put it in a line of descent from ' Hoots Mon' and ' Mouldy Old Dough' too – novelty monsters which catch a time more truly than some of the serious songs do."

Legacy

The Timelords released one other product on the strength of "Doctorin' the Tardis", a 1989 book called '' The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)'', in which they candidly described the logistical processes and efforts that sealed the record's commercial success. After the Timelords, Drummond and Cauty became The KLF. An American CD reissue of the single in 1991 lists the artist as the Timelords/the KLF, and features both a KLF track (the original Pure Trance version of "

What Time Is Love? "What Time Is Love?" is a song released, in different mixes, as a series of singles by the British electronic music band the KLF. It featured prominently and repeatedly in their output from 1988 to 1992 and, under the moniker of 2K, in 1997. In ...

") and "Gary In The Tardis" (retitled "Gary Joins the JAMS" on this release), a version of "Doctorin' the Tardis" with vocals by Gary Glitter referencing his own songs. While The KLF's string of "Stadium House" singles, beginning with "

", found large popular appeal and worldwide chart success, other later specific attempts of Drummond and Cauty to top the charts were less successful. The KLF's " Kylie Said to Jason" in 1989 failed to achieve the chart success for which it was designed, peaking outside the Top 100, and Cauty's novelty project Solid Gold Chartbusters with

Guy Pratt Guy Adam Pratt (born 3 January 1962) is a British bassist. He has worked with artists including Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson, the Smiths, Robert Palmer (singer), Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, T ...

, which was designed to achieve a 1999

Christmas number one single Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, did not reach the UK Top 40. A track on the 2005 ''

American Edit ''American Edit'' is a Mashup (music), mashup album released by Party Ben and Team9 under the shared alias Dean Gray. Its primary basis is the Green Day album ''American Idiot (album), American Idiot''—the name "Dean Gray" is a spoonerism of "G ...

'' mash-up project, titled "Doctor Who On Holiday" combines "Doctorin' the Tardis" with

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

's "

Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

Formats and track listing

"Doctorin' the Tardis" was given an international single release on 23 May 1988. In the US it was re-issued in 1991, containing The KLF's "

(Pure Trance Original)". The formats and track listings are tabulated below: The song was released on streaming services as part of the " Solid State Logik 1" album on 1 January 2021. Key * DR – "Doctorin' the Tardis" (radio edit / 7-inch mix) (3:37) * DC – "Doctorin' the Tardis" (club mix / 12-inch mix / Mega mix / extended mix) (8:15) * DM – "Doctorin' the Tardis" (minimal / instrumental) (4:28) * DV – "Doctorin' the Tardis" (video mix) (2:20) * GT – "Gary in the Tardis" (3:26) * GM – "Gary in the Tardis" (minimal) (4:08) * GJ – "Gary Joins the JAMs" (usually 6:22) * W – "What Time Is Love?" (Pure Trance original) (7:06)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Discogs.com Discogs ( ; short for "discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''The N ...

KLF Communications discography
{{Authority control 1988 singles 1988 songs KLF Communications singles Mashup songs Music based on Doctor Who Novelty songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Song recordings produced by the KLF Songs written by Bill Drummond Songs written by Gary Glitter Songs written by Jimmy Cauty Songs written by Mike Leander Songs written by Nicky Chinn Timelords songs UK singles chart number-one singles UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles