WHO IS THE KING OF THE WORLD: A Brief Survey of _Doctor Who_ in
the Media
By John Kenneth Muir
28 November 2000
In the closing years of the twentieth century, a veritable
slew of celebrities publicly claimed eminence on the global pop-
culture stage. Trash talking radio personality Howard Stern
wrote a best-seller, _Private Parts_, that became a hit film,
all while starring in a popular nightly TV show. Consequently,
he was anointed "the king of all media." James Cameron,
Hollywood director, was crowned "king of the world" when his
newest film, _Titanic_, shattered all previous box office
records and won him a slew of Academy Awards. And then there
was Michael Jackson, _Captain Eo_ himself, the self-crowned
"king of pop." Yet, despite all these declarations of
dominance, the aforementioned talents are surely but pretenders
to the pop culture throne. The real king of popular culture is
no flash in the pan (like Stern), no rapidly fading fad based on
teeny-bopper whim (like _Titanic_), but rather a long-lived, and
unlikely, science fiction franchise that for nearly 40 years has
conquered visual, aural, and print media. And - to the horror
of Hollywood, no doubt, this franchise isn't even American! The
franchise in question is, of course, _Doctor Who_, a low-budget,
British, science fiction TV series that premiered in 1963, ran
for 26 years, and has since become the BBC's most profitable
export.[1]
For those who don't have a close familiarity with the
_Doctor Who_ TV series, it is a galaxy-ranging, epoch-hopping
saga. It is the adventure of a time traveling alien renegade,
and his unending quest to combat injustice throughout the
multiple layers of what we quaintly refer to as "reality." But
the boob tube is merely a launching pad for this character.
Step by step, _Doctor Who_ has expanded beyond its TV heritage
to enthrall audiences around the world in a variety of formats.
The core concept became a film franchise in the late 1960s, a
series of popular "Who" novels are still being published in
2001, and the TV program has been a source for spin-offs, stage
productions, radio broadcasts, toys, and merchandise galore.
Today, it is part of the American pop-culture lexicon, bolstered
by internet and fan support from around the world.
Any meaningful survey of _Doctor Who_'s impressive media
conquest must begin with the production of the TV series itself.
Created by Sydney Newman and produced by Verity Lambert, the
series began airing on BBC in late November of 1963, and then
ran, with only few broadcast interruptions, until December of
1989.[2] To place that duration in a meaningful historical
context, _Doctor Who_ ran on TV from the Kennedy assassination
to the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
That's an impressive span for any TV series, let alone one in
the notoriously difficult science fiction genre. By the time
_Doctor Who_'s last multi-part serial (ironically entitled
"Survival") aired, the series had been broadcast for 26 years,
featured 159 individual stories, and headlined seven different
actors in the title role of "the Doctor." On the basis of the
TV series alone, _Doctor Who_ wins some kind of endurance or
stamina record. By contrast, consider that _Star Trek_, the
original series, ran only three years on network TV. Even its
spin-offs (_The Next Generation_, _Deep Space Nine_, and
_Voyager_) have lasted only seven years a piece. Though the
contemporary hit, _The X-Files_ has lasted eight years (so far),
it too has a long road to hoe if it hopes to reach the Doctor's
near-miraculous TV stretch. Bluntly stated, _Doctor Who_ is the
longest-lived science fiction series in television history.
But television is just the cornerstone of the impressive,
multi-faceted _Doctor Who_ dynasty. In the early 1960s, one of
the Doctor's recurring nemeses, the robotic Daleks, became
incredibly popular with British children. The Daleks, often
described as mobile, malevolent pepperpots, not only frightened
children with their ubiquitous metallic shriek ("EXTERMINATE!"),
but proved irresistible as artifacts of future technology gone
awry, replete with laser-like pop-guns, and other fascinating
accouterments. The Dalek fad, which has been compared to
Beatlemania in some circles, was quickly termed "Dalekmania."
Recently in the United States, parents have seen their children
obsessed with _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers_ and _Pokemon_.
Multiply that obsession tenfold, and one can begin to comprehend
Dalekmania's breadth. Consequently, Dalek toys, models, soap,
posters and figures were sold by the truckful. Just in time
for Christmas 1964, a rock group called the Go Joes released an
album featuring the single entitled, "I'm Going to Spend My
Christmas With a Dalek." This is a significant point because
the merchandising of TV shows (or even films) was not yet a fait
accompli back in the mid-60s. Instead, the idea was just
emerging, in no small part due to the popularity of the Daleks,
and another British superhero: James Bond (and his 1964 film
entry, _Goldfinger_).
But the Dalek publicity war was fought on two fronts. At
the same time that the monstrous Daleks were sweeping the
country and paralyzing frightened children, _TV Century 21_ was
producing a line of exciting comics based on their explosive
exploits, entitled, appropriately, "The Daleks." The Doctor
himself (sans his TV companions) was appearing regularly in _TV
Comics_ at the time. Thus, in little more than two seasons on
the air, _Doctor Who_ had already made an important leap from
the cathode ray tube to the four-color universe of comics, and,
perhaps more importantly, to toy stores shelves. The real
British invasion had begun.
As if all that weren't impressive enough an accomplishment
for so young a TV series, the brain trust of AARU (which later
formed Amicus), Milton J. Subotsky and Max J. Rosenberg, in 1965
quickly launched _Doctor Who_ in yet another new direction:
straight to the silver screen. _Dr. Who and the Daleks_,
starring Peter Cushing as the Doctor, was directed by Gordon
Flemyng, and released in movie theaters all over England in
1965. It was quickly followed up by a sequel, _Daleks: Invasion
Earth, 2150 A.D._ in 1966. Thus, before _Star Trek_, _Planet of
the Apes_, or any modern science fiction franchise had even been
born, _Doctor Who_ had been on television, in comic books, and
at movie theaters.
For many franchises, that would have been the end of it.
So many science fictions productions burn bright for a time and
then fade away to obscurity. But that was not to be the
destiny of _Doctor Who_. Its universe (or "whoniverse," as fans
often call it), was still expanding, like some kind of deranged
Big Bang. In 1965, a _Doctor Who_-related stage production
entitled _Curse of the Daleks_ premiered at Wyndham Theater in
London.[3] Written by Dalek creator Terry Nation and TV story
editor David Whitaker, the play didn't feature even a token
appearance by the Doctor, but instead revolved around the
nefarious Daleks and their megalomaniacal plans to conquer the
cosmos. But even that stage venture was not the curtain call
for the whoniverse. A second theatrical production, _Doctor Who
and the Daleks in Seven Keys to Doomsday_ appeared in 1974 with
actor Trevor Martin portraying the Doctor! A decade later, a
recurring _Doctor Who_ character (Cpt. Yates) appeared on stage
at the Edinburgh Theater Festival of 1984, in _Recall UNIT: The
Great Tea bag Mystery_. And, in 1989, just months before
_Doctor Who_'s last season commenced on the BBC, _Doctor Who:
The Ultimate Adventure_ by Terrance Dicks premiered on stage.
The third actor to play the role on TV, Jon Pertwee, reprised
his role until replaced by Colin Baker, the sixth TV incarnation
of the long-lived Time Lord, for health reasons. Ask yourself
this question: When was the last time you went to Broadway and
saw _Babylon 5_, _Farscape_, or _Star Trek_ on the theater
marquee? In this regard, like film and television and
merchandising, _Doctor Who_ was a trail blazer. One stage
production might be viewed as an anomaly, but four represent
nothing less than 'infiltration.'
But the _Doctor Who_ dominion didn't stop with the stage.
While the Time Lord conquered theater, screen and TV, he could
also be *heard* as well as seen. In 1976, a 20 minute
production called "The Time Machine" (written by Bernard
Venables) aired on the British educational radio program
_Exploration Earth_. It featured Tom Baker, America's favorite
Doctor, in his most famous role. Then, in 1985, a sophomore
radio sortie called "Slipback" premiered during the Doctor's
brief hiatus on television (caused by low ratings). "Slipback"
was written by then-story editor Eric Saward, and starred Colin
Baker. Again in the 1990s, _Doctor Who_ returned to radio in a
series of adventures which included Barry Letts' "Paradise of
Death" and his follow-up "The Ghost of N-Space," both of which
featured the voice of Jon Pertwee. In the States, many listened
to the _Star Wars_ radio saga on NPR, but again _Doctor Who_
made the transition to radio first, and arguably with much more
success. Indeed, radio may represent the comeback venue for SF
TV, as _Blake's 7_ has followed in _Doctor Who_'s path, and
begun "reunion" broadcasts.
In its decades on TV, _Doctor Who_ has created such an
interesting, stimulating universe that visual spin-offs, both
official and unofficial, have inevitably emerged. In 1981, the
pilot for a new series, _K-9 and Company_ was produced, starring
the Doctor's most popular companion, a robotic dog with
adenoidal voice. Then, when Colin Baker was fired from the
series by the BBC, a group of outraged fans created an
unofficial continuation of his time as Time Lord in the direct-
to-video series known as _The Stranger_. This series of video
productions was so successful that other _Doctor Who_ actors
such as Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy began appearing in
similarly themed genre productions such as _The Airzone
Solution_ (1993), _The Devil of Winterborne_ (1994) and _Zero
Imperative_ (1994). In the mid-1990s, the fan video-makers grew
even bolder, and began to produce and shoot their own
continuations of actual _Doctor Who_ adventures. Another
popular series villain was resurrected in _Shakedown_ (1995) a
video feature which involved former _Doctor Who_ cast-members
fighting the Sontarans, a race of militaristic clones that
originally featured on the _Doctor Who_ program. In _Downtime_,
also released in 1995, the robotic Yeti of _Doctor Who_
returned, along with former series companions. These
productions are not always of the highest quality (usually due
to budget considerations), but nonetheless reveal how _Doctor
Who_ fans have taken matters into their own hands and begun to
write, produce and direct their own contributions to the mythos.
In this manner, _Doctor Who_ has inspired the next generation of
filmmakers, motivating them to take up cameras like arms, and to
fight for the survival of their favorite franchise.
On the officially licensed front, dozens of TV serials
have been released on videotape in both America and the United
Kingdom. As of this writing, more than 90 of the 159 _Doctor
Who_ serials have been released on VHS for the collector's
market. In the United States, these official chronicles of the
TV era can be purchased at outlets such as Media Play and Tower
Records or in "Collector's Edition" format through Columbia
House Video. On the Internet, videotapes are available at
Amazon.com and other sites. Basically, there is no shortage of
_Doctor Who_ material in the burgeoning video market. Whether
one is in the market to watch old serials, new spin offs, or
even documentaries from outfits such as Reeltime ("The Myth
Makers" series), and Mastervision (_The Doctors - 30 Years of
Time Travel and Beyond_), there is a vast array of series-
related material to select from. With the possible exception of
_Star Trek_, no genre series has been so well-documented in
mainstream video release.
For those with a penchant to read rather than merely
watch, _Doctor Who_ has been a significant force in the
publishing world too. Target Books was licensed in the early
1970s to novelize the TV adventures of _Doctor Who_. In the
United States, Pinnacle Books received permission from W.H.
Allen and Co., Ltd. (the parent company of Target) to publish
and sell Who novels in the former colonies, complete with new
covers and new logos. Most of these adventures featured the
popular fourth-incarnation of the Time Lord, portrayed by Tom
Baker. More recently, Virgin Books has picked up the _Doctor
Who_ mantle, and published a series of "New Adventures" and
"Missing Adventures." Many of these novels have been penned by
writers from the TV series, and have met with a high level of
acceptance from increasingly discriminating fans.
In the world of non-fiction, there have been such texts as
1972's _The Making of Doctor Who_ by Malcolm Hulke and Terrance
Dicks (Piccolo Books), and Jean-Marc Lofficier's seminal _The
Doctor Who Programme Guide_, which featured capsule plot
summaries of every _Doctor Who_ serial produced up to that time.
In the last decade, authors, David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and
Stephen Walker have contributed meaningfully to the _Doctor Who_
bookshelf by detailing various epochs of the TV series in their
critically acclaimed and highly informative _Doctor Who: The
Handbook_ series. The same authors have also written three
informative tomes, _Doctor Who: The Sixties_, _The Seventies_,
and _The Eighties_, detailing the eras of the program. Just
about the only _Doctor Who_ non-fiction book to be written by an
American (thus far) is this author's _A Critical History of
Doctor Who on Television_ (McFarland, 1999). However, if
history tells us anything, it is that further chapters on
_Doctor Who_ remain to be written... on both sides of the
Atlantic.
The last decade of the twentieth century has brought forward
further evidence of _Doctor Who_'s longevity and media
domination. In 1996, Fox TV premiered a new version of _Doctor
Who_ on May 27, starring Paul McGann as the eighth incarnation
of the Time Lord.[4] Though the two hour pilot/tele-film did
not go to series, it nonetheless represented a re-birth of the
mythos, and met with gonzo numbers in Great Britain when it was
released on videotape there. In the intervening four years,
there have been exhaustive talks of new movies or TV shows, but
no new adventures have actually gone into production. Which
brings us to another venue where the franchise has excelled:
unproduced scripts. In the 1970s, a _Doctor Who_ film which
would have pitted Tom Baker's Doctor against Vincent Price (as
"Scratchman") was scrapped. In the late 1980s, another film was
announced, this one to star Caroline Munro as a TARDIS engineer
named Cora.[5] More recently, Leonard Nimoy, Johnny Byrne, Alan
Rickman, and _Event Horizon_ director Paul Anderson have all
been linked to possible _Doctor Who_ remakes for the silver
screen. Constant updates on rumored new Who productions are
reported on such internet sites as "Cinescape Online" and "Sci
Fi.com."
Perhaps the best way to judge a "king of pop culture" is
to gauge its impact on other entertainment. If that is to be
the bar, than _Doctor Who_ passes the test with flying colors.
In recent years, there have been references and allusions to
_Doctor Who_ on projects as diverse as _The Simpsons_ and
_Futurama_ (on Fox) to the WB youth drama _Felicity_. It's no
surprise then that there is a growing consciousness in America
of this most unique, most elastic franchise. For thirty years
now, it has been a powerhouse on television, on stage, on
screen, on the radio, in books and comics, and even at toy
stores. Regarded in this light, _Doctor Who_'s invasion of all
media is nothing short of extraordinary. Long live the King!
c Copyright John Kenneth Muir, 2000.
---------------------------------------------------------------
John Muir is the author of seven published works in the
fields of science fiction and horror film and television, as
well as a regular contributor to _CINESCAPE Magazine_. He
appeared recently on the Sci Fi Channel TV series _Sciography_,
and has been a guest on the radio broadcast, _Destinies: The
Voice of Science Fiction_. John's newest book, _TERROR TV_ has
just been published, and is available for purchase at Amazon.com
or direct from the publisher at www.mcfarlandpub.com. John is
the author of _A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television_,
_Exploring Space: 1999_, _An Analytical Guide to Battlestar
Galactica_, _A History and Analysis of TV's Blake's 7_, _The
Films of John Carpenter_, and _Wes Craven: The Art of Horror_,
as well as an independent filmmaker.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Endnotes:
1) Blocher, Karen Funk, and Teresa Murray, "A Time Lord's
Times", _Starlog_, Issue #167 (June 1991), 53.
2) Kirkpatrick, Richard, and Kouzol, David, "Doctor Who Seasons
14-26", _Epilog_ Issue #12 (November 1991), 22.
3) Lofficier, Jean-Marc, _Doctor Who - The Terrestrial Index_,
(London: Virgin Publishing, 1991), 123.
4) Morton, Alan, _The Complete Directory to Science Fiction,
Fantasy and Horror Television Series: A Comprehensive Guide to
the First 50 Years, 1946-1996_, (New York: Other World Books,
1997), 231.
5) Swires, Steven, "Caroline Munro: Starting Over", _Starlog_,
Issue #130 (May 1988), 57.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared for:
'Time and Space On Television' -
A Display of Realia Related to the
_Doctor Who_ Television Series
A display located at:
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Walter Schroeder Library
November 23, 2000 - February 01, 2001
Display sponsored by:
Earthbound Timelords
(http://www.bw.edu/~jcurtis)
Wolves of Fenric
(http://www.wolvesoffenric.freeserve.co.uk/)
Milwaukee School of Engineering MAGE Club
(http://www.msoe.edu/st_orgs/gaming/)
Milwaukee School of Engineering Walter Schroeder Library
(http://www.msoe.edu/library/)
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Last Updated November 29, 2000