Mark Juddery
5 Ways Doctor Who Made a Difference
by Mark Juddery - December 26, 2009 - 6:30 PM

This article originally appeared in October 2008.

dr-who.jpgTo Americans, Doctor Who is known as a cult science fiction TV series from the British Broadcasting Corporation. In Britain, it’s an institution, regarded with reverence. It originally ran for 26 years (from 1963 to 1989) and returned in 2005, becoming one of Britain’s top-rated shows.

For the unacquainted, Doctor Who is about a cosmic hero (a mysterious alien known as “the Doctor”) who travels time and space, usually saving worlds (or the entire universe). Whenever the lead actor quits, the Doctor can “regenerate” into a new actor – and unlike, say, James Bond, he can look like almost anyone. So far, in the TV series, 10 actors have played the good Doctor. (The latest is David Tennant.)

Doctor Who isn’t just popular and long-running. It also rivals Star Trek as the most important science fiction show in television history. The reasons are many. Among them…

1. The Theme Song

Many TV shows have had memorable theme songs, but few were as innovative as the eerie Doctor Who theme. Composed by Ron Grainer (who also wrote the themes for such classic 1960s shows as Steptoe and Son and The Prisoner), it was arranged and mixed by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The Workshop pioneered electronic music in Britain, and Derbyshire’s arrangement (using electronic oscillators, tape loops and reverse tape effects) was unlike anything ever heard before, with no conventional instruments. Recording the theme was a lengthy process, taking several weeks, but it was worth it. After a concert in 1971, the Queen herself was introduced to Desmond Briscoe, head of the Workshop. “The Radiophonic Workshop?” said Her Majesty. “Ah yes… Doctor Who!” Have a listen:

2. Dalekmania

dalek.jpg

In the mid-1960s, the Doctor was in danger of being beaten by his greatest enemies… in popularity, at least. The Daleks are robot-like mutants from the planet Skaro, who invade planets with piercing, electronic cries of “Exterminate!” British kids found them terrifying – and just like in roller-coasters, they loved being terrified. Soon, Dalekmania was all the rage in Britain. Kids could buy Dalek toys, comics and singles like “I’m Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek” by a group called the Go-Go’s (no, not those Go-Go’s). Kids would even line up for hours to see the Daleks make charity appearances. Not bad for a race of evil monsters. The Daleks became part of British culture, influencing many new sci-fi monsters and characters (perhaps even good guys like R2-D2), and even entering the language…

3. Such language!

Only a few TV series have added words to the English language. Doctor Who added at least two, possibly three. “Dalek” was the first one added to the Oxford English Dictionary. “Not only had I created a monster, I had created a word,” wrote their creator, Terry Nation. “What writer could ask for more?”

Later, the Doctor’s unique traveling machine, the Tardis, also found its way into the OED. Though it’s a handy machine (able to travel through time and space), it entered the language for one of its even more impressive properties: as it occupies two different dimensions, it’s bigger on the inside than the outside (which is just as well, because it’s outwardly disguised as a 1920s-style British police box, leaving little room to move). Hence, any room or cabinet that somehow seems more spacious on the inside is a “Tardis” (which, for the record, stands for “Time And Relative Dimensions In Space”).

But perhaps the series biggest contribution to the English language was the prefix “cyber,” to describe anything computerized. Though the term “cybernetic” was used in 1948, it was probably some ongoing Doctor Who villains, the Cybermen, who turned “cyber” into a prefix. Countless IT and internet geeks, not to mention science fiction authors, have followed their lead.

4. Violence and Gore for Boys and Girls

JonPertwee.jpgDoctor Who was created as a kids’ show, but its concepts and stories were smart enough to win a following among adults. As a result, the show became slightly more “grown-up,” which didn’t impress people like outspoken morals campaigner Mary Whitehouse, who thought it was too scary and violent for kids. In 1972, it was on the BBC’s “black list” of the 10 most violent shows. “Our program isn’t violent, it’s all just fantasy,” objected actor Jon Pertwee (left), who played the Doctor at the time. “It wouldn’t upset an 80-year-old maiden aunt and my young son loves it.”

The complaints of scariness and violence continued throughout the 1980s, but the series became a yardstick of what was acceptable on children’s television. It changed attitudes and caused much debate. It might have been fantasy, but it inspired British kids’ TV to become tougher and grittier.

5. Changing the Genre

Doctor Who was a major influence on British science fiction television, which is very different from the American sci-fi. For starters, British producers didn’t have the budget for great special effects or sets, so instead they focused on imaginative scripts, finding creative ways to do cheap effects and building alien sets that made the plastic planets on the original Star Trek look realistic. In fact, were it not for the success of Doctor Who, British science fiction might be very rare indeed. Without Doctor Who, we would never have had such cult sci-fi shows as Blake’s Seven, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Red Dwarf and Life on Mars. Even many of Britain’s non-sci-fi comedy and drama series were Who-influenced.

The new series of Doctor Who has a higher budget and production standards, but the focus is still on scripts and acting. It helps that so many of Britain’s best writers and actors grew up on Doctor Who, and are eager to do it. The first head writer of the new series, noted playwright Russell T Davies, was a long-time Doctor Who fan. So are current star David Tennant, and most of the writers and directors. For a cheap kids’ show, it sure influenced a lot of Britain’s finest creative people.

Mark Juddery is a writer and historian based in Australia. See what else he’s written at markjuddery.com.

See also…

Battlestar Galactica vs. Star Trek
*
10 TV Shows That Changed the Course of History
*
6 Sci-Fi TV Shows You Probably Didn’t See
*
Quiz: Star Wars Music

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Comments (59)
  1. thanks, mark. you made my (rainy) day. long live the doctor!

  2. I stayed in Manchester, UK for a few months at the Castlefield Hotel in ’03. There is an Air and Space Museum across the street and in a case on the second floor they had a Dalek next to a mock up Tardis. Not nearly as impressive as the intact kamkize plane from WW2, but it still caught my eye. I never expected to see any of those things in a museum.

  3. I have fallen in love with this show! It seems like I run into in everywhere now. It’s smart, funny, moving and fun! I’m glad to see it get the recognition it deserves.

  4. Ya know, if we could figure out the TARDIS thing, real estate would no longer be an issue.

    And props on the article–I always get super excited when I see the Doctor here on the _floss!

  5. Love Doctor who. I never knew cybermen played a part in starting the cyber- prefix. How awesome is that.

  6. It’s so weird that you posted this now… I’ve just spent the last week watching all of season 1 (of the new show) online. Such insanely good timing!

  7. Thanks for the great article, it excites us Whovians to see any story about Doctor Who on floss. I also read that Patrick Stewart is going to guest star next season as the Meddling Monk.

  8. Wonderfully fun read.

    By the way, did you know that Douglas Adams wrote for Doctor Who?

  9. It’s all the Doctor’s fault that I can’t live without my digital cable now…what did I ever do before access to BBC America??? Allons-y!

  10. Let’s see:
    Cybermen= Borg
    Yeah, Star Trek TNG is a pale imitation….

  11. As a (relatively) new fan to the series, great article!

    Now that the new series is temporarily on hiatus, I’ve been delving into the older episodes thanks to Netflix. They’re cheesy effects-wise, but they have a charm all their own.

    Dalek toys are still popular–even if they’re handmade. I’ve got a plush Dalek a friend knit for me.

  12. Kind of losed interest in Dr.Who these days, nothing like the old original series. Too much tongue and cheek for me now.

  13. I grew up with Doctor Who. It became a part of me and I’m sure it played a part in shaping who I am.
    I never cared that the sets were crap, I saw so many other shows with good sfx and juvenile plots, I was grateful that one show didn’t insult my intelligence. I am really happy that a new generation can now grow up with what I experienced.

  14. It never interested me much. Rather boring and, well, most people just watched it because it was the thing to do, I think. But, hey, we all have our weaknesses when it comes to TV.

  15. The Belleville Three; Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May have have been quoted many times that the Doctor Who Theme was one of their major influences to start playing around with electronic music. They are considered the godfathers of Detroit Techno, which would branch out and merge with House becoming techno, trance, and electronica music.

  16. And, of course, let’s not forget, the late great Douglas Adams, he of Hitchhikers fame, was a writer of many episodes of the Dr.

  17. Thank you Mark, for a brilliant article; but I hope you don’t mind a few minor points of disagreement?

    #3. A Tardis should not be any room or cabinet that somehow seems more spacious on the inside; the term for that (also from the good Doctor) is “dimensionally trancendental”. The Tardis itself is a device that has that capability (among others).
    The idea of something being bigger on the inside goes all the way back to the works of C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll if not further.

    #4 While influential on setting a standard for on screen violence, Doctor Who was returning to a tradition as old as the original stories from Grimms fairy tales; including difficult (for children) scenes and situations to both entertain, and to provide safe exposure to not just violence and gore, but ideas of morality and ethics (and sometimes a little science) that was also a cornerstone of the content and character of the show.

    #6 – Story Arcs
    While Doctor Who was not the first television show to present the idea of plots and storyline elements that carried over beyond standard episodic content, it was one of the first to do so for a science fictional series.
    To the point that many of the more consistent themes from the history of Doctor Who were almost automatically carried over after the 2005 return:
    Companions, Daleks, Gallifrey, Cybermen, U.N.I.T. and the Master.

    This had a great influence on the writing and production for many of the shows to follow, to the later revision of shows like Star Trek TNG to Babylon 5. And to the writing of Doctor Who itself.

  18. Thank you Mark, for a brilliant article; but I hope you don’t mind a few minor points of disagreement?

    #3. A Tardis should not be any room or cabinet that somehow seems more spacious on the inside; the term for that (also from the good Doctor) is “dimensionally trancendental”. The Tardis itself is a device that has that capability (among others). The idea of something being bigger on the inside goes all the way back to the works of C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll if not further.

    #4 While influential on setting a standard for on screen violence, Doctor Who was returning to a tradition as old as the original stories from Grimms fairy tales; including difficult (for children) scenes and situations to both entertain, and to provide safe exposure to not just violence and gore, but ideas of morality and ethics (and sometimes a little science) that was also a cornerstone of the content and character of the show.

    #6 – Story Arcs
    While Doctor Who was not the first television show to present the idea of plots and storyline elements that carried over beyond standard episodic content, it was one of the first to do so for a science fictional series.
    To the point that many of the more consistent themes from the history of Doctor Who were almost automatically carried over after the 2005 return: Companions, Daleks, Gallifrey, Cybermen, U.N.I.T. and the Master.

    This had a great influence on the writing and production for many of the shows to follow, to the later revision of shows like Star Trek TNG to Babylon 5. And to the writing of Doctor Who itself.

  19. Delia Derbyshire who mixed the music was brilliant in her own way. The bbc has a recording of her mixing electronic style music 30 years before it was in style.
    A sample of it is on the bbc website.

  20. Back in 1963 I was 4 years old and Doctor Who was must see TV.
    I would often get so scared at the Daleks appearing that I would hide behind the couch and often have an embarrasing accident!
    Bring back the Daleks!

    From Dalek #1959 age 49.75 years

  21. Doctor Who was amazing back in the day. I’ve watched a few of these new episodes and I can’t stand them. I think you should go back and watch the old ones again and then tell me that these new ones are well written and acted.

  22. Dr. Who is and was terrible.

  23. The Doctor is brilliant. The last 4 seasons have been well done and very much a continuation of the best traditions of the time Lords, except of course, for the relaxing cup o’. having Rose as a companion brought the Doctor out of the past and into the present very well. She proved to be a very nice addition to the insanity that is the life of a Time Lord. The writing is better that never and the plot lines are engaging without being overwhelmingly complicated.
    Bravo!

  24. This post is made of so much win.

  25. “Who” doesn’t love the Doctor?

    I’ve been a Whovian in the “catch as catch can” fashion, being an American, since I was 7. To me, Tom Baker is the Doctor; the definite article, you might say, though I’ve enjoyed the last few years of the show as well. Tennant is very handsome, indeed, and a good Doctor. I can see where he takes a lot of his cues from Tom Baker’s portrayal. I’m glad Tennant’s a fan and not just some young actor guy looking to make his big break.

  26. Brooklynperson:
    It’s interesting that you see Tom Baker in David Tennants portrayal of the Doctor as he (Tennant) has stated that “his” Doctor was always Peter Davison.
    If you watch “Time Crash”, last years Children In Need special, you will see the two of them together!

  27. Always glad to see Who mentioned anywhere in print or otherwise; I’ve loved it since 1963 or ’64, the point at which the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation picked it up from the BBC. I remember being absolutely fascinated with the Daleks, and impressed beyond fear with their voices. In fact, they were the first characters with which I experienced the terror of something unseen, yet horrifically different.

  28. I love Dr.Who, but, living in America, I don’t know of any one else who watches it. I stumbled upon it one nite on the BBC and i can’t stop watching it, the slightly lower budget special effects add to the show, making it a cultish awesome sci-fi.

  29. me and cam are fans of dr who.

  30. The Doctor is awesome!!!! I’ve heard the news that the Doctor will be *ahem* “regenerate” in 2010 & they’re going to replace David Tennant. All other sci-fi shows will cower at the face of Doctor Who!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! But Star-Trek is still a classic, duh.

  31. No one compares to Tom Baker! I think he may have also been in the role the longest…

  32. Tom Baker had the role the longest in terms of number of years spent performing it. For span of years from first to last appearance, Sylvester McCoy wins, because of the long hiatus between his last starring appearance in 1989 (the serial “Survival”) and his guest appearance on the American made-for-TV movie in 1996. For number of actual stories, interestingly enough, David Tennant wins, despite the fact that his seasons are just half-seasons. This is because the new series has abandoned the old serial format, and apart from the occasional two-parter (and rare three-parter), the stories are completed in a single episode of 45 minutes, which means more actual stories get done in a season.

    But there’s one other way of counting a Doctor’s tenure: not number of stories or number of years from first appearance to last appearance but amount of time from the first time he appears until the time his successor appears, which is particularly useful if a regeneration scene is not filmed. If you figure it this way, the longest-serving Doctor is actually Paul McGann, who first appeared as the Doctor on May 12, 1996. It was his *only* televised appearance as the Doctor, as the Fox network opted not to treat the movie as a pilot and instead just let it go. (How much did they not care? They can’t even be bothered to let it be released on DVD in the US, where they retain exclusive distribution rights.) There was no more “official” Doctor Who produced until the new series was launched by BBC Wales in 2005, starring Christopher Eccleston. No regeneration scene was filmed; the 9th Doctor appears already regenerated and apparently recovered from the experience. Eccleston’s first appearance was March 26, 2005. This means Paul McGann’s tenure lasted almost nine years — and four months longer than Sylvester McCoy’s. So the briefest Doctor could also be considered the longest Doctor.

    In general, however, Tom Baker is typically regarded as the longest-serving Doctor, having put in seven seasons as the title character, more than anyone else.

  33. “Wonderfully fun read.
    By the way, did you know that Douglas Adams wrote for Doctor Who?
    posted by Bryan on 10-8-2008 at 6:14 pm”

    Life, The Universe and Everything was created from a rejected Doctor Who script.

    What’s more, the serial Shada (only partly filmed due to Industrial Action and never finished) became a story for Adams’ other hero, Dirk Gently – Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

  34. I’ve been on a bit of a Delia Derbyshire kick as of late. Mental Floss giving props makes me very happy. She was a true visionary. White Noise’s first album “An Electric Storm” is an experimental music classic and still amazing even by today’s standards.

  35. I really tried to like Doctor Who, but I just find it dull. The real problem is the character of the Doctor himself–he’s essentially omnipotent. He (or the Tardis) can do whatever needs to be done too easily. There’s no real drama because in the end, the Doctor is going to pull some techno-stunt and immediately resolve everything. The show is just too…convenient.

  36. @dj_salinger, if you were dating Peter Davison’s daughter (Georgia Moffat), as David Tennant is at the moment, it’s probably a good idea to say something nice about her father. ;)

  37. I love the Doctor. David Tennant was brilliant in the role. I’m glad it’s getting more attention now. I think, here in America, it’s been an over-looked gem for decades. Fantastic writing!

  38. I love Doctor Who. I found it on BBC America, and it’s hard to find other Americans who are interested in it. My brother thought the show was dumb, but he sat down and watched a few episodes with me, and now he’s hooked. It really is a great show. I’ve only seen the David Tennant and the guy before him play the Doctor, and I think it’s going to be a little hard to see someone in 2010 playing the Doctor.

  39. How fun! Oddly enough I’m about to endevour in knitting a Tom Baker season 16 scarf! That is when the yarn finally gets here. I love the Doctor and the “cheesy” BBC special effects. Props for mentioning Blakes 7.

    Captcha: resupply wondrous

  40. I love, love, LOVE the doctor! My friends and I get together once a week during the school year and sit down for “Doctor Who Night”! It’s glorious! <3 long live the Doctor!

  41. Q: The mortal enemy of Daleks?
    A: Stairs.

  42. Mention needs to be made of the brilliance of the show’s name. I remembered and was intrigued by it from first time I heard it even though I didn’t get into the show until years later. And when I did it was because of the name. I had to know this Doctor Who. Was actually disappointed at first when everyone just called him The Doctor, but I get it now, it’s cool.

  43. YAY DOCTOR WHO!!!!

    Although unfortunately,David Tennant is no longer the star, and Ten is no more…we’re now onto Matt Smith and Eleven (the numbers refer to the incarnation of the Doctor, for non Whovians).

    I saw an episode from the first series of the new version several years ago and loved it. Since that time, I’ve seen all the episodes of the new series (and have searched for episodes of the old series). In fact, when I went to England, I walked into a store with a large amount of Doctor Who merchandise – and I’m sure the clerks had no idea why this crazy American was so excited to buy a Rose action figure, a sonic screwdriver, a Judoon cup, and a TARDIS (properly, it should be capitalized!) puzzle cube.

    With Steven Moffat taking over as head writer, there should be some great stories coming up – I’m a twenty-two-year-old woman, but “Blink” has given me a phobia of statues of weeping angels.

  44. Sorry but you make a shockingly elementary mistake in the article. The Tardis does not occupy “two different dimensions”, a drawing on a piece of paper does that. It most obviously occupies the standard 4-dimensions like everything else directly observable on planet Earth PLUS some alternate fractal or fantasy dimension that “explains” it’s enhanced inner space accessible to humans.

  45. There’s no doubt about it, like Stone Henge, Dr Who’s become a national institution here in Britain, and I have a feeling it might end up being around for as long too.

  46. As a hard-core Who fan, I’ve got to point out that TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Not “Dimensions.” It’s such a small thing, but but “dimension” is not supposed to be pluralized.

    They’ve even messed it up on the show itself – I’ve heard at least one Doctor refer to it incorrectly.

    But thanks for doing a Doctor Who article!

  47. Dr. Who – GAYEST. SHOW. EVER.

  48. How DARE you call Doctor Who gay!!!
    It is the best science fiction/drama show EVER! All my family loves the show and some of my friends and I get together almost every friday after school for doctor who club. My teacher Mr jacobson got us hooked.

  49. I just got obsessed with Doctor Who and I can’t stop watching it! Unfortunately, I had to since we’ve gotten rid of our cable (for money reasons) and I can’t even watch it on BBC’s website T_T Right when Matt started too…

  50. My brother and I are huge Doctor Who fans!!! David Tennant is our favorite, followed by Tom Baker. We have seen some of the older episodes with other doctors, but we haven’t seen any of the new ones with anyone besides Tennant. Ive heard that Eccleston and Smith are very good though. My favorite character is Donna Nobel. I think that she often gets overlooked, but she has a personality all her own. She is spunky and stubborn. Also, she 1. Is not dependent on the Doctor to come rescue her, she keeps calm and tries to help herself and 2. she’s not perfect, in fact she comes off as a spoiled brat in Runaway Bride, but she still does her best and ends up saving the day. She seems more like an actual person than a damsel in distress.

  51. I LOVE DOCTOR WHO although i live in florida and my classmates laugh at me i think its cool

  52. I love Doctor Who soooo much!! It’s such a fabulous show, and even though no one (except my friends) knows about it, I’m crazy for it! I love all the Doctors, each one different in their own way but all so very special.

  53. Wasn’t it William Gibson who coined the term cybernetic? I am probably wrong, please correct me if so…

  54. Is anyone a fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series? Initially, when she was thinking of an idea of a book to write, she just happened upon the Doctor Who episode with the Scottish Highlander…happily for all of us! Yea! Jamie and Claire! (Of course, if you are a fan, you probably already know this…!)

  55. @ okinawadato:
    William Gibson reportedly coined the term “cyberspace” in his book Neuromancer, not cybernetic.

  56. I finally got turned on to Dr Who a few months ago…and I’m obsessed. ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED! My fiancee bought me a sonic screwdriver. I love David Tennant….I was heartbroken when I watched the last episode he was in. It was so sad. Matt Smith is doing a fine job though…I’m liking his take on The Doctor. I was always a big fan of Rose and The Doctor’s relationship.

    Bought the season pass on iTunes. Season 6 is getting goooood.

  57. Exterminate! Exterminate!

  58. For you Whovians who are unable to watch due to lack of cable access: I watch a lot of Doctor Who on Netflix, both old story arcs and the new series. I watch more recent episodes and unavailable arcs on http://www.dailymotion.com and I can’t wait for the Christmas special!

  59. Love love love the Doctor!

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