Jason English
Doctor Who Sets A Record
by Jason English - July 28, 2009 - 10:23 AM

dalek.jpg

Over the weekend, the Guinness Book of World Records named Doctor Who the most successful science-fiction series in television history. I didn’t realize the Guinness people weighed in on such things, but it gives me the opportunity to plug Mark Juddery’s great article from last year, “5 Ways Doctor Who Made a Difference.” Enjoy!

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Comments (7)

  1. And we have the good Doctor to thank for the awesomeness that was Torchwood’s Children of Earth. Can’t wait for the last few Doctor episodes and next year’s regeneration.

    posted by nutmeag on 7-28-2009 at 10:51 am

  2. I’m not entirely sold on the 11th Doctor, but what spoilers I’ve heard about his companion(s) make me feel better about the whole situation.

    posted by Lisa on 7-28-2009 at 12:48 pm

  3. I’d have to ask Guiness– Over Star Trek? Really? How many blockbuster movies has Dr. Who spawned? Or how many spin-offs? I’d be curious to know.

    Oh wait it’s none. Now I remember. I wonder how much money the Doctor Who fan club paid Guiness for that stump.

    posted by Joel on 7-28-2009 at 1:26 pm

  4. yeah, I don’t know about this. The special effects on Doctor Who, a staple of sci-fi, is barely beyond the original Star Trek, which was made 40+ yrs ago.

    It’s part of its charm, but its kinda cheesy for a sci-fi show. He rides around in a phone booth for crying-out-loud.

    posted by Jonny on 7-28-2009 at 1:40 pm

  5. I have to agree. I always thought Dr. Who looked like some old leftover series that they just recycled from about 40 years ago.

    posted by hyacinth on 7-28-2009 at 2:26 pm

  6. Actually, Joel, the answer would be two movies – the Dalek films with Peter Cushing – and two TV spinoffs plus a third (an Australian show starring K-9) on the way. [That's not counting the earlier \K-9 and Company\ pilot, which never went to series, or spinoffs in other media.]

    Those numbers may be smaller than Trek’s, but consider that Who, which started before TOS was still going when TNG premiered. When Who returned from its own wilderness years – as a continuation of the original show rather than a spin-off – it became one of the biggest hits in its native country. That’s a measure of success that no incarnation of Trek has achieved.

    Also, there’s one thing to consider: Trek is easy to think of as a single franchise, but it’s really five distinct live-action (and one animated) series, plus other media and assorted merchandise. As franchises, Trek and Who are comparable, but once you separate all of Trek’s into individual piles, well, each one’s a whole lot smaller.

    For example, the Variety article specifically cites book sales. Yes, Trek and Who have each spawned hundreds of novels. In the former case, however, only the TOS ones would count for TOS, only the TNG ones for TNG, and so on. Who has had more than 450 novels and short story collections on its own, not counting annuals or spin-off lines without the Doctor.

    posted by Kevin on 7-28-2009 at 6:22 pm

  7. @Kevin… 3 movies the one in the ’90′s with Paul McGann….

    Long live The Doctor!

    posted by EarthBug on 12-12-2009 at 2:42 pm

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