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Dr. Who (Dalek films)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Who is a character based on the long-running BBC
television science-fiction
series Doctor Who
. Although based upon the character of the Doctor
from the television series, the character is fundamentally different, most notably in being human.
The character, portrayed by the actor Peter Cushing
, appeared in two films made by AARU Productions, Dr. Who and the Daleks
, which was based upon the televised serial The Daleks
, and Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., based upon the serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth
. Plans for a third film, based on The Chase
, were abandoned after the poor box office performance of the second film.
Cushing made no mention of the character or films in his autobiography.
Unlike the Doctor
in the television series, he is a human
being, not a Time Lord
, whose surname actually and unambiguously is "Who". He is not called "the Doctor" by his companions in Dr. Who and the Daleks
, though its sequel, Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., only refers to his surname once and otherwise addresses him simply as "the Doctor." Cushing's character is an eccentric inventor who claims to have created TARDIS
.
) travels with his two grand-daughters, Susan
(Roberta Tovey
), who is much younger than Susan of the TV series, and Barbara
(Jennie Linden
). They are joined in this first adventure by Ian Chesterton
(Roy Castle
), who is depicted as Barbara's "new boyfriend" and who is generally a rather inept, clumsy, comical figure as opposed to the more straightforwardly-heroic portrayal of Ian in the television series.
In the sequel, Susan is joined by Dr. Who's niece Louise (Jill Curzon
) and the somewhat comical additional male companion, London police officer Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins
).
(although there is no explanation in this film for the machine having this appearance). As with the regular TARDIS, it is larger on the inside, although the interior is vastly different from the series' console room. As with the TARDIS from the 2005 series onwards, the interior and exterior of the Ship are directly connected by the external doors.
Spring Special 2006, and the short story The House on Oldark Moor by Justin Richards
, published in the BBC Books' collection Short Trips and Sidesteps.
A 'doubly-fictional' duplicate of the Seventh Doctor
who appeared in the Virgin New Adventures
novel Head Games
was also known as "Dr. Who".
I Am The Doctor: The Unauthorised Diaries of a Time Lord by John Peel
states that, in the Doctor Who universe
, Dr. Who was created by Barbara Wright
as a way of making some money from her adventures and alerting people to the existence of the Daleks, without giving away too much about the real Doctor.
In the Doctor Who novel Salvation
reference is made to a film called "Pray for a Miracle", in which the First Doctor
's role in the events of the story are later depicted with 'Dr. Who' being portrayed by Peter Cushing.
Nev Fountain's short story The Five O'Clock Shadow, from the Doctor Who anthology
Short Trips: A Day in the Life, reveals that Dr. Who and his eight-year-old grand-daughter Suzy are fictitious creations brought to life by the real Doctor (using the power of the TARDIS
) to keep the nemesis named Shadow, the embodiment of grief and sorrow, distracted until the real Doctor could overcome his grief and escape from Shadow's prison. Shadow has no hold over the cheerful, angst-free Dr. Who, who departs with Suzy on further childlike and wondrous adventures.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television science-fiction
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. Although based upon the character of the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
from the television series, the character is fundamentally different, most notably in being human.
The character, portrayed by the actor Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
, appeared in two films made by AARU Productions, Dr. Who and the Daleks
Dr. Who and the Daleks
Dr. Who and the Daleks was the first of two Doctor Who films made in the 1960s. It was followed by Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D....
, which was based upon the televised serial The Daleks
The Daleks
The Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964...
, and Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., based upon the serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from November 21 to December 26, 1964....
. Plans for a third film, based on The Chase
The Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
, were abandoned after the poor box office performance of the second film.
Cushing made no mention of the character or films in his autobiography.
Personality
Dr. Who is a gentle, grandfatherly figure, naturally curious and sometimes absent-minded, but at the same time is not afraid to fight for justice. He is shown to have a keen and somewhat juvenile sense of humour, and a strong sense of adventure with a will of iron and very strong morals.Unlike the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
in the television series, he is a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
being, not a Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
, whose surname actually and unambiguously is "Who". He is not called "the Doctor" by his companions in Dr. Who and the Daleks
Dr. Who and the Daleks
Dr. Who and the Daleks was the first of two Doctor Who films made in the 1960s. It was followed by Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D....
, though its sequel, Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., only refers to his surname once and otherwise addresses him simply as "the Doctor." Cushing's character is an eccentric inventor who claims to have created TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
.
Companions
In the first film, Dr. Who (Peter CushingPeter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
) travels with his two grand-daughters, Susan
Susan Foreman
Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Carole Ann Ford from 1963 to 1964, in the show's first season and the first two stories of the second season...
(Roberta Tovey
Roberta Tovey
Roberta Tovey is an English actress and singer who has appeared in many films and television programmes. One of her better-known roles was that of Susan, the granddaughter of Dr. Who in the 1960s films Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD...
), who is much younger than Susan of the TV series, and Barbara
Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)
Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. She was one of the programme's very first regulars and appeared in the bulk of its first two seasons from 1963–65, played by Jacqueline Hill. In the film version...
(Jennie Linden
Jennie Linden
Jennie Linden is an English film and television actress.Linden was born in Worthing to Marcus and Freida Fletcher, an architect and housewife. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama at the age of 17 on a scholarship...
). They are joined in this first adventure by Ian Chesterton
Ian Chesterton
Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell, and was one of the members of the programme's very first regular cast, appearing in the bulk of the first two...
(Roy Castle
Roy Castle
Roy Castle OBE was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. He attended Honley High School, where there is now a building in his name...
), who is depicted as Barbara's "new boyfriend" and who is generally a rather inept, clumsy, comical figure as opposed to the more straightforwardly-heroic portrayal of Ian in the television series.
In the sequel, Susan is joined by Dr. Who's niece Louise (Jill Curzon
Jill Curzon
Jill Curzon is a British actress most famous for her film and television appearances during the 1960s.Her television appearances include The Champions , Adam Adamant Lives! , The Saint , Hugh and I and Disneyland...
) and the somewhat comical additional male companion, London police officer Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
).
TARDIS
Dr. Who's TARDIS resembles both that used in the television series and a real police boxPolice box
A police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...
(although there is no explanation in this film for the machine having this appearance). As with the regular TARDIS, it is larger on the inside, although the interior is vastly different from the series' console room. As with the TARDIS from the 2005 series onwards, the interior and exterior of the Ship are directly connected by the external doors.
Other appearances
As well as the two films, Dr. Who appeared in the comic strip Daleks versus the Martians in the Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
Spring Special 2006, and the short story The House on Oldark Moor by Justin Richards
Justin Richards
Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian or early-20th-century London, and also adventure stories set in the present day...
, published in the BBC Books' collection Short Trips and Sidesteps.
A 'doubly-fictional' duplicate of the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
who appeared in the Virgin New Adventures
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
novel Head Games
Head Games (Doctor Who)
Head Games is an original novel written by Steve Lyons and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
was also known as "Dr. Who".
I Am The Doctor: The Unauthorised Diaries of a Time Lord by John Peel
John Peel (writer)
John Peel is a British writer, best known for his books connected to several television series. He has written under several pseudonyms, including John Vincent and Nicholas Adams. He lives in Long Island, New York and his wife is a U.S...
states that, in the Doctor Who universe
Whoniverse
Whoniverse, a portmanteau of the words "Who" and "universe", is a word used to describe the fictional setting of the television series Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and K-9, as well as other related stories...
, Dr. Who was created by Barbara Wright
Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)
Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. She was one of the programme's very first regulars and appeared in the bulk of its first two seasons from 1963–65, played by Jacqueline Hill. In the film version...
as a way of making some money from her adventures and alerting people to the existence of the Daleks, without giving away too much about the real Doctor.
In the Doctor Who novel Salvation
Salvation (Doctor Who)
Salvation is a BBC Books original novel written by Steve Lyons and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
reference is made to a film called "Pray for a Miracle", in which the First Doctor
First Doctor
The First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
's role in the events of the story are later depicted with 'Dr. Who' being portrayed by Peter Cushing.
Nev Fountain's short story The Five O'Clock Shadow, from the Doctor Who anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Short Trips: A Day in the Life, reveals that Dr. Who and his eight-year-old grand-daughter Suzy are fictitious creations brought to life by the real Doctor (using the power of the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
) to keep the nemesis named Shadow, the embodiment of grief and sorrow, distracted until the real Doctor could overcome his grief and escape from Shadow's prison. Shadow has no hold over the cheerful, angst-free Dr. Who, who departs with Suzy on further childlike and wondrous adventures.