Whoniverse
Encyclopedia
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. The term is often used to link characters, ideas or items which are seen across multiple productions, such as Sarah Jane Smith
from Doctor Who, K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures, Jack Harkness
from Doctor Who and Torchwood and K9
from Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K-9.
Before the expansion of the Doctor Who fictional universe, the term "Whoniverse" referred to everything connected with the programme, both in-universe and behind-the-scenes. In this original meaning, standing exhibitions, discussions about the filming of episodes and even fandom itself were considered part of the "Whoniverse".
Unlike the owners of other science fiction franchises, the BBC
takes no position on which Doctor Who stories are definitive for future projects. The show has no 'canon', and indeed, recent producers of the show have expressed distaste for the idea. Though the term is essentially an example of fanspeak
, it has recently begun to appear in mainstream
press coverage following the popular success of the 2005 Doctor Who revival.
. In this overview, Haining called his final chapter, "The Whoniverse". The section assembled factual information about all the episodes to date, but also gave information about fan clubs and ancillary entertainments related to the programme. Thus, the author enjoined his readers to believe that their own efforts were connected to those of the show-runners. Fans, in other words, were a part of the Whoniverse as much as the plot details of specific episodes. Though this meaning is rare today, the "Whoniverse" originally described both narrative intent and viewer reaction, plot and production, studio floor and convention hall.
" and the Torchwood Institute
.
The current television series consists of individual stories that add to a broader story arcs. These arcs contain seemingly incidental details later revealed to be significant events. These events gradually build toward long term consequences for the series' characters and setting. Prior stories such as "Aliens of London
", "The Christmas Invasion
", and "Doomsday
" are frequently referenced later, for instance in the episode "Love & Monsters
" and the spin-off series Torchwood.
As noted earlier, the term Whoniverse was likely coined prior to the series' revival in 2005. The foreword to 1992's The Universal Databank makes it clear that commentator Jean-Marc Lofficier
considered the Whoniverse to be a wholly fictional place, where certain facts, such as production details, do not belong.
, Skaro
, Gallifrey
etc.) and other bipedal aliens. Time travel
is possible, as was interdimensional travel; since the fall of the Time Lord
s, however, it has become significantly more difficult. Alien technology is often far more advanced than Earth technology, often creating seemingly magical feats such as resurrecting the dead. In its early days — the "Dark Times", the universe was smaller, a chaotic place of "blood and magic", with relics still remaining from this period. But since these times, there seems to be a degree of order to the universe, with rules regulating time travel, and the Celestial Intervention Agency
occasionally intervening. A political code of conduct exists between many alien races, with mentions of the "Shadow Proclamation", and also evidenced when the Dalek
s and Time Lords co-operated in the execution of the Master
. The universe itself seems to have some natural agents to clean up problems, such as Reapers who appear to clean up time paradox
es.
Doctor Who is set in a rational universe, where everything is explained through applications of different sorts of science, the Carrionites just one example of aliens using complex science to seemingly magical ends. Concepts of faith, deities and magic are not absent in the universe, however (and the Third Doctor story The Daemons suggests that magic and psychic powers are two ways of looking at the same thing). The series had established that there is a "Black Guardian
" and "White Guardian
" who serve as personifications of chaos and order, respectively, balancing the forces of the universe. There appears to be at least some indication of a monotheistic deity
(the term 'creation' is often used to describe the universe/multiverse) and adversary
with some place in the universe. The Beast and Abaddon are demons revealed to have been sealed away in planets "before the dawn of time", with the suggestion that there are more demons sealed away in a similar fashion. This seems to indicate some sort of dualistic
higher power (also evidenced by the Guardians) with at least some control over creation. Simultaneously, Torchwood presents existentialist themes throughout its entire first series.
People on Earth
are to varying extents aware of alien life. Aliens have invaded Earth many times, most notably in recent years as part of "The Christmas Invasion
" and "Doomsday
", and UNIT and the Torchwood Institute
are examples of government responses to the knowledge of extraterrestrial life
. However, most members of the public remain ignorant of aliens as they have (as put by the Doctor) "an amazing capacity for self-deception". Some people explain the events of these invasions as "mass hallucinations" caused by psychotropic drugs
planted by terrorists in the water supply. (Something mentioned in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams
who worked on the original series of Doctor Who for a time.) Others form conspiracy groups, having become aware of the presence of The Doctor and alien life. In late 2007, Prime Minister Harold Saxon finally confirms the presence of alien life forms to the universe when in the presence of the US President
he establishes "first contact
" with alien life. Saxon's actions also allowed the press within the Doctor Whos fictional universe to confirm to the world that many previously suspected alien encounters in the 2000s were all in fact true. In later years however, wide alien scepticism may have returned. The constant flux between widespread extraterrestrial knowledge and self-deception is shown in some episodes to continue throughout contemporary Earth.
The Earth occupies much of the past and future
of the setting's history. It is explained that supernatural entities have always inhabited Earth as had prehistoric reptilian humanoids
and extraterrestrial visitors long before humans ever came to be. The planet Earth was formed with a passing Racnoss spaceship at its planetesimal
core and was also once one of twin planets, with its sister Mondas. Earth is also home to a spacetime Rift, partially serving to imprison a demon known as Abaddon. As portrayed, contemporary Earth is somewhat more technologically advanced than its real-world analogue, with certain areas in the 60s, 70s and 80s
in places ahead of their time, although the majority of this technology has been evidenced by specialised groups, such as UNIT and the Torchwood Institute. In "The Christmas Invasion", the planet even is described as "armed", possessing weaponry sufficient to obliterate a Sycorax mothership or take down a Racnoss Webstar with tank shells. The future of Earth has been portrayed in various ways; sometimes with little difference to the present, at others ranging from abandoned to overpopulated and hyper-industrialised, from a Utopia
to a dying planet.
Davies' successor, Steven Moffat
declared at a convention in 2008 that, "It is impossible for a show about a dimension-hopping time traveller to have a canon." Paul Cornell
, who has written Doctor Who novels as well as episodes of the TV series, said "I can’t think of any other fandom that assumes they have a canon when nobody has ever told them that they do. Especially since our show itself declares that it doesn’t now have, and probably never did have, a canon."
One of the term's early adopters, Jean-Marc Lofficier
, wrote that defining the Whoniverse was "like taking photographs of shadows. Not only is it a matter of point of view, but shadows also change. So the best advice to be given to those readers who brook little disagreement with their own views of how the fictional Whoniverse should be arranged, is: read no further, go write your own book." With a series that contradicts itself as much as Doctor Who does in all its many formats, attempts to define a rigid idea of what is Doctor Who canon with lists of what does and does not count are by some considered to be a bit silly and pointless.
Most fans contend that the classic Doctor Who television series (Doctors One
to Seven
), the television movie (Eighth Doctor
), the new Doctor Who television series (Doctors Nine
, Ten
and Eleven
) and the programme's three spin-off television series Torchwood
, The Sarah Jane Adventures
, and K-9 and Company
count, but there is some debate over the status of Doctor Who stories in other media. There are more original novels and original audio adventures than television stories, representing a substantial (and mostly consistent) body of work. There are also a number of spin-offs from Doctor Who in other media
. The attitude in fandom ranges from those who insist only the television stories (and not always all of those) count, to those who count everything.
"Boom Town
" seems to call a purist
viewpoint into question through a dialogue reference to the Ninth Doctor novel The Monsters Inside
— suggesting the inclusion of at least some novels to the basic continuity. Likewise, "The Pandorica Opens
" makes reference to Chelonians, aliens from the Virgin New Adventures. Most of the Doctor Who novels and audios were written in the 1989–2005 gap in production of the television series, and few contradict what was established on television, or have been subsequently contradicted. Furthermore, as is part of the nature of a fictional universe in which time travel is possible, alternative timelines become possible, which gives the possibility of retcon
ning events by writing over them within the universe's fictional history.
The Gallifrey Chronicles
has the Doctor stating "one of the things you'll learn is that it's all real. Every word of every novel is real, every frame of every movie, every panel of every comic strip". With regards to the Whoniverse, this could imply that the Eighth Doctor
's adventures in three media would lead to three separate incarnations of the Ninth Doctor
: (presumably the Ninth Doctors seen in BBC productions portrayed by Rowan Atkinson
(Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death
), Richard E. Grant
(Scream of the Shalka
) and Christopher Eccleston
respectively). The Tenth Doctor
stated in "Doomsday
" that every decision we make creates a fractured alternative universe
, which would comply with this theory.
While non-televised stories may be considered by some part of a fictional multiverse
, and the core canon only describing the fictional universe, some Doctor Who media seem to contradict both canon and the basic laws established in the fictional universe, more of a work based on the original Doctor Who, most notably Dr. Who and the Daleks
and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD
which therefore cannot exist in the Whoniverse. Also the fourth spin-off series K-9 is not produced by the BBC
but by Jetix Europe
with no BBC involvement.
Russell T Davies contributed a New Adventures novel, Damaged Goods, during Doctor Whos absence from TV, and the show does make occasional references to this grey area. Oblique references to the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip ("kronkburgers" in "The Long Game
") and the Virgin New Adventures
(the planets Lucifer and Arcadia, mentioned in "Bad Wolf
" and "Doomsday
" respectively, and the Doctor's title "The Oncoming Storm", mentioned in "The Parting of the Ways
", "Amy's Choice
" and "The Lodger
"). Articles by Davies in the book "Monsters and Villains" and the 2006 Doctor Who Annual incorporate information from the books, audios and comic strips to detail character and story backgrounds.
Overall, Davies has said that he is "usually happy for old and new fans to invent the Complete History of the Doctor in their heads, completely free of the production team's hot and heavy hands."
The BBC licensed and approved every Doctor Who story in other media; the contract for Virgin's New Adventures
stated that the books were 'the official continuation' of Doctor Who now the TV show was off the air. Over the last ten years, the BBC published well over a hundred of the novels itself, republished a number of the Virgin New Adventures in online e-book
form, commissioned original Doctor Who dramas as webcasts, and BBC Radio has broadcast both existing and original audio adventures made by Big Finish
. In late 2006, Gary Russell
, the long-time head of Big Finish, was added to the Cardiff production team ostensibly to keep official track of TV series continuity. The BBC-produced/broadcast productions (including a 1985 BBC Radio
serial, Slipback
, a pair of serials produced in the 1990s starring Jon Pertwee entitled The Paradise of Death
and The Ghosts of N-Space
, and most recently a "season" of audio dramas starring Paul McGann
broadcast on BBC7 in 2007 and repeated in 2010.
The debate over whether the novels are canonical or exist in a parallel continuity is complicated by the fact that the 2005 episode "Dalek
" cannibalises elements of the audio drama Jubilee
and the 2007 two-part story "Human Nature
" and "The Family of Blood
" was adapted from Paul Cornell
's 1995 New Adventures novel Human Nature.
It is also somewhat controversial to canonise the 30th Anniversary Special Dimensions in Time
– a crossover
with the soap EastEnders
which had its first episode broadcast as part of Children in Need
's 1993 telethon and its second as part of Noel's House Party
, particularly in light of the 2006 episode, "Army of Ghosts
", which depicts Whoniverse characters watching Eastenders on television.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of the television 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...
, K-9 and Company
K-9 and Company
K-9 and Company was a proposed television spin-off of the original programme run of Doctor Who . It was to feature former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist played by Elisabeth Sladen, and K-9, a robotic dog. Both characters had been companions of the Fourth Doctor, but...
, Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
and K-9, as well as other related stories. The term is often used to link characters, ideas or items which are seen across multiple productions, such as Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
from Doctor Who, K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures, Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
from Doctor Who and Torchwood and K9
K-9 (Doctor Who)
K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
from Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K-9.
Before the expansion of the Doctor Who fictional universe, the term "Whoniverse" referred to everything connected with the programme, both in-universe and behind-the-scenes. In this original meaning, standing exhibitions, discussions about the filming of episodes and even fandom itself were considered part of the "Whoniverse".
Unlike the owners of other science fiction franchises, the BBC
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...
takes no position on which Doctor Who stories are definitive for future projects. The show has no 'canon', and indeed, recent producers of the show have expressed distaste for the idea. Though the term is essentially an example of fanspeak
Fanspeak
Fanspeak is the slang or jargon current in science fiction and fantasy fandom, especially those terms in use among readers and writers of science fiction fanzines....
, it has recently begun to appear in mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
press coverage following the popular success of the 2005 Doctor Who revival.
Original usage
It is not known precisely when the term "Whoniverse" came into common fan parlance. However, an early instance is found in the 1983 book, Doctor Who: A Celebration; Two Decades Through Time and Space by frequent Doctor Who non-fiction writer, Peter HainingPeter Haining
Peter Alexander Haining was a British journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk...
. In this overview, Haining called his final chapter, "The Whoniverse". The section assembled factual information about all the episodes to date, but also gave information about fan clubs and ancillary entertainments related to the programme. Thus, the author enjoined his readers to believe that their own efforts were connected to those of the show-runners. Fans, in other words, were a part of the Whoniverse as much as the plot details of specific episodes. Though this meaning is rare today, the "Whoniverse" originally described both narrative intent and viewer reaction, plot and production, studio floor and convention hall.
Current usage
The first few decades of Doctor Who kept development of its fictional universe to a minimum; still, over the years a number of recurring elements became established and further embellished over time. In the revived television series since 2005, the Whoniverse has expanded further through the introduction of elements such as the "Time WarTime War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
" and the Torchwood Institute
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
.
The current television series consists of individual stories that add to a broader story arcs. These arcs contain seemingly incidental details later revealed to be significant events. These events gradually build toward long term consequences for the series' characters and setting. Prior stories such as "Aliens of London
Aliens of London
"Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 16 April 2005. The Doctor takes Rose back to 21st century London, just in time to witness a spaceship crashing into the River Thames, triggering a...
", "The Christmas Invasion
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
", and "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" are frequently referenced later, for instance in the episode "Love & Monsters
Love & Monsters
"Love & Monsters" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In this episode, an ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with a man called the Doctor and his strange blue box, and joins a group of like-minded people in hopes of finding him...
" and the spin-off series Torchwood.
As noted earlier, the term Whoniverse was likely coined prior to the series' revival in 2005. The foreword to 1992's The Universal Databank makes it clear that commentator Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier .-Biography:Jean-Marc Lofficier was born in Toulon, France in 1954...
considered the Whoniverse to be a wholly fictional place, where certain facts, such as production details, do not belong.
Features
Typical features of the Whoniverse are planets inhabited by humanoid species (e.g. MondasMondas (Doctor Who)
Mondas is a fictional planet in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Mondas is the homeworld of the Cybermen, a race of cyborgs....
, Skaro
Skaro
Skaro is a fictional planet from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire....
, Gallifrey
Gallifrey
Gallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
etc.) and other bipedal aliens. Time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
is possible, as was interdimensional travel; since the fall of the 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...
s, however, it has become significantly more difficult. Alien technology is often far more advanced than Earth technology, often creating seemingly magical feats such as resurrecting the dead. In its early days — the "Dark Times", the universe was smaller, a chaotic place of "blood and magic", with relics still remaining from this period. But since these times, there seems to be a degree of order to the universe, with rules regulating time travel, and the Celestial Intervention Agency
Celestial Intervention Agency
The Celestial Intervention Agency is a fictional organization of Time Lords in the universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
occasionally intervening. A political code of conduct exists between many alien races, with mentions of the "Shadow Proclamation", and also evidenced when the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s and Time Lords co-operated in the execution of the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
. The universe itself seems to have some natural agents to clean up problems, such as Reapers who appear to clean up time paradox
Grandfather paradox
The grandfather paradox is a proposed paradox of time travel first described by the science fiction writer René Barjavel in his 1943 book Le Voyageur Imprudent . The paradox is this: suppose a man traveled back in time and killed his biological grandfather before the latter met the traveler's...
es.
Doctor Who is set in a rational universe, where everything is explained through applications of different sorts of science, the Carrionites just one example of aliens using complex science to seemingly magical ends. Concepts of faith, deities and magic are not absent in the universe, however (and the Third Doctor story The Daemons suggests that magic and psychic powers are two ways of looking at the same thing). The series had established that there is a "Black Guardian
Black Guardian
The Black Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Valentine Dyall....
" and "White Guardian
White Guardian
The White Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Cyril Luckham, with the exception of a vocal message in The Stones of Blood which was performed by Gerald Cross....
" who serve as personifications of chaos and order, respectively, balancing the forces of the universe. There appears to be at least some indication of a monotheistic deity
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
(the term 'creation' is often used to describe the universe/multiverse) and adversary
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
with some place in the universe. The Beast and Abaddon are demons revealed to have been sealed away in planets "before the dawn of time", with the suggestion that there are more demons sealed away in a similar fashion. This seems to indicate some sort of dualistic
Dualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
higher power (also evidenced by the Guardians) with at least some control over creation. Simultaneously, Torchwood presents existentialist themes throughout its entire first series.
People on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
are to varying extents aware of alien life. Aliens have invaded Earth many times, most notably in recent years as part of "The Christmas Invasion
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
" and "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
", and UNIT and the Torchwood Institute
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
are examples of government responses to the knowledge of extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. However, most members of the public remain ignorant of aliens as they have (as put by the Doctor) "an amazing capacity for self-deception". Some people explain the events of these invasions as "mass hallucinations" caused by psychotropic drugs
Psychoactive drug
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...
planted by terrorists in the water supply. (Something mentioned in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
who worked on the original series of Doctor Who for a time.) Others form conspiracy groups, having become aware of the presence of The Doctor and alien life. In late 2007, Prime Minister Harold Saxon finally confirms the presence of alien life forms to the universe when in the presence of the US President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
he establishes "first contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
" with alien life. Saxon's actions also allowed the press within the Doctor Whos fictional universe to confirm to the world that many previously suspected alien encounters in the 2000s were all in fact true. In later years however, wide alien scepticism may have returned. The constant flux between widespread extraterrestrial knowledge and self-deception is shown in some episodes to continue throughout contemporary Earth.
The Earth occupies much of the past and future
Doctor Who chronology
The majority of the stories in the long-running television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs include an element of time travel, with the settings taking place on dates across a wide span of time in the fictional universe of Doctor Who – the "Whoniverse". To date, 11 actors have portrayed the...
of the setting's history. It is explained that supernatural entities have always inhabited Earth as had prehistoric reptilian humanoids
Silurian (Doctor Who)
The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
and extraterrestrial visitors long before humans ever came to be. The planet Earth was formed with a passing Racnoss spaceship at its planetesimal
Planetesimal
Planetesimals are solid objects thought to exist in protoplanetary disks and in debris disks.A widely accepted theory of planet formation, the so-called planetesimal hypothesis of Viktor Safronov, states that planets form out of cosmic dust grains that collide and stick to form larger and larger...
core and was also once one of twin planets, with its sister Mondas. Earth is also home to a spacetime Rift, partially serving to imprison a demon known as Abaddon. As portrayed, contemporary Earth is somewhat more technologically advanced than its real-world analogue, with certain areas in the 60s, 70s and 80s
UNIT dating controversy
The UNIT dating controversy is an ongoing debate in Doctor Who fandom, concerning exactly when the stories featuring the fictional military organisation known as United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, or more recently as the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, take place in the timeline of the...
in places ahead of their time, although the majority of this technology has been evidenced by specialised groups, such as UNIT and the Torchwood Institute. In "The Christmas Invasion", the planet even is described as "armed", possessing weaponry sufficient to obliterate a Sycorax mothership or take down a Racnoss Webstar with tank shells. The future of Earth has been portrayed in various ways; sometimes with little difference to the present, at others ranging from abandoned to overpopulated and hyper-industrialised, from a Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
to a dying planet.
Inclusion and continuity
There exists a wide range of often conflicting ideas about what is or is not a part of the Whoniverse, as key production staff have explicitly stated that there is no Doctor Who canon. The producer for the television series from 2005 to 2009, Russell T Davies, has claimed that he's "just the writer...I've got no more authority over the text than you!", saying "(Canon) is a word which has never been used in the production office, not once, not ever" He also said that considering the Doctor Who audio plays as being uncanonical is both "boring and idiotic".Davies' successor, Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
declared at a convention in 2008 that, "It is impossible for a show about a dimension-hopping time traveller to have a canon." Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
, who has written Doctor Who novels as well as episodes of the TV series, said "I can’t think of any other fandom that assumes they have a canon when nobody has ever told them that they do. Especially since our show itself declares that it doesn’t now have, and probably never did have, a canon."
One of the term's early adopters, Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier .-Biography:Jean-Marc Lofficier was born in Toulon, France in 1954...
, wrote that defining the Whoniverse was "like taking photographs of shadows. Not only is it a matter of point of view, but shadows also change. So the best advice to be given to those readers who brook little disagreement with their own views of how the fictional Whoniverse should be arranged, is: read no further, go write your own book." With a series that contradicts itself as much as Doctor Who does in all its many formats, attempts to define a rigid idea of what is Doctor Who canon with lists of what does and does not count are by some considered to be a bit silly and pointless.
Most fans contend that the classic Doctor Who television series (Doctors One
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...
to Seven
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....
), the television movie (Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
), the new Doctor Who television series (Doctors Nine
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
, Ten
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
and Eleven
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
) and the programme's three spin-off television series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
, and K-9 and Company
K-9 and Company
K-9 and Company was a proposed television spin-off of the original programme run of Doctor Who . It was to feature former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist played by Elisabeth Sladen, and K-9, a robotic dog. Both characters had been companions of the Fourth Doctor, but...
count, but there is some debate over the status of Doctor Who stories in other media. There are more original novels and original audio adventures than television stories, representing a substantial (and mostly consistent) body of work. There are also a number of spin-offs from Doctor Who in other media
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
. The attitude in fandom ranges from those who insist only the television stories (and not always all of those) count, to those who count everything.
"Boom Town
Boom Town (Doctor Who)
"Boom Town" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 4 June 2005. The Doctor, Rose and Jack travel to modern-day Cardiff and meet up with Rose's boyfriend, Mickey...
" seems to call a purist
Purist
A purist is one who desires that an item remains true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences. The term may be used in almost any field, and can be applied either to the self or to others. Use of the term may be either pejorative or complimentary, depending on the context...
viewpoint into question through a dialogue reference to the Ninth Doctor novel The Monsters Inside
The Monsters Inside
The Monsters Inside is a BBC Books original novel written by Stephen Cole and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was published on May 19, 2005, alongside The Clockwise Man and Winner Takes All...
— suggesting the inclusion of at least some novels to the basic continuity. Likewise, "The Pandorica Opens
The Pandorica Opens
"The Pandorica Opens" is the twelfth episode, and first in a two-part story, in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on 19 June 2010. The Doctor's friends send him a warning; he deals with a message on a cliff, a mysterious box and a love story that...
" makes reference to Chelonians, aliens from the Virgin New Adventures. Most of the Doctor Who novels and audios were written in the 1989–2005 gap in production of the television series, and few contradict what was established on television, or have been subsequently contradicted. Furthermore, as is part of the nature of a fictional universe in which time travel is possible, alternative timelines become possible, which gives the possibility of retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ning events by writing over them within the universe's fictional history.
The Gallifrey Chronicles
The Gallifrey Chronicles (2005 novel)
For the John Peel book of the same name, see: The Gallifrey Chronicles The Gallifrey Chronicles is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
has the Doctor stating "one of the things you'll learn is that it's all real. Every word of every novel is real, every frame of every movie, every panel of every comic strip". With regards to the Whoniverse, this could imply that the Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
's adventures in three media would lead to three separate incarnations of the Ninth Doctor
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
: (presumably the Ninth Doctors seen in BBC productions portrayed by Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
(Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death is a four-episode special of Doctor Who made for the Red Nose Day charity telethon in the United Kingdom, and broadcast on BBC One on 12 March 1999...
), Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...
(Scream of the Shalka
Scream of the Shalka
Scream of the Shalka is a flash-animated series based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was produced to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the series and was originally posted in six weekly parts from 13 November to 18 December 2003 on bbc.co.uk's Doctor Who...
) and Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
respectively). The Tenth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
stated in "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" that every decision we make creates a fractured alternative universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, which would comply with this theory.
While non-televised stories may be considered by some part of a fictional multiverse
Multiverse (science)
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise everything that exists and can exist: the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them...
, and the core canon only describing the fictional universe, some Doctor Who media seem to contradict both canon and the basic laws established in the fictional universe, more of a work based on the original Doctor Who, most notably 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....
and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD
Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD
Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. is the second of two films based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. It was the sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks , and starred Peter Cushing in his return to the role of the eccentric inventor and time traveller "Dr. Who". It also...
which therefore cannot exist in the Whoniverse. Also the fourth spin-off series K-9 is not produced by the BBC
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...
but by Jetix Europe
Jetix
Jetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
with no BBC involvement.
Russell T Davies contributed a New Adventures novel, Damaged Goods, during Doctor Whos absence from TV, and the show does make occasional references to this grey area. Oblique references to the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip ("kronkburgers" in "The Long Game
The Long Game
"The Long Game" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on May 7, 2005. Along with new companion Adam, the TARDIS deposits the Doctor and Rose on Satellite 5, a space station that broadcasts across the entire human empire...
") and 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...
(the planets Lucifer and Arcadia, mentioned in "Bad Wolf
Bad Wolf
"Bad Wolf" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on June 11, 2005. The TARDIS crew find themselves trapped in the Gamestation, also known as Satellite 5, where they must battle to survive the cruel games...
" and "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" respectively, and the Doctor's title "The Oncoming Storm", mentioned in "The Parting of the Ways
The Parting of the Ways
"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
", "Amy's Choice
Amy's Choice (Doctor Who)
"Amy's Choice" is the seventh episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 15 May 2010...
" and "The Lodger
The Lodger (Doctor Who)
"The Lodger" is the eleventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 12 June 2010...
"). Articles by Davies in the book "Monsters and Villains" and the 2006 Doctor Who Annual incorporate information from the books, audios and comic strips to detail character and story backgrounds.
Overall, Davies has said that he is "usually happy for old and new fans to invent the Complete History of the Doctor in their heads, completely free of the production team's hot and heavy hands."
The BBC licensed and approved every Doctor Who story in other media; the contract for Virgin's 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...
stated that the books were 'the official continuation' of Doctor Who now the TV show was off the air. Over the last ten years, the BBC published well over a hundred of the novels itself, republished a number of the Virgin New Adventures in online e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
form, commissioned original Doctor Who dramas as webcasts, and BBC Radio has broadcast both existing and original audio adventures made by Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
. In late 2006, Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
, the long-time head of Big Finish, was added to the Cardiff production team ostensibly to keep official track of TV series continuity. The BBC-produced/broadcast productions (including a 1985 BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
serial, Slipback
Slipback
Slipback is a radio audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in six episodes on BBC Radio 4 from 25 July to 8 August 1985, as part of a children's magazine show called Pirate Radio Four...
, a pair of serials produced in the 1990s starring Jon Pertwee entitled The Paradise of Death
The Paradise of Death
The Paradise of Death is a radio audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on BBC Radio 5 from 27 August to 24 September 1993. The original radio play was released on CD as part of the BBC...
and The Ghosts of N-Space
The Ghosts of N-Space
The Ghosts of N-Space is a radio audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was recorded in 1994 and finally broadcast in six parts on BBC Radio 2 from January 20 to February 24, 1996. This was the second Third Doctor radio play, following The...
, and most recently a "season" of audio dramas starring Paul McGann
Paul McGann
Paul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
broadcast on BBC7 in 2007 and repeated in 2010.
The debate over whether the novels are canonical or exist in a parallel continuity is complicated by the fact that the 2005 episode "Dalek
Dalek (Doctor Who episode)
"Dalek" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 30 April 2005. It should not be confused with the first Dalek serial, The Daleks...
" cannibalises elements of the audio drama Jubilee
Jubilee (Doctor Who audio)
Jubilee is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Elements of the story were reworked by Rob Shearman to create the television episode "Dalek" in the 2005 series.-Plot:...
and the 2007 two-part story "Human Nature
Human Nature (Doctor Who episode)
"Human Nature" is the eighth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
" and "The Family of Blood
The Family of Blood
"The Family of Blood" is the ninth episode of Series 3 of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Preceded by "Human Nature", it is the second episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
" was adapted from Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
's 1995 New Adventures novel Human Nature.
It is also somewhat controversial to canonise the 30th Anniversary Special Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders that ran in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993. It was filmed on the EastEnders Albert Square set, and features several of the stars of that programme...
– a crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
with the soap EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
which had its first episode broadcast as part of Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
's 1993 telethon and its second as part of Noel's House Party
Noel's House Party
Noel's House Party was a BBC television light entertainment show hosted by Noel Edmonds that was broadcast live on Saturday evenings throughout the 1990s. It was set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo. The show was broadcast during the...
, particularly in light of the 2006 episode, "Army of Ghosts
Army of Ghosts
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
", which depicts Whoniverse characters watching Eastenders on television.