Cultural references to the Doctor Who universe/1980s

Cultural references to the Doctor Who universe by decade

Occasionally, elements of the Doctor Who universe are referenced in the broader popular culture. This page exists to throw a spotlight on some of these casual references made in television, comics, films and other media which happened during the 1980s.

Television

• In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Neutral Zone" (1988), the names of the first six Doctor actors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, and Colin Baker) are seen on a screen. (Due to a mistake, Davison's name is misspelled as "Davidson".) These names were replaced in the remastered Blu-ray version.
• "Arrivederci Roma", the first episode of Channel 4's comedy programme Chelmsford 123, showed the TARDIS materialising in the background in one scene. The Doctor briefly stepped out before going back in and dematerialising.

Films

• In the 1985 Lego stop-motion animation (brick film as dubbed by Lego enthusiasts), The Magic Portal has three Lego minifigures who find themselves outside of their Lego universe and in the human world, via the use of the mysterious titular "Magic Portal". They are then subsequently attacked by a squad of "Daleks" (who are in fact made from a combination of a tippex bottles and screws).

Comics

Marvel UK

• The Doctor Who comics version of Merlin the Wise appeared briefly in The Daredevils Vol 1 1 (1983) in a sequence demonstrating that Merlin had several alternate appearances and personalities that he could adopt as he saw fit.
• The characters of the Special Executive (troubleshooters employed by the Time Lords, who had appeared in 4-D War and Black Sun Rising) appeared with Captain Britain in The Daredevils Vol 1 5-11 (1983) written by the Special Executive's creator, Alan Moore.

Death's Head. (COMIC: The Crossroads of Time)

• In The Crossroads of Time (1988), published in Doctor Who Magazine, the Seventh Doctor ran into (literally) Death's Head, who was thrown from the Transformers Generation 1 universe into the Time Vortex; he sent Death's Head to the future Earth of Dragon's Claws (a Marvel UK title that may be set in the Doctor Who universe, since Dogbolter and Keepsake are both residents of this Earth). Later, the Doctor guest-starred in Death's Head's comic book from Marvel UK, a crossover that ended with the Doctor depositing Death's Head in the main Marvel universe (Earth-616) atop the Fantastic Four's headquarters, Fours Freedom Plaza - providing a direct link between the Doctor Who universe and Marvel's universe. Death's Head himself interacted with mainstream superheroes from the Marvel universe, which provides another, indirect, link between the mainstream Marvel Universe and the Doctor Who universe.
• In Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 218 (1987), Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant-Major Benton appear with the British Army.
• Professor Alistaire Stuart and Brigadier Alysande Stuart of the Weird Happenings Organisation (W.H.O., a nod to UNIT and Doctor Who) are introduced in Excalibur Vol 1 6 (1989). Alistaire Stuart mentions meeting someone from Gallifrey in Excalibur Vol 1 25 (1990).
• A Dalek appears in Excalibur Vol 1 14 (1989).

Prose

• Barbara Hambly's Star Trek novel Ishmael (1985) contains references to Doctor Who and cameo appearances by the Second Doctor, the Fourth Doctor and Leela.
• The Red Dwarf novels have a number of references. Kryten, for example, owns a sonic screwdriver in Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers (1989).