Doctor Who pastiches: Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
{{retitle|''Doctor Who'' pastiches}}{{real world}}
{{you may|Doctor Who parodies|cultural references to the Doctor Who universe}}
{{you may|Doctor Who parodies|cultural references to the Doctor Who universe}}
Many unauthorised versions and '''pastiches of ''[[Doctor Who]]''''' and imitations of [[the Doctor]] have appeared.
Many unauthorised versions and '''pastiches of ''[[Doctor Who]]''''' and imitations of [[the Doctor]] have appeared.
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A great number of the video and audio-based pastiches of the Doctor and ''Doctor Who'' were produced during what is often called the "Wilderness Years", the period when ''Doctor Who'' was not being produced in a video format post-1989 to 1996 and post 1996 to 2005.
A great number of the video and audio-based pastiches of the Doctor and ''Doctor Who'' were produced during what is often called the "Wilderness Years", the period when ''Doctor Who'' was not being produced in a video format post-1989 to 1996 and post 1996 to 2005.


There have also been a few [[Doctor Who universe|in-universe]] instances of ''Doctor Who'' parodying itself. The series known as "[[Professor X]]" is a broad pastiche of the Doctor and ''Doctor Who''; in the [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel ''[[No Future (novel)|No Future]]'' [[Bernice Summerfield]] even briefly visited a fictional universe where she met Professor X himself and travelled in his "TASID", a ship that looks like a pillar box and can travel through time and space. In the later Virgin New Adventures ''[[Head Games (novel)|Head Games]]'' a fictional version of the Doctor generated from the [[Land of Fiction]] appears, known as [[Dr. Who (Land of Fiction)|Dr. Who]], broadly being a pastiche not just of the Doctor, but also of [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Dr. Who]] of the 1960s Dalek movies.
There have also been a few [[Doctor Who universe|in-universe]] instances of ''Doctor Who'' parodying itself. For example, the series known as "[[Professor X]]" is a broad pastiche of the Doctor and ''Doctor Who''; in the [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel ''[[No Future (novel)|No Future]]'' [[Bernice Summerfield]] even briefly visited a fictional universe where she met Professor X himself and travelled in his "TASID", a ship that looks like a pillar box and can travel through time and space.  


== Audio Visuals ==
== List of ''Doctor Who'' pastiches ==
{{main|Audio Visuals}}
=== BBV Productions ===
During the Classic Series original broadcast and setting up Big Finish, Nicholas Briggs played the Doctor in a series of fan audio stories. Some of these scenarios were reused and adapted for some of Big Finish' main range.
The independent production company [[BBV Productions]], in parallel with licensed [[Doctor Who spin-offs|''Doctor Who'' spin-offs]], produced a number of ''Doctor Who'' pastiches featuring ''Doctor Who'' cast members in roles meant to evoke their BBC characters while being sufficiently distant as to avoid legal issues.  


== BBV Productions ==
[[File:TheStranger-0.JPG|thumb|right|The Stranger and Miss Brown in the titular series.]]In the ''[[The Stranger (series)|The Stranger]]'' films, [[Colin Baker]] portrayed the titular traveller while [[Nicola Bryant]] appeared in the first three stories as his [[companion]] Miss Brown. The characters were marked out from the [[Sixth Doctor]] and [[Peri Brown]] by different outfits and, in Bryant's case, a different accent: Miss Brown sounded English instead of American. However, it was not until the fourth ''Stranger'' film that the Stranger and Miss Brown were definitively given backstories at odds with ''Doctor Who''.  
{{main|BBV Productions}}
[[BBV Productions]] in particular created a number of pastiches of the Doctor for their productions in both audio and video, in particular "the Stranger" played by [[Colin Baker]] and "the Professor" (later "the Dominie") played by [[Sylvester McCoy]].


[[File:TheStranger-0.JPG|thumb|The Stranger and Miss Brown in the titular series.]]
[[File:TimeTravellersRepublica.JPG|thumb|left|The cover of the first story of ''The Time Travellers'', ''Republica'', featuring the Professor and Ace.]]Meanwhile, one of the longest-running subseries of the ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'', starring [[Sylvester McCoy]] as [[the Professor (Republica)|the Professor]] and [[Sophie Aldred]] as [[Ace (Republica)|Ace]] — highly transparent stand-ins for their televised [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Ace]], although [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] was kept carefully off-screen. Copyright concerns eventually led to a similar distancing of the characters from their ''Doctor Who'' roots, with the Professor revealing his more formal name to be "the Dominie" rather than "the Doctor", and Ace being ascribed the birth name of Alice (in contrast to her TV equivalent's "Dorothy").  
"The Stranger" was a series of video dramas featuring Colin Baker as the title character, originally a loose pastiche of the Doctor. One episode, ''More Than a Messiah'', was even based upon a fan-written ''Doctor Who'' audio drama. [[Nicola Bryant]] appeared in the first three stories as Miss Brown, a pastiche of her ''Doctor Who'' character [[Peri Brown]]; however "Miss Brown" had an English accent rather than Peri's American. The roles this pair played was loosely similar to their roles in ''Doctor Who'', but beginning with the fourth adventure of "The Stranger" BBV decided to explain away the Stranger as a different character, named Solomon, with an entirely different past.


[[File:TimeTravellersRepublica.JPG|thumb|left|The cover of the first story of ''The Time Travellers'', ''Republica'', featuring the Professor and Ace.]]
[[Nicholas Briggs]], who had portrayed an unofficial Doctor in the ''[[Audio Visuals]]'', played the Stranger in some audios. He also portrayed a "[[Fred]]" in two audios, the first of which was also the debut of the [[Cyberon]]s, who was directly intended as a continuation of his unofficial Doctor, but was unable to recall his original name or other BBC-owned elements due to a bout of [[amnesia]], thus allowing BBV to only use the elements of the character belonging to the ''Audio Visuals'' writers.
BBV also produced a series of audio stories featuring "The Professor", who later was known as "the Dominie" due to legal reasons, played by [[Sylvester McCoy]], along with [[Sophie Aldred]] playing a character called "Ace" which was later changed to "Alice."


Like "The Stranger" this was another series of thinly veiled versions of the Seventh Doctor and Ace. These stories were scripted by a number of writers who around their time of production had written ''Doctor Who'' stories or went on to write for ''Doctor Who'' in one medium or another such as; [[Robert Shearman]] (under a [[pseudonym]]), [[Mark Gatiss]] and [[Nigel Fairs]].
BBV Productions did not just attempt pastiches of the Doctor. The ''[[Adventures in a Pocket Universe (series)|Adventures in a Pocket Universe]]'' series featured a licensed appearance by [[John Leeson]]'s [[K9 (The Choice)|K9]], but also featured [[Lalla Ward]] (TV's [[Romana II]]) as "[[The Mistress (The Choice)|the Mistress]]", a character transparently intended to be interpreted as a post-''[[Warriors' Gate (TV story)|Warriors' Gate]]'' iteration of Romana but carefully never unambiguously depicted as such.


In the "Cyberon" series of audio adventures, [[Nicholas Briggs]], who had played "the Doctor" in a series of fan audio series made by [[Audio Visuals]], played a character called "The Wanderer" or "Fred" in the audio stories ''Cyber-Hunt'' and ''Vital Signs''. Like "the Stranger" and "the Dommie" this was a loose interpretation of "the Doctor" this time based on Briggs' own portrayal in the Audio Visuals series.
=== Other ===
 
==== Comics ====
BBV Productions did not just attempt pastiches of the Doctor. In [[1999]] two audio stories in a series called [[Adventures in a Pocket Universe (series)|Adventures in a Pocket Universe]] were produced that featured [[K9 (The Choice)|K9]] and "[[The Mistress (The Choice)|The Mistress]]", played by [[John Leeson]] and [[Lalla Ward]]. While the producers of these audios were able to licence K9, they couldn't licence Romana. As a result, she was never referred to by this name. Later, when [[Big Finish Productions]] obtained a full licence to produce ''Doctor Who''-based audio dramas, Ward performed the character as Romana.
 
== Other Doctor Who pastiches ==
=== Comics ===
* {{iw|marvel|Marvel Comics}} had Professor {{iw|marvel|Justin Alphonse Gamble}} and his enemies [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/incinerators.htm the Dredlox] who keep shouting "Incinerate" in ''{{iw|marvel|Power Man and Iron Fist Vol 1 79}}''. Notably, Professor Gamble can change his appearance and had stolen a [[time machine]] from the {{iw|marvel|Time Variance Authority}}. He wrote a play under the name "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" involving the Dredlox based on his life.
* {{iw|marvel|Marvel Comics}} had Professor {{iw|marvel|Justin Alphonse Gamble}} and his enemies [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/incinerators.htm the Dredlox] who keep shouting "Incinerate" in ''{{iw|marvel|Power Man and Iron Fist Vol 1 79}}''. Notably, Professor Gamble can change his appearance and had stolen a [[time machine]] from the {{iw|marvel|Time Variance Authority}}. He wrote a play under the name "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" involving the Dredlox based on his life.
* Later Marvel and [[Marvel UK]] stories introduced WHO, or the {{iw|marvel|Weird Happenings Organisation}}, led by Doctor {{iw|marvel|Alistaire Stuart}} along with his sister, Brigadier {{iw|marvel|Alysande Stuart}}. (They are obviously named after [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]].) This was originally the creation of British-born Marvel writer {{w|Chris Claremont}}. During the course of his career, he made many references to ''Doctor Who'' in his scripts.
* Later Marvel and [[Marvel UK]] stories introduced WHO, or the {{iw|marvel|Weird Happenings Organisation}}, led by Doctor {{iw|marvel|Alistaire Stuart}} along with his sister, Brigadier {{iw|marvel|Alysande Stuart}}. (They are obviously named after [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]].) This was originally the creation of British-born Marvel writer {{w|Chris Claremont}}. During the course of his career, he made many references to ''Doctor Who'' in his scripts.
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* Alan Moore features The First and Second Doctors as well as Doctor Omega in his ''League of Extraodinary Gentlemen''.
* Alan Moore features The First and Second Doctors as well as Doctor Omega in his ''League of Extraodinary Gentlemen''.


=== Television ===
==== Television ====
* The ITV children's drama series {{wi|Press Gang}} (written by [[Steven Moffat]]) in one episode features Colonel X, an eccentric, suave and mysterious children's television hero. Colonel X and the actor who played him, John England, were both portrayed by [[Michael Jayston]] who also played [[the Valeyard]] on ''Doctor Who''. [[File:ProfParadox.JPG|right|thumb|Professor Paradox travelling through time in ''Ben: 10''.]]
* The ITV children's drama series {{wi|Press Gang}} (written by [[Steven Moffat]]) in one episode features Colonel X, an eccentric, suave and mysterious children's television hero. Colonel X and the actor who played him, John England, were both portrayed by [[Michael Jayston]] who also played [[the Valeyard]] on ''Doctor Who''. [[File:ProfParadox.JPG|right|thumb|Professor Paradox travelling through time in ''Ben: 10''.]]
* Professor Paradox, a heroic [[time travel]]ling scientist from the [[American]] animated series {{wi|Ben 10: Alien Force}}.
* Professor Paradox, a heroic [[time travel]]ling scientist from the [[American]] animated series {{wi|Ben 10: Alien Force}}.
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** This show-within-a-show now has a pastiche of itself in the form of a web series created by Travis Richey, the actor who portrays "the Inspector". After Richey attempted to start an ''Inspector Spacetime'' web-series, using Kickstarter to help fund the show, lawyers representing ''Community'' owner Sony requested the production be cancelled. Instead, the show was renamed to ''Untitled Webseries About A Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time'', and the appearance of "the Inspector" was altered.
** This show-within-a-show now has a pastiche of itself in the form of a web series created by Travis Richey, the actor who portrays "the Inspector". After Richey attempted to start an ''Inspector Spacetime'' web-series, using Kickstarter to help fund the show, lawyers representing ''Community'' owner Sony requested the production be cancelled. Instead, the show was renamed to ''Untitled Webseries About A Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time'', and the appearance of "the Inspector" was altered.


=== Prose ===
==== Prose ====
* [[Doctor Omega]] was the main character of the [[1906]] [[French]] [[science fiction]] novel ''[[Doctor Omega (series)|Le Docteur Omega]]'' by Arnould Galopin. After ''[[Doctor Who]]'' nonfiction writer [[Jean-Marc Lofficier]] discovered the character and noticed the similarities between him and the [[First Doctor]], Lofficier and his wife, [[Randy Lofficier|Randy]], republished the book in an English translation. They gave it a new cover, similar to that of [[Chris Achilleos]]' for ''[[Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks]]'', with an introduction by veteran ''Who'' writer [[Terrance Dicks]]. Lofficier added lines suggesting that the novel told adventures of the Doctor shortly before ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', with the Doctor having taken a brief leave of absence from his grand-daughter, [[Susan Foreman]].
* [[Doctor Omega]] was the main character of the [[1906]] [[French]] [[science fiction]] novel ''[[Doctor Omega (series)|Le Docteur Omega]]'' by Arnould Galopin. After ''[[Doctor Who]]'' nonfiction writer [[Jean-Marc Lofficier]] discovered the character and noticed the similarities between him and the [[First Doctor]], Lofficier and his wife, [[Randy Lofficier|Randy]], republished the book in an English translation. They gave it a new cover, similar to that of [[Chris Achilleos]]' for ''[[Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks]]'', with an introduction by veteran ''Who'' writer [[Terrance Dicks]]. Lofficier added lines suggesting that the novel told adventures of the Doctor shortly before ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', with the Doctor having taken a brief leave of absence from his grand-daughter, [[Susan Foreman]]. [[Doctor Omega (series)|Subsequent ''Doctor Omega'' works]] often continued to take inspiration from ''Doctor Who'' both in actual content, and in branding.
* ''The Stranger'' is a 1997 erotic novel by Portia Da Costa. It was published by [[Virgin Books]] after they lost the rights to the series under their Black Lace range and featured an amnesic Eighth Doctor. The character [[Claudia Marwood]] was then mentioned as a companion in the [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novels ''[[Father Time (novel)|Father Time]]'' and ''[[The Gallifrey Chronicles (novel)|The Gallifrey Chronicles]]'' by [[Lance Parkin]].
* ''The Stranger'' is a 1997 erotic novel by Portia Da Costa. It was published by [[Virgin Books]] after they lost the rights to the series under their Black Lace range and featured an amnesic Eighth Doctor. The character [[Claudia Marwood]] was then mentioned as a companion in the [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novels ''[[Father Time (novel)|Father Time]]'' and ''[[The Gallifrey Chronicles (novel)|The Gallifrey Chronicles]]'' by [[Lance Parkin]].



Revision as of 12:18, 4 June 2022

RealWorld.png

Many unauthorised versions and pastiches of Doctor Who and imitations of the Doctor have appeared.

A great number of the video and audio-based pastiches of the Doctor and Doctor Who were produced during what is often called the "Wilderness Years", the period when Doctor Who was not being produced in a video format post-1989 to 1996 and post 1996 to 2005.

There have also been a few in-universe instances of Doctor Who parodying itself. For example, the series known as "Professor X" is a broad pastiche of the Doctor and Doctor Who; in the Virgin New Adventures novel No Future Bernice Summerfield even briefly visited a fictional universe where she met Professor X himself and travelled in his "TASID", a ship that looks like a pillar box and can travel through time and space.

List of Doctor Who pastiches

BBV Productions

The independent production company BBV Productions, in parallel with licensed Doctor Who spin-offs, produced a number of Doctor Who pastiches featuring Doctor Who cast members in roles meant to evoke their BBC characters while being sufficiently distant as to avoid legal issues.

The Stranger and Miss Brown in the titular series.

In the The Stranger films, Colin Baker portrayed the titular traveller while Nicola Bryant appeared in the first three stories as his companion Miss Brown. The characters were marked out from the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown by different outfits and, in Bryant's case, a different accent: Miss Brown sounded English instead of American. However, it was not until the fourth Stranger film that the Stranger and Miss Brown were definitively given backstories at odds with Doctor Who.

The cover of the first story of The Time Travellers, Republica, featuring the Professor and Ace.

Meanwhile, one of the longest-running subseries of the Audio Adventures in Time & Space, starring Sylvester McCoy as the Professor and Sophie Aldred as Ace — highly transparent stand-ins for their televised Seventh Doctor and Ace, although the TARDIS was kept carefully off-screen. Copyright concerns eventually led to a similar distancing of the characters from their Doctor Who roots, with the Professor revealing his more formal name to be "the Dominie" rather than "the Doctor", and Ace being ascribed the birth name of Alice (in contrast to her TV equivalent's "Dorothy").

Nicholas Briggs, who had portrayed an unofficial Doctor in the Audio Visuals, played the Stranger in some audios. He also portrayed a "Fred" in two audios, the first of which was also the debut of the Cyberons, who was directly intended as a continuation of his unofficial Doctor, but was unable to recall his original name or other BBC-owned elements due to a bout of amnesia, thus allowing BBV to only use the elements of the character belonging to the Audio Visuals writers.

BBV Productions did not just attempt pastiches of the Doctor. The Adventures in a Pocket Universe series featured a licensed appearance by John Leeson's K9, but also featured Lalla Ward (TV's Romana II) as "the Mistress", a character transparently intended to be interpreted as a post-Warriors' Gate iteration of Romana but carefully never unambiguously depicted as such.

Other

Comics

Television

  • The ITV children's drama series Press Gang (written by Steven Moffat) in one episode features Colonel X, an eccentric, suave and mysterious children's television hero. Colonel X and the actor who played him, John England, were both portrayed by Michael Jayston who also played the Valeyard on Doctor Who.
    Professor Paradox travelling through time in Ben: 10.
  • Professor Paradox, a heroic time travelling scientist from the American animated series Ben 10: Alien Force.
  • In the BBC soap opera Doctors, Seventh Doctor actor Sylvester McCoy played Graham Capelli, an actor known for playing a 1980s children's television hero called "The Lollipop Man". At one point, Capelli is mistaken for Jon Pertwee.
  • The NBC comedy Community features a show-within-a-show called Inspector Spacetime, which follows the eponymous Inspector and his associate Constable Reggie as they travel through time and space in their red phone booth, fighting enemies such as the "Dalek-like" Blorgons. A British programme, Inspector Space Time is said to have begun in 1962, thus making it the oldest sci-fi show on television. A brief glimpse of the opening credit sequence is very like that of Doctor Who during the Ninth/Tenth Doctor era.
    • This show-within-a-show now has a pastiche of itself in the form of a web series created by Travis Richey, the actor who portrays "the Inspector". After Richey attempted to start an Inspector Spacetime web-series, using Kickstarter to help fund the show, lawyers representing Community owner Sony requested the production be cancelled. Instead, the show was renamed to Untitled Webseries About A Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time, and the appearance of "the Inspector" was altered.

Prose

External links