On Earth, the 20th century, recorded as 2.0K by the 43rd century dating system, (AUDIO: The Torchwood Archive [+]Loading...["The Torchwood Archive (audio story)"]) was one of the most turbulent, violent, yet progressive centuries in the planet's history. In addition to major conflicts including the First (TV: To the Last Man [+]Loading...["To the Last Man (TV story)"]) and Second World Wars, (PROSE: Players [+]Loading...["Players (novel)"]) humankind began to explore beyond their homeworld for the first time, and also began to make huge leaps in technological advancement. (TV: Day of the Moon [+]Loading...["Day of the Moon (TV story)"]) It was also during the 20th century that many world governments learned of the existence of extraterrestrial lifeforms. (AUDIO: Storm Warning [+]Loading...["Storm Warning (audio story)"], TV: Spearhead from Space [+]Loading...["Spearhead from Space (TV story)"]) According to many accounts the general public also learned of alien life, (COMIC: Invaders from Gantac! [+]Loading...["Invaders from Gantac! (comic story)"], The Mark of Mandragora [+]Loading...["The Mark of Mandragora (comic story)"], PROSE: The Dying Days [+]Loading...["The Dying Days (novel)"], Soldiers from Zolta [+]Loading...["Soldiers from Zolta (short story)"]) although other accounts indicate they remained in the dark about this until the beginning of the 21st century. (TV: Aliens of London [+]Loading...["Aliens of London (TV story)"])
Numerous alien defence organisations came to power in this century, including the Torchwood Institute, (TV: Fragments [+]Loading...["Fragments (TV story)"]) the Forge, (AUDIO: Project: Twilight [+]Loading...["Project Twilight (audio story)","Project: Twilight"]) LONGBOW, (PROSE: Just War [+]Loading...["Just War (novel)"]) Counter-Measures, (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)"]) C19, (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy [+]Loading...["Who Killed Kennedy (novel)"]) HAVOC, (PROSE: The Showstoppers [+]Loading...["The Showstoppers (novel)"]) UNIT, (TV: The Web of Fear [+]Loading...["The Web of Fear (TV story)"], The Invasion [+]Loading...["The Invasion (TV story)"]) MIAOW, (PROSE: The Dreadful Flap [+]Loading...["The Dreadful Flap (short story)"]) P.R.O.B.E., (HOMEVID: The Zero Imperative [+]Loading...["The Zero Imperative (home video)"]) and UNISYC. (PROSE: Interference - Book One [+]Loading...["Interference - Book One (novel)"])
The Modulars believed that Earth in this era was a complete temporal mess due to the high amounts of aliens and time travellers. The planet was constantly being destroyed, replaced, removed from history, but the timelines somehow always stablisied. (PROSE: Elementary, My Dear Sheila [+]Loading...["Elementary, My Dear Sheila (short story)"])
The climate and air quality on Earth began to deteriorate during this century. (AUDIO: The Dread of Night [+]Loading...["The Dread of Night (audio story)"])
The Doctor had a great affinity for this century, though his first incarnation initially claimed to tolerate but not enjoy it. (TV: "An Unearthly Child") However, his granddaughter Susan Foreman believed that he had a fondness for the 20th century as he often visited it on their travels together. (AUDIO: The Alchemists [+]Loading...["The Alchemists (audio story)"]) He lived during this time period for several years as an exile from Gallifrey (during his third incarnation), (TV: Spearhead from Space [+]Loading...["Spearhead from Space (TV story)"], Doctor Who and the Silurians [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Silurians (TV story)"], et al.) and again for a number of months in 1913 and 1969 in his tenth incarnation (to name just two examples). (TV: Human Nature [+]Loading...["Human Nature (TV story)"] / The Family of Blood [+]Loading...["The Family of Blood (TV story)"], Blink [+]Loading...["Blink (TV story)"]) By the Doctor's fourth incarnation, his affinity for 20th century Earth was so well known that anyone looking for him would first think to search there. (AUDIO: The English Way of Death [+]Loading...["The English Way of Death (audio story)"]) Many of the Doctor's Earth companions came from this century, as he visited it often. (TV: An Unearthly Child [+]Loading...["An Unearthly Child (TV story)"], The Massacre [+]Loading...["The Massacre (TV story)"], The War Machines [+]Loading...["The War Machines (TV story)"], Spearhead from Space [+]Loading...["Spearhead from Space (TV story)"], Terror of the Autons [+]Loading...["Terror of the Autons (TV story)"], The Time Warrior [+]Loading...["The Time Warrior (TV story)"], et al.)
At some point in the 20th century, the Fisher King invaded the planet Tivoli and was there for ten years. The native Tivolians were liberated by the Arcateenians, but later enslaved by the very same race. (TV: Before the Flood [+]Loading...["Before the Flood (TV story)"])
As with most centuries of the first two millennia, the 20th century was home to Jack Harkness, Amy Pond and an Auton duplicate of Rory Williams. A version of Jack from around the time of the deaths of Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper existed in this century, having been buried alive in the 1st century by his brother, Gray. He perpetually died and resurrected an unknown number of times in an earthen tomb underneath Cardiff. (TV: Exit Wounds) Meanwhile, a near-dead Amy Pond was kept alive inside the Pandorica, beginning in the 2nd century. An Auton version of Rory kept vigil near her the entire time. They both awaited a moment in the mid-1990s when a young Amelia Pond would touch the outside of the Pandorica and restore Amy to full health. (TV: The Big Bang)
It was substantially unclear whether the events of the subsequent Big Bang Two erased Amy and Rory's presence in the 20th century. This ambiguity was caused, in part, because the non-Auton, married Rory Williams claimed to have remembered being "made of plastic" at his wedding reception, suggesting that, at least inasmuch as he was concerned, he and Amy were present in the 20th century. (TV: The Big Bang) Amy seemed to also remember those events, and displayed a fondness for the Auton Rory both during her honeymoon (TV: A Christmas Carol) and during a kind of lullaby to her newborn child Melody Pond. (TV: A Good Man Goes to War)
It was also among the centuries endured by Ashildr, (TV: The Woman Who Lived [+]Loading...["The Woman Who Lived (TV story)"]) a 9th century[1] Viking girl who was rendered effectively immortal when she was brought back to life by the Twelfth Doctor through a self-repairing Mire repair kit. (TV: The Girl Who Died [+]Loading...["The Girl Who Died (TV story)"])
In 1943, the Spy Master was stranded in Paris and robbed of his TARDIS by the Thirteenth Doctor, forcing him to live through the remainder of the 20th century on Earth, which he found hard to do as he had to escape from several places. (TV: Spyfall [+]Loading...["Spyfall (TV story)"])
Legacy
By the year 3012, the 20th century was considered ancient history. (PROSE: Festival of Death [+]Loading...["Festival of Death (novel)"])
References
Making omelette fines herbes for himself and Craig Owens in 2010, the Eleventh Doctor explained that he learned to cook in 18th century Paris. Realising that was "not recent", the Doctor amended it to the 17th century then the 20th century. (TV: The Lodger [+]Loading...["The Lodger (TV story)"])
Alternate timelines
Speaking during the English Civil War, the Second Doctor acknowledged a triumphalist, hereditary Puritan Protectorate that ruled England until the 20th century as one possible future. (PROSE: The Roundheads [+]Loading...["The Roundheads (novel)"])
Behind the scenes
- The 20th century saw the rise of BBC Television's Doctor Who, which premiered on 23 November 1963. The original televised run of Doctor Who, dubbed the "classic series", concluded with Season 26 in 1989, though the show was never officially cancelled by the BBC.
- Numerous Doctor Who media continued to be released throughout the 1990s. A TV movie was broadcast in 1996, introducing the eighth incarnation of the Doctor. However, a new series would not debut until 2005.