Buffy the Vampire Slayer (franchise)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American television series created by Joss Whedon. It is about a young woman called Buffy, who was chosen by mystical forces to be the Slayer. She fights vampires and other demons with her team of friends. The television series ran from 1997 to 2003 and had a spin-off, Angel, from 1999 to 2004. The fictional universe in which both series inhabit is known as the "Buffyverse".

The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler made a cameo appearence in the canonical comic No Future for You, Part One alongside a red telephone box.

David Tennant also later appeared as himself in the comic In Perfect Harmony

Similarities

• Both universes have a spin-off, darker in tone, in which an immortal protagonist moves to a city and protects the public from things they often cannot comprehend, Torchwood and Angel.
• The Cardiff rift was a plot generator for series 1 and 2 of Torchwood, in the same way that the Hellmouth is in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both series also have episodes entitled 'End of Days'.
• An ancient vampire shares the same name as the recurring villain the Master.
• The Buffy episode "Go Fish" featured fish-like demons which resemble the Silurians.
• Doctor Who stories State of Decay, The Curse of Fenric and Smith and Jones included vampire-like aliens. The Vampires of Venice specifically references them, although it is revealed that the 'vampires' are actually Saturnynians.
• The audio drama Minuet in Hell also has several similarities. Firstly, it features an organisation, fronted by a young girl, dedicated to dealing with supernatural beings in a similar way to the Watchers Council and the Slayer. Added to this, the use of the phrase "Bored now", before attacking someone, is also seen in the 'Buffy' episodes The Wish, Doppelgängland, and Villains. It also features technology that can digitise and replace peoples memories and brain waves in a way similar to that seen in Whedon's later series, Dollhouse.
• In Assimilation², Rory Williams uses his knowledge as a Roman Centurian to bluff two guards into allowing him past, a tactic also used by Xander Harris in the episode Innocence. Like Rory, Xander also recieved his knowledge after an alternate 'existence' as a soldier.

Connections with Doctor Who

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The Doctor and Rose appear in No Future For You.

• Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Buffy's mentor and father figure Rupert Giles, has many connections to Doctor Who. He guest starred in School Reunion and The Infinite Quest, as well as various Big Finish Productions audio dramas. He also narrated Doctor Who Confidential and Project Who. He has often been reported as a potential candidate for the role of the Doctor.
  • It has been acknowledged that some of the dialogue in School Reunion, such as Finch's line "ignore the shooty-dog thing," was inspired by the style of writing used on Buffy.
• The 2001 Buffy episode "Smashed" references the series when Andrew mentions he has seen "every episode of Doctor Who."
• Russell T Davies has mentioned that the Buffy episode "The Zeppo" was a possible influence on the Doctor Who episode Love & Monsters.
• A reference to the series is made in PROSE: Homework, where a character from the year 2008 is said to be wearing "a T-shirt that said Duffy the Vampire or something."
• "William the Bloody Awful Poet," the former human self of the vampire Spike, briefly appears in Camera Obscura.
• Although unlikely to be made, a potential spin-off titled Ripper has been discussed as a BBC co-production when Anthony Head introduced Whedon to Doctor Who producer Julie Gardner.
• Seeing Sam Jones armed with a wooden stake, the vampire Slake said: "Well, well, if it isn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" (PROSE: Vampire Science)
• Buffy creator Joss Whedon expressed admiration for Russell T. Davies while speaking as part of the Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog panel at the 2008 Comic-Con. Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is so far the only show to have beaten Doctor Who to a Hugo award.
• The character Fillion, who appears in the comic Space Squid, is named after, and features a likeness to, actor Nathan Fillion, who appeared in the series.

Connections with Torchwood

• On the Torchwood website, one of the creatures described by Owen Harper as being in stasis in the Torchwood morgue is the "Invincible Vampire", which reconstitutes itself after it is "dusted". "Dusted" is terminology from Buffy for the slaying of a vampire.
• The Angel episode A Hole in the World features a pit which extends all the way through the Earth, between England and New Zealand. Miracle Day has a similar feature called the Blessing, which extends between Shanghai and Buenos Aires.

External links

• Buffyverse wiki, a wiki focusing on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, its spin-offs, and expanded media.
• Doctor Who, on the Buffyverse wiki.