Doctor Who parodies
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
As a cultural phenomenon for half a century, Doctor Who has been both the target of parody, as well as the frame of reference for satire of other subjects.
Television
1960s
- On 31 December 1963, the first ever parody of Doctor Who was broadcast. It starred Clive Dunn as the Doctor and it featured on It's a Square World. See The Doctor's New Invention for more information.
- In an episode of Big Night Out, broadcast 7th April 1964, Bernie Winters plays an approximation of the First Doctor, but who is called Doctor Shmoo.
- In January 1966, the Toy Fair of that year was televised and had a very strange sketch with a toy baby and toy Daleks.
- Blue Peter has featured many Doctor Who themed episodes, the first starting in the 1960s with a guide of how to make a Dalek cake. Others include; War Machine appearance in 1966, design your own monster in 1967, Jon Pertwee tests the Whomobile and we hear a warning from the Daleks about the stolen Dalek and its much-needed safe return in the 1970s.
1970s
- Doctor Who has appeared several times on The Generation Game, including appearances of Daleks and K9 in role.
- An episode of the children's variety series Crackerjack featured "'Ello, My Dalek" including Don Maclean as a Tom Baker-ish Doctor Why and Peter Glaze as a portly Brigadier. The sketch takes place within the TARDIS, which has landed on top of the Post Office Tower. Harry is absent, having been despatched to hospital to have his duffelcoat removed. There's a cameo of a Dalek with a eyestalk in a fixed rampant position. Don MacLean played the Doctor.
- In the programme Mathshow there was a sketch called Doctor Where that featured Tony Hughes as the Doctor.
- In an episode of Basil Brush, Basil confornts a Dalek.
- An episode of Spike Milligan's "Q" series featured the sketch "Pakistani Daleks" in which a turban-wearing Dalek is shown living in a suburban home with a human wife, Dalek child, granny and dog. The chant "Put them in the curry" followed the extermination of the last two.
- The supreme Dalek makes a live appearance in role on Nationwide.
- Pebble Mill and Pebble Mill at One have both had live appearances from Doctor Who villians and K9 in role.
- An episode of "Emu's Broadcasting Company" (aka EBC1) featured puppeteer Rod Hull and his permanently attached avian sidekick Emu as a gestalt Doctor battling the Deadly Dustbins (with their war cry "Rubbish! Rubbish!"). The TARDIS in this segment was seen to be a red UK telephone kiosk.
- An episode of the London Weekend Television sketch show "End Of Part One" (directed by Geoffrey Sax) featured a spoof called Doctor Eyes. Fred Harris played the Doctor, who is shot through his contract and is quickly replaced by Tony Aitken. Sue Holderness played a Romana-like Gloria.
1980s
- In 1982, K9 had an in role appearance on The Computer Programme.
- Ron Bain appeared as The Fifth Doctor in A Kick Up the Eighties in 1982.
- The Fifth Doctor and The Master plus many villains appeared in role on This is Your Life.
- Ronnie Barker played a Worzel Gummidge/Third Doctor in a sketch The Adventures of Archie on the Two Ronnies in 1983.
- On Breakfast a Dalek is seen in role and Colin Baker is seen in costume in 1986.
- In The Saturday Morning Picture Show, Colin Baker appeared as The Sixth Doctor in 1986.
- In Terry Wogan's show Wogan, a cyberman can be seen in role in 1986.
- In The Krankies' Elektronik Komik, Ian Krankie played the Doctor in 1986.
- Colin Baker appeared as The Sixth Doctor in Roland Rat: The Series in 1986.
- A 1986 episode of The Lenny Henry Show included a sketch with Henry as a just-regenerated Seventh Doctor battling the Cybermen and their leader Thatchos, a Cyberman version of Margaret Thatcher, complete with bouffant hair and purse.
- A Dalek appeared live in role on The Six O'Clock News.
- In a sketch from French & Saunders, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders appeared as extras playing Silurians on the actual set of The Trial of a Time Lord until all concerned, including the extras, got bogged down in a discussion of made-up Doctor Who universe continuity. The two eventually brought the filming of an episode to a halt. Though it was never aired, the sketch was included with the home release of the later The Curse of Fatal Death.
- An episode of Victoria Wood As Seen On TV featured Jim Broadbent as a Tom Baker-ish Doctor battling old nemesis Crayola (a brand of wax crayon).
- Sylvester McCoy appeared as The Seventh Doctor in two episodes of Noel Edmund's Saturday Roadshow.
1990s
- In an unknown Australian comedy show, Steve Vizard appeared as Doctor Hewson, this was broadcast in 1990.
- In a documentary about The Lime Grove Story, there was a parody version of the policeman from An Unearthly Child.
- In The Late Show, Rod Sitch played The Fourth Doctor in 1992.
- In 1992, a Cyberman appeared in role in British comedy show Absolutely.
- In the popular kids show Rugrats, which ran from 1991 to 2004, in an episode where the characters visit the local Toy Mega-Store, toys lining one of the shelves can be clearly identified as Daleks.
- Daleks appeared live in role on This Morning in 1993.
- In Gaytime TV, many Doctor Who aliens appeared live in role.
- The actual last appearance of Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor on Surprise, Surprise in 1996.
- Jeremy Beadle played Doctor What in a sketch on Beadle's Hotshots in 1996.
- In Planet Mirth, an unknown actor portrays the Fourth Doctor.
- In Harry Enfield and Chums, Gary Bleasdale played a Scouse Doctor in 1997.
- In the TV series Crime Traveller episode six, as one of the main characters talks to another character, he notices a blue police box there is an also slower version of the Doctor Who theme, this is a clear nod to Doctor Who's TARDIS..
- In 1997 a TARDIS can be seen in Red Dwarf.
- In a sketch on Shooting Stars (1997), Bob Mortimer plays the First Doctor, Matt Lucas plays the Second Doctor, Vic Reeves plays the Third Doctor and Mark Lamarr plays the Fourth Doctor.
- In a promo for BBC Choice in 1998, Pauline Quirke plays a Fourth Doctor inside a Dalek.
- From 1999 onwards, the Fourth Doctor has been seen in The Simpsons and it's partner show Futurama.
- The Curse of Fatal Death, a multi-part sketch broadcast as part of the Comic Relief charity telethon in 1999, starred Rowan Atkinson as the Ninth Doctor, Richard E Grant as the Tenth Doctor, Jim Broadbent as the Eleventh Doctor, Hugh Grant as the Twelfth Doctor and Joanna Lumley as the female Thirteenth Doctor.
2000s
- In Hubbub, Les Hubb plays and Environmentally Friendly Doctor.
- The comic impressions show Dead Ringers has featured a number of Who-related sketches in its radio and TV incarnations. The earliest examples featured Jon Culshaw making spoof phones calls to retailers and service providers in the guise of the Fourth Doctor. Radio sketches included calling B&Q to get a quote for a sonic screwdriver, enquiring of a taxi to take him to Gallifrey and calling NASA for the loan of a space shuttle. In the TV version, Culshaw appeared in costume as the Fourth Doctor, attempting to buy a transdimensional wardrobe from a furniture shop. Another sketch involved the Doctor taking part in the TV show Living With the Enemy in which he lived with the Cyberman family. Other Dead Ringers sketches included Phil Cornwell as Christopher Eccleston. In it, the actor returned home to find his family disappointed by his role as the Doctor as they are Star Trek fans. Eccleston's mum was supposed to have made his prominent "Ferengi" ears. Another sketch featured Culshaw and Jan Ravens in character as the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler. In it, they complain about the overly loud background music and elect to read their own subtitles. In a multi-Doctor sketch, the Tenth Doctor spends Christmas with some of his former incarnations and tries unsuccessfully to get them to watch the Christmas Special. It features Culshaw as the Fourth and Tenth Doctors, Cornwell as the Ninth, Kevin Connelly as the Seventh Doctor and Mark Perry as the Second Doctor.
- Episodes of the comedy sketch show The Harry Hill Show featured Nicholas Courtney reprising the role of The Brigadier alongside a Cyberman, and comedian Bobby Davro as "Bobby Davros". In the same series Harry HIll appeared as the Doctor alongside Peter Davison.
- In Born Sloppy, a programme in which little info is known, Colin Baker appears as the Sixth Doctor for no apparent reason in 2003.
- In 2003, Top Gear featured Colin Baker in role as the Sixth Doctor and a cyberman in role.
- In 2003, the movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action included a scene with two Daleks. Marvin the Martian and a group of famous aliens (including the two Daleks) attack, but the heroes, including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck escape. There is a deleted scene in which Bugs insults a Dalek by saying, "Your mother was a garbage disposal!". Also a Dalek incinerates Marvin in a cartoon style when he gets in the way. Bugs also pretends to hold a wrestling match between the two, saying, "Ok boys, I want a fair fight, a clean fight..." and ending with "May the best piece of tin win!"
- In 2005 The Chaser's War on Everything, a current affairs satire program produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), aired a parody song sung by Andrew Hansen, a self declared Doctor Who fan. The song featured Hansen as a Doctor Who fan (from the 'Woolongong Doctor Who Fan Club') playing a Doctor Who tribute song based on the Doctor Who theme, singing about how if you're a fan of Doctor Who, you're a social outcast. All actors who played the Doctor were mentioned (including David Tennant who had at the time just been announced to the public as the Tenth Doctor, Peter Cushing and Richard E Grant), as well as Robert Holmes, (with references to Scream of the Shalka and various companions.)
- In The Charlotte Church Show (2006) , an unknown actor portrays The Tenth Doctor but he later regenerates into Todd Carty's Eleventh Doctor.
- Robot Chicken in 2006 features Seth Green as the Fourth Doctor, and in 2014 a sketch titled 'Doctor Who Meets Nerd', Tim Roth plays the Doctor.
- In a Doctor Who edition of The Weakest Link, K9 appears in role
- In the premiere of Series 4 of The Sunday Night Project, which aired on 5 January 2007, Justin Lee Collins (wearing the Tenth Doctor's outfit) starred as the Doctor in a spoof of Doctor Who. He travelled to the Pink Planet with his "gorgeous time travelling assistant" played by David Tennant in drag. There they faced "the most evil Time Lord of them all, the Gaylord", played by Alan Carr. After this came other aliens which the assistant thought were the Daleks. The Doctor explained that these creatures were far worse, the Carrleks. The Carrleks had Dalek skirts and were played by two men painted silver. They had Alan Carr's glasses and teeth, while Alan Carr in a silver catsuit played the Carrlek supreme. Additionally in The Friday Night Project, Catherine Tate portrays The Tenth Doctor.
- Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, collectively Sam & Mark appear as the Tenth Doctor and Parallel Tenth Doctor in TMi)
- The 2007 "Extra Special Series Finale" of the comedy series Extras featured Ricky Gervais as struggling actor Andy Millman playing an alien villain opposite David Tennant in a fictional Doctor Who story. The finale showed a brief excerpt from his death scene. In the special, Ricky is reluctantly cast as a slug-like alien called Shlong. David Tennant reprises his role as the Tenth Doctor in a cameo appearance. A brief clip of the episode is shown in which the Doctor and an unidentified companion, a female police constable, are attacked by Shlong. The Doctor describes the attack as "hyper-podulating", a manipulation of "molluskian glang valves to internally vibrate our DNA", a process that will turn its victims into slugs in roughly thirty seconds. Shlong is quickly dispatched when the Doctor throws table salt on him.
- The Catherine Tate Show's contribution to the 2007 Comic Relief appeal featured a meeting between her trademark "Lauren" character and David Tennant as a weary English language teacher, who secretly was the Doctor. The sketch presaged her return to Doctor Who as well as the actors' future Shakespearian work together.
- Family Guy has mentioned Doctor Who many times. In "Blue Harvest", the Star Wars-themed season premiere of the sixth season of Family Guy, Peter Griffin (as Han Solo) comments that "Hyperspace always looks so freaky." The scene then cuts to the first Fourth Doctor title sequence (with full audio) playing outside the Millenium Falcon cockpit. Also, in the 2009 episode "420", Brian, who has successfully lobbied to have marijuana legalised in Quahog, comments that in the aftermath, "Crime is down, productivity is up, and ratings for Doctor Who are through the roof." In the episode "Welcome Back".
- In Gina's Laughing Gear, James Hurn plays a Tenth Doctor.
- In the episode Party Animal of Shaun the Sheep, a Dalek can be seen.
2010s
- In a 2010 episode of Harry & Paul, starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whithouse, they performed a sketch called "Rockin' the TARDIS", or "Doctor Who: The ITV Years". The Doctor (Harry) and his companion (Paul) crash land on the planet Woompa-woof', the planet of gay people. Suddenly, three three-breasted woman come along and start dancing with the Doctor and his companion. The whole sketch is played out like a cheaply made sitcom. Another sketch was shown. This involved them playing two characters from On the Buses.
- In a 2011 episode of South Park, the Germans created a "Funnybot" to try and convince the world they could be funny. The FunnyBot was a parody Dalek, with a plunger and eye stalk. On several occasions it yelled, "Exterminate!" or, "Exterminate all humans!" He believed it would be of the most ultimate irony for a human-created robot to kill the humans, thus being the world's funniest, and indeed last, joke.
- In the children's show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic there is a recurring background character that seems to share similar characteristics with the Tenth Doctor. Fans of the show (widely known as "Bronies") seem to have given this character the name, "Doctor Whooves, sole survivor of Gallopfrey". There are also background characters in the show that resemble the Third, Fifth, and Eleventh Doctors. In the episode It Ain't Easy Being Breezies, Doctor Whooves is seen in the company of another pony previously named Rose while wearing some 3D glasses, a shout-out to Army of Ghosts and Doomsday. The allusion is made far more explicit in the 100th episode Slice of Life, where he is called Doctor/Doc, speaks with an English accent, is fascinated by science and time travel, having studied them for "centuries", wears a bow tie and later a long, colourful scarf, and even yells "Allons-y!".
- In the BAFTA's, the Eleventh Doctor and Clara Oswald are seen in role in 2013.
- An episode of the Cartoon Network programme MAD (based on the magazine of the same name) contained "Doctor Who's Line Is It Anyway?," a Who's Line Is It Anyway? spoof featuring the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors being captured by the Daleks and forced to play improv games.
- In Toast of London, Lewis Macleod played a Fourth Doctor in 2013.
- In a Doctor Who edition of Pointless, K9 appears in role.
- In My Life, a CBBC programme, K9 and Daleks are seen in role.
- In 2013, K9 is seen live in role on Stargazing Live.
- In 2014, Postman Pat: The Movie featured a Dalek that appeared all silver.
- In the American Christian video series VeggieTales episode Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier, the character Archibald Asparagus is portrayed as the Eleventh Doctor with a stylised TARDIS. Whenever or not the staff based this after DeviantArt user Kenny-boy's fanart is unknown.
- In the 2015 puppet show, Newzoids, the Twelfth Doctor is seen as a regular and is voiced by Lewis Macleod.
- The 2015 CBBC programme OOglies Funsize featured a series of Doctor Who spoofs in which Doctor Rhubarb faced the Daleks (who resembled cheese graters).
- In 2016, a sketch on Diddy TV, the Doctor was played by Dick McCourt.
Comics
1970s
- The UK edition of Mad Magazine issue 161 released September 1975 featured a comic strip called Doctor Ooh. In the strip Doctor Ooh and his companions Hairy and Squarer battle technobabble and a self-knitting scarf. Which has been affected. by Xeno-Acidic Mebates After the previous three Doctor Oohs fail to solve any problems, the day is saved by the film version of Doctor Ooh with his movie magic. He than claims that he is the real Doctor Ooh and leaves Doctor Ooh and his companions stranded on the scarf .
1990s
- In 1996, comic magazine Viz featured a one-off strip called Doctor Poo. In it the Fourth Doctor and his assistant Jamie search time and space for a safe place the Doctor can use the toilet. After being menaced by the Cybermen, Sea Devils and the Tremas Master, the Doctor finally arrives at Davros' private loo on Skaro. This spoof was also published as a Flash cartoon on the magazine's website.
2000s
- In March 2007, the first issue of BeanoMAX was published. The Daleks featured in the Balloonatics comic strip and The Invasion of Bash Street comic strip.
- The Dandy released a comic strip called "Doctor Loo" featuring the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith travelling in the L.A.D.I.E.S (a time travelling toilet parodying the TARDIS). It also featured a one-off comic called "Doctor Huh?" featuring Doctor You, Doctor Shoe and Doctor Glue.
- The Dandy had also earlier ran a strip called "Auntie Clockwise", who travelled in a grandfather clock-shaped time machine with her niece and a robot bird.
Internet
2000s
- The popular YouTube artist nicepeter (most popular for his Epic Rap Battles of History Battles) posted a video called Japanese People Are Weird in his Picture Song series. At 2:07, an image of a Cyberman playing a guitar appears, and he states, "And now I'm rockin' so hard!"
2010s
- The popular YouTube channel Barely Political posted a video entitled Eminem I Need A Doctor Who!, which involved a Dalek joining the office and attemting to prepare for a dalek invasion. The Dalek later re-appeard in the Key of Awesome videos The Key of Awesome!: Eminem I Need A Doctor PARODY! The Key Of Awesome #40! and The Key of Awesome!: PitBull - Give Me Everything PARODY! Key Of Awesome #43.
- The popular YouTube channel Yourfavoritemartian (The #1 Most Subscribed Musician channel of all time) posted a music video entitled "NERD RAGE!!!". At 0:51, the lyrics are "And don't tell me Dr. Who is the Same, without Tom Baker the sh*t is just lame." The video shows and animated Matt Smith entering the TARDIS, only to be kicked out by Tom Baker.
- The popular YouTube channel ERB (short for Epic Rap Battles of History) posted a video called Doc Brown vs Doctor Who. Epic Rap Battles of History Season 2. on 29 October 2012, as an instalment of its main series. It contains The Doctor rap-battling Emmett "Doc" Brown from the Back to the Future adventure comedy movie franchise. The Doctor (played by YouTube artists nicepeter and gwatsky) is seen as his tenth incarnation in the TARDIS when he raps. After the Doctor and Doc Brown both rap one verse, Brown produces a sort of remote control and summons Scientist Dalek, which utters, "Exterminate", and fatally shoots the Doctor. The Doctor lays down to regenerate, and takes on the appearance of the Fourth Doctor, while the TARDIS also changes appearance. Throughout the video, Daleks, the TARDIS's exterior, the sonic screwdriver, and the time vortex are shown.
- In 2014 a YouTube parody was made by The HillyWood Show, showing different aliens and companions, such as Martha, Rose and Donna, all doing the time warp.
Other
1970s
- Doctor Poo (not to be confused with the comic strip of the same title described above) was an Australian comedy radio series which ran for over 400 episodes from 1979 to 1981.
1980s
- Doctor Why, a 1986 game for the ZX Spectrum home computer, featured Doctor Why and his other incarnations Doctor What, Doctor Where, and Doctor When hung over after a night of heavy drinking. The Doctors must each recover their TRYDIS in order to find the jelly baby of infinite wisdom.
1990s
- The 1993 direct-to-video Roy "Chubby" Brown film U.F.O. features Chubby unwittingly escaping from a female-dominated future in the TARDIS, only to be dropped off in prehistoric times and left facing a Tyrannosaurus as the film ends.
- Jon Pertwee played the Third Doctor in comedy sketches on an episode of BBC Radio 4 series The Skivers in 1995 (later referenced as an in-joke in The Gallifrey Chronicles).
2000s
- The 2003 stage show Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour featured a time-travelling portaloo called the "Turdis."
- The Chuckle Brothers starred in a 2006 comedy stage show spoofing Doctor Who, entitled Doctor What and the Return of the Garlics.
- The 2003 Harry Potter parody Barry Trotter and the Unnecessary Sequel by Michael Gerber features a character called Dr. Loo, a time-travelling wizard who travels in a toilet called the P.O.T.T.Y.
- In the Kapow 2012 play Whose Story is it Anyway? a child receives a sonic screwdriver, a TARDIS and a dinosaur from his father. His neighbour reveals that his father is the Doctor. In another scene, a boy finds two Time Lords in his closet.
Actors who portrayed the Doctor within the parodies
- Clive Dunn (as Fotheringown in It's a Square World's The Doctor's New Invention)
- Bernie Winters (as Doctor Shmoo in Big Night Out's Doctor Shmoo)
- Tony Hughes (as Doctor Where in Mathshow)
- Don MacLean (as a Fourth Doctor in 'Ello My Dalek)
- Rod Hull (as Doctor Emu in Emu's Broadcasting Company)
- Fred Harris (as Doctor Eyes in End of Part One's Doctor Eyes)
- Kenneth Williams (as Dr. What in Carry on Screaming)
- Ron Bain (as a Fifth Doctor in A Kick Up the Eighties)
- Ronnie Barker (as the "Jon Pertwee Doctor" in The Two Ronnies)
- Ian Krankie (as a Doctor in The Krankies' Elektronik Komik)
- Lenny Henry (as a Seventh Doctor in The Lenny Henry Show)
- George Layton (as New Doctor in French & Saunders' The Silurian Disruption)
- Jim Broadbent (as a Doctor Who in Victoria Wood as Seen on TV)
- Steve Vizard (as Doctor Hewson)
- Rob Sitch (as a Fourth Doctor in The Late Show)
- Paul Barber (as a Fourth Doctor in U.F.O.)
- Jeremy Beadle (as Doctor What in Beadle's Hotshots)
- Gary Bleasdale (as the Scouse Doctor in Harry Enfield and Chums)
- Paul O'Grady (as a Female Doctor in The Lily Savage Show)
- Bob Mortimer (as the First Doctor in Shooting Stars)
- Matt Lucas (as the Second Doctor in Shooting Stars)
- Vic Reeves (as the Third Doctor in Shooting Stars)
- Mark Lamarr (as the Fourth Doctor in Shooting Stars)
- Jon Culshaw (as the Fourth Doctor in Dead Ringers)
- Les Hubb (as an ECO Doctor in Hubbub)
- Harry Hill (as the Doctor in The Harry Hill Show)
- Mark Perry (as a Second Doctor in Dead Ringers)
- Kevin Connelly (as a Seventh Doctor in Dead Ringers)
- Phil Cornwell (as a Ninth Doctor in Dead Ringers)
- Ethan McKinley (as the Tenth Doctor in The Charlotte Church Show)
- Todd Carty (as the Eleventh Doctor in The Charlotte Church Show)
- Seth Green (as the Fourth Doctor in Robot Chicken)
- David Tennant (as a Female Doctor in The Sunday Night Project)
- Justin Lee Collins (as the Tenth Doctor in The Sunday Night Project)
- Mark Rhodes (as a Tenth Doctor in TMi)
- Sam Nixon (as a Parallel Tenth Doctor in TMi)
- James Hurn (as a Tenth Doctor in Gina's Laughing Gear)
- Catherine Tate (as a Tenth Doctor in The Friday Night Project)
- Harry Enfield (as a Reg Varney Doctor in Harry and Paul's Doctor Who on the Buses)
- Brian Drummond (as Doctor Whooves in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
- Nolan North (as the Tenth Doctor in MAD)
- Will Friedle (as the Eleventh Doctor in MAD)
- Lewis MacLeod (as the Fourth Doctor in Toast of London)
- Paul Merton (as a Fourth Doctor in Have I Got News for You? promo)
- Ian Hislop (as a Fourth Doctor in Have I Got News for You? promo)
- Tim Roth (as the Twelfth Doctor in Robot Chicken's Doctor Who Meets Nerd)
- Lewis MacLeod (as the Twelfth Doctor in Newzoids)
- Peter New (as Doctor Whooves in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
- Tim Dann (as Doctor Rhubarb in OOglies)
- Phil Vischer (as the Vegetable Eleventh Doctor in VeggieTales: Veggies in Space)
- Dick McCourt (as a Twelfth Doctor in Diddy TV)
