#FindTheDoctor (series)
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#FindTheDoctor was an alternate reality game (ARG, for short) that began releasing content in late 2021 as a promotion for the forthcoming Series 13. The ultimate goal was to determine the password to a hidden page on the official Doctor Who website. Each clue held a single letter that was highlighted in some way, as well as a hint towards finding the next clue. As of August 2021, it's presumed that the highlighted letters will form the password, though that is not yet confirmed.
Clue content was a mixture of online and real-world items, though the real-world items had some online form of record - presumably to aid fans who could not travel to them.
Clues
- The first clue was hinted at in the Series 13 trailer released on the Doctor Who YouTube channel on 26 July 2021. The video had a very faintly written "/mystery" at the bottom of the screen, leading to a web page on the Doctor Who website[1], which revealed the first clue as D, in the word hidden in the welcome message, and hinting that it begins: 13:13.13.
- On 13 August, posted at precisely 13:13 BST, the next clue was released on the same web page as the webcast A message from Yaz. The video ended with the text "The next clue is coming soon", with the C coloured red.
- The third clue came on 16 August with a promotional image from upcoming series, which was posted exactly at the time 13:13 and held a set of graffitied co-ordinates[2] for Yaz's Park Hill flat in Sheffield. The number 5 in the co-ordinates was coloured green, giving it away as the next clue.
- The fourth clue was gained by following the co-ordinates of the previous clue, where a recent Park Hill August 2021 photo on Google Maps (uploaded by a user called "John Smith") contained a TARDIS that had "FIND ME 14/07" graffitied.[3] The E was uniquely coloured red, making it the fourth clue.
- The fifth letter was obtained by finding an Instagram post from 14 July, from the Doctor Who account which depicted of the Doctor holding up a piece of morse code reading Liverpool Gallery.[4] The letter G was highlighted.
- Indeed, at the Liverpool Gallery a painting entitled La Boîte Bleue showed a landscape featuring the TARDIS and an anachronistic rocket and landing module in the 1860s. The letter Y was capitalised, making it the sixth clue.[5]
- On 20 August, "John Smith" left a 5-star review for the Science Museum,[6] stating to have forgotten something there. The rocket and lander module in the painting is also found there. An exhibition at the museum was called Unknown object—RHCTDM-OEI-OLOAW/0209, and was a display of a sonic screwdriver, with the letter V capitalised.
- The next clue will likely be derived from the display name: "RHCTDM-OEI-OLOAW/0209" with the letters being an anagram of "DOCTOR-WHO-EMAIL", with the numbers "0209" representing the date "2 September".
On mobile devices, the "/mystery"-page was also found to contain a hidden instance of the word "FRED". It is a matter of debate as to whether this is a separate clue or part of the final password.
Entries
| # | Title | Cast & crew | Format | Release date | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | /mystery | None | Web page | 26 July 2021 | D | A mystery unfolds. |
| 2 | A message from Yaz | Mandip Gill | 34 seconds webcast | 13 August 2021 | C | Yaz sends a voice message to the Doctor. |
| 3 | Promotional image | Team TARDIS (photo) | Image | 16 August 2021 | 5 | Co-ordinates are found on a promo picture. |
| 4 | Untitled Google Maps photo | Uncredited | E | A graffitied TARDIS is found at Park Hill on Google Maps. | ||
| 5 | Untitled Instagram photo | Thirteenth Doctor (photo) | 14 July 2021 | G | The Thirteenth Doctor holds up a Morse code transcript. | |
| 6 | La Boîte Bleue | Uncredited | Painting | August 2021 | Y | A landscape featuring the Doctor's TARDIS is mysteriously donated to a museum in Liverpool. |
| 7 | Unknown object—RHCTDM-OEI-OLOAW/0209 | Uncredited | Display | 13 August 2021 | V | The Thirteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver is on display at the Science Museum |
Gallery
Entry #1
Entry #2
Entry #4
Entry #5
Entry #6
Entry #6 (2)
Entry #6 (3)
Entry #7
Entry #7 (2)
Entry #7 (3)
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Notes
User "John Smith" who left the picture on Google Maps also has 5-star reviews for all the following buildings published on 16 August 2021, referencing events of the series. In chronological order, they are:
- BT Tower, referencing The War Machines.
- Buckingham Palace, seen in various episodes.
- Canary Wharf, "home of Torchwood"
- Cardiff Bay, referencing the time rift.
- Louvre, referencing events of City of Death.
- London Eye, used as a transmitter in Rose.
- Tower of London, referencing Elizabeth X.
- "UNIT HQ", promoting the Time Fracture interactive production at the location.
- Villa Diodati, mistaking it with the villa of Laura Whitmore and one unspecified Mary, a reference to Love Island.
- Shakespeare's Globe, referencing the events of The Shakespeare Code.
- Pendle Hill, referencing The Witchfinders.
- Thames, referencing the Frost fair in Thin Ice.
- St Paul's Cathedral, referencing Missy.
- Trafalgar Square, with a forest, referencing In the Forest of the Night.
- The Shard, referencing the events of The Bells of Saint John.
- Statue of Liberty, referencing its Weeping Angel nature from The Angels Take Manhattan.
- Alexandra Palace, referencing The Idiot's Lantern.
