Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking CBE (PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia [+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia"]) was a human scientist and theoretical physicist in the late 20th to early 21st century.
Biography
Stephen Hawking authored the book A Brief History of Time. (PROSE: Fear of the Dark [+]Loading...["Fear of the Dark (novel)"], Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia [+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia"], AUDIO: Zagreus [+]Loading...["Zagreus (audio story)"])
Hawking was diagnosed with ALS. As a result, he could only speak through the use of a voice synthesiser and was a wheelchair user. (PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia [+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia"])
In 1997, Hawking was among the celebrities observing the Mars 97 mission at the National Space Museum. He was in deep conversation with Richard Dawkins and his wife, and had been helped down the stairs by a couple of hefty security guards. (PROSE: The Dying Days)
In 2004, Hawking attended the opening of the Tomorrow Windows at Tate Modern. (PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows)
On 28 June, 2009, Stephen Hawking held a party for time travellers at Gonville & Caius College, but he only sent out invitations after the event. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary)
Stephen Hawking died some time before 2050, where the famous scientist Alistair Gryffen used the phrase "Hawking's Ghost!" to express shock. (TV: The Last Oak Tree)
References
When Dalek Thay encountered the Cybermen, Mickey Smith compared their conversation to Stephen Hawking meeting the Speaking Clock. (TV: Doomsday)
Toshiko Sato mentioned Hawking's name in regard to pioneers of quantum physics. (PROSE: Something in the Water)
Behind the scenes
Hawking's first name is misspelled as "Steven" in The Dying Days.
Hawking was interviewed as part of Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor.
He was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in a 2004 BBC dramatisation of his time at Cambridge University.
He was also portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in the 2014 biographical film The Theory of Everything.
