Whoniverse
Original workDoctor Who (1963–)
OwnerBBC
Years1963–present
Print publications
Book(s)Doctor Who books
ComicsDoctor Who comics
Magazine(s)Doctor Who Magazine
Films and television
Film(s)Dr. Who and the Daleks
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
Television seriesDoctor Who (spin-offs)
Theatrical presentations
Play(s)Doctor Who Live
Musical(s)Doctor Who Prom (2008)
Games
Video game(s)Doctor Who video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)Doctor Who music releases
Original musicMusic of Doctor Who
Audio play(s)Doctor Who audio plays (spin-offs)
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)Doctor Who merchandise
Theme park attraction(s)Doctor Who exhibitions

The Whoniverse is a British media franchise and shared universe centring on the BBC television series Doctor Who, its spin-offs[1] and other associated media.[2][3] The shared universe nature was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters, usually deriving from the main programme.[4]

Doctor Who depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being with a human appearance. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. With various companions, they combat foes, work to save civilisations, and help people in need. Doctor Who was first broadcast in 1963 and ran for 26 seasons until 1989, returning briefly in the form of a TV film in 1996. It was later revived in 2005, when the show's newfound success led to the commissioning of several spin-offs – Torchwood (2006–11), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–11) and Class (2016). Other spin-offs include the pilot K-9 and Company (1981) and non-BBC produced series K9 (2009–10).

The franchise name, a portmanteau of the words "who" and "universe", was originally used to describe Doctor Who's production and fanbase.[5] In 2023, the year of the show's sixtieth anniversary, the BBC adopted the name in an official capacity, making the Whoniverse the umbrella brand for all programmes connected to Doctor Who, including documentaries.

The majority of the Whoniverse's programmes have been commercially successful and generally received positive reviews. They have also inspired an extensive collection of book, comic and magazine publications, audio plays, films, video games, exhibitions, and stage plays.

Background

The earliest official usage of "Whoniverse" was in the introduction to the appendices of The Doctor Who Programme Guide Volume 2 by Jean-Marc Lofficier published May 1981 in its hardcover edition.[6] The publicitity blurb on the back ofThe Second Doctor Who Quiz Book by Nigel Robinson published in December 1982 also used the term.[7] In his 1983 book Doctor Who: A Celebration; Two Decades Through Time and Space, Peter Haining called his final chapter "The Whoniverse".[5] The section assembled factual information about all the episodes to date, but also gave information about fan clubs and ancillary entertainments related to the programme. Thus, the term Whoniverse referred to everything connected with the programme behind-the-scenes. In this meaning, standing exhibitions, discussions about the filming of episodes and even the fandom itself were considered part of the "Whoniverse". The term Whoniverse is still used with this definition today,[8][9][10][11] including as the name of a Doctor Who convention in Australia.[12][13]

The term began to appear in mainstream press coverage, placing greater emphasis on it as a fictional universe, following the popular success of the 2005 Doctor Who revival and the establishment of its returning spin-offs, Torchwood (2006–11) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–11).[14][15]

Development

In October 2022, it was reported that Bad Wolf Studios had filed for a new subsidiary company, run by former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner and former BBC head of drama Jane Tranter, called "Whoniverse1 LTD".[16] On 17 January 2023, outlets reported that a new sign at Bad Wolf Studios possessed the tagline "Home of the Whoniverse".[17][18]

On 30 October 2023, the BBC announced it would be using the term "Whoniverse" in an official capacity to describe all shows within the orbit of Doctor Who, and specifically their home on BBC iPlayer, including documentary programming.[19] It had previously been announced that over eight hundred previous episodes would be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.[20] The launch of Tales of the TARDIS on 1 November was marketed as the first Whoniverse exclusive release. A Whoniverse ident was also adopted to unify content within the Whoniverse collection.[19]

In other media

The Whoniverse version of Earth is referred to as Earth-5556 in the Marvel Multiverse.[21]

References to the Whoniverse appear in The Inheritance Cycle fantasy novels by Christopher Paolini.[22]

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies cast John MacKay as John Logie Baird for the episode "The Giggle" (2023), reprising the role he played in Davies' ITV series Nolly earlier in 2023. Davies joked that this casting meant that all the television series he has written are set in the same universe.[23]

See also

References

Citations
  1. ↑ Capaldi's Past Whoniverse Appearances Not Ignored, Doctor Who TV, 28 September 2014
  2. ↑ Kistler (2013) Page 224
  3. ↑ Lofficier (1992) Foreword
  4. ↑ Lloyd, Robert (18 April 2008), "She's back in the Whoniverse", Los Angeles Times
  5. 1 2 Haining 1983
  6. ↑ Lofficier, Jean-Marc (1981). The Doctor Who Programme Guide Volume 2. London: Target. p. 105. ISBN 0491028040.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Nigel (1982). The Second Doctor Who Quiz Book (A Target book). London: Target. pp. Back cover. ISBN 978-0426194064.
  8. ↑ A message from Matt Smith: "To the Whoniverse, thanks a million. You're the best. I'll miss you. And I'll miss the madness.", twitter.com
  9. ↑ "The Sarah Jane Adventures", BBC – Blogs – Writersroom, BBC, 1 November 2010
  10. ↑ "Doctor Who – #Save The Day". BBC.
  11. ↑ "Jessica Simpson to Enter the Whoniverse?". Anglophenia. 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007.
  12. ↑ "Whoniverse". The Hub Productions. 2011.
  13. ↑ "Whoniverse: The Doctor Is In – Australia 2014 Convention". Magnificent Matt Smith! – Your newest online resource to the 11th Doctor Matt Smith!. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  14. ↑ Morrison, Ryan (12 July 2007). "Battle of Flowers: Cybermen and Dalek for Battle". BBC Jersey.
  15. ↑ "Peter Capaldi's Multiple Appearances in the Whoniverse To Be Explained by an Old Russell T Davies Idea". Bleeding Cool. 29 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Jasper, Matthew (27 November 2021). "New Doctor Who Production Company Name Hints at Shared Universe & Spinoffs". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  17. ↑ Welcome to the Whoniverse, blogtorwho.com
  18. ↑ Flook, Ray (17 January 2023). "Doctor Who: Bad Wolf As "The Home of The Whoniverse" Very Promising". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Doctor Who: Welcome to The Whoniverse where every Doctor, every companion and hundreds of terrifying monsters live". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  20. ↑ 60 Years of Doctor Who drops on BBC iPlayer alongside landmark online archive, bbc.co.uk
  21. ↑ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 7
  22. ↑ Paolini, Christopher (20 September 2008). "Acknowledgments". Brisingr (1st ed.). New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 761. ISBN 978-0-375-82672-6. Also, for those who understood the reference to a 'lonely god' when Eragon and Arya are sitting around the campfire, my only excuse is that the Doctor can travel everywhere, even alternate realities. Hey, I'm a fan too!
  23. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (9 November 2023). "Doctor Who confirms further castings for 60th anniversary specials". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
Bibliography

Further reading

  • Howe, David J; Walker, Stephen James (1998), Doctor Who: The Television Companion
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