Doctor Who in popular culture

The science fiction franchise Doctor Who has been referenced in various popular culture media. Some of these references have ranged from cameos, pastiches and by name or word. The series has also been parodied on many occasions.

Film

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
Big Hero 6	A white Dalek toy can be seen among other action figures on a shelf in Hiro's bedroom.
Bumblebee	A poster of the Fourth Doctor can be seen Charlie's bedroom.
Cars 2	When Holley Shiftwell and Finn McMissile are captured and tied up inside Big Ben, Holley determines that she must change the direction of the clock to escape, stating "if I can just reverse the polarity".
Iron Sky	The TARDIS appears in the Earth Fleet scene.
The Lego Batman Movie	The Daleks appear in the film where they are referred to as "British Robots" and are trapped in the Phantom Zone with other villains.
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part	The TARDIS makes a brief appearance in the movie when Rex Dangervest uses parts from it and other famous Time Machines to build his time machine.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action	In the Area 52 scene, two Daleks are seen among numerous monsters and robots from old sci-fi films
VeggieTales	In Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier, the TARDIS appears when asked, “Who called us in? Who? Who?”, Archibald Asparagus comes out and replies, “That’s Doctor Who to you! Now if you excuse me, I’m needed in the 19th century. Ta-ta!”

Television

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
The Avengers	Dalek toys are seen in a department store in the episode "Death at Bargain Prices". The series, like Doctor Who, was created by Sydney Newman, although broadcast on the rival ITV network.
Better Off Ted	In the episode, “The Great Repression”, a deactivated Dalek is spotted in the sub-basement where the supposed "Robot Farm" is located.
The Catherine Tate Show	Tennant starred opposite Catherine Tate’s Lauren Cooper in a 2007 special as her teacher Mr. Logan. Cooper teases Mr. Logan for his resemblance to the Tenth Doctor; eventually, he reveals himself as The Doctor, and uses his sonic screwdriver to shrink Cooper into a 5" Rose Tyler action figure.
Chelmsford 123	In the first episode, Arrivederci Roma, the TARDIS and a scarf-wearing, silhouetted figure appear briefly in the background as Aulus Paulinus travels through Britain.
Community	In the season 3 episode "Biology 101", Britta introduces Abed to the long-running British sci-fi show "Inspector Spacetime", a spoof on Doctor Who, after he suffers a nervous breakdown from running out of episodes of the real life series Cougar Town. Since then, Inspector Spacetime is often referenced throughout the duration of the series, namely in the episode "Conventions of Space and Time", where Abed and the study group attend an Inspector Spacetime convention and meet various actors and super-fans of the series, including one played by Matt Lucas, who would later play Nardole in the series.
Coupling	The series was notable for its references to Doctor Who as Steven Moffat, (who would later to write and produce episodes for Doctor Who) was an avid fan of the show. In one notable episode, a Dalek appears, voiced by Nicholas Briggs, who would also later go on to provide Dalek voices for the revived series.
CSI:NY	In the season 4 episode, "Time's Up", a dying man confesses to a murder 24 hours before it happens. While detectives investigate, they find a body in what is supposedly a time machine, and one of them comments "Paging Doctor Who".
Doctors	Sylvester McCoy made a guest appearance in an episode of the ninth series as a retired actor Graham Capelli, who played a time traveller in a television show called The Lollipop Man where he could travel through time with his traffic lollipop stick.
Family Guy	The Star Wars Episode IV spoof "Blue Harvest" (2007), used footage from the Tom Baker-era opening credits in the scene to represent the Millennium Falcon entering hyperspace. In the episode “420”, Brian states that ratings for Doctor Who have gone up since he legalized marijuana. In the episode, “Welcome Back, Carter”, Peter mentions he has an Owl named Doctor Who. David Tennant reprised his role as the Tenth Doctor in the episode, “Inside Family Guy”, which shows the Griffins watching Doctor Who Farted, a fictional episode where the Tenth Doctor tries to fan out a fart he did in the TARDIS.
Futurama	The character of Turanga Leela gets her last name from the companion of the same name. The Fourth Doctor makes cameos throughout the series, such as the episode “Möbius Dick”, where he emerges from the stomach of a space whale, he is also briefly seen in “All the Presidents' Heads” returning to his TARDIS in an alternate timeline where the American Revolution had only been a Colonial Dust-Up.
Heartbeat	The episode, "State of Mind", contains a subplot in which David Stockwell deals with a police box he claims won't stop disappearing.
I'm Alan Partridge	In a 2002 episode, Alan recalls how his purchase of the rights to K9 contributed to a mental breakdown with him driving to Dundee barefoot while gorging on Toblerone.
It's a Sin	The Daleks appear in scenes where series lead Ritchie Tozer (Olly Alexander) is cast in a fictional Doctor Who story called Regression of the Daleks. The series was written by Russell T Davies, who served as the showrunner for the first 4 series and series 14 onward.
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson	In a 2010 episode, a Dalek was a “guest” on the show sitting off to the side and keeping a watchful eye on Ferguson. It never spoke, but occasionally moved around. This was a lead-up to having Matt Smith as a real guest on the show.
Milo Murphy's Law	An recurring gag in the show is Doctor Zone, a show-within-a-show which heavily parodies Doctor Who.
Mr. Bean	In the episode "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean", Mr. Bean plays with a toy Dalek in the nativity set inside the store.
NCIS	In the episode, "Power Down", McGee compares the unexpectedly spacious interior of a cargo container to the TARDIS, after he explains the meaning to DiNozzo, he asks, “Doctor Who – who watches that?"
Phineas and Ferb	The show made several references to Doctor Who, one example being in “Mission Marvel” a dimensionally transcendental room which, according to Ferb, was made possible by "a little British sci-fi technology".
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy	In the episode, “Green Courage“, an on-screen note claimed that a meteoroid field just collided with a planet located at "ten zero eleven zero zero, by zero two from galactic zero," in the constellation of Kasterborous. In Pyramids of Mars, these coordinates are given as the location of Gallifrey.
Queer as Folk	Created by Russel T. Davies, Queer as Folk has the character Vince Tyler, a fan of Doctor Who, who makes numerous references to the show, such as: In episode 1, Vince has a Dalek toy in his fish tank. He watches the cliffhanger to episode one of Pyramids of Mars. In episode 2, Vince is at a pub with coworkers. One makes references to Star Trek while Rosaline says she did watch Coronation Street instead of Doctor Who. In episode 3, Vince says Mickey Blake got him episode three of Planet of the Daleks in colour and can get him episode four of The Tenth Planet. In episode 5, a Vince and a guy he brings home for a one-night stand end up watching his Genesis of the Daleks tapes. In the same episode, Cameron comments on "the one with the shop dummies" and "that one with the maggots". He said the show scared him as a kid. In episode 7, Vince receives a replica of K9 for his birthday. (When asked where he got K9, Davies confirmed, "It was the original K9 from the BBC!") In episode 8, Vince ends up breaking up with Cameron when he can't list "all the Doctor Whos". Stuart, Vince's long-time friend, can list all 7 actors in order, even remembering that according to Vince, "Paul McGann doesn't count."
Regular Show	In the episode, "Terror Tales of the Park V", Pops dresses as the Fourth Doctor for Halloween.
Rick and Morty	"Heavily inspired" by Doctor Who, Rick and Morty uses various references and similarities from the series in multiple episodes.
Robot Chicken	One short skit in Season 2, entitled "Do You Get It?" (2006), featured the Fourth Doctor standing on first base in the middle of a baseball field, asking the audience "Do you get it?" The joke being (Doctor) Who's on first (base).
Rugrats	In the season 2 episode "Toy Palace", pink Dalek toys can be seen on the store shelves. The show's animator, Gábor Csupó, featured the reference as he is a fan of Doctor Who.
Sesame Street	In the 2014 episode "Numeric Con", one of the characters is dressed up as the Fourth Doctor with the TARDIS appearing, two Cybermen and two Dalek-like Aliens saying "Enumerate".
Shaun the Sheep	In the episode “Party Animals”, one of the sheep is dressed as a crude version of a Dalek trying to get up some stairs but failing because of the suit.
Sherlock	In the Series 4 episode, "The Lying Detective", a postcard with the Torchwood logo can be seen on the mantelpiece where Sherlock keeps the “things he can’t figure out”.
The Simpsons	In “Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming” the Fourth Doctor appears as of the representatives of television. In the episode, "Co-Dependent's Day", two Daleks are seen in the Galactic Senate from the in-universe science-fiction film Cosmic Wars: The Gathering Shadow (a reference to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace). In "My Big Fat Geek Wedding", a man dressed as the Fourth Doctor can be seen at the Comic-Con. In "Springfield Up", Homer calls Declan Desmond "Dr. Who", stating "Check with me in 8 years, Doctor Who, I'll be kicking your ass with a golden boot!". In "The Day the Earth Stood Cool," an outline of a Dalek can be seen on the bottom drawer of T-Rex's dresser when Bart discovers his action figures.
South Park	The episode entitled "Funnybot" featured a new character, "Funnybot". Funnybot was designed by the Germans to prove that they were a funny people, after what the students of South Park Elementary had to say about them. Funnybot was obviously based on the Daleks, albeit with Gatling guns in lieu of a death ray, even shouting "Exterminate!" at one point.
Star Trek: The Next Generation	In the episode, “The Neutral Zone”, the names of the first six Doctor actors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison (incorrectly spelled as “Davidson”), and Colin Baker) are seen on a screen. These names were replaced in the remastered Blu-ray version.
Supernatural	In the episode, "Nightshifter", a character is convinced that a "mandroid" is responsible for several crimes and holds up a magazine with a Cyberman on its cover to illustrate his point. In the episode "The Girl Next Door", Sam confronts a Kitsune using the alias "Amy Pond".
Top Gear	A Dalek, the Sixth Doctor, and a Cyberman appeared alongside Darth Vader, Ming the Merciless, and a Klingon, in a 2003 episode, to see who was "Master of the Universe" with a lap around their test track in a racing modified Honda Civic. The Dalek could not get into the car, so it exterminated the other drivers (with the exception of the Klingon and the Doctor; who had apparently fled beforehand as they were not present); the Cyberman was eventually declared the winner by the hosts.
Vision On	The Daleks appear in an episode performing a short ballet sequence to the music of Manuel de Falla's "Ritual Fire Dance".

Video games

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
Beneath a Steel Sky	When the welding robot body is placed onto Joey and when talked to, he'll say "EX-TER-MIN-ATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!!" mimicking the Daleks.
Borderlands 2	After blowing up the dam in the side mission "Hell Hath No Fury", Handsome Jack will read a list of names of the week's construction casualties which are Hartnell, W. Troughton, P. Pertwee, J. Baker, T. These are references to the actors William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker; respectively, who had played the role of The Doctor.
Destroy All Humans! 2	The player can travel to a version of London called Albion, where the appearance of the extraterrestrial main character, Crypto, causes its citizens to scream phrases like, “Someone call The Doctor!” or “Where the hell’s the bleedin’ TARDIS?".
EverQuest	A non-player character named Tavid Dennant, a reference to actor David Tennant who played the Tenth Doctor, can be found in the Guild Hall, who was previously named Flavin Deepockets until the release of the expansion EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction. When talking to him, he will ask the player to find his long colorful scarf, a reference to the Fourth Doctor's scarf, and also claims to have a watch which he cannot recall where he got it but believes it is a part of him, a possible reference to the chameleon arch fob from the episode "Human Nature".
Fallout	One of the random encounters the player may come across features the TARDIS from the series. Upon approaching it, it will disappear.
Fallout 2	The Navarro base has a damaged robot dog known as K9, with speech patterns similar to the Doctor Who character. When repaired, K9 is willing to join the character's party as a companion.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham	Two Weeping Angels can be found in the game. The first can be found outside the Hall of Doom, and the second can be found in a cave during the level, "Jailhouse Nok". Every time the camera moves away from them, its hands move away from its face and back again. When on the Moon, a double decker bus can be seen in a crater, a reference to the episode, Planet of the Dead. In the level, "Space Suits You, Sir",there is a shadowy area, that when Illuminated, reveals 3 small planets, which once destroyed, can be rebuilt into a red London police box that quickly disappears. This is an obvious reference to the TARDIS.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes	When travelling to Asgard during the level, "Bifrosty Reception", the player goes through a portal similar to the time vortex from 2005–2007.
Lemmings 2: The Tribes	The exit for the "Shadow Tribe" level is resembles the TARDIS.
Pokémon Platinum	The character Looker is a reference to the Tenth Doctor. He features almost the same attire as the Tenth and refuses to reveal his true name similar to the Doctor. In the game, his goal is stop Team Galactic from taking over the universe.
RuneScape	In the town of Burgh de Rott, two characters named Rory and Amelia can be found, references to Rory Williams and Amy Pond; respectively. If the player claims to be the hero in their stories, they will accuse the player of lying and state that the player character is not wearing a "cool bow tie" like their hero. During the Ratcatchers Quest the player's cat screams "Exterminate! Exterminate!" referencing the Daleks.
The Secret World	In "The City Before Us" mission involving time travel, Saïd, an ancient mommy speaking in a very old unknown language refers to the name "Tardis" when inviting the character to enter the stone room that will transport the character in Ancient Egypt.
Taz: Wanted	When all sandwiches are collected in a level, a blue phone box with a flashing blue light will arrive to take Taz to a bonus challenge. Inside the box also have the classic TARDIS interior.
Team Fortress 2	The bow tie item "Dr. Whoa" is a reference to the show and in particular the Eleventh Doctor who was synonymous with bow ties.
Terraria	A wearable vanity set exists made up of The Doctor's Shirt and The Doctor's Pants, styled after the Eleventh Doctor. The Fez item also contains the tooltip 'Fezzes are cool', a reference to the Eleventh Doctor's description of fezzes in The Big Bang. The Wizard NPC will sometimes say 'I once tried to bring an Angel Statue to life. It didn't do anything.', a reference to Weeping Angels.
To The Moon	The TARDIS is mentioned by Dr. Watts, as being able to lift a piano.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	Outside the church near Lindenvale, there are two angel statues that when you turn away will have moved from where they were standing, a reference to the Weeping Angels.

Music

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
“Doctorin' the Tardis”	This 1988 novelty single by the KLF (known then as The Timelords), featured many references to Doctor Who.
“Exterminate Annihilate Destroy”	Daleks were sampled by the German electronic band Rotersand in their 2005 single "Exterminate Annihilate Destroy".
“Exterminate, Regenerate”	Written by the trock band Chameleon Circuit for their eponymous album, the song illustrates the conflict between the Doctor and the Daleks.
“Her Daddy Was a Dalek, Her Mummy Was a Non-Stick Frying Pan”	This song written by Martin Gordon from his album "The Joy of More Hogwash", includes numerous references to the Daleks.
“I’m Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek”	This 1964 song was the first known musical reference to Daleks, written by the Go-Go's, it was released during the 1960s' "Dalekmania" fad.
"Remote Control"	This song by The Clash includes the lyrics, ("Repression—gonna be a Dalek / Repression—I am a robot / Repression—I obey.")
“Shakespeare’s Tacklebox”	Samples of Dalek voices uttering the phrases "the prisoners have escaped" and "exterminate them" appear in this song by the Australian band Spiderbait on their 1993 debut LP "ShaShaVaGlava".
“Smile”	This song by the Supernaturals includes the lyrics, ("I feel like a Dalek inside/ Everything's gone grey but used to be so black and white").
"Up on the Ladder"	This song by British rock band Radiohead from their 2007 album In Rainbows disk 2, starts with the verse "I'm stuck in the TARDIS".
“Weathercade”	This song, by the Creatures, includes the lyrics, ("The Dalek drones are drowning")

Literature

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
Animalia	In the children's book, written by Graeme Base, a Dalek appears on the pages with objects starting with the letter D.
The Bloody Red Baron	Lady Jennifer Buckingham from The War Games appears.
The Condition of Muzak	“Doctor Who” and a Dalek appear amongst other fictional characters in this novel, written by author Michael Moorcock, an admirer of Doctor Who.
High Wizardry	The Fifth Doctor makes an unnamed cameo as a stranger in a bar who helps the protagonist out of a sticky situation in the novel High Wizardry (1990) by Diane Duane, part of the Young Wizards series. A decade later, the author, Diane Duane, confirmed the stranger's intended identity to a fan. Duane later ended up writing Goths and Robbers, an official Fifth Doctor short story for the Short Trips anthology The Quality of Leadership.
Ishmael	Barbara Hambly's Star Trek novel Ishmael (1985) contains numerous references to Doctor Who, including cameo appearances by the Second and Fourth incarnations of The Doctor on pages 154 and 13, mentions of Metebelis crystals from the serials The Green Death and Planet of the Spiders are mentioned on page 57, and Kirk recalls legends of a planet of stagnant time-travellers in the Kasteroborous galaxy on page 200.

Comics

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
ALF	In issue #38, a Melmacian named Doctor Whozonfirst appears dressed like the Fourth Doctor. He claims to be a "Slimelord" from "Gallifree" and travels in a "TARDIS Gras"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer	In issue #6 of Season Eight, the Tenth Doctor with Rose Tyler can be seen in London.
Excalibur	Excalibur Vol. 1 6 (1989) introduces Professor Alistaire Stuart and Brigadier Alysande Stuart of the Weird Happenings Organisation (W.H.O., a nod to UNIT and Doctor Who).
Fantastic Four	In Vol. 3 9 (1998), Johnny Storm knows that Reed Richards got a second-hand phone booth that is bigger on the inside from his "weird 'doctor' friend”. The Seventh Doctor had previously appeared in crossovers with the Fantastic Four back when Marvel Comics had the comic license for Doctor Who.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume III: Century	A Dalek can be seen during a psychedelic hallucination by Mina Murray.
Power Man and Iron Fist	In issue #79, Iron Fist and Power Man encounter J. A. Gamble and the Dredlox, who are pastiches of the Doctor and the Daleks. Writer for the comic Jo Duffy was a fan of the show and described the story as her "love letter to Doctor Who".

Web series

Title	Reference	Ref(s)
Dragon Ball Z Abridged	Whenever Trunks uses his time machine in the series, it makes the same sound the TARDIS does when it dematerializes. The Doomsday theme is used in Dragon Ball Z Abridged Special: The History of Trunks, during Future Gohan’s death scene.
Epic Rap Battles of History	The Tenth Doctor appears in the 24th episode, having a rap battle with Doc Brown from Back to the Future. Near the episodes end, he gets shot by a Dalek, regenerating into the Fourth Doctor.

See also

• Doctor Who fandom
• List of Doctor Who parodies
• Doctor Who spin-offs
• Doctor Who merchandise
• Doctor Who exhibitions