14 Things You Didn’t Know About Doctor Who
Doctor Who has long been a staple in the lineup of Sci-Fi shows, with its original start in the 60s and a reboot in the early 2000s, there’s no doubt that Doctor Who has gained a massive following of fans around the world. The British television show has proven to be a hit series over and over again, and with yet another new doctor jumping on board to play the role, there seems to be no end in sight for this television show!
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But, even if you’re a diehard Doctor Who fan, there’s a good chance you didn’t catch any of these things throughout the newest series:
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- Matt Smith is often seen wearing a tweed jacket throughout his part on the show, but surprisingly, the jacket isn’t part of the costume selection: it’s from his own wardrobe.
- In the early years of Doctor Who, there was a lot of excitement revolving around the series and the producers were worried about the possibility of television pirates stealing the tapes as they were being transported. To disguise them, one person on the crew had the idea of labeling them “Torchwood” instead of “Doctor Who.” Writer Russell T. Davies ended up liking the codename so much that he later created a series with the same name in 2006.
- David Tennant is considered to be the best doctor in the new series, and when his time on the show came to an end, the producers and network actually considered ending the show permanently right there, as they were worried no other actor would compare with his performance.
- When first asked to play the doctor, David Tennant was extremely excited, and multiple people from the crew said that his first request was to have a “long swishy coat.”
- John Hurt now holds the record as the oldest actor to take the role of the doctor.
- John Hurt is the first actor of the new series who was born before the original series ever premiered.
- It’s now happened twice that an actor has appeared in the series prior to becoming the doctor. Both Peter Capaldi and Colin Baker had small parts in the series before later coming back and being cast as the doctor.
- Building on the last one, Capaldi’s first appearance before becoming the doctor was actually in an episode where Karen Gillan also made a minor appearance (Karen later came back as one of the doctor’s companions).
- All of the episodes interconnect, including those from the new and old series. Eagle-eyed fans who have watched all of the episodes will be able to find hundreds of references, inside jokes, and foreshadowing of plots that will happen years (or even decades) in the future. In fact, Russell T. Davies gave a great example for this when he stated that the Time War which has now become a big part of the new series actually originated in a 1975 episode.
10. Despite number nine, when the show was revived writers said they were fearful of boring or confusing the audience during the first season and kept references to a bare minimum. In fact, despite the nature of Doctor Who that traditionally took the cast across the universe, it wasn’t until the second season of the revival that they actually left Earth.
11. Hugh Grant was actually offered the role of the doctor, but turned it down as he didn’t know whether or not the series would take off. A few years ago, he publicly expressed his regret for not joining the show, but he did get the chance to play the doctor in a comedy sketch on Comic Relief.
12. It was revealed that the 45 minute episodes to air usually take three weeks to shoot. Those that last an hour for specials, such as the Christmas episodes, can take over a month.
13. Even though a lot of the show is set in London, most of the filming is done in Wales and other places. When the doctor and his companions travel through time, the crew always takes into account the buildings that would and would not have shown up in that time period.
14. Three weeks before the first episode of the revival aired, an unnamed employee who had access to the tapes leaked the first episode online. While he was terminated, there was only one difference between the version that was leaked and the one that aired, with that difference being the theme song (in the leaked version, it was a remix of the original). Click here to find out how to access this and other great entertainment with Comcast Internet Plans at http://cabletvinternet.s9.com/xfinity-high-speed-internet-plans-.html.
