The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who


Book Description

Doctor Who stories are many things: thrilling adventures, historical dramas, tales of love and war and jelly babies. They’re also science fiction – but how much of the science is actually real, and how much is really fiction? The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who is a mind-bending blend of story and science that will help you see Doctor Who in a whole new light, weaving together a series of all-new adventures, featuring every incarnation of the Doctor. With commentary that explores the possibilities of time travel, life on other planets, artificial intelligence, parallel universes and more, Simon Guerrier and Dr Marek Kukula show how Doctor Who uses science to inform its unique style of storytelling – and just how close it has often come to predicting future scientific discoveries. This book is your chance to be the Doctor's companion and explore what's out there. It will make you laugh, and think, and see the world around you differently. Because anything could be out there. And going out there is the only way to learn what it is.




Doctor Who and Science


Book Description

Science has always been part of Doctor Who. The first episode featured scenes in a science laboratory and a science teacher, and the 2020 season's finale highlighted a scientist's key role in Time Lord history. Hundreds of scientific characters, settings, inventions, and ethical dilemmas populated the years in between. Behind the scenes, Doctor Who's original remit was to teach children about science, and in the 1960s it even had a scientific advisor. This is the first book to explore this scientific landscape from a broad spectrum of research fields: from astronomy, genetics, linguistics, computing, history, sociology and science communication through gender, media and literature studies. Contributors ask: What sort of scientist is the Doctor? How might the TARDIS translation circuit and regeneration work? Did the Doctor change sex or gender when regenerating into Jodie Whittaker? How do Doctor Who's depictions of the Moon and other planets compare to the real universe? Why was the program obsessed with energy in the 1960s and 1970s, Victorian scientists and sciences then and now, or with dinosaurs at any time? Do characters like Missy and the Rani make good scientist role models? How do Doctor Who technical manuals and public lectures shape public ideas about science?




Doctor Who in Time and Space


Book Description

This collection of fresh essays addresses a broad range of topics in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, both old (1963-1989) and new (2005-present). The book begins with the fan: There are essays on how the show is viewed and identified with, fan interactions with each other, reactions to changes, the wilderness years when it wasn't in production. Essays then look at the ways in which the stories are told (e.g., their timeliness, their use of time travel as a device, etc.). After discussing the stories and devices and themes, the essays turn to looking at the Doctor's female companions and how they evolve, are used, and changed by their journey with the Doctor.




The Science of Doctor Who


Book Description

cosmologist and is ideal beach reading for anyone who loves science and watches the show—no matter which planet the beach is on.




Vampire Science


Book Description

"In the days when the Time Lords were young, their war with the Vampires cost trillions of lives on countless worlds. Now the Vampires have been sighted again, in San Francisco. Some want to coexist with humans, using genetic engineering in a macabre experiment to find a new source of blood. But some would rather go out in a blaze of glory -- and UNIT's attempts to contain them could provoke another devastating war. The Doctor strikes a dangerous bargain, but even he might not be able to keep the city from getting caught in the crossfire. While he finds himself caught in a web of old feuds and high-tech schemes, his new companion Sam finds out just how deadly travelling with the Doctor can be."--Page 4 of cover




The Language of Doctor Who


Book Description

In a richly developed fictional universe, Doctor Who, a wandering survivor of a once-powerful alien civilization, possesses powers beyond human comprehension. He can bend the fabric of time and space with his TARDIS, alter the destiny of worlds, and drive entire species into extinction. The good doctor’s eleven “regenerations” and fifty years’ worth of adventures make him the longest-lived hero in science-fiction television. In The Language of Doctor Who: From Shakespeare to Alien Tongues, Jason Barr and Camille D. G. Mustachio present several essays that use language as an entry point into the character and his universe. Ranging from the original to the rebooted television series—through the adventures of the first eleven Doctors—these essays explore how written and spoken language have been used to define the Doctor’s ever-changing identities, shape his relationships with his many companions, and give him power over his enemies—even the implacable Daleks. Individual essays focus on fairy tales, myths, medical-travel narratives, nursery rhymes, and, of course, Shakespeare. Contributors consider how the Doctor’s companions speak with him through graffiti, how the Doctor himself uses postmodern linguistics to communicate with alien species, and how language both unites and divides fans of classic Who and new Who as they try to converse with each other. Broad in scope, innovative in approach, and informed by a deep affection for the program, TheLanguage of Doctor Whowill appeal to scholars of science fiction, television, and language, as well as to fans looking for a new perspective on their favorite Time Lord.




The Science of Doctor Who


Book Description

Geek out over the TARDIS, aliens, alternate timelines, parallel worlds, and all your favorite characters from the Doctor Who Universe! Doctor Who arrived with the Space Age, when the Doctor first began exploring the universe in a time-traveling spaceship. Over half a century since, the Doctor has gone global. Millions of people across this planet enjoy Doctor Who in worldwide simulcast and cinema extravaganzas. Doctor Who has infused our minds and our language and made it much richer. What a fantastic world we inhabit through the Doctor. The program boils over withballsy women, bisexual companions, scientific passion, and a billion weird and wonderful alien worlds beyond our own. The show represents almost sixty years' worth of magical science-fiction storytelling. And Doctor Who is, despite being about a thousands-of-years-old alien with two hearts and a spacetime taxi made of wood, still one of our very best role models of what it is to be human in the twenty-first century. In The Science of Doctor Who, we take a peek under the hood of the TARDIS and explore the science behind questions such as: What does Doctor Who tell us about space travel? Could the TARDIS really be bigger on the inside? In what ways does the Doctor view the end of our world? Is the Doctor right about alternate timelines and parallel worlds? Will intelligent machines ever rule the earth? Is the earth becoming more like Doctor Who's matrix? Is the Doctor a superhero? How do daleks defecate? So welcome to The Science of Doctor Who, where the Doctor steps smoothly in and out of different realities, faces earthly and unearthly threats with innovation and unpredictability, and successfully uses science in the pay of pacifist resistance!




The Highest Science


Book Description




What Is the Story of Doctor Who?


Book Description

Who HQ brings you the stories behind the most beloved characters of our time. This What Is the Story of? title is out of this universe! Learn the history of the Time Lord, the TARDIS, and the epic battles they've faced across time and space. When Doctor Who began airing on the BBC in 1963, British audiences were introduced to the rogue Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. Now, viewers from all over the world are glued to their screens for the mysterious Doctor's intergalactic adventures. But how did this time traveler became such a beloved character? Author Gabriel P. Cooper provides readers with the inside scoop on the Doctor's unique time machine, loyal companions, and diabolical foes. This book, just like the show, is sure to intrigue a new generation of fans.




Doctor Who: The Monster Vault


Book Description

You're going to need a bigger sofa... Doctor Who's biggest and most comprehensive monster guide yet, The Monster Vault takes you on the ultimate tour of the Whoniverse, discovering and cataloguing every wonderful and terrifying creature the Doctor has ever encountered. From the notorious Daleks, to evil Stenza warrior Tzim-Sha and the ancient Thijarians, The Monster Vault features in-depth profiles on each monster, showing the Doctor's most dangerous enemies in their natural habitat and unveiling their secret histories. You will also discover how monsters were created and designed, behind-the-scenes secrets, unseen details from the original scripts, case studies and rare artwork. This lavish and visually stunning book provides an unrivalled wealth of information, allowing you to explore the rich history of Doctor Who and expand your knowledge and understanding of characters old and new.