Doctor Who: themes

On-page link, opens in this window Introduction
On-page link, opens in this window Time travel
On-page link, opens in this window Space opera
On-page link, opens in this window Alien invasion
On-page link, opens in this window Forbidden knowledge
On-page link, opens in this window Fantasy
On-page link, opens in this window Genre benders and history twisters
On-page link, opens in this window Multiple-Doctor stories
On-page link, opens in this window Gallifrey stories

Introduction

Below are the main themes of Doctor Who, with the examples that I've reviewed.

Note: knowing the theme of a story may occasionally constitute a spoiler. You have been warned.

Time travel

Same earth. Different point in time.

Time travel

Into the past:
On-site link, opens in this window An unearthly child (1963)
On-site link, opens in this window Marco Polo (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The Aztecs (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The crusade (1965)
On-site link, opens in this window The time meddler (1965)
On-site link, opens in this window The time warrior (1973 - 1974)
On-site link, opens in this window Black orchid (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window Time-flight (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window Father's day (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Blink (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window The fires of Pompeii (2008)
On-site link, opens in this window Turn left (2008)

Into the future:
On-site link, opens in this window The enemy of the world (1967 - 1968)

Both:
On-site link, opens in this window The girl in the fireplace (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window Utopia / The sound of drums / Last of the Time Lords (2007)

Space opera

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

Space opera

Reviews:
On-site link, opens in this window The Daleks (1963 - 1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The web planet (1965)
On-site link, opens in this window The tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The space pirates (1969)
On-site link, opens in this window The ark in space (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window The Sontaran experiment (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window Genesis of the Daleks (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window Planet of evil (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window The robots of death (1977)
On-site link, opens in this window Destiny of the Daleks (1979)
On-site link, opens in this window The leisure hive (1980)
On-site link, opens in this window The keeper of Traken (1981)
On-site link, opens in this window Castrovalva (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window The caves of Androzani (1984)
On-site link, opens in this window Vengeance on Varos (1985)
On-site link, opens in this window Timelash (1985)
On-site link, opens in this window Revelation of the Daleks (1985)
On-site link, opens in this window The end of the world (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window New earth (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window The impossible planet / The Satan pit (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window Gridlock (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window 42 (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window Planet of the Ood (2008)
On-site link, opens in this window The Doctor's daughter (2008)
On-site link, opens in this window Silence in the library / Forest of the dead (2008)
On-site link, opens in this window Midnight (2008)

Alien invasion

They're here...

Alien invasion

Reviews:
On-site link, opens in this window The Dalek invasion of earth (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The Daleks' master plan (1965 - 1966)
On-site link, opens in this window The moonbase (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The faceless ones (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The evil of the Daleks (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The abominable snowmen (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The web of fear (1968)
On-site link, opens in this window The wheel in space (1968)
On-site link, opens in this window The invasion (1968)
On-site link, opens in this window The seeds of death (1969)
On-site link, opens in this window Spearhead from space (1970)
On-site link, opens in this window The claws of Axos (1971)
On-site link, opens in this window The hand of fear (1976)
On-site link, opens in this window Logopolis (1981)
On-site link, opens in this window The resurrection of the Daleks (1984)
On-site link, opens in this window Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)
On-site link, opens in this window The TV movie (1996)
On-site link, opens in this window Rose (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Aliens of London / World war III (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Dalek (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window The long game (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Boom town (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Bad wolf / The parting of the ways (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window The Christmas invasion (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window School reunion (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window The idiot's latern (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window Love and monsters (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window Fear her (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window Army of ghosts / Doomsday (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window The runaway bride (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window Smith and Jones (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window Partners in crime (2008)
On-site link, opens in this window The Sontaran stratagem / The poison sky (2008)

Forbidden knowledge

Science and technology gone wrong.

Forbidden knowledge

Reviews:
On-site link, opens in this window Inferno (1970)
On-site link, opens in this window The green death (1973)
On-site link, opens in this window Robot (1974 - 1975)
On-site link, opens in this window Rise of the Cybermen / The age of steel (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window The Lazarus experiment (2007)

Fantasy

What if...

Fantasy

Reviews:
On-site link, opens in this window The edge of destruction (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The celestial toymaker (1966)
On-site link, opens in this window The underwater menace (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The mind robber (1968)

Genre benders and history twisters

To me, these stories seem primarily idea-driven rather than plot-driven (though I realise this is a judgement call). Some appear to be one genre, but are actually something else; others provide alternative explanations for real historical events. The various writers who have worked on Doctor Who have come up with different versions of this general idea.

Genre benders and history twisters

The Robert Holmes genre bender, a genre piece (usually a gothic horror tale) with a science-fiction story lurking underneath:
On-site link, opens in this window Carnival of monsters (1973)
On-site link, opens in this window Pyramids of Mars (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window The talons of Weng-Chiang (1977)
On-site link, opens in this window Horror of Fang Rock (1977)
On-site link, opens in this window Ghost light (1989)
On-site link, opens in this window The curse of Fenric (1989)
On-site link, opens in this window The unquiet dead (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window The empty child / The Doctor dances (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Tooth and claw (2006)
On-site link, opens in this window The Shakespeare code (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window Human nature / The family of blood (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window Voyage of the damned (2007)
On-site link, opens in this window The unicorn and the wasp (2008)

The Douglas Adams genre bender and history twister, a heist story which turns out to be a science fiction story, which, in turn, provides an alternative explanation for the existence of life on earth:
On-site link, opens in this window City of death (1979)

The Eric Saward history twister. A science-fiction story that provides an alternative explanation for a historical event.
On-site link, opens in this window The visitation (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window Earthshock (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window The mark of the Rani (1985)

Multiple-Doctor stories

Fan fun.

Multiple-Doctor stories

Reviews:
On-site link, opens in this window The three Doctors (1972 - 1973)
On-site link, opens in this window The five Doctors (1983)
On-site link, opens in this window The two Doctors (1985)

Gallifrey stories

Stories set on the Doctor's home planet.

Gallifrey stories

Reviews:
On-site link, opens in this window Arc of infinity (1983)



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