It is certainly hard to take in the whole world of Doctor Who in one sitting. The show has been on the air since 1963, we celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. It is now entering a new era with the transition to the Fifteenth Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa, the return of Russell T Davies and the American release on Disney+.
In addition, the original series has inspired a few movies, several spin-offs, an extensive collection of books, graphic novels, magazines, audio and stage plays, video games, etc. Add to that the number of creators and actors who have given a piece of their souls to the universe, and the scope of Doctor Who lore is hard to even grasp.
You can learn a new fact about the beloved Time Lord every day, and still not know everything on your deathbed. But that's what makes the Whoniverse so much fun, right?
So instead of getting full-on FOMO, let's play a game and see how many cool little details you've already learned about the Whoniverse. Here are ten obscure fun facts recently shared by Whovians on Reddit.
Fun Fact 1. Missed Opportunity
The famous Dalek pepperpot design was created by Raymond Cusick. But the job was originally given to a BBC production designer, who soon quit and never got the job done. That designer's name is Ridley Scott. Yes, that Ridley Scott.
Fun Fact 2. Hair Shenanigans
Anthony Ainley (the fourth Master) was concerned about his hairline (he was rumored to be bald) and always insisted on doing his makeup in private and putting on his hairpiece himself. It got to the point that when he played Khalid in Time-Flight, he insisted that the makeup team apply Khalid's bald cap over his wig.
Fun Fact 3. Bald Fact
More hair facts. In the final scene with the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond, both Matt Smith and Karen Gillan wore wigs. She shaved her head to play MCU's Nebula. He went bald for How To Catch A Monster.
Fun Fact 4. The Doctor's Name
Steven Moffat was inspired by Peter Capaldi's convention interview when writing the Twelfth Doctor's regeneration speech. The Doctor says that children can hear his name 'if their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too', leading some fans to theorize that the name might actually be a tune. What if it is the theme song, Ooowweeeeeooooo?
Fun Fact 5: Tennant's Involvement
The 2003 animated series Scream of the Shalka, which served as an anniversary special, features a cameo by a huge Doctor Who fan named David Tennant. He voices one of the workers trying to keep the Shalka-controlled horde at bay. This means that Tennant was part of the 40th, 50th, and 60th Anniversaries of the show.
Fun Fact 6. Star Trek Reference
An episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation featured the names of the first six actors to play the Doctor on a computer screen. It is called The Neutral Zone and was removed from the HD remaster.
Fun Fact 7. The Whomobile
The era of Jon Pertwee (the Third Doctor) had so many vehicles because he insisted on it. One vehicle, known as 'The Whomobile', was commissioned and owned by the actor. Rumor has it that he would act in character when pulled over for speeding in it.
Fun Fact 8. Surprising Connection
After Terry Nation created the Daleks, his agent got him a deal where he retained all of their rights. That agent was Beryl Vertue, whose daughter Sue Vertue later married a writer by the name of Steven Moffat.
Fun Fact 9. Question Marks
Some incarnations of the classic Doctors had question marks on their outfits. And every actor who played them hated those question marks. Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) hoped an umbrella design would convince the producers to ditch the weird sweater, but they wanted ALL the question marks they could get.
Fun Fact 10. Harry Potter Links
The book version of Harry Potter's Barty Crouch Jr, whose movie counterpart is played by David Tennant in 2005's Goblet of Fire, is killed in a chapter called 'The Parting of the Ways'. Also in 2005, David Tennant makes his first appearance as the Doctor - when Ten regenerates from Nine in the episode 'The Parting of the Ways'.
Source: Reddit.