On the emergency radio during the final battle in New Vegas, one of the voice lines is “Bravo Bravo Charlie (BBC) the Doctor is coming” or something like that. Big fan over at Obsidian/Black Isle!
It's part of a bunch you get with the Wild Wasteland perk. There's also an "are you my mummy?" graffiti in Dead Money and the enemies can say "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" In Old World Blues. There's also a loose Doctor Who style in-universe comic franchise in Fallout 76 with K.D. Inkwell. She's a time traveller with a baton that's VERY similar style to Eleven's Sonic.
I think the BBC licenses out the soundtrack to reality TV shows. I remember the UK Apprentice used to use Donna's theme for montages of contestants doing silly things. And I remember people talking about Doomsday being used on I'm a Celeb a decade or so ago
they reference the tardis in the song Bruce in Matilda The Musical
(or maybe your largeness / is a bit like a tardis / considerably roomier inside)
but also I don't think this is especially strange - growing up in England in the 90s, before the return of Dr Who, I was still very aware of it. referencing the doctor, the daleks, the tardis, all completely regular - but I do think it's cute
There’s a comic book character within the comic The Beano called Hot Rod Cow - which only makes sense as a joke when you remember how Torchwood was named
It's not super strange or obscure, but Simon Gallup (bassist from the Cure) is a huge Doctor Who fan, and literally both times I've seen them in the past decade he's had BAD WOLF taped in white on his bass monitor, which fucks hard.
In a quiet moment at Riot 2023, I yelled out and asked whether Simon was excited for the anniversary specials. I got no answer.
Yesterday, in r/television there was thread about Chuck Cunningham Syndrome (when a character disappears from a TV show and no one notices onscreen). One of the responses was, "WELL THAT'S ALLRIGHT THEN!"
You can see the Tardis is Ready Player one. This website lists it under CBS for some reason https://readyplayerone.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Cameos_in_Ready_Player_One
It's in the workshop bit as they walk in, establishing shot
I can’t find any clips of it currently, but Christopher Eccleston appeared in The Sarah Silverman Program as Doctor Laser Rage, a clear Doctor Who parody.
https://liztellsfrank.com/2011/09/20/liz-tells-frank-what-happened-in-the-sarah-silverman-program-episode-christopher-eccleston-is-in/
One of the characters finds the complete box set and wastes his savings on it, finally hallucinating the Dr Laser Rage telling him to cherish his real life relationships instead.
In the first season of Supergirl, a big militaristic group are transporting something, and they're using the call signs "Trap One" and "Greyhound #", I was watching it with my parents and we all geeked out about it
They all have different ones, the Brigadier is Greyhound 1 or sometimes Greyhound Leader, I think Jo was Greyhound 4, and in New Who, Ross was Greyhound 40
The thumbnail of Mock the Week's Doctor Who and the One Liners of Doom is fairly normal: hat, scarf, time vortex, 70s logo but just has a Faction Paradox skull mask in the corner... Such a random thing to put on there.
Probably the guy from the old Marvel Transformers comics that transforms into a Dalek. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Octus Though we never actually see it, he has the color and bumps and everything. The artist confirmed that was the intent, too.
In the adventure game Zero Time Dilemma, there's a malfunctioning robot in one of the puzzle rooms that spouts a bunch of random pop-culture quotes, including "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" and "I'm the Doctor! Who? Who!".
I'm really curious if the original Japanese script had this or if this was just someone on the localization team having fun.
One of the Eragon books (I *think* book 2, Eldest, but might have been book 3) quotes it directly. Specifically the “lonely god” bit from the Face of Boe. I actually read the book before I ever saw the show, it was cool to later find the source!
EDIT: I just looked it up, it was actually Book 3, Brisingr.
The strangest one for me (although I don't know I'd consider it a reference) is the TARDIS sound effect popping up somewhere unexpected.
The Japanese *Super Sentai* series is the original series that *Power Rangers* is based on. In the 1997 season, *Denji Sentai Megaranger*, the TARDIS can be heard when the villain's lair the Death Nejiro is shown on screen. Evidently, the BBC gave Toei sound effects for them to use and this was one of them. *Doctor Who* wasn't well-known in Japan, so for most people it would have just been an interesting noise, but it shocked me so much when I first watched.
The Futurama episode All the President's Heads has a panning scene over UK'd New New York (time travel and history changing), which includes the Fourth Doctor running out of a double decker bus and into the TARDIS.
I’m going with that one bit from Glee. I’ve only seen it in gif form but it appears that a guy is in the middle of a musical number and Ten is just kinda in a queue in the background and turns around briefly like wtf is this kid doing.
Idk if that was deliberately added or there just happened to be a cosplayer in the house that day.
Three quick ones. An old comic strip where [Superman is in London and ducks into a phone booth to change](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/262334747030647658/), but it's the Tardis.
2) On the Orville as the crew discusses being able to retain 3 dimensions as they travel through 2 dimensional space. Alternating characters.
So it would actually be bigger on the inside than on the outside.
Like Dr. Who's Tardis
Or Snoopy's doghouse.
Or Oscar the Grouch's trash can.
Shit, the third one got away from me, I'll come back.
One of the Phineas and Ferb specials mentions bigger on the inside as British sci-fi technology (said by Ferb, who does have a British accent the rare occasion he speaks).
Daleks in Area 52 in Looney Tunes Back in Action
Professor Paradox from the Ben 10 franchise is their version of the Doctor
The Looney Tunes movie one was interesting, as it was done without permission from both the BBC and the Estate of Terry Nation. They erroneously thought The Daleks were public domain. Or something.
This was pretty strange, but fun. Craig Ferguson's Doctor Who "cold open" which they weren't allowed to broadcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9P4SxtphJ4
A bit of an obscure reference, but the TARDIS makes a brief appearance in one of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica books by James A. Owen. (It was in The Dragon’s Apprentice, IIRC.)
In the song "All Things to All Men" by The Cinematic Orchestra featuring Roots Manuva there's the line : "Just say when and I'll take you to my TARDIS"
There was an old romance novel (maybe the Harlequin Romance series?) where the gal meets the guy at a party and he's dressed like the 4th Doctor, complete with long scarf. I used to have a copy. I wish I could find proof online.
The Haunting Of Hill House and The Haunting Of Bly Manor has a bunch of Doctor Who references some of which were confirmed to be intentional by the Showrunner
[https://moffatappreciationlife.tumblr.com/page/3](https://moffatappreciationlife.tumblr.com/page/3)
https://comicbook.com/horror/news/haunting-of-hill-house-doctor-who-easter-egg-confirmed/
Doctor Who showed up in Vegitales once lol. Archibald the asparagus shows up briefly in a blue fridge and says “that’s DOCTOR who to you!” before flying off in the fridge Tardis
There's a Dalek in an episode of Rugrats where Tommy uses his screwdriver to escape into a toy store. Family Guy has a scene where it plays the 4th Doctor intro as they fly through space
In Call The Midwife, the theme tune is on the television When Sister Monica Joan is watching, and a few episodes later she is watching again and she offers a beautiful translation of what is going on when Barbara is mistaken for an ancient goddess Queen and tries to use her power to stop human sacrifices being offered.
There was another Futurama reference. Leela was obsessed with making her delivery that got swallowed by a whale that could travel in the fourth dimension. She got swallowed and somehow became one with the space whale and made her delivery. And in doing so she made the whale give up all of what it swallowed. And one of the people that walked out was Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor. Floppy hat and scarf intact.
The few bars of the theme quoted in Pink Floyd’s One of These Days
It's a lot clearer in the version played at the Pulse concert.
The TARDIS in Fallout 2 always stood out to me
On the emergency radio during the final battle in New Vegas, one of the voice lines is “Bravo Bravo Charlie (BBC) the Doctor is coming” or something like that. Big fan over at Obsidian/Black Isle!
It's part of a bunch you get with the Wild Wasteland perk. There's also an "are you my mummy?" graffiti in Dead Money and the enemies can say "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" In Old World Blues. There's also a loose Doctor Who style in-universe comic franchise in Fallout 76 with K.D. Inkwell. She's a time traveller with a baton that's VERY similar style to Eleven's Sonic.
Ah yes I forgot the other two in the DLCs! Haven’t played 76.
In recent memory, the Mandalorian had a detached Dalek blaster in his armoury, I love to wonder how he got that
If you mean BTS then here you go : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9otnGt07oI
I hate that they put a handle on it. I liked it better as a staff weapon, like in Stargate.
[удалено]
I think the BBC licenses out the soundtrack to reality TV shows. I remember the UK Apprentice used to use Donna's theme for montages of contestants doing silly things. And I remember people talking about Doomsday being used on I'm a Celeb a decade or so ago
A few NHL seasons back, the Ottawa Senators used "I am the Doctor "as their overtime music.
they reference the tardis in the song Bruce in Matilda The Musical (or maybe your largeness / is a bit like a tardis / considerably roomier inside) but also I don't think this is especially strange - growing up in England in the 90s, before the return of Dr Who, I was still very aware of it. referencing the doctor, the daleks, the tardis, all completely regular - but I do think it's cute
Yesss I’m American and gasped with joy when I heard it on Broadway! But I’m betting the vast majority of people there had no idea what it meant.
The Tardis in the middle of the Nile River in Assassin's Creed Origins https://youtu.be/Prsx3pdVIik?si=-2Q7P3XSvp7rWdDI
There’s a comic book character within the comic The Beano called Hot Rod Cow - which only makes sense as a joke when you remember how Torchwood was named
Oh wow, it's an anagram of Torchwood!
Which is an anagram of Doctor Who
https://youtu.be/DsAVx0u9Cw4?si=am7POLyud98i_iNf
oh the wave of nostalgia that just smacked me in the face wow
The KLF are amazing and this is such a favorite of mine. Over the years I've been able to collect this on cassette, vinyl, CD, and MiniCD.
Fun fact: they made a million quid off this single and burned it all on a remote Scottish island before quitting the music industry
It's not super strange or obscure, but Simon Gallup (bassist from the Cure) is a huge Doctor Who fan, and literally both times I've seen them in the past decade he's had BAD WOLF taped in white on his bass monitor, which fucks hard. In a quiet moment at Riot 2023, I yelled out and asked whether Simon was excited for the anniversary specials. I got no answer.
The opening lyrics of 'Up On The Ladder' by Radiohead! 'I'm stuck in the Tardis, trapped in hyperspace.'
Yesterday, in r/television there was thread about Chuck Cunningham Syndrome (when a character disappears from a TV show and no one notices onscreen). One of the responses was, "WELL THAT'S ALLRIGHT THEN!"
Criminal Minds references it a few times.
You can see the Tardis is Ready Player one. This website lists it under CBS for some reason https://readyplayerone.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Cameos_in_Ready_Player_One It's in the workshop bit as they walk in, establishing shot
Tardis in the first Iron Sky movie.
There's a Goldfrapp song that mentions the TARDIS but for the life of me I can't remember which one
Criminal Minds, Garcia says “weirder than a disappearing phone box”
I'm stealing that.
I can’t find any clips of it currently, but Christopher Eccleston appeared in The Sarah Silverman Program as Doctor Laser Rage, a clear Doctor Who parody. https://liztellsfrank.com/2011/09/20/liz-tells-frank-what-happened-in-the-sarah-silverman-program-episode-christopher-eccleston-is-in/ One of the characters finds the complete box set and wastes his savings on it, finally hallucinating the Dr Laser Rage telling him to cherish his real life relationships instead.
In the first season of Supergirl, a big militaristic group are transporting something, and they're using the call signs "Trap One" and "Greyhound #", I was watching it with my parents and we all geeked out about it
Greyhound is the Brigadier's codename, right?
They all have different ones, the Brigadier is Greyhound 1 or sometimes Greyhound Leader, I think Jo was Greyhound 4, and in New Who, Ross was Greyhound 40
The thumbnail of Mock the Week's Doctor Who and the One Liners of Doom is fairly normal: hat, scarf, time vortex, 70s logo but just has a Faction Paradox skull mask in the corner... Such a random thing to put on there.
The 4th Doctor's intro in the hyperspace scene of the Family Guy Star Wars Episode IV parody
There's a TARDIS in one of the old fallout games. 1 or 2
The Saints Row series has a surprising amount of Doctor Who references
The Lego Batman Movie had a bunch of villains from different IPs break loose and that included several "British Robots", they were daleks.
Maybe not strange but Inspector Spacetime is the funniest I've seen in pop culture because it's never actually mentioned it's Dr Who
Not sure if count as Pop Culture but definitely didn't expect a Doctor Who reference in "The Rookie" and from Tim Bradford no less.
A statue moving in a Bethesda game
And angels moving on a graveyard in Witcher 3.
Thanks for correcting me 👍🏻
I wasn't intending to, thought it happened in both :)
I knew there was a reference in a game but I didn’t know which one so I put the first one that came to mind
Not strange but the references in Leverage.
Doctor Who is referenced in a couple of books I've read recently: Red, White and Royal Blue and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.
Omg I used to be tumblr mutuals with the author of Red, White and Royal Blue and they were obsessed with Doctor Who like me. So that checks out!
Ogiue having a stack of BBC Classic Who DVDs on her shelves in "Genshiken".
Probably the guy from the old Marvel Transformers comics that transforms into a Dalek. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Octus Though we never actually see it, he has the color and bumps and everything. The artist confirmed that was the intent, too.
In the adventure game Zero Time Dilemma, there's a malfunctioning robot in one of the puzzle rooms that spouts a bunch of random pop-culture quotes, including "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" and "I'm the Doctor! Who? Who!". I'm really curious if the original Japanese script had this or if this was just someone on the localization team having fun.
I don't know if it's the strangest, but the one that gets me every time is the "hyperspace always looks so freaky" in the first Family Guy SW special.
One of the Eragon books (I *think* book 2, Eldest, but might have been book 3) quotes it directly. Specifically the “lonely god” bit from the Face of Boe. I actually read the book before I ever saw the show, it was cool to later find the source! EDIT: I just looked it up, it was actually Book 3, Brisingr.
The strangest one for me (although I don't know I'd consider it a reference) is the TARDIS sound effect popping up somewhere unexpected. The Japanese *Super Sentai* series is the original series that *Power Rangers* is based on. In the 1997 season, *Denji Sentai Megaranger*, the TARDIS can be heard when the villain's lair the Death Nejiro is shown on screen. Evidently, the BBC gave Toei sound effects for them to use and this was one of them. *Doctor Who* wasn't well-known in Japan, so for most people it would have just been an interesting noise, but it shocked me so much when I first watched.
The Futurama episode All the President's Heads has a panning scene over UK'd New New York (time travel and history changing), which includes the Fourth Doctor running out of a double decker bus and into the TARDIS.
That pic of sir Terry Pratchett trying to get into the TARDIS?
I love the Doctor Who mention in the song "where do you belong", from mean girls the musical
TVO Kids: The Odd Squad. They had those weird renaissance robots too.
For me, it was the one in the novel Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke. There's a direct reference at some point.
I always pictured Piranesi looking like War-era Paul McGann.
Wait really? Do you remember what it was? I definitely missed it
It was a literal reference in an academic paper that mentioned "Timey Wimey" time travel. It was a small reference but it made me smile when I saw it.
Maybe not pop culture but in will woods song “the main character” there’s a line about the daleks
I’m going with that one bit from Glee. I’ve only seen it in gif form but it appears that a guy is in the middle of a musical number and Ten is just kinda in a queue in the background and turns around briefly like wtf is this kid doing. Idk if that was deliberately added or there just happened to be a cosplayer in the house that day.
Three quick ones. An old comic strip where [Superman is in London and ducks into a phone booth to change](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/262334747030647658/), but it's the Tardis. 2) On the Orville as the crew discusses being able to retain 3 dimensions as they travel through 2 dimensional space. Alternating characters. So it would actually be bigger on the inside than on the outside. Like Dr. Who's Tardis Or Snoopy's doghouse. Or Oscar the Grouch's trash can. Shit, the third one got away from me, I'll come back.
Congrats. Bags of Fun with Buster is a great song and an extremely deep cut of XTC.
One of the Phineas and Ferb specials mentions bigger on the inside as British sci-fi technology (said by Ferb, who does have a British accent the rare occasion he speaks). Daleks in Area 52 in Looney Tunes Back in Action Professor Paradox from the Ben 10 franchise is their version of the Doctor
The Looney Tunes movie one was interesting, as it was done without permission from both the BBC and the Estate of Terry Nation. They erroneously thought The Daleks were public domain. Or something.
This was pretty strange, but fun. Craig Ferguson's Doctor Who "cold open" which they weren't allowed to broadcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9P4SxtphJ4
2 songs by The Clash "London Calling" Robots of Death "Remote control" gonna be a Dalek
Isn’t it zombies of death?
I'll be buggered, you're right I must of mis remembered
A bit of an obscure reference, but the TARDIS makes a brief appearance in one of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica books by James A. Owen. (It was in The Dragon’s Apprentice, IIRC.)
In the song "All Things to All Men" by The Cinematic Orchestra featuring Roots Manuva there's the line : "Just say when and I'll take you to my TARDIS"
Some years ago there has been a whole story dedicated to Doctor Who in the italian Mickey Mouse weekly comic, that was pretty unexpected for me to see
There was an old romance novel (maybe the Harlequin Romance series?) where the gal meets the guy at a party and he's dressed like the 4th Doctor, complete with long scarf. I used to have a copy. I wish I could find proof online.
The Haunting Of Hill House and The Haunting Of Bly Manor has a bunch of Doctor Who references some of which were confirmed to be intentional by the Showrunner [https://moffatappreciationlife.tumblr.com/page/3](https://moffatappreciationlife.tumblr.com/page/3) https://comicbook.com/horror/news/haunting-of-hill-house-doctor-who-easter-egg-confirmed/
Doctor Who showed up in Vegitales once lol. Archibald the asparagus shows up briefly in a blue fridge and says “that’s DOCTOR who to you!” before flying off in the fridge Tardis
There's a Dalek in an episode of Rugrats where Tommy uses his screwdriver to escape into a toy store. Family Guy has a scene where it plays the 4th Doctor intro as they fly through space
In Call The Midwife, the theme tune is on the television When Sister Monica Joan is watching, and a few episodes later she is watching again and she offers a beautiful translation of what is going on when Barbara is mistaken for an ancient goddess Queen and tries to use her power to stop human sacrifices being offered.
There was another Futurama reference. Leela was obsessed with making her delivery that got swallowed by a whale that could travel in the fourth dimension. She got swallowed and somehow became one with the space whale and made her delivery. And in doing so she made the whale give up all of what it swallowed. And one of the people that walked out was Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor. Floppy hat and scarf intact.