The Question: "Doctor Who?" or "Doctor, who?"

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  • Face Of JackFace Of Jack Posts: 7,181
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    Doctor is his name as far as I'm concerned - or Doctor Who as in the films with Peter Cushing.
    I don't think Moffat will spoil it all....there'll be a clever twist to it at the end I'm sure.
    What's The Masters name then?? The Doctor knew it (he spent all his time at the 'academy' with him !).

    So many questions, not enough answers! That's how it should be:):)
  • billykubrickbillykubrick Posts: 603
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    Anyone else sometimes get pretty annoyed that the show should really be called Doctor Who? Instead of Doctor Who. Especially since his name isn't Who.

    Or is it?

    Ahh, nevermind.

    Not for me because it was there in the credits from the beginning.
  • billykubrickbillykubrick Posts: 603
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    Dave3622 wrote: »
    He has occasionally been known as 'Dr Who' in old episodes, also more commonly known as 'The Doctor' in both old and recent episodes. The true answer is that this is just a BBC Sci-Fi programme where the writers call him what they want, and in some of the old episodes it was 'Dr Who'. Try not to stress too much over Canon... ;)

    Remember kids, it's just a bit of make-believe fiction that changes constantly depending on the producer and writer. :)

    Surely he hasn't been actually called that in any of the tv episodes (not talking about the Peter Cushing films) has he ? Purely out of interest can you name a single episode where he is thus called, not counting the end credits? (Not out of being challenging -genuine curiosity!) I have to say I love the odd reference to "Doctor Who?" in the series. But I wouldn't particularly want him to be called that.
  • TEDRTEDR Posts: 3,413
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    Surely he hasn't been actually called that in any of the tv episodes (not talking about the Peter Cushing films) has he ? Purely out of interest can you name a single episode where he is thus called, not counting the end credits? (Not out of being challenging -genuine curiosity!) I have to say I love the odd reference to "Doctor Who?" in the series. But I wouldn't particularly want him to be called that.

    If you mean in dialogue then he's called this in The War Machines and accepts it as a name in The Gunslingers in a bit of light comedy.

    There's also an entire serial named Doctor Who and the Silurians to further pin the name to the TV series, as well as all the 'Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks'-type Target novelisation titles.
  • billykubrickbillykubrick Posts: 603
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    TEDR wrote: »
    If you mean in dialogue then he's called this in The War Machines and accepts it as a name in The Gunslingers in a bit of light comedy.

    There's also an entire serial named Doctor Who and the Silurians to further pin the name to the TV series, as well as all the 'Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks'-type Target novelisation titles.

    Thanks. I would quite like to get the dvds of The War Machines and The Gunslingers just for the novelty of it! (I don't count the novels!)
  • Tom TitTom Tit Posts: 2,554
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    The fact is that to the public at large, the overwhelming number of people involved in the production of the show, 90% of the time in the show credits, occasionally in episode titles, and occasionally within the show itself his name is 'Doctor Who'. It may not be the character's actual, given name, within the narrative but for titular purposes his name is 'Doctor Who', just as, say, 'the Bride', in 'Kill Bill' is an acceptable name to apply to that character, despite not being the character's actual name within the fiction.

    It's not erroneous to refer to him as 'Doctor Who', but it's one of those easy things fans can use to try and big up their status as superior fans with superior knowledge. I often refer to him as 'Doctor Who' just to annoy these kinds of people, who think something so well-known by fandom and so trivial scores them 'fan points'. We all know what his title is within the scripts, but his dramatis personae (dramatic name) is 'Doctor Who', like it or not.

    Thanks. I would quite like to get the dvds of The War Machines and The Gunslingers just for the novelty of it! (I don't count the novels!)

    The Gunslingers novelization, by the great Donald Tosh, is awesome. The serial is a good one too. Definitely try and check it out.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 166
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    Doctor Hoo.

    What if, having only been heard, it's been incorrectly transcribed?
  • billykubrickbillykubrick Posts: 603
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    Tom Tit wrote: »
    The fact is that to the public at large, the overwhelming number of people involved in the production of the show, 90% of the time in the show credits, occasionally in episode titles, and occasionally within the show itself his name is 'Doctor Who'. It may not be the character's actual, given name, within the narrative but for titular purposes his name is 'Doctor Who', just as, say, 'the Bride', in 'Kill Bill' is an acceptable name to apply to that character, despite not being the character's actual name within the fiction.

    It's not erroneous to refer to him as 'Doctor Who', but it's one of those easy things fans can use to try and big up their status as superior fans with superior knowledge. I often refer to him as 'Doctor Who' just to annoy these kinds of people, who think something so well-known by fandom and so trivial scores them 'fan points'. We all know what his title is within the scripts, but his dramatis personae (dramatic name) is 'Doctor Who', like it or not.




    The Gunslingers novelization, by the great Donald Tosh, is awesome. The serial is a good one too. Definitely try and check it out.

    To be honest I have never read any novels, so it's unfair of me to sound snobby about them!
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