Dr. Who is a character based on the Doctor, the protagonist featuring in the long-running BBCscience fiction television series Doctor Who. The character, portrayed by the actor Peter Cushing, appeared in two films produced by AARU Productions; Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.. Plans for a third film were abandoned following the poor box office reception of the second film. Cushing made no mention of the films in his autobiography, although he kept a collection of newspaper clippings about them in a scrapbook.
Personality
Whereas the contemporary television incarnation of the character was depicted as an abrasive, patronising and cantankerous extraterrestrial, as portrayed by Cushing Dr. Who is an eccentric inventor who claims to have created a time machine, named Tardis, in his back garden. He is a gentle, grandfatherly figure, naturally curious, sometimes absent-minded but not afraid to fight for justice. He is shown to have a keen and somewhat juvenile sense of humour, a strong sense of adventure, a will of iron and very strong morals. Unlike his TV counterpart, for whom the character's name is ambiguous, his surname is clearly stated to be "Who" in both films.
Companions
In the first film, Dr. Who travels with his two granddaughters: Susan, who is portrayed as a younger character than the Susan depicted in the TV series, and Barbara. They are joined by Ian Chesterton, Barbara's "new boyfriend", who is depicted as a generally clumsy and comical figure. In the, Susan is joined by Dr. Who's niece Louise and police constableTom Campbell.
''Tardis''
The exterior of Dr. Who's Tardis resembles a British police box, although the films, unlike the TV series, offer no explanation as to why the machine has this appearance. Other than using the contrivance of the craft's interior being larger than its exterior, the interior set bears no relation to the clean, high-tech TV version of the time. In the first film it is filled with a chaotic jumble of wiring and electronic equipment, replaced in the second film by a number of simple consoles adorned with buttons, gauges and lights.
Other appearances
In addition to the two films, Dr. Who has appeared in a Dellcomic strip adaptation of the film, the comic strip Daleks versus the Martians in the 1996 "Spring Special" of Doctor Who Magazine, and the short storyThe House on Oldark Moor by Justin Richards, published in the BBC Books collection Short Trips and Sidesteps. He is referenced in Steven Moffat’s novelisation of The Day of the Doctor. In this story, the tenth and eleventh Doctors are stated to be fans of the Dalek movies and friends of Cushing. This was brought to the attention of UNIT when he started to show up in films made after his death.
During the late 1960s, there were plans for a radio series starring Peter Cushing as the voice of Dr. Who. Under a collaboration between Stanmark Productions and Watermill Productions, a pilot was recorded and a further 52 episodes were to be produced. The pilot story featured Dr. Who and his granddaughter travelling to the time of the American Revolution. The script was written by future Doctor Who TV series writer Malcolm Hulke. The recording was subsequently lost.
