There is no series on television like Doctor Who. Few shows have run as long as it, and few have had such a wide cast of characters. Through the highs and lows of Doctor Who’s history, the show has told a humongous volume of stories. A lot can happen over the entire span of space and time.
With such a long history, there were bound to be aspects of Doctor Who that some fans missed. This series has had more companions and Doctors than one could count, and each has had such detailed backstories. Some aspects of all of these lead heroes were bound to fall through the cracks.
The Tenth Doctor Was The Shortest Lived Regeneration
David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor is one of the most beloved iterations of the Time Lord. Apart from Tom Baker’s performance as the Fourth Doctor, few versions of the characters reach the popularity as this. While he might be remembered as one of the greatest Doctors of the whole series, his actual tenure was technically the shortest.
Within the series itself, the Tenth Doctor was one of the shortest-lived Doctors. At regeneration, the Tenth Doctor was roughly nine hundred years old, and nine hundred and seven by his regeneration. Lasting around seven to eight years, the Tenth held a short life-span in comparison to his peers.
Clara Shares A Birthday And Lifespan With Doctor Who
Clara Oswald has one of the strangest backstories of any Doctor Who companion. After jumping into the Doctor’s timestream on Trenzalore, she split herself into thousands of versions, saving the Doctor through his multiple lives. One of these lives, set during the Victorian era, mirrors some important date milestones with the series itself.
According to her headstone, the governess version of Clara lived from November 23, 1866, to December 24, 1892. The date of November 23 is the same airdate for the first episode of Doctor Who back in 1963, The Unearthly Child. Not only that, but Clara’s final age of 26 was the exact age of Doctor Who when it was first canceled in 1989.
The Truth Of The Twelfth Doctor’s Wedding Ring
The Twelfth Doctor, much like his personality, had an austere and simple costume in comparison to his past selves. In the beginning, he could be found rocking nothing more than a velvet coat, boots, and a button-up shirt. One small accessory many might not have noticed though was a wedding ring.
This amber gem embued ring actually has its origins in Peter Capaldi’s love life. As an actor, Capaldi always wears his wedding ring, no matter the role. Because of this, the prop department crafted a specialized ring that could fit over his wedding band, allowing Capaldi to continue this tradition.
Martha’s Cousin Was In Doomsday
It is no secret that many actors appear in Doctor Who before taking series roles. Peter Capaldi, Colin Baker, Karen Gillan, and more had all appeared in previous episodes before becoming either Doctors or Companions.
One in particular though was directly answered by a small throwaway line. Freema Agyeman, who plays the Tenth Doctor’s companion Martha Jones, first appeared in the series two finale Doomsday. This appearance was referenced in her first episode when she mentioned that her cousin, Adeola Oshodi in Doomsday, died in the battle of Canary Wharf.
Captain Jack Harkness Is Not The Character’s Real Name
Captain Jack Harkness has a reputation second only to The Doctor and River Song. This time-traveling agent of Torchwood journeyed through time and space alongside the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, as well as led the fight on Earth in Torchwood. His name is known by Doctor Who fans around the world, but it’s not even his real one.
Born Javic Piotr Thane, Jack was actually a persona he donned during the London Blitz. Stollen from the grave of a British Soldier, Captain Jack used the title to infiltrate the allies while searching for the Nanogenes at the same time as The Doctor and Rose.
Rose Was Knighted
Rose Tyler is remarkable in that her humble beginnings led to a life unlike anyone else’s. Growing up in a lower-middle-class British household, there is no way she could have imagined her life with the Doctor. Traveling space and time, meeting aliens and iconic historical figures is a lot for a twenty-something retail worker.
One of the bigger accomplishments though that often goes unnoticed is her knighthood. In the series two story Tooth and Claw, Rose and the Doctor are knighted by none other than Queen Victoria. Rose’s title then became Dame Rose Tyler of Powell Estate. Not too shabby!
Six Actors Portrayed River Song
More often than not, the companions of The Doctor tend to be human in origin. Rarely though, he will travel with his fellow Time Lords. One, in particular, the half-human River Song, led a life of romance and adventure. Most would recognize Alex Kingston as the woman behind the Time Lady, but in actuality, six actors have portrayed the character in whole.
Harrison and Madison Mortimer were the twins who played the newborn Melody Pond, while Sydney Wade, Maya Glace-Greene, and Nina Toussaint-White played River Song’s younger regenerations. This makes River Song the one companion with the most portrayals by other actors.
The Ninth Doctor Had Extra Adventures
The Ninth Doctor remains the second shortest running Doctor in the show’s history. Lasting only a single season, Christopher Eccleston’s version of the Time Lord only gave the audience’s a taste of the character. While he might have only lasted a short time, within the show the character had way more adventures than audiences ever saw.
As Clive shows in Rose, the Ninth Doctor had journeyed throughout time, stopping by the JFK Assassination, the departure of the Titanic, and the eruption of Krakatoa. It was later confirmed that when The Doctor first met Rose and Departed, and later when she refused his request to travel with him, he went traveling. Instead of leaving for a few hours or seconds, he had actually been gone weeks if not longer.
Captain Jack Could Get Pregnant
If Jack is known for anything, it’s his sexual escapades. No matter the gender or species, Jack is down for just about anything. But, just because he has a wide experience does not necessarily mean he has avoided some of the pitfalls. Jack once quipped about a previous experience where he got pregnant.
In the pilot of Torchwood, Jack remarks how “Still, at least I won’t get pregnant… never doing that again” due to contraceptives in the rain. Now, pregnant men have actually been seen in Doctor Who before, in the series eleven episode The Tsuranga Conundrum. So it’s not surprising that of all people jack would end up Pregnant.
Donna Was Inspired By Barbara Wright
Donna Noble, as portrayed by the hilarious Catherine Tate, was one of the Tenth Doctor’s best friends. Full of sass and a stubborn attitude, Donna could go toe to toe against the Doctor anytime. Few companions rise to this peer level in the same way as Donna. One was a direct inspiration when Russell T. Davies was writing Donna.
Barbara Wright, a companion to First Doctor William Hartnell, was a similar level companion for the Doctor. When writing Donna, Davies was inspired by Barbara’s sense of independence and challenging interactions with the Doctor. As opposed to the hierarchical power dynamics that come into play, Donna and the Doctor were on the same playing field.
