10 Classic Doctor Who Spoofs That You Have To See

1. The Curse Of Fatal Death (1999)

Although noted for having been written by current producer Steven Moffat, more crucially the success of The Curse Of Fatal Death can be attributed to the executive production of Richard Curtis and the cause of Comic Relief. Those two aspects ensured that the episode could attract some of the UK's best actors. It was a who€™s who of renowned stars who one by one would become the Doctor - even if only for a few seconds. It is Rowan Atkinson who enjoys the majority of the screen time and he makes an impressive Doctor, but a series of mishaps leads to several quick-fire regenerations including Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent and Richard E. Grant, who is far better here than as the later web animated Ninth Doctor. A highlight is the introduction of the first female incarnation of the Doctor in the form of Joanna Lumley. This is spoofing par excellence and it's hard to see how it can ever be topped. Even the title is a parody, a sly reference to the equally oxymoronic The Deadly Assassin. Steven Moffat€™s encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Doctor Who shines through with so many in jokes to delight fans without ceasing to be a fun romp that engages casual viewers. A particular favourite must be when that door opens to reveal not a vast collection of Louis Marx toy Daleks but a wonderful army of CGI ones. This is the scene that Planet of the Daleks could have shown had it been made 20 years later. Themes familiar to modern viewers of the revived show abound, such as the Doctor contemplating his retirement, enjoying a more than platonic relationship with his assistant and a greater focus in a plot which is now referred to as the 'timey-wimey'. It has even been described as a bridge between the old series and the new - a somewhat hyperbolic assessment but one not completely off the mark. At the imitation end of the parody scale, it nevertheless is full of camp disregard for the accepted asexual sensibilities of the show and is peppered with elements of the burlesque, with Jonathan Pryce hamming it up as the Master (but is this any more extreme than Eric Roberts' version?), Dalek bumps (oo err missus) and flatulence. So good is the fit with Classic Who that it has even attained its own VHS release and appears in some lists of TV episodes. Sadly, rights issues have so far denied viewers that much coveted DVD version. What did you think of this list? Are there any other infamous Doctor Who spoofs that weren't mentioned? Let us know in the comments section below.