10 Classic Doctor Who Spoofs That You Have To See

4. Inspector Spacetime (2011)

Aside from the growth of fan made parodies across various media, another major development in recent years has been the rise of Doctor Who references and crossovers in US TV shows. One might expect The Big Bang Theory to contain the most Doctor Who mentions and indeed there are a few, however the Doctor is very much second fiddle to US sci-fi franchises Star Trek and In fact, it is very often the Doctor€™s forays into the world of animation that mark his increasing popularity in North America. References in Rugrats, The Simpsons and Phineas and Ferb each portray their respective creator's love for Doctor Who. Perhaps surprisingly, then, it is the buddies sitcom Community that provides the only USA entry into our top ten. The characters watch and reference a cult TV show from the UK, Inspector Spacetime, that, with its dematerialising Doris (red phone box) and dustbin shaped robots the Blorgons, is an alternative universe Doctor Who in all but name. By using the device of a show within a show, it cleverly parodies both the series itself and the geekish enthusiasm of its accompanying fandom. Fandom loves to be recognised in new contexts and there was a collective whoop of joy from Who fans on Twitter the night that Inspector Spacetime first aired in Community. It led to a concerted effort to see more of the show within a show and became an internet meme as well as a fan made web series that ironically was subject to legal challenge by the show€™s makers. This might just be the closest that the world of Doctor Who parodies will ever get to a Don Quixote (a derivative work so popular that its inspiration and target no one remembers).