10 Doctor Who Controversies Fans Can't Agree On
8. Where Does Canon Begin And End?
Some franchises keep a pretty tight hold on what is and isn't canon, but Doctor Who takes the other approach by not having it fully defined.
The expanded universe is a big old place with a long and storied history, especially during the wilderness years. Big Finish is pumping out audio content like it’s going out of fashion, and you have other companies like Titan Comics also dropping regular releases – not to mention all the video games and novels too.
Point is, there’s far too much Doctor Who content out there to possibly even attempt to consolidate it into a timeline that makes sense, so why bother? The audience can decide what is and isn’t canon, and the only thing that does stick is the main TV show, plus its spinoffs.
With more and more expanded universe content appearing in the show (like Beep the Meep hopping from the comics to the screen, and the Eighth Doctor canonising Charley and his other companions in his regeneration scene), the lines are only getting blurrier anyway.
OUR VERDICT: Everything can be canon unless it’s directly contradicted by the main show. Things are more fun that way, and you get gems like the Meddling Monk appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, and Six becoming close friends with a shapeshifting penguin. It’s best to embrace the chaos.