10 Most British Doctor Who Moments
7. British Pop-Culture References
Though the Doctor Who universe is different from our own in many ways, it still has loads of the same pop culture touchstones.
Indeed, over the years the show has featured specially-shot segments of other television programmes (usually those owned by the BBC, let’s be honest) starring real-world actors and presenters.
In the early years of NuWho we had Blue Peter showing viewers how to make a Slitheen spaceship-inspired cake, EastEnders’ Peggy Mitchell coming face to face with the “ghost” of Den Watts, and Alan Sugar firing someone for failing to sell Shakri cubes on The Apprentice.
More recently we’ve had cameos from acclaimed presenters such as Emily Maitlis and Amol Rajan, plus Davina McCall fronting a show that’s definitely not Long Lost Family.
There have also been less obvious references to other shows, like Graham revealing that he’s seen every episode of Call the Midwife, or the Thirteenth Doctor revealing herself as a Great British Bake Off fan by giving Joseph Williamson a “Paul Hollywood handshake”.
And it’s not just telly. There’s been plenty of British music in Who – from the First Doctor and co. watching The Beatles on the Time-Space Visualiser, to Elton Pope dancing to ELO in Love & Monsters, to Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody featuring in countless Christmas specials.
What next? A cameo from Louis Theroux? An episode soundtracked by Charli xcx? The Doctor becoming the new host of Strictly?! Stranger things have happened…