Whose Doctor Who

Whose Doctor Who
Subject:	Doctor Who
Broadcast on:	BBC Two
Broadcast date:	3 April 1977
Runtime:	58'45"
Key crew
Interviewees:	Caron Scott, Rosemary Matthews, Keith Hewett, Caspar Hewett, Dr Eric Sherwood Jones, Tom Baker, Kenneth Bailey, Elizabeth Fibbery, Elizabeth Matthews, Philip Hinchcliffe, Donna Savage, Dean Boreham, Tina Sullivan, Nicholas Bishop, Ronald Matthews, John Miller, Ann Miller, David Scott, Sister Margaret Rogerson, Terrance Dicks, Robert Holmes, Helen Dickinson
Narrator:	Melvyn Bragg
Producer:	Tony Cash
Executive producer:	Bill Morton

Whose Doctor Who was a television documentary which aired on BBC Two on 3 April 1977 as an episode of the series The Lively Arts (1976-77).

Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the programme examined the first fourteen years of Doctor Who and its effects on society. It is also noted for the footage taken from the first episode of Galaxy 4, "Four Hundred Dawns", which was junked by the BBC Archives shortly afterwards and has yet to be recovered.

Publisher's summary

Introduced by Melvyn Bragg. Actors, writers, designers, directors and producers have come and gone but Dr Who remains one of the most popular family shows ever devised for British television. Despite all the changes, the programme maintains a consistent core of themes, in the Doctor's philosophy, his relations with his companions, his foibles and failings as well as his multifarious talents, and in the nature of the evil foes he pits himself against. Using scenes from episodes involving all four Doctors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker), tonight's programme will explore the ideas and attitudes which have characterised the series from the beginning. Appearing in the programme (as themselves) are Tom Baker, viewers young and old, along with a galaxy of monsters from Autons to Zarbis.

Content

Note: Many of the clips from the Jon Pertwee era were taken from 16mm black-and-white film telerecordings, made for overseas sales to countries not yet broadcasting in colour; and the only format in which the episodes were known to exist at the time.

Pre-titles/Introduction

Clips from The Web Planet, The Seeds of Death, Doctor Who and the Silurians (black-and-white), and Genesis of the Daleks.

The Doctor

Clips from An Unearthly Child, The Three Doctors, and Robot.

The Enemies

Clips from Terror of the Zygons, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Mind Robber, Planet of the Spiders, Genesis of the Daleks, The Claws of Axos (black-and-white), The Invasion, and The Seeds of Death.

Behind the Scenes - The Talons of Weng-Chiang

Clips from Doctor Who and the Silurians (black-and-white), Terror of the Zygons, and The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

Safe Scares

Clips from Spearhead from Space, Terror of the Autons (black-and-white), The Hand of Fear, The Seeds of Doom, Pyramids of Mars, and The Monster of Peladon.

The Talented Doctor

Clips from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Krotons, The Monster of Peladon, Robot, The Space Museum, The Brain of Morbius, The Web Planet, The Time Monster (black-and-white), The Seeds of Doom, The Seeds of Death, The Dæmons, Genesis of the Daleks, and Spearhead from Space.

Writing the Show

Clips from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Invasion, Planet of the Daleks, The Face of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, Galaxy 4, The Time Warrior, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, and The Space Museum.

People interviewed

In order of credited appearance.

• Caron Scott
• Rosemary Matthews
• Keith Hewett - Educationalist
• Caspar Hewett
• Dr. Eric Sherwood Jones - Consultant Physician
• Tom Baker
• Kenneth Bailey - Educationalist (Retired)
• Elizabeth Fibbery - Student
• Mrs. Elizabeth Matthews
• Philip Hinchcliffe - Producer
• Donna Savage
• Dean Boreham
• Tina Sullivan
• Nicholas Bishop
• Ronald Matthews - Teacher
• John Miller - Educational Psychologist
• Ann Miller - Student
• David Scott - Student
• Sister Margaret Rogerson
• Terrance Dicks - Script Writer
• Robert Holmes - Script Editor
• Helen Dickinson - Student

Note: Several other children are also interviewed, but they are not identified either in the narration or by on-screen caption.

Crew

• Introduction - Melvyn Bragg
• Consultant - Terrance Dicks
• Research - Ben Shephard, Bridget Cave
• Dubbing Mixer - Richard King
• Film Recordist - Dick Manton
• Film Cameraman - Philip Bonham-Carter
• Videotape Editor - Sam Upton
• Film Editor - David Martin
• Executive Producer - Bill Morton
• Producer - Tony Cash

Home video releases

DVD Region 2 2003 cover

DVD Revisitations 1 Box Set Region 2

DVD Region 2 2010 cover

The documentary was later included as an extra in the BBC DVD release of The Talons of Weng-Chiang in 2003, which had aired its final episode the day before the documentary was broadcast. The DVD was later remastered and included in the first Revisitations box set in 2010. It was released on the second disc for The Talons of Weng-Chiang in The Collection Season 14.

In November 2023, Whose Doctor Who was added to BBC iPlayer's Whoniverse catalogue of Doctor Who content.