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Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse was an encyclopedic celebration of 60 years of the world's longest-running sci-fi television series, Doctor Who.
Publisher's summary[]
Six decades may only be a handful of heartbeats to a Time Lord, but for Doctor Who it's the adventure of several lifetimes. Evolving over 60 years, the world's longest-running sci-fi TV show has gifted us a universe of menacing monsters and unforgettable heroes. You might even call it a 'Whotopia'.
Now you can roam free through the Doctor's dimension as never before in this special commemorative book for Doctor Who's diamond anniversary. Join all the Doctors as each tells their own story. Learn about their legions of legendary allies - and hear from the monsters' own mouths about what makes them tick. Find danger on alien worlds and threats here on Earth in all eras. And explore the gadgets, robots, spaceships, computers and mind-blowing creations that crowd the never-ending corridors of Whotopia.
Crammed with exciting new images and in full colour throughout, Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse is the essential celebration of 60 years of Doctor Who.
Contents[]
Section 1: Heroes[]
Heroes of Time[]
# | Character | Summary |
---|---|---|
1 | First Doctor | |
2 | Second Doctor | |
3 | Third Doctor | |
4 | Fourth Doctor | |
5 | Fifth Doctor | |
6 | Sixth Doctor | |
7 | Seventh Doctor | |
8 | Eighth Doctor | |
9 | War Doctor | |
10 | Ninth Doctor | |
11 | Tenth Doctor | |
12 | Eleventh Doctor | |
13 | Twelfth Doctor | |
14 | Thirteenth Doctor | |
15 | Fugitive Doctor | |
16 | Fourteenth Doctor | The Fourteenth Doctor questions his face, hair, and teeth; he knows he should be somebody new, not somebody he had been before. He also questions his clothes. |
17 | Fifteenth Doctor | The Fifteenth Doctor reflects on his new face, the new adventures he'll go on, the new friends he'll make and the new threats he'll face; he knows that there will be a whole "pantheon" of enemies, who will have "no idea what they've let themselves in for." |
Travelling Companions | ||
18 | River Song | |
19 | Jenny | |
20 | Susan | |
21 | Romana I | |
22 | Romana II | |
Fleeting Friends | ||
23 | Andred and Rodan |
|
24 | Azmael | |
25 | Damon | |
26 | Drax | |
27 | Ohila |
Heroes of Space[]
# | Character | Summary |
---|---|---|
Travelling Companions | ||
28 | Adric | |
29 | Captain Jack Harkness |
|
30 | K9 Mark IV | |
31 | Karvanista | |
32 | Nardole | |
33 | Nyssa | |
34 | Turlough | |
Fleeting Friends | ||
35 | Alpha Centauri | |
36 | Angstrom | |
37 | Bannakaffalatta | |
38 | Bellal | |
39 | Biroc | |
40 | Chantho | |
41 | Face of Boe | |
42 | Flast | |
43 | Novice Hame | |
44 | Idris | |
45 | Jabe | |
46 | Tasha Lem | |
47 | Dorium Maldovar | |
48 | Greston Paltraki | |
49 | Astrid Peth | |
50 | Vrestin | |
51 | King Yrcanos |
Heroes of Earth[]
The Past[]
Section 2: Villains[]
Villains of Time[]
to be added
Villains of Space[]
to be added
Villains of Earth[]
to be added
Section 3: Monsters[]
Monsters of Time[]
to be added
Monsters of Space[]
to be added
Monsters of Earth[]
to be added
Section 4: Machines[]
Machines of Time[]
to be added
Machines of Space[]
to be added
Machines of Earth[]
to be added
Section 5: Worlds[]
Dimensions in Time[]
to be added
Alien Worlds[]
to be added
Earth[]
The Present[]
# | Concept | Summary |
---|---|---|
Rest of the World | ||
TBA | Vatican City | The Vatican City is notable for various things, such as being the residence of the Pope, the central government of the Catholic Church, and being the home to an underground library known as the Hereticum. One text in this library is The Veritas, a text with a truth so powerful any who read it commit suicide. However, this only exists in a simulation, and thus not in the real world, or, perhaps it does... |
Section 6: Technology[]
# | Concept | Summary |
---|---|---|
TBA | Sonic blaster | |
TBA | Sonic screwdriver and other sonic devices |
The Doctor originally built their sonic screwdriver to emit sound waves to unscrew screws without physically touching, its sole purpose. However, the Doctor found more uses for the device, and added more features over time, leading them to develop other sonic devices such as a sonic cane, sonic lance, sonic lipstick, sonic trowel and sonic umbrella. |
Characters[]
(In order of appearance)
Worldbuilding[]
- The image of the Fifteenth Doctor shows him to be wearing a burnt orange double bressted leather trenchcoat, a striped zip-up cardigan, blue trousers, and a silver necklace and rings. It also shows him to have a moustache.
- Forbidden and heretical texts are stored in the Hereticum. The Hereticum's layout is deliberately confusing and, at the centre of it all, a locked cage contains The Veritas.
- The truth in The Veritas is that everyone and the world they live in is a simulation.
- The Doctor's sonic screwdriver is a pocket-sized tool and a scientific instrument.
- Some functions on the device include being able to open locked doors, detonate land mines, creating sonic corridors to enable communication across a distance, all by utilising sound waves.
- Other functions and uses include: being a diagnostic probe; being able to hack computers; being able to light candles; repair barbed wire; being able to run programmes; being able to store data; and being able to operate some TARDIS systems.
- However, the sonic screwdriver doesn't work on wood or deadlock seals.
Notes[]
- Artist "The Lone Dalek" did the TARDIS renders in this book.[1][2][3]
- This book only focused on information exclusively from the television series, ignoring anything from non-television spin-offs.
- In particular, it appears at first glance to identify incarnations of the Master with ordinal names at odds with known incarnations; for example, Roger Delgado's Master is identified as the "First Master", despite virtually every other source featuring this incarnation showing him to be nearing, or the final incarnation, of his first regeneration cycle. Simon Guerrier clarified that these names weren't diegetic but referred merely to the order in which every television Master first appeared.[4]
- As this book was released prior to their full television debuts, it gave hints of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors personalities; the Fourteenth is shown to look back towards the Tenth Doctor, questioning why he has his body once more, while the Fifteenth Doctor is shown to have an optimistic and adventurous outlook towards the future.
- A promotional bookmark was included in SFX 373 with Whotopia artwork.
Continuity[]
- The Fourteenth Doctor's entry appears to be an inner monologue, where he recalls his similar appearance to the Tenth Doctor as seen in the surprise ending of TV: The Power of the Doctor [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who Centenary Special 2022 (BBC One, 2022)., although doesn't reveal any new information.
- Similarly, the Fifteenth Doctor's entry appears to be an inner monologue, where he reflects on the new chapter of his life. This includes a reference to his new friends, which seems to be an oblique reference to companion Ruby Sunday, who was first mentioned in PROSE: First Day of the Doctor [+]Paul Lang, Doctor Who The Official Annual 2024 (Penguin Group, 2023). Page 31..
- The section about Vatican City clarifies a few ambiguities from TV: Extremis [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 10 (BBC One, 2017)., otherwise, it introduces little new information other than variant spellings for a few concepts.
- The two-page spread for the technology section includes various items from the Whoniverse, including: the Thirteenth Doctor's version of the TARDIS, first seen in TV: The Ghost Monument [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who series 11 (BBC One, 2018).; Satellite Five, first seen in TV: The Long Game [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).; the Nerva Beacon, first seen in TV: The Ark in Space [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975).; the SS Madame de Pompadour, first seen in WC: Tardisode 4 [+]Gareth Roberts, Tardisodes series 2 (2006).; the Confession Dial, first seen in WC: Prologue [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.; the Doctor's psychic paper, first seen in TV: The End of the World [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).; a hypercube, first seen in TV: The War Games [+]Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, Doctor Who season 6 (BBC1, 1969).; and the Fourteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver, first seen in WC: The Fourteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver [+]Doctor Who mini-episodes (BBC Studios, YouTube, 2023)..
- This book correctly addresses that the sonic screwdriver was originally just a screwdriver in its debut story TV: Fury from the Deep [+]Victor Pemberton, Doctor Who season 5 (BBC1, 1968)., as well as mentioning the added functions across
External links[]
- Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse on the Doctor Who website
- Official Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse page at Penguin Books
Footnotes[]
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