The long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who has, over the years, been the subject of many parodies, including comedy sketches and specially made comedy programmes, from Spike Milligan's "Pakistani Dalek" to the Comic Relief episode Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death. There have been occasional parodies and references to Doctor Who on American TV shows such as Community, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Robot Chicken, and The Colbert Report. Some notable examples follow, categorized by medium.
Television
''It's a Square World'' (1963)
An early televised Doctor Who spoof was on the Michael Bentine sketch show It's a Square World in December 1963, only a few weeks after the series first aired. Season 6, Episode 8, broadcast on New Year's Eve, featured Clive Dunn playing a scientist called Doctor Fotheringown, for which Dunn wore William Hartnell's First Doctor costume and wig. The sketch, which was recorded on 16 and 20 December 1963, also featured Wilfrid Brambell and Patrick Moore.
''Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death'' (1999)
An episode made for Comic Relief with celebrity appearances from Rowan Atkinson, Joanna Lumley, Hugh Grant, Richard E. Grant, and Jim Broadbent as various incarnations of the Doctor and Jonathan Pryce as the Master. The writer of the sketch, Steven Moffat, subsequently went on to become a writer and executive producer on the show proper following its 2005 revival.
''Doctors'' (2008)
In an episode of the ninth series of Doctors, Sylvester McCoy made a guest appearance where he played a retired actor named Graham Capelli who played a time traveller in a television show called The Lollipop Man where he could travel through time with his traffic lollipop stick. Graham also has to provide commentary for the DVD release of the show.
''Community'' (2011)
During the episode "Biology 101" of Community, Britta searches for a new television series for Abed to watch. She eventually shows him a sci-fi series called Inspector Spacetime, a thinly veiled parody of Doctor Who. Troy and Abed have been seen watching Inspector Spacetime throughout the third season. The season four episode "Conventions of Space and Time" sees the group travel to a fan convention for the show, with Matt Lucas guest starring, who would later go on to become the companion Nardole on Doctor Who in 2015.
''Dorkly'' (2011)
In the episode "Chrono Trigger Time Travel Mix-Up" of Dorkly, the characters from the gameChrono Trigger meet the Doctor who tells them that Lavos was in fact a friendly being trying to return to its home planet.
Video games
''Hugo II, Whodunit?'' (1991)
In this DOS video game, the player uses a telephone booth to travel to the planet Retupmoc where she meets a man who looks like Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor and identifies himself as "the Doctor". A "mechanical monster" appears to be a Dalek, and the phone booth looks like the TARDIS. The Doctor gives the player a "sonar screwdriver" for rescuing him.
Print media
''Dalek Survival Guide'' (2002)
Dalek Survival Guide was a humorous book published by BBC Books and written by Justin Richards, Nicholas Briggs, Stephen Cole, Jacqueline Rayner and Mike Tucker. Parodying The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks, the Dalek Survival Guide gives wry hints such as how Daleks work, how to recognise different Dalek variants, "How to survive enforced captivity with a Dalek" and "What to do if you see a Dalek". This book became the subject of legal action due to copyright issues. However, the issues were ruled against, and the book continues to be sold.
''The Beano'' (2006)
Beginning in their 21 April issue, The Beano ran a three-part parody comic-within-a-comic by writer-artist Kev F Sutherland called "Hot-Rod Cow", about a superhero time-travelling talking cow. "Hot-Rod Cow" is the favourite comic of The Bash Street Kids character, Plug. The comic contained many in-jokes, for example Hot-Rod Cow wielded a "Sonic Moo-driver". The phrase "Hot-Rod Cow" is an anagram of "Doctor Who". The comic also spoofed classic comic covers such as Amazing Fantasy #15, as well as containing other superhero related jokes.
Music
''I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek'' (1964)
"I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek" was a song released the first Christmas after The Daleks was initially broadcast. The British Go-Go's novelty single tried to turn the sinister Daleks into another version of The Chipmunks, and was originally released as one of the many products fueling Dalekmania. However, as that craze fizzled out the song was largely forgotten, with snippets occasionally appearing in Doctor Who anthological products. It finally resurfaced in its entirety on the October 2000 album, Who is Doctor Who.
