Doctor Who and History: Critical Essays on Imagining the Past

Fifty years after its initial transmission on the BBC, Doctor Who has become part of the cultural history of Britain itself, and its many stories have played out across the medium of television, audio plays and books. Whether set in the past or populated with the inevitable bug-eyed monsters, these adventures in time and space have engaged with important contemporary and historical issues and events. While many recent publications have celebrated the show’s longevity, or reflected on the program as a product of the bbC as british institution, Doctor Who and History is the first volume of essays to focus on the topic of history as it is expressed thematically in the show itself, as well as how its program-makers and audience are situated within that history. the diverse essays here promote a scholarly and inter-disciplinary approach, exploring how Doctor Who reflects on and contributes to notions of history.