The Science of Doctor Who

by Paul Parsons

Almost fifty years after he first crossed the small screen, Doctor Who remains a science fiction touchstone. His exploits are thrilling, his world is mind-boggling, and that time travel machine―known as the Tardis―is almost certainly an old-fashioned blue police box, once commonly found in London. Paul Parsons's plain-English account of the real science behind the fantastic universe portrayed in the Doctor Who television series provides answers to such burning questions as whether a sonic screwdriver is any use for putting up a shelf, how Cybermen make little Cybermen, where the toilets are in the Tardis, and much more. Taking the show as a starting point―episode-by-episode in some cases―Parsons dissects its scientific concepts. In addition to explaining why time travel is possible and just how that blue police box works, Parsons • discusses who the Time Lords are and how we may one day be able to regenerate just like them
• ponders the ways that the doctor's two hearts might work and introduces us to a terrestrial animal with five
• details the alien populations and cosmology of the Whovian Universe and relates them to what we currently know about our universe
• compares the robotics of the show with startlingly similar real-world applications This slender, equation-free discussion is penned by a Ph.D. cosmologist and is ideal beach reading for anyone who loves science and watches the show―no matter which planet the beach is on.

Genres: Doctor Who, Nonfiction, Science, Tv, Reference, Stem, Media Tie In

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. I've read a couple of the pop culture science books. I know they can be hit or miss. Sometimes they are just science books with little pop culture references thrown in at the end of every other paragraph. Sometimes it's blended rather well with the non-science, but the science is campy and elementary.
But this book was well done. It was written in a style that was fun for Doctor Who fans, but the science was not lost, and I did not feel like I was being taught in a 3rd grade classroom. I really enjoyed this book. It kept my interest, it refreshed my memory on a lot of theories I had forgotten as well as exposing me to new things I hadn't heard before.
If you like (or love) physics, and like Doctor Who (of course), then I'd definitely recommend this. It's a nice simple read.

[Cathy Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johns Hopkins University Press published the updated American edition of Paul Parsons's popular science book, The Science Of Doctor Who. Parsons has written a fun (mostly) easy to understand book that covers a great deal of ground in matching up real world science to the gadgets, aliens and monsters of Doctor Who in a variety of areas including biology, physics and robotics. He has also updated book to include everything up through the episode "The End of Time" and the introduction of the Eleventh Doctor. Considering that the show has been around for forty-five years, that's a lot ground to cover.

Parsons has divided his book into four parts: (1)Doctor in the Tardis; (2) Aliens of London and Beyond; (3) Robot Dogs, Psychic Paper, and Other Celestial Toys; and (4) Mission to the Unknown. He starts the book off with an examination of the Doctor's physiology, in particular his two hearts and discusses what advantages and disadvantages this might have and notes that the hagfish has five hearts.

Probably the two hardest science chapters in the book are chapters two and three in which Parsons explains how the Tardis can be bigger on the inside than the outside and how time travel might be possible using real world physics and astrophysics at level of detail considerably above the Tenth Doctor's "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" hand-waving. Fortunately, Parsons is very good at taking complex subjects and explaining them in a manner that does not leave the layperson's brains leaking out his or her ears. I was able to follow most of the discussion of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and how it could be used to allow for gravitational bubbles that would allow the "dimensionally transcendental" Tardis to be bigger on the inside than the outside. The illustration involving the a two dimensional rubber sheet with the middle bulging into three dimensional space was particularly helpful. And while I may not have understood it in its entirety, I did get the basics of Parsons's explanations of the Casimir effect and quantum entanglement. Parsons also consistently tied the science to particular episodes of the show, extrapolating how to get there from current scientific knowledge.

In Part Two, which focuses more on biology and exobiology, Parsons does take a few pages to note the frequency with which planets are destroyed on the show and to point out just how difficult it would be to construct a planet destroying weapon in the real world. For one thing, it would require really huge amount of energy, which means you would need really large amounts of matter or anti-matter from which to create the weapon and it would probably be the size of a small moon, so there will be no front-mounted planet destroying beam weapons on our spaceships anytime soon.

Particularly with the discussion of alien races, Parson is good about tying the science discussion to information or situations pulled from particular episodes of the show. For instance, in discussion of both old school and new school Cybermen, Parsons references the gold allergy as a jumping off point for a discussion of the current state of cyborg technology and implants and notes that it's possible that the weakness to gold comes from the old school Cybermen still having actual flesh body parts such as lungs while new school Cybermen are mechanical bodies with human brains put inside, which leads to a discussion of the current state of the ability to do brain transplants. The biology of Daleks is examined as well. The Sontarans reproduce asexually through cloning, which leads to a discussion of Dolly the Sheep, hydra reproducing through budding, parthenogenic insects and whiptail lizards.

Part Three, which deals with alien tech and robots covers a huge range of topics from real world analogs of the Third Doctor's gadgets to why devises like those used in "Carnival of Monsters" and "Nightmare of Eden" with their miniaturization technology could not possibly work to AI to space stations to force fields and death rays. The show has given Parsons a great deal to work with and he's more than happy to discuss all of it with us.

In Part Four, Parsons is focused mainly on cosmology from the Big Bang to the heat death of the universe. Here again, even with my very minimal understanding of Astronomy (I took Astronomy to meet my high school physical science requirement and took and an "astronomy for humanities majors" course to fulfill one of my science distribution courses in college, and both of those courses were taken more than two decades ago), I was able to understand the basics of what Parsons was discussing, except for the chapter on strange stars and mirror planets where I got a bit lost.

Parsons has packed nearly half a century of Doctor Who and about one hundred years worth of scientific developments in biology, physics, astronomy, and computing and other disciplines into approximately three hundred pages. This is a fun, easy to understand popular science exploration of a huge number of topics using Doctor Who as the jumping off point for the topics Parsons examines. While the book will be of more interest to fans of the show than other readers (it would make an excellent gift for Whovians), anyone who enjoys reading popular science magazines should get a kick out of The Science Of Doctor Who.

[Ed Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llet's face it, if you're a Whovian you probably have at least a passing interest in science fact and fiction.

I'm not the biggest Who fan in the world, having only seen the Baker years and keeping up since the relaunch in 2005. Luckily, having seen all the episodes referenced throughout the book is not a requirement!
I had a good time reading this book. While in parts it does get a little "into" the real world scientific principles (especially where time travel and things astronomical are concerned), it never gets so bogged down that it gets boring. I felt the author did a great job comparing things from the Whoniverse to advances and ideas in our real world science. There are also comments by other scientist concerning their area of expertise and what it would take to replicate the things seen in Dr Who in our world.

Now if someone would only this a step further and make grade school level books, I bet a lot of kids would be more open to learning about science using Dr Who (or any other sci-fi property) as a reference point.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a newcomer to both physics and Doctor Who, but I really liked this book. I didn't really understand many of the concepts Parsons' presents, but I did like learning about how close (or far) the series is from real science. He talks about the need for companions, why the TARDIS can be bigger on the inside, the likelihood of finding worlds like those on the show as well as some of the doctor's gadgets, like psychic paper.

This is kind of like the missing dvd extra to the series. It's a behind the scenes look at the show's science without actually being on set. He has it updated through the Tenth Doctor and has a complete list of all the televised adventures of each doctor. That was great for me since I only came on board with the TV show in the last year or two.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the author was trying way too hard to tie things in to modern science. Yes, there are often small similarities, but he might have done better had he focused on the science internal to Doctor Who. Instead, the book comes off as a shallow book on modern science with some Doctor Who references, more at the beginning than at the end. Oh, and some of the research is already out of date.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lighthearted but thought provokingly credible attempt to look at the scientific plausibility and feasibility of phenomena seen in Doctor Who, such as faster than light travel, regeneration, Dalek and Cybermen development, the Eye of Harmony, E-Space, sonic screwdrivers, etc. Some of these are reasonable extrapolations of current or near future science, some based on real world theoretical concepts, others flat out impossible. Good fun and one can learn a fair bit as well. 5/5

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a really good book most of the facts can go over your head though.

[Sam Byford · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dry read, got bored after half the book. Might return to it some day.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some upsetting lapses in logic and has not aged nicely when it comes to companions as sexual commodities and the Doctor's gender, but it was generally a fun read.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars is probably an unfair review, but I dont remember it well, all I do remember is it was a bit of a struggle

[Jeff LeMaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

What used to be science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact as the gulf between them rapidly diminishes.

Nineteenth century visionary Jules Verne imagined mankind traveling to the moon, to the depths of the ocean, to the center of the earth, and to the beginning and end of time. One by one, humanity has begun to conquer these seemingly insurmountable feats. The prospect of time travel, however, seems the most daunting of all.

Since 1963, children and adults in Great Britain and around the world have thrilled to the exploits of Doctor Who, a "Time Lord" whose weekly adventures on the BBC span every conceivable epoch of time. His time machine, the TARDIS, is capable of traveling both in time and space.

Paul Parsons attempts to take a scholastic look at modern scientific research and what we have discovered about creation to determine if the time traveling feats of The Doctor are even remotely possible. The result is an honest appraisal of Doctor Who "science" from the impossible, to the merely improbable, all the way to the possible and probable.

In this book, he takes a closer look at the impact of Einstein's theory of relativity on time travel, how the TARDIS could be bigger on the inside than on the outside, and the curious ability of the Doctor to regenerate. He also investigates the technology mentioned in various episodes, and both the alien world and alien lifeforms the Doctor and his companions have encountered.

SO WHAT?
David Tennant as "Doctor Who"
Doctor Who was a weekly tradition for my family as I was growing up. Every Saturday night, we would traipse through the neighborhood to a friend's house (he had cable TV) to enjoy the adventures of the Doctor and his companions. My experience began near the end of the Tom Baker era, but I have since been able to catch up on the previous regenerations, as well as fall in love with the 21st century doctors (David Tennant is by far the best).

This book is for the naysayers who negatively proclaim, "That's impossible - it will never happen." Who are we to place limits on the achievements of man's ingenuity? Even God Himself said, "Nothing that they purpose to do will now be impossible for them" (Genesis 11:6).

This is a well-researched tome, yet it remains entertaining and approachable to the masses. The sometimes weighty, scientific subject matter is more than offset by the author's casual style and the zaniness of the Doctor Who world. While the events of a typical episode may be fantastic and incredible, the science behind the script is not as far off as we may believe.

The writing in Doctor Who can be somewhat skewed by a dependence on evolutionary theory (the varied and conflicting explanations for the origins of human life are all laughable). I wonder what the good Doctor would have thought about the book of Genesis?

[The Carrion Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The balance between hard science and common interest content was excellent for the most part. The sections dealing with biology and cloning act as an excellent complement to high school biology. The astronomy sections also did a good job of keeping complex topics understandable (though the section of how exactly the TARDIS could work was a little advanced even with my first year university physics). Of particular interest to me was the bits covering cybernetic implants; Some of the real life examples, like the fellow with the implants that allowed him to navigate his lab without sight, sound like science fiction themselves.
Towards the end of the book the ties to Doctor Who got a little tenuous. For instance an entire chapter on black holes is set up by a handful of sentences about the Eye of Harmony.
In addition, despite being updated twice since it’s initial publication in 2006 the focus is still primarily on classic Doctor Who. The 10th doctor era feels tacked on and the 11th doctor isn’t mentioned at all. This can be double-edged sword: Teens may feel alienated by a lack of the doctors they’re most familiar with, but others interested in the history of the series will eat this book up.

[Drew Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who is known for it's inconsistencies, unrealistic borderline on the absurd pseudoscience and technobabble. Given this, it may seem like a strange series to write a book about the science behind it, however it does seem to work. Due to the fact Doctor Who is so extensive as a series we do get some discussion on the usual Science-Fiction topics: Time-Travel, A.I./Robotics, Extraterrestrial Worlds and their lifeforms, Space Travel etc. It does however also cover some of the more unique aspects of Dr. Who which I have not thought about before (from a scientific perspective), such as: Regeneration, Pyschic Paper and Sonic Technology. It also included a very interesting piece of potential technology which only appeared in one episode, an inclusive machine for taking raw ingredients and turning them into a full meal which in the real world has led an academic to develop an underlying mathematics around cooking processes. This book is very well written, interesting and really entertaining. I would recommend it to fans of the show, fans of Sci-Fi and people interested in Science and Technology. I would suggest however that some knowledge of the Show (at least the new series) is necessary to really enjoy the book.

[Cally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, well written, and not too long, bumbling or spouting, but I had the distinct impression that most of this book went in one eye and out the other.

Sadly, I'm just not that into physics, and an awful lot of this book went into describing how to make something fit into something else that was much smaller than itself, and how time travel could work. I was interested, but I couldn't honestly now tell you the answer.

Happily, there was an (all too brief) section all about biology, where Paul Parsons chose a selection of monsters and explained how they might work, such as how the Slitheen might be able to fit into the empty skin of a person considerably smaller than them, and why this would cause quite so much gas. There was even a brief overview of The Doctor's two hearts and regeneration, which was very interesting.

Sadly, however, too much physics interspersed with too little biology. If that's what you are interested in, then read this book. If not, however, keep enjoying the TV shows - you never know, something like that might come along some day...

[Regina Cattus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This easily-accessible book has all the hallmarks of a book written by someone who knows what he's talking about (or at least has had a very good discussion with someone else who does). It is, of course, super-nerdy, but it isn't patronising in the slightest, which is a refreshing change. This is a non-fiction book about fiction, and although it's almost exclusively theoretical, you can't really expect any more from it, given that Doctor Who, and all those characters and worlds, is a work of fiction. Bearing in mind that this edition is about a decade old, a lot of the science still holds true, while other parts (such as the touted nanobots) haven't really caught on or kept up with their deadlines. The funniest part was reading about the [then] current debate over Pluto's planet status.

In any case, this book is a must-read for any hard-core Whovians out there who want a little proof that maybe, somewhere out there in the multiverse, the Doctor is gadding about in his TARDIS saving worlds.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was obviously the product of someone who enjoys Dr. Who and who spent a good amount of time interviewing people who knew the physics and other topics which he discussed. Most of the chapters seemed to be fairly accurate as far as the science (at least up to the time the book was written) and it certainly made me want to go and finish watching all the classic Doctor Who that I can find (which I did whenever I took a break from the book). All-in-all well done, though I would love to see it updated to include the science of topics through the 12th doctor.

My favorite chapter had to be number 32 (some of the chapters were very short) about the multiverse. I knew a goodly amount about most of the other topics, but had not realized that I knew so little about the theories behind the multiverse and this book definitely made me want to study more of it.

[Travis Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most science related books that aren't textbooks, this book was more informative than educational. In a similar fashion to Michio Kaku's Physics of the Impossible, it discussed several technologies in the Who universe and the possibility of them being created by humans, as well as giving examples of real world science and technology that are related. The book also covered some topics not related to technology, but rather the nature of our universe.

Throughout the book there are bits of information and quotations from the show. There are also several chapters dedicated to some of the alien/non-human species in the show and analyses of their technologies.

Overall it was quite an entertaining book, but most likely would only appeal to a small group of people.

[Ana Abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

En esta guía no oficial se explican las bases científicas (o la imposibilidad) de muchos de los objetos y tramas de esta serie de un modo ameno y sin grandes fanatismos (si ago no puede ser, no puede ser). A pesar de que el libro intenta comprender toda la serie, se centra bastante en el noveno doctor y la primera temporada del décimo, muy probablemente porque los guiones de estas series están más de acuerdo con los avances científicos actuales.

Un gran acierto, las citas al principio de cada capítulo. Mi preferida:
"I'm a Time Lord.... I'm not a human being: I walk in eternity"
The Fourth Doctor, Pyramids of Mars

[Ken Rideout · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skimmed the book after checking it out from the library. I checked it out because I love Doctor Who and I love Science but...

I couldn't read it after there were some subtle mis-statements early on. For examples, saying that Einstein developed his Special Relativity in response to experiments showing that the speed of light is invariant is not quite right. Also, to imply that Mercury is the only planet whose orbit precesses is also incorrect. I suppose I should have known that the premise of the book was flawed. Who wants to put science into science fiction anyway?

Also, goodreads claims there is a forward by Arthur C Clarke but there is no such think in my copy...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overall. It had the feeling that it was written by someone who wanted to see if the science shown in Doctor Who COULD work, rather than trying to tear it down and criticize the show. That was much appreciated, as was the manner in which the real-world science was presented in a manner accessible to pretty much anyone. The only problem is that it was published in 2006 and not only has the show moved on to a new Doctor and several more seasons, but a lot of the real-world science and predictions have moved on and/or not come to pass. That's not to say that a lot of the information isn't wholly accurate, just a tad out of date.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very entertaining read. It introduced me to concepts in science that I never would have thought possible. It showed me how brilliant the writers of one of my favorite television shows really are. They made sure that there was some sort of scientific backing to almost all of their content. A fascinating read, it was a great book, and really made me think. It also provoked many intriguing conversations with friends. I'd definitely recommend this book to Whovians, anyone who may be interested in the Doctor Who series, or anyone who has a passion for science!

[Akhila · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book admittedly, I didn't finish but I am a Whovian and I liked this book. Definitely don't read if you're just interested in science or even science-fiction because you've got to have watched Doctor Who to really understand the references. It's not a hard hitting critique of Doctor Who's scientific plots it's lightly humorous and looks at the science fiction idea and if what could be reality in the future or even what's already reality. Well written, a good read if you're a Whovian and love science.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Dr Who, and I loved this book as well. It explained the scientific phenomena from across many of the different series (and Drs' adventures) in a understandable and interesting way. It's probably more easily understood if you're famliar with the aliens, planets and technologies of the programme; but those who have only watched one or two episodes will still get something from this book. The text can be approached successfully from either a TV or scientific interest.
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[Amy Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. The author covered many scientific topics, a lot focusing on astronomy and physics but also getting into some fun biology and quantum theory. Most of the examples were very briefly covered, so the "science talk" didn't get too deep (which is either good or bad depending on who you are and how interested you are in each independent topic). Yet everything flowed well and seemed to be well researched.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really into reading science books...too many terms I don't understand etc. This book though took a scientific look at the possibilities of Dr Who's devices and experiences. Everything from can the Tardis really be bigger on the inside than the outside, to storing our memories directly to computer.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all of the "Science of ..." books that I've read lately, this was my favorite. It was probably helped by the fact that it is the most current book and had some interesting new research to discuss. Parsons did a nice job of explaining the science and it covered a wide area of both science and Dr Who trivia.

[Kallen Kentner · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a Whovian, 50 years of Doctor Who may just not be enough. If you think bowties are cool, have a bumper sticker that says, “My other car is a Tardis” and think your screwdrivers could be a little more sonic, then this is the book for you.

Read the full review on GeekyLibrary

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a super whovian and was excited to read the book. And it was a fun read that reminded me that I'm not as smart as I like to think that I am. Lol some of the science was over my head. But, and don't judge my nerdiness, I forgot how much fun it could be to have to look up and learn new things in order to understand a book you are reading.

[Lorrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gift from my husband who knows I am an avid Doctor Who fan and is one himself. I LOVED it. There were a lot of interesting science aspects in the chapter complete with great diagrams. I also liked that it looked into the science of some of the villains in Doctor who such as the Daleks and the Cybermen. It was a very enjoyable read!

[Betul · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your quite a big fan of dr who, new or old ones, its a very good read.
If you like random facts about science and technology in modern times then this is a good read.

Its not too new cos it was published in 2006 but its very interesting :)

Read if you want a new factual book :)