What 'Doctor Who' Can Teach Us About Museums

Anyone familiar with the British TV landscape likely remembers the time almost exactly 10 years ago when BBC staple Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary with the dazzling episode “The Day of the Doctor.” Between all the cameos and callbacks, one element that held the whole episode together often goes unmentioned: the museum setting. As we approach the show’s highly anticipated 60th anniversary this November, it is worth taking a tour through the show’s recent past to understand why museums resonate so strongly with the themes of the show and what Doctor Who can teach us about museums in our world.

Museums have been a touchstone for Doctor Who for almost as long as the show has existed. As far back as the show’s second season in 1965, the four-part story “The Space Museum” saw the First Doctor and his companions on display in a museum exhibit on another planet. In the most recent episode, “The Power of the Doctor,” a museum served as the catalyst for bringing former companions Tegan and Ace together on a search for missing paintings.

Museums appear the most often during Matt Smith’s tenure as the Eleventh Doctor. They are focal points in four Eleventh Doctor stories: “The Time of Angels,” “Vincent and the Doctor,” “The Big Bang,” and, of course, “The Day of the Doctor.” These seasons explore themes of childlike wonder, the malleability of history, and the importance of memory, all ideas that museums represent perfectly.