One of the best things about long-running series like Doctor Who is the amount of lore and little references that dedicated fans of the franchise can pick up on littered throughout the episodes. The BBC show never hesitates to plant a few callbacks here and there to remind fans that the series hasn't forgotten its long and prosperous past.
Since anniversary specials are known to deliver as much well-intentioned fan service as possible, sometimes it's easy to overlook the small easter eggs the Doctor has sprinkled into regular episodes.
10 The Human Doctor's Parents Is A Nod To Two Figures Who Created The Show
While hidden as a human teacher in the season three two-parter "Human Nature/Family of Blood," the Tenth Doctor befriends school nurse Joan, a young widow with big aspirations. During one of their conversations, the Doctor, now John Smith, tells her about his parents, Verity and Sydney.
This is clearly a nod to the ex-BBC head of drama Sydney Newman and producer Verity Lambert, without whom Doctor Who wouldn't have existed in the first place. Both were key developers of the classic series, shaping it into the charming and educational '60s serial that started it all.
9 Classic & New Daleks Confer In The Asylum
The Daleks are as synonymous with Doctor Who as the Doctor and the TARDIS themselves. The heavily-armed, oversized pepper pots were created by Welsh novelist Terry Nation and made their first formal appearance in the aptly named "The Daleks," in 1963. Since then, they've become recurring villains, attaining iconic status within British pop culture for their peculiar characterization.
The season seven opener, "Asylum of the Daleks," serves as a subtle throwback to dedicated Whovians. The episode shows Daleks from different eras of the long-running show, including Daleks from classic Who and earlier seasons of the 2005 revival.
8 Star Trek Officers Fight A Giant Sea Serpent In A Mural
Having arrived at a mining facility in the 22nd century, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara investigate the seemingly empty base and happen upon a curious mural in the mess hall. The image depicts a large sea serpent trapping a boat and its three peculiarly dressed crew members with its long, scaly body.
Fans of Star Trek will easily recognize them to be wearing the original Starfleet uniform in its three colorful variants—yellow for command, blue for sciences, and red for operations. The shoutout is small but clever, as sci-fi fans would surely catch the reference and enjoy a nod to the crossover that never was.
7 The Lethbridge-Stewart Clan Keeps Growing
Fans of the classic era will remember the Brigadier, founder of UNIT and longtime friend of the Doctor, whom he met during his second incarnation and continued collaborating with years later. The 5oth anniversary special had already reintroduced his daughter Kate as the new head of UNIT, but the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon A Time," sees an ancestor make his first appearance in the show.
Frequent Doctor Who collaborator Mark Gatiss took on the role of Captain Archibald Lethbridge-Stewart, the Brigadier's grandfather. Archibald was part of the British Army during World War I when he met the First and Twelfth Doctors and participated in the Christmas truce in 1914.
6 "You've Redecorated... I Don't Like It!" References TARDIS Changes
"The Day of the Doctor" is chock-full of easter eggs and references to past episodes and characters, sometimes even stepping into meta territory (like the Eleventh Doctor scratching the date of the Doctor Who premiere into a wall). One of the most prominent callbacks happens towards the end of the special when the three Doctors have stepped into the Eleventh Doctor's second TARDIS console room and the Tenth Doctor exclaims that he doesn't like his redecoration.
The moment is a throwback to the Second Doctor's words in "The Three Doctors" and subsequently in "The Five Doctors". The phrase has even been used by Clara in "Deep Breath" after seeing the Twelfth Doctor's TARDIS.
5 The Great Intelligence & Their London Underground Operation
When the Eleventh Doctor meets The Great Intelligence in Victorian London, he realizes he's meeting them before their attack on the London Underground during his Second regeneration. In order to preserve the timeline, he cleverly plants the idea of attacking the tube into their minds by commenting on how the place is one of humanity's weak points.
Furthermore, he keeps carrying and flinging around a lunchbox with a map of the Underground as it was in the '60s when The Great Intelligence would attack in "The Web of Fear".
4 Magpie Electricals Product Placement
Magpie Electricals first appeared in the Tenth Doctor story, "The Idiot's Lantern," which remains one of the lowest-rated episodes of his era on IMDb. In the story, an alien race known as the Wire has possessed all of Magpie Electronics' televisions hoping to feed off the essence of their owners.
The brand has appeared multiple times across New and Classic Who. In "The Beast Below," Amy Pond finds a Magpie Electricals sign aboard the Starship UK. The Twelfth Doctor also has a Magpie Electricals amplifier, and companions Martha Jones and Sarah Jane Smith have the brand's TV and computer respectively.
3 International Electromatic Turning People Into Cybermen... Again
The Cybermen are only second to the Daleks as one of the Doctor's most iconic enemies. They made their New Who debut in "Rise of the Cybermen" when they crossed over from a parallel universe in order to take over humanity.
In the episode, a company named International Electromatics would capture homeless people and turn them into Cybermen. The name of the company is a nod to the eponymous corporation that originated in the 1968 story "The Invasion". After making a deal with the owner, the Cybermen tried to take over the world using International Electromatics' technology before being stopped by the Second Doctor.
2 Clara's Mother Died On A Very Special Date
Clara's mother, Ellie Oswald, was an incredibly important person in her daughter's life, influencing her interest in baking soufflés and her penchant for the phrase "oh my stars!". As shown in "The Rings of Akhaten," her death affected Clara deeply, who visited her grave with her father after Ellie's passing.
One of the curious details about Ellie's mysterious death is that it happened on the 5th of March, 2005, during the events of the revival's first episode "Rose". While it hasn't been confirmed, fans can assume that she was a possible victim of the Auton Invasion that the Ninth Doctor and Rose were able to successfully suppress.
1 Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" Is A Christmas Special Tradition
Perhaps it's a running gag on the producers' side, but Slade's seasonal hit "Merry Xmas Everybody" has appeared in several Doctor Who episodes and has even been mentioned in a few of the show's written spin-offs. The song was released in 1973, becoming a hit with British audiences, and reaching number one in several UK charts that year.
"Merry Christmas Everybody" can be heard on the radio in "The Christmas Invasion" and "Turn Left," at Donna Noble's wedding reception in "The Runaway Bride," and at Rory's workplace in "The Power of Three". After marathoning the Christmas specials, fans won't be able to get the catchy melody out of their heads!
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