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The term is used to link characters, ideas or items which are seen across multiple productions, such as Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who, K-9 and Company (1981) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007-2011), Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood as well as K-9 from Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K-9.
Originally the term "Whoniverse" referred to everything connected with the programme behind-the-scenes. In this original meaning, standing exhibitions, discussions about the filming of episodes and even fandom itself were considered part of the "Whoniverse".
Unlike the owners of other science fiction franchises, the BBC takes no position on which Doctor Who stories are definitive for future projects. The show has no 'canon', and indeed, recent producers of the show have expressed distaste for the idea. Though the term is essentially an example of fanspeak, it has recently begun to appear in mainstream press coverage following the popular success of the 2005 Doctor Who revival.
Original usage
It is not known precisely when the term "Whoniverse" came into fan parlance. However, an early instance is found in the 1983 book, Doctor Who: A Celebration; Two Decades Through Time and Space by frequent Doctor Who non-fiction writer, Peter Haining. In this overview, Haining called his final chapter, "The Whoniverse". The section assembled factual information about all the episodes to date, but also gave information about fan clubs and ancillary entertainments related to the programme. Thus, the author enjoined his readers to believe that their own efforts were connected to those of the show-runners. Fans, in other words, were a part of the Whoniverse as much as the plot details of specific episodes. The "Whoniverse" originally described both narrative intent and viewer reaction, plot and production, studio floor and convention hall. This definition is still used today.
Current usage
In the foreword to his 1992 book The Universal DatabankJean-Marc Lofficier uses Whoniverse to refer to the fictional setting.
Features
Doctor Who is set in a rational universe, where everything is explained through applications of different sorts of science, the Carrionites being just one example of aliens using complex science to seemingly magical ends. Concepts of faith, deities and magic are not absent in the universe, however (and the Third Doctor story The Daemons suggests that magic and psychic powers are two ways of looking at the same thing). The series had established that there is a "Black Guardian" and "White Guardian" who serve as personifications of chaos and order, respectively, balancing the forces of the universe. There appears to be at least some indication of a monotheistic deity (the term 'creation' is often used to describe the universe/multiverse) and adversary with some place in the universe. The Beast and Abaddon are demons revealed to have been sealed away in planets "before the dawn of time", with the suggestion that there are more demons sealed away in a similar fashion. This seems to indicate some sort of dualistic higher power (also evidenced by the Guardians) with at least some control over creation. Simultaneously, Torchwood presents existentialist themes throughout its entire first series.
People on Earth are to varying extents aware of alien life. Aliens have invaded Earth many times, most notably in recent years as part of "The Christmas Invasion" and "Doomsday", and UNIT and the Torchwood Institute are examples of government responses to the knowledge of extraterrestrial life. However, most members of the public remain ignorant of aliens as they have (as put by the Doctor) "an amazing capacity for self-deception". Some people explain the events of these invasions as "mass hallucinations" caused by psychotropic drugs planted by terrorists in the water supply. (Something mentioned in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams who worked on the original series of Doctor Who for a time.) Others form conspiracy groups, having become aware of the presence of the Doctor and alien life. In late 2007, Prime Minister Harold Saxon finally confirms the presence of alien life forms to the universe when in the presence of the US President he establishes "first contact" with alien life. Saxon's actions also allowed the press within the Doctor Who's fictional universe to confirm to the world that many previously suspected alien encounters in the 2000s were all in fact true. In later years however, wide alien scepticism may have returned. The constant flux between widespread extraterrestrial knowledge and self-deception is shown in some episodes to continue throughout contemporary Earth.
