The news that the legendary and groundbreaking sci-fi show Doctor Who will likely get new spin-off shows in the future has fans very excited. But this will not be the first time that the Time Lord’s misadventures have spawned spin-off shows, so if you want to take a trip through the greater Whoniverse, here are all the currently existing Doctor Who spin-off shows in order.
Official Doctor Who spin-offs in order
1981 – K-9 and Company – A show featuring former companions Sarah Jane Smith and K9 going on their own adventures. A pilot was made and broadcast. However, despite the pilot getting good ratings and reviews, the show didn’t get picked up as a series.
2005 – Doctor Who Confidential – A show that took fans behind the scenes of Doctor Who. It ran for six series until it was canceled in 2011. There was also Doctor Who Confidential: Cut Down, which recut Confidential episodes to be 15 minutes long.
2006 – Torchwood – Torchwood was created for older audiences. It saw Captain Jack Harkness leading an organization that investigated strange alien occurrences from their base in Cardiff. Ran for 4 seasons until it was canceled in 2011.
2006 – Torchwood Declassified – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Torchwood that had the same format as Doctor Who Confidential. The show was canceled in 2011.
2006 – Totally Doctor Who – A magazine show for young Doctor Who fans that featured behind-the-scenes footage, staff interviews, and discussion of the latest episodes. The second season of the show featured an original animated Doctor Who story arc called The Infinite Quest. Ran for two series and was canceled in 2007.
2007 – The Sarah Jane Adventures – A sci-fi adventure show aimed at younger audiences, it saw Sarah Jane Smith, a companion of the third and fourth Doctors, going on adventures with a group of children. Ran for five series before being canceled in 2011 after Sarah Jane’s actor Elisabeth Sladen passed away.
2008 – Monster Files – Made for the BBC’s website, this series talked about the various monsters seen in Doctor Who. While basically a clip show, some original scenes were filmed for it. Originally it was billed as Captain Jack’s Monster Files and saw John Barrowman reprise his role as Jack Harkness to narrate. However, in 2010 it was rebranded as River Song’s Monster Files, and Alex Kingston’s River Song took over narration duties. The series ended in 2010.
2009 – Torchwood: Children of Earth – The third season of Torchwood broke away from the previous two seasons by focusing on a single story. This story saw an alien race called the 456 demand 10% of the world’s children, causing worldwide chaos. It was shown over five nights in July 2009.
2009 – K9 – An Australian and British co-production. This series saw a new version of robot dog K9 team up with some schoolkids to solve mysteries. However, because this was not a BBC production, it couldn’t directly reference Doctor Who. It ran for 1 season.
2010 – Sarah Jane’s Alien Files – A spin-off from The Sarah Jane Adventures. This clip show profiled the various aliens seen in The Sarah Jane Adventures. It only ran for a single season.
2011- Torchwood: Miracle Day – The fourth and final series of Torchwood once again told a single story across its 10 episodes. This series focused on an event that caused everyone to become immortal for a brief period.
2016 – TARDIS Index Files – Like Alien Files and Monster Files, this web series looked at the monsters the Doctor has fought over the year, using clips from the original show to illustrate its points. It ran for ten episodes between February and November 2016.
2016 – Class – A sci-fi drama following children at Coal Hill Academy, a school frequently referenced in the main series as it was where Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, the first Doctor’s companions, worked. The show followed the students as they dealt with teenage problems and supernatural threats. It ran for one series.
2018 – Case File – Also known as Yaz’s Case File, this web series recaps episodes of Doctor Who series 11 from Yaz’s perspective. It ran for 11 episodes and ended in 2019.
2020 – Daleks! – Released via the official Doctor Who YouTube channel, this computer-animated series focused on the Doctor’s greatest foe. It was linked to the Time Lord Victorious multiplatform story event. Ran for five episodes.
As if weren’t already spoilt, the Whoniverse is only getting bigger from here.
