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Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Futurama Theory

Content Warning: Spoilers for both the 60th Anniversary Doctor Who Specials and the Futurama movies

When the titles of the 60th Anniversary Specials were first announced it immediately struck me that two of them were almost exactly the same as the titles of two of the Futurama movies. Little did I know at the time that I had just uncovered the greatest plagiarism scandal in the history of… well, I’m getting ahead of myself and I should probably present the evidence first.

Now, just to be clear this is not actually a legal threat, this is just a little observation I made when watching the specials. Unless of course Fox Comedy Central Hulu would like to pay me for my analysis or @Daily for their almost-lawyer skills.

The legal claim theory is that the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials are a retelling of the Futurama movies, or, alternatively, the Futurama movies are a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey parody of the Doctor Who Anniversary Specials.1It’s a little known fact that time travel was actually invented around 1998, but Disney suppressed it, because they feared the ability to go back in time would weakened their copyrights. There’s a great documentary about it in a now defunct timeline.
This theory is definitely not solely based on the resemblance between the titles. It is the product of a deep critical analysis of both pieces of media as well as an extensive study of behind-the-scenes material and interviews that I personally conducted; it is not primarily the product of vague memories of a series of movies I last watched a decade ago.
I think the best way to illustrate the similarities is to give you a quick plot rundown of the Futurama movies and show you how with just swapping out some names and a few minor details things start to sound a little too familiar.

“The Star Beast” is “The Beast With a Billion Backs”

Some time after Fry the Doctor and his former roommate companion Bender Donna have parted ways a rip in the universe spaceship crash lands above New New York in regular old London.

DOOP UNIT goes to investigate the rip ship while Fry the Doctor sneaks his way onboard into the temporary base. DOOP UNIT decides to do what they do best shoot a missile guns at the problem. Purple tentacles tendrils made of light appear out of the rip ship and hypnotize anyone they touch.

The titular Beast Yivo Beep, who is neither male nor female and uses the pronouns shklee/shklum just The Meep, tricks everyone into thinking shklee the Meep is benevolent by taking them on a date due to the Meep’s cuteness. However Leela the Doctor reveals Yivo the Meep’s true motive is to fuck everyone fuck everyone up.

At the end Bender Donna goes to retrieve his friend retrieves her memories and they banish the Beast to their own universe prison through some, let’s be honest, handwavy science fiction. Anyway it’s got something to do with love and being yourself.

“Wild Blue Yonder” is “Into the Wild Green Yonder”

The Dark Ones Not-Things who’s shape is unknown have no shape of their own and their only goal is to win the evolutionary arms race win the violent games of the universe and destroy all life destroy all life.

The Dark Ones Not-Things can read people’s minds and take over their mind take on their shape. Fry The Doctor has to figure who is real and who is being mind controlled being imitated by the Dark Ones Not-Things.

Fry The Doctor incorrectly identifies himself Real Donna as the Dark One the Not-Thing and leaves himself Real Donna to be destroyed by the Omega Device the explosion, but the real Dark One Not-Thing is revealed at the last moment and destroyed.

“The Giggle” is “Bender’s Big Score”

Due to time shenanigans a double of Fry The Doctor gets to live out a domestic life with his dog Seymour Donna giving him the closure he never got and reversing the previously sad ending of Seymour sadly waiting for Fry’s return Donna losing her memory of the Doctor.

All of which allows Fry the Doctor to heal and mature and eventually become the wiser Lars 15th Doctor he met before.

“The Church on Ruby Road” is “Bender’s Game”

It’s a Fantasy one. There’s goblins in both. I think. It’ll definitely fit, ok. We’ll know by Christmas when I blow this case wide open.


Addendum

A few more similarities that aren’t directly related to the plot, by the way I’m fine, I’m not some crazy conspiracy theorist, I’ve just uncovered the craziest conspiracy.

  • Bender’s Game was followed by “Rebirth”, a fresh start for the show after a long hiatus. It aired on a new network, but with the original writers, directors and actors returning
  • The next season of Doctor Who is considered a new start and internally referred to as season 1. It is being produced by new production company headed by a returning writer.
  • The only episode title we know of of the next season so far is episode 2 “The Devil’s Chord,” one of the most famous episodes of Futurama is “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” in which Fry gains the Robot Devil’s hands allowing him to play music as well as him.

Addendum II

We’re back, baby!
  • 1
    It’s a little known fact that time travel was actually invented around 1998, but Disney suppressed it, because they feared the ability to go back in time would weakened their copyrights. There’s a great documentary about it in a now defunct timeline.
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