The Doctor (Doctor Who) and therefore cannot be spoken. The character played by Peter Cushing in the films "Dr. Who and the Daleks" and "" referred to himself as "Dr. Who". However, these films are not considered part of the same narrative continuity as the television programme, as they were based upon two television serials featuring William Hartnell and made considerable alterations to the characters of the Doctor and his companions. Quite apart from his name, why the Doctor uses the title "The Doctor" has never been fully explained on screen. The Doctor, at first, said that he was not a physician, often referring
Thal (Doctor Who) a meteorite storm detonates it prematurely, causing planet-wide destruction in which the Thals apparently perish. Thals are featured in the film "Dr. Who and the Daleks" (1965), which is based upon the BBC "Doctor Who" television programme serial "The Daleks", and the film's 1966 comic book adaptation. The Thals appear in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel "War of the Daleks" (1997) by John Peel, which depicts them as having once again become a warlike society, willing to destroy an inhabited planet simply as part of a trap to defeat a Dalek attack fleet. In the Big Finish Productions audio play