Image: TMDB
About This Quiz
The sci-fi show, Doctor Who, has a long history of some of the best quotes the nerd world has to offer. But with thirteen Doctors and countless companions, enemies, and allies, it can get confusing to keep track of who said what. Let's put your memory to the test! (In the interest of fairness, all quotes will come from the modern era of the show.)
"When you're a kid, they tell you it's all... grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that's it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better."
Mickey
Rory
The Doctor
Elton
This was said by Elton Pope in the often-overlooked (for good reason) episode, Love & Monsters. Elton was played by Marc Warren, who has also appeared in shows such as The Musketeers, The Good Wife, and Hustle.
Advertisement
"He saves planets, rescues civilizations, defeats terrible creatures... and runs a lot. Seriously, there is an outrageous amount of running involved."
Martha
Donna
Donna Noble said this in "The Doctor's Daughter" to The Doctor's genetically extrapolated offspring, Jenny. Jenny was played by Georgia Moffat, who in addition to eventually becoming David Tennant's wife, is also the daughter of Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor.
Tim
Jack
Advertisement
"It's hard to fight an enemy that uses your armies as spare parts."
Jack
Porridge
Porridge, a.k.a. the Emperor, said this in "Nightmare in Silver" about the Cybermen. Porridge was played by Warwick Davis, who also played Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter movie series.
Mickey
Kate
Advertisement
"For a long time, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not. I'm the winner. That's who I am. The Time Lord Victorious."
The Twelfth Doctor
The War Doctor
The Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor said this in "The Waters of Mars," while trying to avoid his predicted death. "The Waters of Mars" is an episode wherein the water on Mars takes corporeal form and kills people. In late September 2015, NASA confirmed the discovery of liquid water on Mars, to which every Whovian on Earth replied, "Nope."
The Master
Advertisement
"Friends? Is that the right word for the people you acquire?"
The Master
The Dream Lord
This line, from "Amy's Choice," was said by The Dream Lord, a psychic manifestation of the Doctor, played by Toby Jones. Jones has a distinguished career in TV, film, and on stage. He has played Dr. Zola in the Captain America films, Claudius Templesmith in The Hunger Games, and was the voice of Dobby in the Harry Potter films.
Rassilon
Tasha Lem
Advertisement
"Is there a word for 'total screaming genius' that sounds modest and just a tiny bit sexy?"
Jack
River
Kate
Oswin
From "Asylum of the Daleks," this was perhaps the quintessential line of Oswin Oswald. Oswin was the audience's introduction to Jenna-Louise Coleman, who would return as multiple versions of Clara Oswald. She is now appearing in the TV series, Victoria, as the titular queen.
Advertisement
"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?"
The 11th Doctor
The 11th Doctor says this in "The Big Bang" when he believes he is dying. The 11th Doctor was played by Matt Smith, who is the youngest actor to have ever been cast as the iconic Doctor - 26 years old at the time of his first episode. The next youngest was Peter Davison, who was 29 when he first took the role.
Wilf
The 10th Doctor
Jack
Advertisement
"Nothing is more important than my egomania!"
Jack
Amy
Clara
"Deep Breath" introduced audiences to Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor and redefined the Doctor's relationship with Clara. In light of the age difference between Capaldi and Coleman, Capaldi went on record as saying he did not want his Doctor to flirt with Clara.
River
Advertisement
"You should kill us all on sight."
The Cybermen
The Silence
This episode, "Day of the Moon," and its predecessor, "The Impossible Astronaut," introduced audiences to The Silence, a race of aliens that control the world by post-hypnotic suggestion and then erase themselves from the memories of those they encounter. During this episode, the Doctor states that he'll show The Silence mercy and then backtracks, saying, "Nice thought, but it's not Christmas." In typical DW foreshadowing, the next time the Doctor encountered The Silence was in a Christmas episode three years later.
The Sontarans
The Daleks
Advertisement
"The universe is cracked. The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."
The Atraxi
Ood Sigma
Prisoner Zero
This was said by the main villain of the episode, "The Eleventh Hour, Prisoner Zero. Among many other forms Prisoner Zero took is a mother and her children. The mother was played by actress Olivia Coleman, who plays DI Ellie Miller in Broadchurch, along with DW alum David Tennant.
Madame Kovarian
Advertisement
"Well, I was on my way to this gay gypsy Bar Mitzvah for the disabled when I suddenly thought, 'Gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish. I think I'll kill the Führer.' Who's with me?"
Missy
Madame Kovarian
Tasha Lem
Melody
"Let's Kill Hitler" properly introduces the audience to Melody Pond, previously known as Mels and later known as River Song. Melody/River is played by Alex Kingston, who became known to American audiences as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the long-running drama E.R.
Advertisement
"Every time the Doctor gets pally with someone, I have this overwhelming urge to notify their next-of-kin."
Martha
Mickey
Rory
Rory Williams says this in "The God Complex". Rory was played by Arthur Darvill, who has continued to act through history as Time Master Captain Rip Hunter on Legends of Tomorrow.
Donna
Advertisement
"Because every time you see them happy, you remember how sad they're going to be... and it breaks your heart. Because what's the point in them being happy now if they're going to be sad later? The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later."
The 9th Doctor
The 11th Doctor
The 11th Doctor says this phrase in the Christmas episode, "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe." At the end of the episode, The Doctor reunintes with The Ponds. When he knocks on their door, the audience can see that the door is painted TARDIS blue.
Wilf
Donna
Advertisement
"I'm a doctor. But probably not the one you're expecting."
9th Doctor
11th Doctor
Martha
8th Doctor
The online prequel, "Night of the Doctor," showed the fate of the 8th Doctor as he regenerated into The War Doctor in preparation for the 50th anniversary episode, "The Day of The Doctor." While the 8th Doctor only appeared on screen for this episode and the TV movie in 1996, Paul McGann carried on his role through many novels, novellas, comic strips, and audio adventures.
Advertisement
"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and, believe me, they've tried."
Jack
Rose
The War Doctor
The 9th Doctor
The 9th Doctor said this when explaining to Rose Tyler why they were safe in the TARDIS. This was said in the first episode of the modern era, "Rose," which aired in March of 2005, ending a sixteen-year hiatus.
Advertisement
"Before this war began, I was a father and a grandfather. Now I'm neither, but I'm still a doctor."
The 9th Doctor
Dr. Constantine
Dr. Constantine said this line in "The Empty Child," to which the 9th Doctor sadly replied that he knows the feeling. Dr. Constantine was played by legendary actor Richard Wilson, OBE. Wilson also played Gaius in the BBC series, Merlin.
Wilf
Rassilon
Advertisement
"This is not war. This is pest control!"
The Cybermen
The Doctor
The Daleks
Dalek Sek says this in "Doomsday," a battle between Daleks, Cybermen, and Torchwood. Doomsday was the last regular episode for Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. Prior to her acting career, Billie Piper had a singing career with her pop single, "Because We Want To," released in 1998.
The Sontaran
Advertisement
"Know this, Time Lord: You are not alone."
Jack
The Master
The Face of Boe
The Face of Boe imparts this wisdom to the Doctor in "Gridlock." This episode ends with the citizens of New New York joining together to sing the hymn, "Abide With Me," which was written in 1847.
Rassilon
Advertisement
"He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time, and he can see the turn of the universe. And... he's wonderful."
Martha
Donna
Rory
Tim
The arc "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" feature the psychic character of Tim, played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Brodie-Sangster played Sam in Love Actually, Jojen in Game of Thrones, and is the voice of Ferb on Phineas and Ferb. Despite his youthful appearance, he was born in 1990, making him 26 years old.
Advertisement
"You're just a long streak of nothing! Alien nothing!"
Rose
Jackie
Donna
"Partners in Crime" saw the return of Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. Tate and Tennant became close friends while working on the show together and have collaborated many times since. They appeared together in a Comic Relief skit, Nan's Christmas Carol, and a West End production of Much Ado About Nothing.
Amy
Advertisement
"Every song must end."
Ood Sigma
"Planet of the Ood" is the first episode to hint at the death of the 10th Doctor. The Ood are among the few recurring species that do not appear in the pre-hiatus Classic Who episodes. They made their first appearance in The Impossible Planet (season 2) and have been seen as recently as "Face The Raven" (season 9).
The Master
Prisoner Zero
Rassillon
Advertisement
"When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it'll never end. But however hard you try you can't run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it."
Martha
River
River's monolog, from the end of "Forest of the Dead," hints at the lengths to which the Doctor will go to avoid death for both himself and his companions. Historically, companions of the Doctor have not met with happy fates, but this was not the case in the beginning. Companions of the 1st-4th Doctors all left of their own accord and lived happily ever after. Most modern companions can't even boast that they lived.
Donna
Tim
Advertisement
"I am Scottish. I can complain about things, I can really complain about things."
Missy
Amy Pond
The 10th Doctor
The 12th Doctor
Following his regeneration in "Deep Breath," the Doctor discovers that he is Scottish. However, all of the above characters are played by Scottish actors. David Tennant is from West Lothian, Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez are from Glasgow, and Karen Gillian is from Inverness.
Advertisement
"People don't need to be scared by a big gray-haired stick insect, but here you are."
Missy
Clara
Clara offers up this insult in "Listen." Later in the episode, she meets the Doctor as a young boy on Gallifrey. The uncredited actor who played the child Doctor was, in fact, Ty Tennant, who has multiple connections to the series. He is the grandson of Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor), the son of Georgia Moffett (Jenny) and the adopted stepson of David Tennant (the 10th Doctor). The BBC likes to keep things in the family.
Donna
Jenny
Advertisement
"The universe is big, it's vast and complicated, and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles. And that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet, but this would do me."
Danny
Amy
Donna
The 11th Doctor
While Rory echoes a version of this later in the episode, this line from "The Pandorica Opens" was said by the 11th Doctor. Nearly every major enemy of the Doctor up to this point appears in the episode, including the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Slitheen (mentioned but not shown on screen), the Sontarans, the Judoon, the Sycorax, the Silurians, the Autons, the Roboform, the Nestene, the Chelonians, the Atraxi, the Zygons, and the Draconians.
Advertisement
"In bed above, we're deep asleep/ While greater love lies further deep./ This dream must end, the world must know,/ We all depend on the beast below."
Rory
River
Liz 10
Amy
Amy Pond delivers this soliloquy at the end of "The Beast Below." Amy Pond was played by Karen Gillan, who has gone on to the big screen to play Kaylee in Oculus and Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy. She will play Ruby in the upcoming Jumanji remake.
Advertisement
"I'm a disruptive influence."
Courtney
"The Caretaker" sees the Doctor going undercover at Clara's school and meeting her pupil, Courtney. As shown briefly in other episodes, this episode confirms that Clara teaches at the Coal Hill School. This is one of many nods to the classic era of the show, as the very first scenes of the first episode took place at the Coal Hill School.
The 12th Doctor
Amelia
River
Advertisement
"You know the key strategic weakness of the human race? The dead outnumber the living."
Davros
Rassilon
Missy
In "Dark Water," Missy, a.k.a. The Master, explains that she has helped the Cybermen to recruit the dead to their numbers. Missy is played by actress Michelle Gomez, who formerly played Sue White on Green Wing and can now be seen as The Lady on Gotham.
The 12th Doctor
Advertisement
Who looks at a screwdriver and says, "Oooh, this could be a little more sonic!"?
Rory
Mickey
Jack
Captain Jack Harkness was introduced in "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances." He was played by John Barrowman, who is now playing Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow. He seems to have a talent for playing immortal - or at least hard-to-kill - characters.
Donna
Advertisement
"It's smaller on the outside!"
Oswin
Modern Clara
Victorian Clara
Christmas episode "The Snowmen" revealed to viewers that Oswin Oswald, the Dalek who thought she was human, was, in true Whovian fashion, not as simple as she seemed. Jenna-Louise Coleman returned to play Clara, a governess in Victorian England. Interestingly, the Doctor had met Queen Victoria in a previous regeneration, and she branded him an enemy of England. Luckily, Clara is a rule-breaker.
Bonnie
Advertisement
"And if I grow to be half the man that you are, Clara Oswald, I shall be happy indeed."
The 11th Doctor
Danny Pink
The War Doctor
"The Day of the Doctor" let audiences meet The War Doctor and experience the Time War. The War Doctor was played by John Hurt, who has played such iconic roles as Ollivander in the Harry Potter series, Kane in Alien, and Gilliam in Snowpiercer, amongst many, many others.
Orson Pink
Advertisement
"Are you afraid of the big bad wolf, Doctor?"
Rose Tyler
Missy
The Moment
In the 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," Billie Piper played The Moment, who looks like Rose Tyler but "in this form" is called "Bad Wolf." The credits for the episode mistakenly list Piper as having reprised her role as Rose Tyler.
Davros
Advertisement
"Did... did he just save the world from aliens and then bring all the aliens back again?!"
Mickey
Rory
Besides the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond, "The Eleventh Hour" was the audience's first introduction to companion Rory Williams. During the episode, Rory and Amy drive in Rory's red Mini Cooper. The Mini has a license plate that reads "NI9E CUY." Many fans believe this to be a subtle nod to what a "nice guy" Rory is.
Jackie
Sylvia
Advertisement
"Give a good man firepower, and he'll never run out of people to kill."
Missy
"Death In Heaven" sees Missy presenting her Cyber-Army as a birthday present to the Doctor. Michelle Gomez earned several award nominations for her portrayal of Missy, including Best Actress by the British Academy Scotland Awards and Best Supporting Actress by the British Academy Television Awards.
Madame Kovarian
River Song
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
Advertisement
"Life is short and you are hot."
Jack
Mickey
Billy Shipton
"Blink" introduced audiences to The Weeping Angels. It was also the first episode of the modern era to have a female director, Hettie MacDonald.
Amy
Advertisement
"And we will melt him with acid!"
Strax
"Deep Breath" saw the 12th Doctor meet Strax the Sontaran for the first time. Strax is played by Dan Starkey, who in 2013 was given the honor of "Best Guest Actor of the Year" by Doctor Who Magazine.
Vastra
The Master
Davros
Advertisement
"The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. Hey. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice-versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant."
Vincent Van Gogh
The 11th Doctor
"Vincent and the Doctor" brought the Doctor and Amy face to face with the legendary painter, Van Gogh, who was played by Tony Curran. Sci-fi fans might recognize Curran as Marcus in the Underworld films and Datak Tarr in Defiance.
Wilf
Pete
Advertisement
"You want weapons? We're in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!"
River
Donna
10th Doctor
"Tooth and Claw" pits the 10th Doctor, Rose, and Queen Victoria against a werewolf and shows the creation of Torchwood. Queen Victoria was played by Pauline Collins, who appeared in an arc with the 2nd Doctor in 1967. Collins was also the first Oscar-nominated actress to appear on Doctor Who.
Martha
Advertisement
You Got:
/38
TMDB