PILOT: Stop! Stop! You’re breaking the law!
THE DOCTOR: Bad laws were made to be broken.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
04×07 “The Macra Terror,” Part 4 (1967-04-01) [w. Ian Stuart Black]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog verified)
Quotations by:
Doctor Who (1963)
JAMIE: Have you thought up some clever plan, Doctor?
THE DOCTOR: Yes, Jamie, I believe I have.
JAMIE: What are you going to do?
THE DOCTOR: Bung a rock at it.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
05×02 “The Abominable Snowmen,” Part 4 (1967-10-21) [w. Meryn Haisman, Henry Lincoln]
(Source)
(Source (Video)). Note that the original video for this episode has been lost; it recreated in animated form in 2022, using audio-only recordings.
THE DOCTOR: Logic, my dear Zoë, merely enables one to be wrong with authority.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
05×07 “The Wheel In Space,” Part 3 (1968-05-11) [w. David Whitacker, Kit Pedlar]
(Source)
(Source (Video); line confirmed)
JAMIE: Oh, no, you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?
THE DOCTOR: That, I think, Jamie, depends upon what you think I am thinking!
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
06×01 “The Dominators,” Part 1 (1968-08-10) [w. Mervyn Haisman, Henry Lincoln]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed). As the Doctor steps toward the open door of the spacecraft they've just discovered.
JO GRANT: Doctor, stop being childish.
THE DOCTOR: What’s wrong with being childish? I like being childish.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
08×01 “Terror of the Autons,” Part 3 (1971-01-16) [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
JO: I don’t believe it! It’s bigger inside than out!
THE DOCTOR: Yes. That’s because the TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental.
JO: What does that mean?
THE DOCTOR: It means that it’s bigger inside than out.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
08×04 “Colony in Space,” Part 1 (1971-04-10) [w. Malcolm Hulke]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed).
The difference between the interior and exterior of the TARDIS was mentioned in the very first episode, 01x01 "An Unearthly Child" (1963), by Susan:I thought you'd both understand when you saw the different dimensions inside from those outside.
The first use of the "bigger [on the] inside" line was in 10x01 "The Three Doctors" (1972), when Sergeant Benton first goes inside, and the Third Doctor is actually the one to comment (video):Well, Sergeant, aren't you going to say it that it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? Everybody else does.
(Which implies that others have said it before, we've just not seen it.)
Conversely, in (2005 revival) 10xCS "The Snowmen" (2012), Clara changes the perspective (video):CLARA: But it's. Look at it, it's --
THE DOCTOR: Go on, say it. Most people do.
(Clara makes a circuit of the exterior of the TARDIS, then steps back in.)
CLARA: It's smaller on the outside.
THE DOCTOR: Okay, that is a first.
A compilation of the theme can be found here.
THE DOCTOR: A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
11×01 “The Time Warrior,” Part 1 (1973-12-15) [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
SARAH JANE: You’re serious, aren’t you?
THE DOCTOR: About what I do, yes. Not necessarily the way I do it.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
11×01 “The Time Warrior,” Part 3 (1973-12-29) [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
(Source (Video)). Often Sarah Jane's line is misquoted as "Doctor, are you serious?"
GENERAL FINCH: Waiting for this mysterious scientific advisor of yours to turn up?
BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE-STEWART: That’s right, sir.
GENERAL FINCH: Hmmmm. [sarcastically] I suppose he’ll just materialize out of thin air.
BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE-STEWART: Very probably.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
11×02 “Invasion of the Dinosaurs,” Part 1 (1974-01-12) [w. Malcolm Hulke]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog verified)
THE BRIGADIER: Well, naturally enough, the only country that could be trusted with such a role was Great Britain.
THE DOCTOR: Naturally. I mean, the rest were all foreigners.
THE BRIGADIER: Exactly.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
12×01 “Robot,” Part 3 (1975-01-11) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)
BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE-STEWART: You know, just once I’d like to meet an alien menace that wasn’t immune to bullets.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
12×01 “Robot,” Part 4 (1975-01-18) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialogue confirmed)
SARAH JANE: Doctor, you’re being childish!
THE DOCTOR: Well, of course I am! There’s no point in being grown-up if you can’t be childish sometimes.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
12×01 “Robot,” Part 4 (1975-01-18) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)
HUCKLE: As far as we know, the sea was calm and empty.
THE DOCTOR: It may be calm, but it’s never empty.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
13×01 “Terror of the Zygons,” Part 1 (1975-08-30) [w. Robert Banks Stewart]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)
THE DOCTOR: But you can’t rule the world in hiding. You’ve got to come out on the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle, if you’ll pardon the expression.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
13×01 “Terror of the Zygons,” Part 4 (1975-09-20) [Robert Banks Stewart]
(Source (Video); dialog verified)
Variants:
- "Well, you can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out onto the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle, if you'll pardon the expression."
- "Well, you can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out, onto the balcony sometimes -- and wave a tentacle."
- "You can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out on the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle."
SARAH JANE: What’s gone wrong this time?
THE DOCTOR: Nothing. Nothing at all. What makes you think something’s gone wrong?
SARAH JANE: Because you always get rude when you’re trying to cover up a mistake.
THE DOCTOR: Nothing of consequence. Slight overshoot, easily rectified.
SARAH JANE: Come on, where are we?
THE DOCTOR: We’ve come out of the time vortex at the wrong point, that’s all. A few years too late.
SARAH JANE: How many?
THE DOCTOR: Thirty thousand.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
13×02 “Planet of Evil,” Part 1 (1975-09-27) [w. Louis Marks]
(Source)
THE DOCTOR: Would you like a jelly baby?
LEELA: It’s true then! They say the Evil One eats babies.
THE DOCTOR: You mustn’t believe all they say.Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
14×04 “The Face of Evil,” Part 1 (1977-01-01) [w. Chris Boucher]
(Source)
THE DOCTOR: Now drop your weapons, or I’ll kill him with this deadly jelly baby.
LUGO: Kill him, then.
THE DOCTOR: What?
LUGO: Kill him, then.
THE DOCTOR: I don’t take orders from anyone. [Eats jelly baby] Take me to your leader.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
14×04 “The Face of Evil,” Part 1 (1977-01-01) [w. Chris Boucher]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)
THE DOCTOR: The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views, which can be uncomfortable, if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
14×04 “The Face of Evil,” Part 4 (1977-01-22) [w. Chris Boucher]
(Source)
LEELA: I know, I know, there’s no such thing as magic.
THE DOCTOR: Exactly! To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable, only unexplained.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
14×05 “The Robots of Death,” Part 1 (1977-01-29) [w. Chris Boucher]
(Source)
THE DOCTOR: To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained.
LEELA: So explain to me how this “TARDIS” is larger on the inside than the out?
THE DOCTOR: Hmm? All right, I’ll show you. It’s because insides and outsides are not in the same dimension. [holds up two black cubes of different sizes] Which box is larger?
LEELA: [points to the larger of the two] That one.
THE DOCTOR: Alright. [places the larger cube on the console, walks over next to Leela, holds up the smaller one] Now, which is larger?
LEELA: [scoffs, points at the cube on the console] That one!
THE DOCTOR: But it looks smaller.
LEELA: Well, that’s because it’s further away!
THE DOCTOR: Exactly! If you could keep that exactly that distance away, and have it here, the large one would fit inside the small one.
LEELA: That’s silly.
THE DOCTOR: That’s trans-dimensional engineering: a key Time Lord discovery!
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
14×05 “The Robots of Death,” Part 1 (1977-01-29) [w. Chris Boucher]
(Source)
DOCTOR: Ah! (shows her an odd device) Eureka! Do you know what that is?
LEELA: You ask me so that you can tell me.
DOCTOR: That’s right.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
14×06 “The Talons of Weng-Chiang,” Part 5 (1977-03-26) [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialogue confirmed)
LORD PALMERDALE: Are you in charge here?
THE DOCTOR: No, but I’m full of ideas.Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
15×01 “Horror of Fang Rock,” Part 2 (1977-09-10) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)
LEELA: Never mind, Doctor, I’ve found the answer.
DOCTOR: You have?
LEELA: Knife them in the neck!
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
15×02 “The Invisible Enemy,” Part 4 (1977-10-22) [w. Bob Baker, Dave Martin]
(Source)
(Source (Video), dialog verified). Sometimes paraphrased: "Don't worry, Doctor. I found the answer: knife them in the neck!"
ROMANA: You mean you didn’t believe his story?
THE DOCTOR: No.
ROMANA: But he had such an honest face.
THE DOCTOR: Romana, you can’t be a successful crook with a dishonest face, can you?
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
16×01 “The Ribos Operation,” Part 2 (1978-09-09 [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
THE DOCTOR: Now, if they should break through, run as if something very nasty were after you, because something very nasty will be after you.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
16×03 “The Stones of Blood,” Part 3 (1978-11-11) [w. David Fisher]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialogue verified)
ROMANA: Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous?
THE DOCTOR: No, I don’t! What could possibly go — (The TARDIS lurches, knocking the Doctor over) — wrong? You know, I’ve simply got to stop saying that! Every single time I say “What could possibly go wrong?” something goes — oh! (The TARDIS lurches again, knocking both over) It’s uncanny, isn’t it?
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
17×05 “The Horns of Nimon,” Part 1 (1979-12-22) [w. Anthony Read]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialogue verified)
SKAGRA: “Take over the Universe.” (laughs) How childish. Who could possibly want to take over the Universe?
THE DOCTOR: Exactly! That’s what I keep on trying to tell people. It’s a troublesome place, difficult to administer, and as a piece of real estate it’s worthless because by definition there’d be no one to sell it to.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
17×06* “Shada,” Part 5 (1980-02-16*) [w. Douglas Adams]
(Source)
(Source (Video)).
This serial was intended to close out the Fourth Doctor's Season 17 (and Adams' story editor role on the show), but was never completed due to a BBC strike, with only about half of the filming accomplished. This scene was not filmed at the time, but exists in the script. The date shown is what would have been broadcast schedule for this Part 5 of 6.
It was remade, with the Eighth Doctor, as an audio play by Big Finish Productions, webcast on BBCi in 2003. The BBC released a version completed with original actors, sound equipment, and limited animation, and released it to DVD in 2017. An enhanced animated version was produced in 2021 (the video source linked above is from that version).
More information on the episode here and here.
ROMANA: Please, please, can we do just one thing at a time?
THE DOCTOR: First things first?
ROMANA: Exactly.
THE DOCTOR: But not necessarily in that order.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
18×02 “Meglos,” Part 1 (1980-09-27) [w. John Flannagan, Andrew McCulloch]
(Source)
(Source (Video) at 1:11).
Almost always elided as "First things first, but not necessarily in that order."
SARAH JANE: I mean, well, whatever’s in that Tower, it’s got enormous powers and, well, what can we do against it?
THE DOCTOR: What I’ve always done, Sarah Jane. Improvise.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
20xS1 “The Five Doctors,” Part 2 (1983-11-23) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed). This 20th Anniversary special feature was originally broadcast as a feature-length TV movie. For later releases, it was broken into four parts/episodes.
THE DOCTOR: Oh, marvelous. You’re going to kill me. What a finely-tuned response to the situation.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
21×03 “Frontios,” Part 2 (1984-01-27) [w. Christopher Bidmead]
(Source)
THE DOCTOR: Well, what’s the use of a good quotation if you can’t change it?
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
22×07 “The Two Doctors,” Part 1 (1985-02-16) [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
(Source (Video)). Given after Peri notes a quotation the Doctor just attributed to Rassilon was actually Samuel Johnson. This line is from the Sixth Doctor (the Second Doctor being the other Doctor in the episode).
THE DOCTOR: Oh, I always like to do the unexpected. Takes people by surprise.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
23×01 “The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet,” Part 1 (1985-01-05) [w. Robert Holmes]
(Source)
(Source (Video)).
A number of sources start the second sentence with "It takes," which is not supported by the video.
Numbering for the story/serial within the season is controversial. Season 23 consisted of 14 episodes ("Part One" through "Part Fourteen") under the title "The Trial of a Time Lord." In turn, there were four distinct segments directed/written by different individuals, which were then separately novelized under new names (in this case, "The Mysterious Planet").
ACE: Sometimes I think it’s you that’s crazy, not Deadbeat here.
THE DOCTOR: Anybody remotely interesting is mad in some way or another.
THE DOCTOR: It’s very, very old. Perhaps even older.
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
26×02 “Ghost Light,” Part 2 (1989-10-11) [w. Marc Platt]
(Source)
THE DOCTOR: There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea’s asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea’s getting cold. Come on, Ace — we’ve got work to do!
Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
26×04 “Survival,” Part 3 (1989-12-06) [w. Andrew Cartmel]
(Source)
(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)
Final words of the series prior to its hiatus. The episode was written by Rona Munro, but the final send-off monologue was written for Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor by Cartmel, at the request of producer John Nathan-Turner.