Doctor Who may be a family show, but alcohol plays a bigger part in the Whoniverse than is usually noticed.
As I recently moved to rural Vermont in the middle of winter, I have found that my level of alcohol consumption has increased. Luckily for me, I have generally not been much of a drinker in my 30s, so even a moderate increase resulted in what is still a reasonable amount. I also find that the cliche glass of wine while writing does indeed get the creative juices flowing.
For my last article of January, however, all day has been spent agonizing over a simple idea for a topic. As I was brainstorming with my friend (who was somewhat drunk) over the phone about this, one idea that she suggested was alcohol on Doctor Who. I recalled that I had discussed it a bit in my article ‘Food and Drink on Doctor Who,’ but not so much so that I could not give the topic its own piece. The concept is one that I had considered before, but the time did not feel right until now. So, without further ado, here are some examples.
Depending on the species, the effects of alcohol vary. For example, Gallifreyans have a much stronger tolerance for it than humans. The former can also become sober at will, but ginger beer reduces their tolerance. We have seen the Doctor drunk, so it makes one wonder just how much he needs to consume to get to that point.
We all know that the Doctor lies. So it would seem in regards to the matter of alcohol, as the First Doctor insists that he is a teetotaler. The following is the exchange that occurs when Doc Holliday offers the Doctor a drink as a form of anesthetic for dental work in the episode ‘The Gunfighters: A Holiday for the Doctor’:
"Holliday: You’re welcome to a slug o’ rattlesnake oil!Doctor: Oh my dear man, I never touch the alcohol!Holliday: Haha! Well I do. [He takes a swig]"
In the story ‘The Smugglers,’ when offered brandy, the Doctor proclaims to churchwarden Joseph Longfoot that he and Ben do not drink alcohol. They both, however, do so later in the episode. The First Doctor also drinks mead in ‘The Time Meddler: The Watcher.’ Various incarnations of the Doctor are fond of wine, and know quite a bit about it.
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In ‘The Aliens of London,’ the Ninth Doctor says to Rose that Prime Minister “Lloyd George . . . used to drink [him] under the table.” Asquith perceives that he is bluffing when he threatens that he can “triplicate the flammability” of some brandy. He later has a celebratory brandy with Rose and Harriet Jones in ‘World War Three.’
In ‘The Girl in the Fireplace,’ a drunk Tenth Doctor stumbles back from a party and claims to have “invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early.”
The Brigadier and the Doctor often enjoy sharing a drink together. In a heartbreaking moment in ‘The Wedding of River Song,’ a nurse tells the Eleventh Doctor over the phone:
"Doctor, I’m so sorry, we didn’t know how to contact you. I’m afraid Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart passed away a few months ago. . . . It was very peaceful. He talked a lot about you, if that’s any comfort. Always made us pour an extra brandy in case you came round one of these days."
In ‘The Husbands of River Song,’ River reveals a secret bar in one of the roundels of the Twelfth Doctor’s TARDIS when she offers the Doctor a drink, saying:
"Would you like a drink? Aldebaran brandy. Help yourself, but don’t tell Dad."
This is a nod to both Aldebaran whiskey of the Star Trek universe and, the original source, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:
"After this, there is void… emptiness… oblivion… absolute nothing… Except, of course, for the sweet trolley and our fine selection of Aldebaran liqueurs. And for once, ladies and gentlemen, there is no need to worry about having a hangover in the mornings, for there won’t be no more mornings! — Max Quordlepleen"
Some varieties of alcohol have been shown to be disliked by some characters. Sarah Jane hates brandy, as established in ‘The Ark in Space.’ In ‘Hide,’ Clara says that she considers whiskey to be “the eleventh most disgusting thing ever invented.” The Eleventh Doctor repeatedly expresses that he is not a fan of wine.
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For a more extensive look at alcohol on Doctor Who, check out the wiki listing.