Doctor Who is a pinball machine designed by Bill Pfutzenreuter (Pfutz) and Barry Oursler, and released by Midway (under the Bally brand name) in September 1992. It is based on the television series Doctor Who. As stated in the Gameplay section, the rulesheet is rather different from other pinball machines released at the time, which didn't help popularity (and even now it is still seen as an exotic machine amongst collectors) as casual players did not understand the complex rule changes that occur during the game. The first 100 games included a moving Dalek topper that would turn side-to-side while the robot was speaking. The effect was achieved by fitting the robot's body with a complex motor, cam, and optoelectronics system. Its complexity and expense led to it being cut from the production run. Production Dalek toppers can be made to move with "wobble head kits". Prototypes featured the old Bally-style backbox (and a totally different backglass), but this was changed to the Williams-styled one in order to cheapen the production process for both product lines. Gameplay The basic gameplay is all about the various incarnations of the Doctor (seven at the time of production). Each Doctor affects the rules or scoring for a different section of the playfield, as described below. Doctor 1 (played in the series by William Hartnell): Awards an extra "E-S-C-A-P-E" letter each time the shot is made, thus enabling easier earning of the Video Mode (which can then be used to "collect" the currently selected Doctor). Doctor 2 (played in the series by Patrick Troughton): More time to make the combo shot on the left ("Hang-On" target) and additionally doubling the score of the shot. Doctor 3 (played in the series by Jon Pertwee): More time to shoot "W-H-O", thus increased chances to score Extra balls. Doctor 4 (played in the series by Tom Baker): Easier to achieve "R-E-P-A-I-R". Doctor 5 (played in the series by Peter Davison): Doubles Jet Bumper score, which also results in a faster lighting of the Transmat (to "collect" the currently selected Doctor). Doctor 6 (played in the series by Colin Baker): Increases the Playfield Multiplier shot (each time the shot is made by one instead of 0.5). Doctor 7 (played in the series by Sylvester McCoy): Awards an additional shot every time the up/down target bank (Time Expander) is hit, thus enabling a faster multiball lock. Areas of Importance