Fanon Fanon is a body of popular suppositions and theories accepted by fans concerning the " Doctor Who " universe . It is a of the words " fan " and " canon " . Fanon often gets confused for " canon " , even if it is not supported by evidence either on screen or in print . Derivations . When stories break fanon conventions , it can cause controversy . A longstanding piece of fanon is the supposition that the Doctor , due to his alien nature , is incapable of romance or sexual attraction . Despite the existence of a granddaughter , and occasional minor references during the early years of the show , much of this supposition stems from the Fourth Doctor ' s odd reference to Countess Scarlioni in " City of Death " as " a beautiful woman , probably , " as well as the 1963 - 89 series ' general aversion to including romantic entanglements due to its long - standing image as a children ' s program . The " Doctor Who " 1996 telefilm was controversial with some fans in that it showed the Eighth Doctor kissing Grace Holloway twice , the latter in an unambiguously romantic way , which was accused of violating canon , even though it only violated " fanon " . The revived series has since thoroughly rendered this piece of fanon moot by featuring later Doctors in numerous romantic situations and entanglements ; several novels published since 1991 have also featured romantic situations for the Doctor previously considered taboo ; examples include " Human Nature " and the conclusion of " The Dying Days " . An example of fanon stemming from the series revival is the question of " TARDIS coral " . Fans have come to use this term to refer to pieces of TARDIS obtained by Jack Harkness ( " Torchwood " ) and the Meta - Crisis Tenth Doctor ( TV : " Journey ' s End " - deleted scene ) . In fact , as of July 2009 no episode has ever used the term to describe these objects , nor have any close - ups indicated whether they are , indeed , coral - like . The issue is further muddied by the fact the " Journey ' s End " reference was deleted from the final episode , raising the question of its canonicity . When fanon becomes canon . Fanon and canon are not necessarily exclusive of each other . It has been occasionally known for elements originating in fanon to be adopted into canon . In spin - offs . The BBC has never made a firm proclamation regarding whether novels and other spin - off works should be considered canonical in relation to their television series . Still , spin - off media have been known to add elements of fanon into their own canon . Some fan theories , such as the Season 6B theory , while not as yet confirmed on - screen , have been supported by expanded universe spin - offs such as novels . Others , such as the question raised by " Planet of Fire " as to whether the Doctor and the Master are actually brothers , have been denied by off - screen sources , if not necessarily on - screen . The aforementioned Season 6B theory comes close to being " canon " , having been featured in a BBC Past Doctor Adventures novel and endorsed by former script editor Terrance Dicks ( who wrote the book in question , " World Game " ) . This theory started with a series of 1969 " TV Comic " stories featuring a companion - less Second Doctor exiled on Earth ( and , after a few adventures , being forced to regenerate inside his TARDIS ) , and continued with his involvement in both " The Five Doctors " and " The Two Doctors " . In televised " Doctor Who " . Occasionally , a piece of fanon will find its way not just into the spinoffs , but into " Doctor Who " proper .