Doctor Who vs real world science: who comes up trumps?

Five science (fiction) reasons why you should get to know Doctor Who.

This piece was first published on The Conversation

The new series of Doctor Who is just about upon us. You'll either be resolutely uninterested, or jittering with anticipation at the thought. For those who adore it (such as myself), it's an intrinsic part of Christmas, a long lost friend, a world in which anything might happen. But for everyone else, the Doctor seems to invoke feelings of naffness, as something slightly embarrassing that your younger brother once watched.