Creators of the Japanese Doctor Who Parody Video: Joshua and Gideon Kahan Interview

Joshua and Gideon Kahan, creators of the internet short “Japanese Doctor Who,” a tokusatsu-styled parody blending Doctor Who with the visual language of shows like Kamen Rider X and Super Robot Red Baron, discussed the project in an interview.

Joshua, who wrote and directed the video, said the specific inspiration was Supaidaman, the Japanese Spider-Man tokusatsu series, and that thinking through why a show like that could exist led him toward the “Japanese Doctor Who” concept. He cited Kamen Rider X, Super Robot Red Baron, and early Super Sentai as key visual influences, and said the mash-up made sense to him because tokusatsu is built around reinterpreting an already-established character or franchise, much like what the parody itself does with Doctor Who.

Gideon, Joshua’s older brother, composed the video’s music, describing it as a stripped-down homage to the brass-and-string themes common to older tokusatsu shows, built mainly from drums, bass, trumpet, and xylophone, with drum and trumpet parts recorded remotely by collaborators Jonathan Miller and Andy Watts. He noted a shared thematic overlap between the two properties’ villains, both often relying on robotics and heavily processed voices.

Asked about the video’s version of the Doctor, styled after the tokusatsu hero Big One, Joshua confirmed the choice was deliberate, calling Big One one of the more iconic henshin heroes for combining disguise, cyborg elements, and team leadership.

Both brothers said they grew up as Power Rangers fans through Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with Joshua tracing his deeper interest in tokusatsu as a genre to research he did in his second year of university. At the time of the interview, Joshua said he was mostly watching chanbara films for a screenplay in progress, while Gideon said his main tokusatsu touchpoint remained Power Rangers Megaforce, which he found visually too CG-heavy compared to the practical-effects, miniature-driven look of older shows he preferred.

The interview closed with the brothers pointing to their other work online, including Gideon’s band, Black Hay, and noting a possible sequel if it could tie into an actual BBC Doctor Who episode. A later update noted Joshua had launched a Kickstarter for a book, “See Tom Cruise Run.”