Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC about a mysterious time-travelling adventurer known only as "The Doctor". It is also the title of a 1996 television movie featuring the same character. It is common to see the show's title abbreviated as Dr. Who, even by the BBC, although purists consider this form incorrect.

The Doctor

The character of the Doctor was initially shrouded in mystery. All that was known about him was that he had a granddaughter, Susan, that she was born "in another time, another world", and that both of them were exiles. He also possessed a time-travelling machine called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space), which is dimensionally transcendental (larger on the inside than on the outside), and seemingly never fully under his control. The TARDIS originally had the ability to disguise itself according to its environment, but became "stuck" in the form of a police box after landing in London in 1963, and has remained in that shape ever since (give or take the occasional attempt to fix it). Originally an irascible and highly irritable character, the Doctor was quickly shown to be a man of great intelligence and compassion, who abhorred evil in the universe and would always help others if he could.

Related Topics:
Susan - TARDIS - Police box

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Over time, it was revealed that the Doctor was from an extraterrestrial race known as the Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. The circumstances under which he left his planet were only vaguely alluded to, but were at least partly due to the restrictive nature of Time Lord society, their rules against interfering with the rest of the universe, and his own desire to explore time and space.

Related Topics:
Time Lord - Gallifrey

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So far, ten actors have played the part for television (including the 1996 television movie and the 2005 revival). The Doctor, like all Time Lords, has the ability to "regenerate" his body when he dies, something he can do twelve times. The production team created this concept to allow for re-casting of the part when an actor wanted to leave or otherwise needed to be replaced.

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Prior to 2005, the regeneration was always worked into the storyline, but the 2005 series began with the Ninth Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) already regenerated, and no appearance of the Eighth Doctor (previously played by Paul McGann). The Ninth Doctor does comment on his own appearance in Rose, suggesting the regeneration happened recently. In the final episode of the 2005 series, The Parting of the Ways, the Ninth Doctor regenerated into the Tenth (played by David Tennant). It is unlikely that the regeneration of the Eighth Doctor to the Ninth will be seen on screen.

Related Topics:
Ninth Doctor - Christopher Eccleston - Eighth Doctor - Paul McGann - The Parting of the Ways - Tenth - David Tennant

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The actors to play the Doctor, and their tenures, are as follows:

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• William Hartnell (1963–1966)
• Patrick Troughton (1966–1969)
• Jon Pertwee (1970–1974)
• Tom Baker (1974–1981)
• Peter Davison (1981–1984)
• Colin Baker (1984–1986)
• Sylvester McCoy (1987–1989,1996)
• Paul McGann (1996)
• Christopher Eccleston (2005)
• David Tennant (2005–?)

Richard Hurndall played the part of the First Doctor in the 20th anniversary telemovie The Five Doctors in 1983, as William Hartnell had died in 1975. Other actors have also played the Doctor, though rarely more than once; see the list of actors who have played the Doctor for details.

Related Topics:
Richard Hurndall - First Doctor - Telemovie - The Five Doctors - William Hartnell - List of actors who have played the Doctor

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The BBC announced on March 30, 2005, that Eccleston would depart at the end of that series, and that David Tennant was reportedly in talks for the role. Tennant's casting was confirmed by the BBC on April 16, 2005.

Related Topics:
March 30 - 2005 - April 16

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