Thursday the 23rd marks 60 years since Doctor Who first appeared on the BBC. A Time Lord escapes his home world in a TARDIS, a hybrid time machine and spacecraft that can blend with the surroundings it lands in. Because of a technical quirk, the Doctor’s police box form briefly became part of everyday life in Britain.
The theme music, legendary in its own right, was composed by Ron Grainer and shaped by Delia Derbyshire and Dick Mills. The newest era of the series promised audiences grand adventures laced with danger. The Doctor travels through the fourth dimension with one or more companions, usually humans, driven by a fascination with humanity and a desire to help those in need.
Fans learned enduring lessons from the show as it shifted between tales set in the past and visions of the future. Some stories draw on historical moments and figures, while others lean into speculative science. Anticipating debates about artificial intelligence, the tale set in 1966 called War Machines features the Doctor confronting powerful supercomputers.
The program was developed with BBC editor Sydney Newman and writers Donald Wilson and C. E. Webber, and it quickly became a staple of British television. Even today, many people can recall their favorite Doctor and their favorite companion. There are many to choose from, as will be explored below.
All Doctors
Time Lords can change bodies when they die, fall ill, or suffer severe injury. This is one of the ways they endure. Doctor Who stands as the longest running science fiction series in history, according to the Guinness World Records. The original run stretched from 1963 to 1989, spanning twenty-six seasons. After a revival attempt in the mid-1990s, the series has been on air again since 2005, counting thirteen seasons to date. Spin-offs like Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures expanded the universe for viewers who crave more, making completionists work harder to keep up.
Following the early era of the First Doctor, actors who played the Doctor include the Second Doctor, the Third Doctor, and the Fourth Doctor, whose stylish eccentricity made him a fan favorite. The Fifth Doctor joined as the youngest ever at 29. A later revival highlighted the ability of the Doctor to regenerate into new forms and personalities, a core element of the series.
A recent Radio Times poll highlighted David Tennant as a top choice among fans for the revived era, followed by the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, who later appeared in other productions. The era introduced broader storytelling and new audience appeal, while continuing to honor the core idea of a time-traveling adventurer who helps others.
The series has featured a celebrated collaboration between the screenwriter Russell T Davies and actor Christopher Eccleston in earlier seasons, and Davies later worked with Steven Moffat, the co-creator of a famous contemporary mystery series. From season to season, creative control shifted as different showrunners shaped the Doctor’s journeys.
After a period of hiatus, the show brought back a familiar face in new form with the thirteenth Doctor and beyond. The modern era has seen the arrival of the first female Doctor, who carried the TARDIS through recent adventures. The latest cast member brings fresh energy to the role while paying homage to the long history of the character.
Anniversary Special Events
Watching Doctor Who in certain regions can be tricky when attempting to view everything in order and in its original form. For those who want to dive into a long epic on demand, a streaming service offers a dedicated channel for the series, with access to the early revival era up to a certain year. Likewise, another platform offers the first several seasons of the revival in standard definition with dubbing and commercials.
The upcoming season will be available on a major streaming platform in 2024, including the three anniversary specials that celebrate the Doctor’s decades of adventures. The specials include a reunion of beloved cast members and the return of fans’ favorite companions. Viewers may notice that these adventures feature the Doctor in a fourth incarnation, delivering familiar tone with new storytelling energy.
The creator has also teased developments for the new season, with plans to introduce a bold approach to storytelling. In interviews, the producers have indicated that the series will continue to renew itself while staying true to its core premise of exploration, discovery, and the occasional heroic stand against darkness.
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