Portal:Doctor Who
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Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating foes. The Doctor often travels with companions.
Beginning with William Hartnell, fourteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor; , Ncuti Gatwa leads the series as the Fifteenth Doctor. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the series with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which, when a Time Lord is fatally injured, their cells regenerate and they are reincarnated. Each actor's portrayal is distinct, but all represent stages in the life of the same character and, together, they form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling nature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. In 2017, Jodie Whittaker, as the Thirteenth Doctor, became the first woman to be cast in the lead role.
The series is a significant part of popular culture in Britain and elsewhere; it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. Fans of the series are sometimes referred to as Whovians. The series has been listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science-fiction television series in the world, as well as the "most successful" science-fiction series of all time, based on its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales. (Full article...)
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Selected story
The Tenth Planet is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 8 to October 29, 1966. It was William Hartnell's last regular appearance as the First Doctor, and the first story to feature the Cybermen. Patrick Troughton also makes his first, uncredited appearance as the Second Doctor.
The episode takes place in 1986. Earth's sister planet, Mondas has returned home, bringing with it the emotionless, unstoppable Cybermen. At the Snowcap base in Antarctica, the invasion begins, but the Cybermen have not reckoned on the First Doctor and his companions. However, the Doctor becomes weaker throughout the episode, eventually collapsing and regenerating into a new form: the Second Doctor.
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Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that before writing The Space Museum, Glyn Jones had never seen Doctor Who?
- ... that The Romans was the first Doctor Who serial with a humorous tone?
- ... that the 2024 Doctor Who episode "Dot and Bubble" was first conceptualized in 2009?
- ... that the Doctor Who serial The Chase was to feature the Beatles dressed as old men, performing as part of a fictional 50th-anniversary concert, but the idea was rejected by their manager?
- ... that while filming the Doctor Who serial The Myth Makers, William Hartnell was jealous of being upstaged by the other actors?
- ... that the fifteen bags of seaweed used as set dressing for the Doctor Who serial The Web Planet emanated an overpowering vegetable smell under the hot studio lights?
Selected quote
“ | Emotions! Love, pride, hate, fear! Have you no emotions, sir? | ” |
— First Doctor, talking to a Cyberman, The Tenth Planet |
“ | I love a Happy Medium | ” |
— Ninth Doctor, The Unquiet Dead |
Events
Date | Event |
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29 August 2022 | Another SMTV Live crossover episode |
1 January 2022 | 2022 specials |
December 2021 | Big Finish audio play The Year of Martha Jones [1] |
February 2022 | Second volume of the Big Finish audio play The Lone Centurion [2] |
May 2022 | Series 2 of the audio play Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures |
More did you know?
- ... that the designs for the Doctor Who serial The Sensorites were inspired by Antoni Gaudí's design of the Sagrada Família (pictured) in Barcelona, which has no right angles?
- ... that the entire fourth serial of Doctor Who is missing after being erased by the BBC in 1967?
- ... that the Thirteenth Doctor, portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, is the first female incarnation of the Doctor in the continuity of Doctor Who?
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