Doctor Who Doctor Who is both a television show and a global multimedia franchise created and controlled by the BBC ( British Broadcasting Corporation ) . It centres on a time traveller called " the Doctor " , who comes from a race of beings known as Time Lord s . He travels through space and time in a time machine he calls the TARDIS . This ship — which looks like a small , London police box on the outside — has nearly infinite dimensions on the inside . It has become such an iconic shape in British culture that it is currently the intellectual property of the BBC rather than its actual makers , the Metropolitan Police Service . Since " Doctor Who " s revival in 2005 , its production has been primarily based in Wales by BBC Wales , with its soundtrack regularly performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales since 2006 . In order to accommodate cast changes , the narrative allows the Doctor to regenerate into an essentially new person on occasion . The cast is rounded out by one or more " companion s " , often females . On average , the main cast completely changes once every three or four years — a significant factor in the longevity of the programme . It has had two — some argue " three " — major production periods . The original run of the programme was from 1963 to 1989 , and is often called the " classic series " or " classic " Doctor Who " " . A failed revival , in the form of a Universal - BBC co - production , came in 1996 — but the resulting one - off tele movie is often considered a part of the classic series . The current form of the programme — sometimes called the " new series " — has been produced by BBC Wales and aired on BBC One since 2005 . Though the classic series is fondly remembered by fans of a certain age , the new series has been far more consistently popular with the British public , and is usually the highest - rated scripted drama — outside of perennially popular soap operas — in the weeks that it is on the air . The franchise spawned by the main television programmes includes dozens of distinct ranges of spinoffs in televised , audio and print media . History of " Doctor Who " . Origin . Several individuals share credit for establishing " Doctor Who " in 1963 , but it is generally accepted that the original impetus for the series , as well as the establishment of certain aspects , such as the concept of the TARDIS , the basic character of the Doctor and the title " Doctor Who " itself belong to Canadian - born Sydney Newman , who is also credited with creating another iconic series , . Others involved in piecing together the puzzle that became the series include Head of Serials Donald Wilson , writer C . E . Webber , script editor David Whitaker and the show ' s first producer , Verity Lambert , the first woman to hold such a position at the BBC . Two other notable participants in the birth of the series were Anthony Coburn and Waris Hussein , the writer and director , respectively , of the first four - part serial , " An Unearthly Child " , the first episode of which aired on 23 November 1963 . The version of the first episode that was broadcast was in fact the second mounting of that episode ; an earlier version ( called " The Pilot Episode " by fans ) , was taped some weeks before , but rejected for several issues . The BBC allowed a second mounting of the pilot to proceed . The first episode aired the day after the assassination of John F . Kennedy , and had to be rebroadcast a week later when power failures disrupted the first broadcast . Also important to creating the atmosphere of the early series were composer s Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire . Grainer wrote the basic melody of the " Doctor Who " theme , and Derbyshire , with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop , transformed it into a pioneering piece of electronica music . There have been several arrangements used of the theme , but the basic melody has remained unchanged throughout the show ' s history . No new piece of music has ever been commissioned as a theme , making it one of the longest - serving signature tunes in television history . " An Unearthly Child " introduced the first incarnation of the Doctor , played by character actor William Hartnell . Supporting him were William Russell and Jacqueline Hill as Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright , respectively , and Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor ' s granddaughter , Susan Foreman . These four would form the core cast of the series throughout its first season and into the second . The Daleks . After the first episode introduced the characters and concept , the remaining three episodes of " An Unearthly Child " encompassed a modest storyline involving a group of cavemen in prehistoric times . The series began to find its voice as a science fiction series with the second serial , " The Daleks " by Terry Nation . It introduced the Dalek s , the single most iconic reoccurring enemy of the franchise . The series began to really take off in popularity with this serial , which helped launch " Dalekmania " in the UK , leading to toys , the first novelisation " Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks " , the movie adaptation " Dr . Who and the Daleks " , and many televised sequels , beginning with " The Dalek Invasion of Earth " . Early cast changes . " The Dalek Invasion of Earth " was also notable for featuring the series ' first cast change . Carole Ann Ford left the series . She was replaced the following week by Maureen O ' Brien as Vicki , establishing the pattern of the Doctor ' s companion s changing . The other original actors , William Russell and Jacqueline Hill , left the series a few months later at the conclusion of " The Chase " , making way for another new companion , Steven Taylor , played by Peter Purves . Over the decades , the length of service of different companions has ranged from as little as a few weeks ( with some being considered companions after appearing in only a single episode ) , up to several years . Some actors have returned to reprise their roles years and even decades later ( most notably Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith ) . A change of identity . The next major turning point in the series occurred in 1966 when the actor playing the First Doctor , William Hartnell , left the series . Rather than introduce a new leading character , replace Hartnell with no explanation or simply cancel the series , the producers , with input from Sydney Newman , chose to establish the Doctor ' s ability to regenerate into a new person when injured or near death . This led to the dramatic — and successful — transition to Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor at the conclusion of " The Tenth Planet " , a serial that was in itself notable for introducing the franchise ' s second most popular recurring villains , the Cybermen . The experiment of regenerating the Doctor occurred again in 1970 with the introduction of one - time comic actor Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor , a move that also coincided with the series changing to colour production . Once again , this was successful and " Doctor Who " continued to establish itself as a British TV institution , although it remained virtually unknown in American markets . Target Books . In 1973 , Target Books reissued a trilogy of novelisations from the mid - 1960s , and in 1974 began to issue its own adaptations of televised episodes . In a time before home video recorders and commercial release of TV series on tape and DVD and when rebroadcasts were rare and many old episodes were thought lost , the Target line became a popular and valued aspect of the growing " Doctor Who " franchise ; the books would be published into the mid - 1990s . A unique feature of the Target line ( in fact dating back to the first novelisations published by Frederick Muller ) is that many of the books were written by either the original scriptwriters or by individuals with strong behind - the - scenes connections to the series , such as Barry Letts , Terrance Dicks , David Whitaker , etc . , all of whom worked in script editing or producing capacities on the series . In the late 70s , about a dozen of the Target novels were reprinted in American editions by Pinnacle Books , with introductions by noted science fiction author Harlan Ellison , who added to the franchise ' s prestige by placing it higher in his estimation than " Star Trek " . The Tom Baker years . The series continued through the 1970s , with Tom Baker taking on the role of the Fourth Doctor in 1974 . Baker became the most iconic , and arguably most popular actor of the classic series . This was due in part to the frequent rebroadcasts of his episodes in the United Kingdom , which began during his tenure . He was the first " young " Doctor and played the role for more seasons ( seven ) than any actor to date . Other actors have been considered the " current " Doctor for longer , but without regular television appearances . Near the end of the Tom Baker era , the BBC attempted a spin - off series , " K9 and Company " , but it never went beyond a pilot episode , " A Girl ' s Best Friend " . The US broadcasts of " Doctor Who " were initially poorly done , with some broadcasters airing a version with narration explaining the plot . By the late 1970s , however , the series was firmly entrenched in the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) , which would air the show repeatedly over the next three decades and air the revived series after 2004 . The John Nathan - Turner era . Peter Davison succeeded Baker in 1981 as the Fifth Doctor with new producer John Nathan - Turner . Only twenty - nine when he was cast , Davison was , until the appointment of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in 2009 , the youngest actor ever to play the Doctor officially . The TARDIS crew of the Fifth Doctor skewed younger and featured the first long - term companion ' s death when Adric died at the end of " Earthshock " . Two short - term companions had died earlier in one serial , " The Daleks ' Master Plan " , but they had not been on the show more than a few weeks ; Adric was on the series for about a year . Davison ' s era was marked by experimentation by the BBC in terms of broadcast scheduling . The series moved to airing twice a week on weeknights , away from its traditional Saturday slot . Initially , this appeared to be a successful gambit . The ratings for Davison ' s early stories were on par if not higher than Tom Baker ' s later stories . It was during Davison ' s era that the series marked its 20th anniversary with the feature - length episode " The Five Doctors " . This featured all the actors who had played the Doctor to that time ( although Hartnell and Tom Baker were shown in stock footage ) . Colin Baker followed Davison as the Sixth Doctor in 1984 . The BBC further experimented with the format , moving from twenty - minute to forty - five - minute episodes . Nathan - Turner also experimented with the characterisation of the Doctor , intentionally making the Sixth Doctor initially unlikeable in order to create a new dynamic . Neither experiment was successful . Colin Baker ' s tenure was marked by a serious threat to the show ' s survival when the BBC , citing low ratings , announced it was ending the series after the 1985 season , its 22nd . Following immediate outcry , this decision was modified to become an eighteen - month hiatus . During the hiatus , fan efforts were launched to get the show back sooner . These included the recording of a charity record called " Doctor in Distress " by cast members . BBC Radio tried to fill the void by producing the first made - for - radio " Doctor Who " serial , " Slipback " , starring Colin Baker . The series returned in 1986 with a season - long story arc , " The Trial of a Time Lord " , but with greatly reduced screen time . Fourteen episodes were allotted for the season , up from thirteen the previous season , but with episode lengths returned to twenty - five minutes . This was roughly half the storytelling time of recent seasons . End of an era . Although the show ' s return garnered sufficient ratings for the BBC to grant a stay of execution and renew it for a twenty - fourth season , Colin Baker ' s contract as the Doctor was not renewed and he ceded the role to Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor in 1987 . The series survived the hiatus , but never regained ratings needed for ongoing survival , constantly being beaten in the ratings by " Coronation Street " . Towards the end , it garnered ratings barely in the three million range , compared to eleven million at the peak of the Tom Baker era . Attempts were made to refresh the ageing series by darkening the character of the Doctor through what was later called the Cartmel Masterplan ( named for then - script editor Andrew Cartmel ) , and by introducing Ace , a companion with an edginess never before seen in an assistant . The same year that McCoy took over , a fan - produced independent film , " Wartime " , was released . Taking advantage of a loophole in licensing that allows characters other than the Doctor to be licensed direct from their creators , this film featuring John Benton was the first of what would be a series of fan - made productions that would help keep the " Doctor Who " universe alive after 1989 . During McCoy ' s era , the series celebrated its 25th anniversary on TV . One of the year ' s serials , " Remembrance of the Daleks " , returned the Doctor to 76 Totter ' s Lane , where it all began in 1963 . Following production of the twenty - sixth season , Nathan - Turner learned that the show would not be renewed immediately for a twenty - seventh . After having McCoy record a series - ending monologue , the final episode — part 3 of the ironically titled " Survival " — aired on 6 December 1989 , bringing " Doctor Who " s marathon 26 - year run to a close . The " Doctor Who " Production Office closed down the following summer . It has never been made clear whether the BBC ever actually " cancelled " " Doctor Who " in 1989 , or simply put the series on hold . One of the first to state outright that the show was cancelled was co - star Sophie Aldred in the documentary " More than 30 Years in the TARDIS " . " The Wilderness Years " . The end of active production was made official in 1990 . The " Doctor Who " Production Office was closed . The BBC never officially cancelled the series . It simply didn ' t commission any new episodes . This led to the launch of a cottage industry of spin - off work . These included the first long - term range of original fiction ( the Virgin New Adventures series ) . Target Books exhausted all available remaining serials to novelise and the brand was retired in 1994 . There were numerous independent video productions with characters and creatures from the series , but never the Doctor himself . Many of their new actors , writers and directors would become involved in the main " Doctor Who " series , including Nicholas Briggs and Mark Gatiss . In 1993 , the BBC made a half - hearted attempt at marking the thirtieth anniversary , first commissioning , then cancelling , a multi - Doctor special called " The Dark Dimension " . Instead they greenlit a brief , poorly received pastiche , " Dimensions in Time " , which aired as part of a Children in Need fundraiser and as a dubious crossover with the soap opera " EastEnders " . For original fiction , Virgin ' s New Adventures picked up where " Survival " had left off . Over the next five years it greatly expanded the world of the Seventh Doctor , and " Doctor Who " , by featuring stories with more adult storylines than was possible on TV . The books also introduced the character of Bernice Summerfield , who was initially a companion of the Seventh Doctor . Over time she developed her own mini - franchise , which continues to this day . Virgin also launched a similar series of books called the Virgin Missing Adventures , featuring past Doctors . One New Adventures novel , " Damaged Goods " , was written by a young writer who would later play a major role in the history of " Doctor Who " : Russell T Davies . Another future producer of the series , Steven Moffat , contributed short stories to Virgin ' s third line of " Doctor Who " fiction , the Virgin Decalogs . Around this time , Moffat also made his " Doctor Who " TV writing debut by penning the parody serial " The Curse of Fatal Death " . It aired as a fund - raiser for Comic Relief and starred Rowan Atkinson , Richard E Grant , Jim Broadbent , Hugh Grant , and Joanna Lumley as the 9th through 13th incarnations of the Doctor . A false restart . The franchise ' s so - called " first interregnum " on television ended in 1996 with an attempt at launching an American - UK co - produced " Doctor Who " series . A television movie was produced for the American Fox Network , " Doctor Who " , in which McCoy handed off to Paul McGann ' s Eighth Doctor . Neither a reboot or re - imagining , the film was a continuation of the original series . While moderately successful on the BBC , it failed to garner sufficient ratings in the US to warrant a new series . McCoy , in a later interview with " Doctor Who Confidential " , postulated that the film failed in the US in part because viewers unfamiliar with the history of " Doctor Who " were confused by the first part of the film , which dealt with regeneration . Back to the wilderness . The " second interregnum " that followed saw more novels ( now published by the BBC under its BBC Books logo , featuring the Eighth Doctor ) , more independent productions , a separate series of Bernice Summerfield novels and , in 1998 , the start of a prolific series of officially licenced audio stories by Big Finish Productions . Unlike the independent made - for - video productions , Big Finish could use Doctors and companions from the series . With the exception of Tom Baker , who wouldn ' t join Big Finish until 2012 , and earlier Doctors now deceased , the audios featured the original actors . In particular , Big Finish produced a long - running series of programs continuing the adventures of McGann ' s Eighth Doctor . Big Finish also produced a prolific series of audio dramas featuring Bernice Summerfield ( and began publishing novels featuring her once Virgin ended its series of books ) as well as other spin - off series featuring other parts of the " Doctor Who " universe , such as " Dalek Empire " , " I , Davros " , " Sarah Jane Smith " and " Gallifrey " . Many of the writers , directors , and voice actors involved in this project also went on to work on the TV series proper . The BBC also created new " Doctor Who " - related media projects during this time , creating several original webcast productions in conjunction with Big Finish , and making several Virgin - era " Doctor Who " novels available as e - books on its website . The triumphant return . In 2003 for the 40th anniversary , the BBC released the 6 - part webcast " Scream of the Shalka " , in which Richard E Grant was introduced as the Ninth Doctor . Intended to be an " official " continuation of the television series , this version of the character was quickly relegated to invalid status with the 2005 series revival . The BBC stunned fans by announcing in 2003 that its Welsh production office , BBC Wales , had been given the go - ahead to produce a brand - new series of " Doctor Who " . The series would be produced by Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner . Davies , since his days writing " Doctor Who " fiction for Virgin , had gone on to create the critically acclaimed series , . In the following months , details of the new series emerged . Fans still questioned if the new series would be a continuation of the original series ( a twenty - seventh season ) , or a re - imagining ( as had recently occurred to great effect with " Battlestar Galactica " ) . Would the Paul McGann movie or " Scream of the Shalka " count ? There was initial controversy when pop singer Billie Piper was cast as the new companion . The new series logo riled some fans ; BBC News reported that some on the production team had received death threats over it . The BBC ' s decision to restart the numbering of the series with series 1 in 2005 fuelled the debate over whether the new show would be a continuation . The BBC indicated it was strictly a commercial decision , and part of an overall strategy not to alienate new viewers by suggesting they needed to know twenty - six years of backstory . " Doctor Who " returned to television in the spring of 2005 . Christopher Eccleston took over from McGann as the Ninth Doctor . After initial uncertainty , it was soon established the new series was a continuation of the old . The new episodes returned " Doctor Who " to levels of popularity not seen since the 1970s , and garnered awards the original series never saw . Eccleston ' s brief era marked the return of UNIT , the Auton s , the Nestene Consciousness , the Dalek s and the Dalek Emperor to television , as well as the introduction of Jack Harkness , who would become a recurring character during the Russel T . Davies era . In March 2006 , the new series was first broadcast in the United States on the SciFi Channel . Audiences embraced the new series , with Billie Piper ' s Rose Tyler , in particular . The show stumbled slightly with the announcement days after its premiere on 30 March that Eccleston was leaving after a single season . The BBC later apologised for the timing of this announcement . The tenure of his replacement , David Tennant ' s Tenth Doctor , was dominated by the relationship between the Doctor and Rose Tyler , a closer bond than even the " Mentor " type relationship shared between the Seventh Doctor and Ace . Tennant ' s era also saw the return of Sarah Jane Smith in " School Reunion " , the episode most cited as the one that established once and for all that " nuWho " was a direct continuation of the 1963 - 89 series . This was followed by the Children in Need mini - episode " Time Crash " , in which Peter Davison reprised his role as the Fifth Doctor . Tennant ' s era also saw the reintroduction of the Cybermen , albeit a parallel version . Related to this , the series began delving into the multiverse concept with " Rise of the Cybermen " , a topic that would dominate the final episodes of the fourth series in 2008 . Since the show ' s return to TV , " Doctor Who " has become a major franchise . It spawned two successful spin - off series in quick succession : " Torchwood " and " The Sarah Jane Adventures " ; both centred around the adventures of former companions . There was a third , non - BBC spin - off , " K9 " . Two documentary series were launched with the return of " Doctor Who " : " Doctor Who Confidential " , ( 2005 - 2011 ) and " Totally Doctor Who " ( 2006 - 2007 ) . The last series also produced the first animated - for - television " Doctor Who " serial , " The Infinite Quest " , which aired in 2007 and featured Tennant . A second animated serial , " Dreamland " , aired in 2009 . The Tennant era also saw the start of a new tradition in late 2005 : the " Doctor Who " Christmas Special , holiday - themed episodes aired separately from the regular seasons . , thirteen such specials have been aired . The series has also contributed several mini - episodes , such as the aforementioned " Time Crash " , to the Children in Need Appeal and the BBC Prom concert series ( " Music of the Spheres " ) . The conclusion of the fourth revived season in 2008 , which linked all four series together and featured the return of Rose and other companions , saw " Doctor Who " garner its highest ratings in nearly thirty years . It was followed by the 2008 Christmas special , " The Next Doctor " , which included a scene — the first of its kind — in which all ten Doctors , including the debated Paul McGann ' s Eighth Doctor , were shown , firmly establishing the Eighth Doctor ' s place in his personal history . The transition . The year 2009 was a transition year for " Doctor Who " in terms of both production and releases . The series had only four episodes , aired as specials in April , November and on Christmas Day and New Year ' s Day 2010 . These specials and an animated serial , " Dreamland " , marked David Tennant ' s final appearances as the Tenth Doctor . The decision for the series to take a break following series 4 was , according to Davies ' book " The Writer ' s Tale " , planned as far back as Tennant ' s first year . Davies devised the break to smooth the transition between his term as show - runner and that of Steven Moffat , whom he invited to take over his post as executive producer and lead writer when the series returned as a weekly programme in 2010 . Tennant took advantage of this break to appear in a high - profile stage production of " Hamlet " co - starring " Star Trek " icon Patrick Stewart , which some media erroneously indicated was the reason for the break . The announcement of the gap year was followed by the announcement that Davies and Julie Gardner would be stepping aside as executive producer s of " Doctor Who " following the specials . Moffat , who won the Hugo Award three years running for his " Doctor Who " scripts , was appointed new head writer and executive producer . Also appointed executive producers were Piers Wenger and Beth Willis . The question of whether Tennant would stay on was a hot topic in the UK media for much of 2008 . On 19 October 2008 , Tennant , while accepting his National Television Award for Favourite Actor , announced he would leave the role after the specials . After months of speculation , it was announced on 3 January 2009 that twenty - six - year - old Matt Smith would join the series in 2010 as the Eleventh Doctor , smashing Peter Davison ' s record as the youngest Doctor ever . The end of Series 4 and the start of the specials marked a " changing of the guard " for international broadcasts of the series in the US and Canada . In the US , the SciFi Channel relinquished first - broadcast rights to BBC America . In Canada , the CBC ' s controversial handling of the series ( which had seen a marked decrease in network interest and destructive editing of the Series 4 finale for commercials ) came to an abrupt end when the cable network Space adopted the series . Both began airing the series with " The Next Doctor " in the spring of 2009 and announced they would air the weekly series in 2010 . The first gap - year special , " Planet of the Dead " aired during Easter 2009 . " Planet of the Dead " was the first " Doctor Who " episode to be filmed in and , subsequently , the first to be issued to Blu - ray . Meanwhile , " Torchwood " aired its third series in July 2009 , now on BBC One , but in a different format : a single , critically acclaimed , five - episode story entitled " Children of Earth " . It also aired to acclaim and high ratings on BBC America and Space . " The Sarah Jane Adventures " began its third series in October 2009 , with David Tennant playing the Doctor in two episodes . Work on a non - BBC spin - off series , " K9 " , also progressed through the year . The second special of the " gap year " , " The Waters of Mars " aired on 15 November 2009 , and an animated adventure , " Dreamland " , was broadcast serialised on the BBC ' s Red Button service before being aired as one programme by the BBC proper . During the Christmas season , Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a series of Christmas idents for the BBC . Finally , the era of the Tenth Doctor ended with the two - part special " The End of Time " . Part 1 aired on 25 December 2009 and the conclusion , with David Tennant handing over the role to Matt Smith , aired on 1 January 2010 . The new man . Production of the first Matt Smith episodes commenced in July 2009 . Writers recruited for the new season included Richard Curtis ( co - creator of and writer of ) and Toby Whithouse ( creator of ) . Noted fantasy writer Neil Gaiman was rumoured to be involved in the new season . These rumours proved to be incorrect , but he did end up penning " The Doctor ' s Wife " the following series . Michael Moorcock , another noted fantasy novelist , also announced he was writing a " Doctor Who " novel for publication in 2010 . Minor competition for Smith arrived in January 2010 when broadcasts of the non - BBC series " K9 " began in parts of Europe . The UK , which had seen a preview of the first episode on Halloween 2009 , saw the series debut on Disney XD on 3 April 2010 , a few hours before the start of the fifth series . After months of intense publicity , the Matt Smith / Eleventh Doctor era officially began on 3 April 2010 with the broadcast of " The Eleventh Hour " on BBC One . In a show of international support for the series , broadcasts in the US , Canada , Australia and New Zealand were scheduled within a few weeks , the first time the programme ' s biggest international markets had coincided their broadcasts in this way . The fifth series ran for thirteen weeks , concluding with " The Big Bang " on 26 June 2010 . Before the first episode of series 5 was broadcast , the BBC announced that a Christmas special had been commissioned for 2010 , and a sixth series of the revived series was scheduled to enter production that summer for broadcast in 2011 . Series 6 aired in two parts ; the first half aired in the spring and the remaining episodes aired in the autumn . The BBC claimed the split was to accommodate a story arc with a mid - season cliffhanger , the arc being the revelation of the identity of River Song . Steven Moffat was said to have requested the split . Series 7 aired in two parts as well , although this time the first half aired in the autumn and the second half aired in the spring , with a Christmas special in between . Broadcasts began in September 2012 , with " Asylum of the Daleks " . 50 years . Following the series 7 finale , " The Name of the Doctor " , " The Day of the Doctor " aired on TV and in cinemas on 23 November 2013 to celebrate the programme ' s 50th anniversary . This heavily featured a new Doctor , played by John Hurt , who was revealed to be the true ninth incarnation of the Doctor . The Christmas special " The Time of the Doctor " was broadcast a month later on 25 December . " Time " featured the Eleventh Doctor ' s regeneration into Peter Capaldi ' s Twelfth ; Capaldi was announced as the Twelfth Doctor in months earlier on 4 August . Continuity . A common contention among fans and producers of the series is that a large part of the Doctor ' s appeal comes from his mysterious and alien origins . While over the decades several revelations have been made about his background — that he is a Time Lord , that he is from Gallifrey , among others — the writers have striven to retain some sense of mystery and to preserve the eternal question , " Doctor who ? " This backstory was not rigidly planned from the beginning , but developed gradually and haphazardly over the years , the result of the work of many writers and producers . Understandably , this has led to continuity problems . Characters such as the Monk were retroactively classified as Time Lords , early histories of races such as the Dalek s were rewritten , and so on . The creation of a detailed backstory has also led to the criticism that too much being known about the Doctor limits both creative possibilities and the sense of mystery . Some of the stories during the Seventh Doctor ' s tenure , part of the so - called " Cartmel Masterplan " , were intended to deal with this issue by suggesting that much of what was believed about the Doctor was wrong and that he is a far more powerful and mysterious figure than previously thought . In both an untelevised scene in " Remembrance of the Daleks " and the subsequent " Silver Nemesis " it is implied ( to quote an excised line from " Remembrance " ) that the Doctor is " far more than just another Time Lord . " The suspension of the series in 1989 , however , meant that none of these hints were ever resolved , at least on television . The Virgin New Adventure novel , " Lungbarrow " , did resolve these hints and explain the Doctor ' s origins . However , not all fans regard the spin - off novels as canon or accept the revelations made in that particular story , partly because other parts of the franchise seem to contradict parts of it . The 1996 television movie created even more uncertainty about the character , revealing that the Doctor had a human mother and he remembered his father . Fans , however , seemed to be more upset about the fact that the Eighth Doctor kissed Dr Grace Holloway , breaking the series ' longstanding taboo against the Doctor having any romantic involvement with his companions . The revelation in the 1996 television movie that the Doctor was half - human is often considered to be a continuity error as the Doctor is considered by most to be a full Time Lord , causing fans to attempt to find alternative explanations about why the Doctor claimed to be part human . While some fans regard discontinuities as a problem , others regard it as a source of interest or humour — an attitude taken in the book " The Discontinuity Guide " . A common fan explanation is that a universe with time travellers is likely to have many historical inconsistencies . The revived series has tackled this issue head on by suggesting that " time is in flux " and with the exception of certain fixed points in time , most anything can be changed . Recently , some fan interpretations of the series 5 finale , " The Big Bang " , have suggested a potential reboot of " Doctor Who " continuity " in toto " , but there is also evidence in opposition to this view . There has been much fan speculation on exactly which aspects of the television series , books , radio dramatisations , and other sources are considered canon . This has been made more complex by the fact that at least one novel , short story , comic , and audio have all been adapted for the TV series . Additionally , the events of at least one novel have been referenced on screen . For their part , the BBC have never issued a firm edict as to what counts as " canon " . Thus , " Doctor Who " stands in stark contrast to the more formalised canons of " Star Trek " , " Star Wars " , " Harry Potter " , " The Lord of the Rings " — and , indeed , most every other fictional universe . " Doctor Who ? " . When the series began , nothing was known of the Doctor at all , not even his name . In the very first serial , " An Unearthly Child " , two teachers from the Coal Hill School in London , Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton , become intrigued by one of their students , Susan Foreman , who exhibits high intelligence and patchy , unusually advanced knowledge . Trailing her to a junkyard at 76 Totter ' s Lane , they encounter a strange old man and hear Susan ' s voice coming from inside what appears to be a police box . Pushing their way inside , the two find that the exterior is actually camouflage for the dimensionally transcendental interior of the TARDIS . Susan calls the old man " Grandfather " , but he simply calls himself the Doctor . When he fears Ian and Barbara may alert the local authorities to what they ' ve seen , he whisks them all away to another place in time and space . In the first episode , Ian addresses the Doctor as " Doctor Foreman , " as the junkyard in which they find him bears the sign " I . M . Foreman " . When addressed by Ian with this name in the next episode , the Time Lord responds , " Eh ? Doctor who ? What ' s he talking about ? " Later , when Ian realises that " Foreman " is not his name , he asks Barbara , " Who is he ? Doctor who ? " Although listed in the on - screen credits for nearly twenty years as " Doctor Who " , the Doctor is never really called by that name in the series , except in that same tongue - in - cheek manner . For example , in " The Five Doctors " when one character refers to him as " the Doctor " , another character asks , " Who ? " The only real exception has been the computer WOTAN , in the serial , " The War Machines " , which commanded that " Doctor Who is required . " In " The Gunfighters " , the First Doctor uses the alias . In " The Highlanders " the Second Doctor assumes the name of " Doctor von Wer " ( a German translation of " Doctor of Who " ) , and signs himself as " Dr . W " in " The Underwater Menace " . In " The Wheel in Space " , his companion Jamie , reads the name off some medical equipment , and tells the crew of the Wheel that the Doctor ' s name is " John Smith " . The Doctor adopts this alias several times over the course of the series , often prefixing the title " Doctor " to it . This has continued to the Tenth Doctor , and was famously referenced to in the 1996 television movie , where even though the Doctor is unconscious , a complete stranger , seemingly at random , writes the name John Smith on the Doctor ' s hospital admission papers . In " The Armageddon Factor " , the Time Lord Drax addresses the Fourth Doctor as " Theet " , short for " Theta Sigma " , apparently a University nickname . In the 1988 serial " Remembrance of the Daleks " , the Seventh Doctor is asked to sign a document , which he does by using a question mark , and produces a calling card with a series of Greek letters ( or Old High Gallifreyan script ) and a question mark inscribed on it . The Eighth Doctor briefly used the alias " Dr Bowman " in the 1996 television movie . He has also been mocked by his fellow Time Lords for adhering to such a " lowly " title as " Doctor " . In many spin - off comic strips , books , films and other media , the character is often called " Doctor Who " ( or just " Dr . Who " ) as a matter of course , though this has declined in recent years . From the first story through to " Logopolis " ( the last story of Season 18 and also of the Tom Baker era ) , the lead character was listed as " Doctor Who " . Starting with Peter Davison ' s first story , " Castrovalva " ( also the first story of Season 19 ) , the lead character is credited simply as " The Doctor " . " Doctor Who " writer Terrance Dicks offered the theory that Time Lord names were " jawbreakers , " long and extremely difficult to pronounce , and this was why the Doctor never revealed his true name . However , River Song , one of the few people ever to know his name , was able to whisper it in his ear in a very short time . Some fans have speculated , taking off from the fact that the full name of the Time Lady Romana is Romanadvoratrelundar , that the first syllable of the Doctor ' s true name is " Who " . It should be noted that , although it is often asserted that " Doctor Who " is " not " the character ' s name , there is nothing in the series itself that actually confirms this . On at least one occasion the Doctor is about to give a name after the title " Doctor . . . " but is interrupted . Interestingly , the BBC novel , " The Infinity Doctors " mentions an ancient Gallifreyan god named " OHM " . When this name is turned upside down , the result is " WHO . " This idea originated in early drafts of " The Three Doctors " by Bob Baker and Dave Martin . The character of " Ohm " eventually became Omega . It is interesting to note that , while spin - off media is known to " fill in the blanks " regarding aspects of " Doctor Who " lore — for example , several novels " revealed " The Master ' s real name — no officially licensed media has ever seriously attempted to solve the riddle of the Doctor ' s real name . Notwithstanding early spin - off media that treated " Doctor Who " as his name , of course . During Matt Smith ' s reign as the Eleventh Doctor , it was revealed that the oldest question in the universe was " Doctor Who ? " and considering how desperate the Silence , a religious order devoted to destroying the Doctor , were to keep him from revealing it , the consequences of him telling anyone his real name must be catastrophic . The Tenth Doctor , played by David Tennant , has stated that there was only one reason and one time that he would or could reveal his true name . In " The Bells of Saint John " , the Eleventh Doctor asked Clara to repeat the question , and stated that he didn ' t realise how much he enjoyed being people asking him " Doctor Who ? " Accolades . In 2000 , in a poll of industry professionals , the voted " Doctor Who " # 3 in a list of the . Since its return in 2005 , the series has received many nominations and awards both nationally ( UK ) and internationally . This includes BAFTA s , the National Television Awards and the Hugo Award s . American accolades have been fewer and farther between , although in 2007 it broke a barrier by receiving a nomination for the 2008 People ' s Choice Awards , although it did not win . The series ' revival found its highest ratings not in the UK but in South Korea . The Guinness World Records have recognised that " Doctor Who " has broke , accomplished and set many different records . To see a full list , visit the Guinness World Records article on this Wikia . Even the " gap year " season of 2009 - 2010 , which consisted of only four specials ( five if the 2008 Christmas special , " The Next Doctor " is included ) , wasn ' t enough to slow down the train of awards given to " Doctor Who " . On 20 January 2010 the series won Best Drama and David Tennant won Best Drama Performance at the 2010 National Television Awards . Feature films . To build upon the success of Dalekmania the series had created in Britain in the 1960s , two feature films were produced ( " Dr . Who and the Daleks " , and " Daleks ' Invasion Earth 2150 A . D . " ) and released worldwide . Although both were adapted from the William Hartnell television stories " The Daleks " and " The Dalek Invasion of Earth " respectively , they feature Peter Cushing as a Human scientist named Dr . Who who invents a TARDIS , and as such are not considered to be canonical . In 2011 it was announced that a new feature film would be released , to be directed by " Harry Potter " director David Yates . Although initial news reports suggested that the film would " start from scratch " in terms of continuity , Steven Moffat subsequently clarified that " any Doctor Who movie would be made by the BBC team , star the current TV Doctor and would certainly not be a Hollywood reboot . " He later reiterated , " There will not come a time when there ' s a separate kind of " Doctor Who " . What was talked about there was that there would be a separate Doctor and a different continuity . Of course it won ' t . That would be silly . Everyone knows that ' s silly . The BBC knows that ' s silly , and is not going to do that . " Other media . Although " Doctor Who " originated as a television programme , it has become much more than that . Starting with " Dalekmania " in the 1960s , a great deal of merchandise has sprung out of " Doctor Who " . Some of that merchandise has continued the story of the Doctor ' s adventures . Over the decades , " Doctor Who " has appeared on stage , screen , and radio , and in a variety of novels , comics , full - cast audio adventures and webcasts . Beginning in the late 1980s , independent production companies such as BBV Productions and Reeltime Pictures took advantage of a loophole in the BBC ' s ownership of " Doctor Who " to licence individual characters and monsters from the series directly from their creators and build original film and audio dramas around them ; this reached its height after the original series ended in 1989 . Many of these productions involved original cast members from the series . Meanwhile , since 1991 , a prolific series of original novels rivalled only by the " Star Trek " franchise ( in terms of quantity ) have been published . Many of these productions and novels are highly regarded by some " Doctor Who " fans . Several of the writers of the 2005 series previously wrote or scripted adventures for the Doctor in other media . In terms of non - fiction works , " Doctor Who " ranks among the most intensely chronicled entertainment franchises in history . Since the publication of " The Making of Doctor Who " in the early 1970s , the number of books detailing the production , personnel , and even philosophy behind " Doctor Who " has numbered well into three figures . In addition , a growing number of actors connected to the series have published autobiographies ( in several cases more than one volume of memoirs ) , ranging from 1960s - era co - stars such as Anneke Wills and Deborah Watling through to more recent actors such as Billie Piper and John Barrowman . External links . Official websites . for the Australia n broadcaster , ABC