Doctor Who logo Over the decades , numerous logos have been used for the " Doctor Who " televised series . 1963 - 1967 . " An Unearthly Child " - " The Moonbase " ( Seasons 1 to 4 ) The first logo featured the words " DOCTOR WHO " in block white capitals , written in a simple sans serif font . The weight and size of the two words was arranged to keep both at the same width , a trend that would continue through the next two logos . Emphasis was placed on the word " WHO " by use of a heavier , more elongated typeface than that used for " DOCTOR " . Although this logo is primarily associated with William Hartnell ' s tenure as the Doctor , it remained in use for Patrick Troughton ' s first four stories , through to " The Moonbase " . This logo saw some use in merchandising ; such as Doctor Who annual and the Frederick Muller novelisations . The latter utilised a variant of this logo , in which the word " WHO " is shown to be fuzzy and distorted . In the 1980s , Marvel Comics merged elements of the 1963 & 1973 logos for its Doctor Who comic book . An updated version of this logo ( featuring the BBC logo , as is now common practice ) was used for " The Day of the Doctor " . 1967 - 1969 . " The Macra Terror " - " The War Games " ( Seasons 4 to 6 ) This logo again featured white capital letters , this time presented in ' Times New Roman ' . The use of identical font and weight in both words severely diminished the differential emphasis featured in the 1963 logo . This logo made its first appearance in Patrick Troughton ' s fifth serial , " The Macra Terror , " alongside a new title sequence and theme . This logo was not widely used in merchandising , but an altered version of the logo was featured on record release " Variations on a Theme " years later . 1970 - 1973 . " Spearhead from Space " - " The Green Death " ( Seasons 7 to 10 ) This logo gave the programme a much more unique visual identity . It featured a specially styled typeface , and was presented in a bold shade of cyan , contrasting the simplistic , white logos of the 1960s . The enlargement of " WHO " as opposed to " DOCTOR " continued a trend that would remain in all future logos until the series ' revival in 2005 . This logo was the first to be shown in colour , debuting with the Third Doctor ' s first serial . Although primarily associated with Jon Pertwee , this logo was later used as the basis for the logo used in the 1996 television movie . 1973 - 1980 . " The Time Warrior " - " The Horns of Nimon " ( Seasons 11 to 17 ) This logo , known informally as the " diamond logo " , featured a bluish tint when used on - screen . The diamond - shaped background was often omitted in merchandising , with the colouring of the lettering and background also sometimes changed . Although commonly associated with Tom Baker ' s time as the Fourth Doctor , this logo was introduced during Jon Pertwee ' s final season as the Third Doctor . This logo was used greatly during the 1980s and 1990s , being used for video releases ( in lieu of the ' neon - tube ' logos ) , for the Virgin Missing Adventures book line , as well as replacing the 1987 logo on most tie - in publications and merchandising during the early 1990s . More recently , the logo was briefly reused for BBC Audio ' s new series of Fourth Doctor adventures . The non - diamond variant of this logo has the distinction of being the only series logo to be acknowledged in - universe . " The Kingmaker " includes references to a series of books , " Doctor Who Discovers " ( in turn " " a reference to the real - world series of books of the same title ) . The cover art for the audio incorporates the cover of one of these books , featuring this logo . 1980 - 1986 . " The Leisure Hive " - " The Ultimate Foe " ( Seasons 18 to 23 ) This logo featured the words " DOCTOR WHO " presented in a neon - tubing style , leading to it being commonly referred to as the " neon - tubing logo " . After one season of use , the logo was noticeably cleaner when Peter Davison made his debut as the Fifth Doctor , with fringing around the edges having been removed . Introduced in the final season of Tom Baker ' s era , this revamp of the logo complemented the new " star - field " title sequence , as well as the first non - Delia Derbyshire arrangement of the theme . It was then used throughout Peter Davison ' s entire tenure as the Fifth Doctor . With the introduction of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor , the logo was tinted purple to give it a more colourful hue , matching the updated title sequence . It also took on a slightly curved appearance . This variation of the logo was used almost exclusively on TV , with merchandising and books from the Colin Baker era tending to using either the 1973 or 1980 logos . 1987 - 1989 . " Time and the Rani " - " Survival " ( Seasons 24 to 26 ) This logo was the first to be a three - dimensionally animated element of the title sequence . The word " Doctor " appeared at an angle over " WHO " , which was presented in a metallic style with a red glow surrounding it . It underwent minor modifications when featured on the rebranded New Adventures books , beginning with " Happy Endings " . " Doctor " became less angled and more central , and the entire logo was more stencilled , with no texturing applied . Following the TV series ' end in 1989 this logo would continue to be used for the Virgin New Adventures novels and other merchandise including " Doctor Who Magazine " until the early 1990s when it was replaced on most products ( except the New Adventures books ) by the more famous 1973 logo . It was also used for BBC Video ' s " Years " series of retrospective VHS releases in the early 1990s , and for the 1993 special " Dimensions in Time " , which remains its final TV use . 1996 . Used in " Doctor Who " This logo was essentially a modified version of the 1970 logo . The colouring was changed , and a metallic texture applied . Some letters were slightly reshaped ( noticeably C , T , R , and W ) . It was presented as a three - dimensional object in space , echoing the 1987 logo . The logo is also seen from the rear . This logo has continually been used in merchandising since 1996 , so many alterations of this logo have been used . These include : Following the TV Movie it was used as part of BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures . It was used extensively during the 40th and 50th anniversary years ( as mentioned above ) , for example , on classic series DVDs released in Australia during 2003 . It was used on most merchandise released during 2013 , as well . Although it was replaced when the series was revived in 2005 , this logo remains the franchise ' s official logo on merchandise such as books , DVDs , and audio releases ( including the Big Finish Productions line , but not AudioGO ' s Fourth Doctor line ) which relate to the first eight Doctors . The logo has been in continuous use in one form or another since 1996 , making it the longest - running logo . 2005 - 2010 . " Rose " - " The End of Time " ( Series 1 to 2008 - 2010 specials ) For the first time , the two words of the title were presented horizontally , upon a shield . This logo was used for Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant ' s tenures as the Ninth and Tenth Doctor s . This version of the logo featured lettering considerably more squat than the 2005 logo , and a new background for the ' shield ' . However , the overall design wasn ' t impacted too heavily . Variations of this logo used in merchandising have seen the shield changed to an off - white or grey , with black lettering , or a gold or black shield with white lettering . After being updated for the 2006 Christmas special , this logo was used in " Doctor Who Magazine , " BBC trailers , the BBC Tenth Doctor Adventures book line , comic books , and in " Doctor Who Confidential " . This logo was used for the last time on television in " The End of Time " " Part 2 " . " Doctor Who Magazine " used its alteration of the logo for the last time with Issue # 416 . The logo was not completely phased out right away , however , as several pieces of merchandise , including Tenth Doctor audios from BBC Audio , a Quick Reads novel and the American " Doctor Who Ongoing " comic book series continued to use the logo into April 2010 . The Doctor Who DVD Files magazine series was the only " Doctor Who " merchandise to continue using this logo , all the way up to its final edition in 2014 . It is also still used on the BBC Doctor Who The Classic Series website . 2010 - 2011 . " The Eleventh Hour " - " The Doctor , The Widow and the Wardrobe " ( Series 5 and 6 ) This logo was the first to be comprised of two distinct elements , which were both presented in different arrangements in differing contexts . The words " DOCTOR " and " WHO " comprise one element , with a " DW " icon , representing the shape of the TARDIS ( which it also transforms into during the title sequence ) , comprising the second . Upon first release in late 2009 , the logo had the words " DOCTOR " and " WHO " on two levels , with the DW icon sitting alongside to form a square - shaped logo . The BBC logo was featured underneath , but wouldn ' t be featured in a televised logo until 2011 . Later released was the far more commonly used horizontal arrangement . The DW icon being positioned between the two words . After one season of use , the on - screen appearance was slightly updated . The BBC logo was added , the texture slightly altered , and the flare slightly increased to give a more purple hue . The BBC began using this logo for promotional trailers and its website within days of the broadcast of " The End of Time " , the horizontal version of the logo being adopted by " Doctor Who Magazine " with issue # 417 . In merchandise , the size of the DW was decreased . The horizontal arrangement of the logo was almost never used . This logo was used on most Eleventh Doctor merchandise , including books , audios and magazines , as well as for " Doctor Who Confidential " . The DW icon was used in BBC promotions for the series , often without any other wording . This would lead to a slight alteration of the logo in 2012 . Although as of 2014 , the DW is no longer featured in the show ' s logo , the DW is still used extensively in promotions and merchandise . 2012 - 2013 . " Asylum of the Daleks " - " The Time of the Doctor " ' ( Series 7 to 2013 specials ) Following extensive use of the DW icon separately to any other element of the 2010 logo , the logo was slightly adjusted for Series 7 . The DW icon was moved to the right of " DOCTOR WHO " , leaving the title uninterrupted and impacting how the logo was presented in the title sequence . During Part 1 , " DOCTOR WHO " appeared on screen , with the BBC logo directly underneath . It would then fade away , with the DW appearing , transforming into the TARDIS as previously . From The Snowmen , the DW icon was dropped on - screen . Series 7 featured many variations of the logo ' s texture - throughout the Part 1 , it differed from episode to episode . These variations included : This rearranged logo was used by " Doctor Who Magazine " from # 450 to # 476 . During 2012 and 2013 , merchandising featured two variants of the logo : the familiar blue texture ( used during Series 7 Part 1 ) , and a gradient grey - white - grey ( used during Series 7 Part 2 ) . This marked the first time a logo was used across multiple title sequences . 2014 - 2017 . " Deep Breath " until " Twice Upon a Time " ( Series 8 to Series 10 ) This logo featured a shiny , bluish metal texture , along with a thicker version of the typeface that had been used for the previous logo . Introduced with a new title sequence , marking Peter Capaldi ' s debut as the Twelfth Doctor , the logo no longer fades away , instead zooming into the screen . From 2014 , merchandising featured this version of the logo , presented as a block colour , often white , with the BBC logo on the upper left of " DOCTOR " . This version has been used by " Doctor Who Magazine " since # 477 . The " DW " logo is no longer incorporated in the logo , but is still frequently seen separately . ' Found footage ' style ( 2015 ) . " Sleep No More " ( Series 9 ) During the Series 9 episode " Sleep No More " , a special logo was used to reflect the found footage style of the story . The letters DOCTOR and WHO are highlighted shown vertically among what appears to be horizontally - aligned text similar to computer code , appearing alongside numerals and various character names from the story , including " GAGANRASSMUSSEN " , " OSAMUCHOPRA " , " DEEP - ANDO " and " CLARAOSWALD " , shortly after Gagan Rassmussen ' s beginning video message .