Doctor Who (TV Series)

BBC Wales (2002-Present)

**Doctor Who** is a British science fiction adventure television series revolving around the travels of a mysterious alien known simply as "the Doctor". In the show's universe, the Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in a time machine/spaceship called the TARDIS, that is supposed to blend itself into it's environment but is permanently stuck as a 1960's British police box. Along with the Doctor are a number of various companions that join the Doctor on their travels, most of them being human and from Earth.

Every few years, the average being 3 to 4 years, the show completely changes the cast and crew so that it can continue to air and keep up with the changing times. This also includes the Doctor themselves. The original actor, William Hartnell, fell ill and was unable to continue playing the role, and so the writers decided to swap him out with a new actor - Patrick Troughton - in an in-universe process that the show later called "regeneration", an ability of the Time Lords which allows them to cheat certain death by completely changing their physical appearance and personality. This is what has allowed to show to run continuously since 1963, with 12 actors as of 2004 taking up the titular role.

The show is also most known for it's wide array of villains and alien monsters that appear throughout the show's history. Most notable being the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Sontarans, the Ice Warriors, the Zygons, the Silurians and the Doctor's rival archenemies and fellow Time Lord - **the Master**.

## History

##### The Black & White Era (1963-1969)

* Encompassing the First and Second Doctors' eras, beginning with Season 1's ***An Unearthly Child*** and ending with Season 6's ***The War Games***.

##### The Golden Age (1970-1980)

* Encompassing the entirety of the Third and the majority of the Fourth Doctor's era. Season 7 was the first season filmed in color and both incarnations, particularly the Fourth Doctor, were critical in cementing Doctor Who as a cultural touchstone in British culture and iconography as well as science fiction as a whole. Beginning with Season 7's ***Spearhead in Space*** and ending with Season 17's ***The Horns of Nimon***, though it was originally supposed to end with the unaired story ***Shada***.

##### The Middle Years (1980-1987):

* Encompassing the Fourth Doctor's last season, all the way up to the Seventh Doctor's first season. This era of the show saw an adaptation to the style of the 1980's and an aim to a more family friendly audience. Although Doctor Who was always seen as a show for all ages, the Tom Baker era was criticized by a vocal minority for being "too violent for children", and so the show was mostly toned down. Beginning with Season 18's ***The Leisure Hive*** and ending with Season 24's ***Dragonfire**.*

##### The Cartmel Master Plan (1988-1997):

* Encompassing the rest of the Seventh Doctor's tenure and the entirety of the Eighth and Ninth Doctors' seasons. Script editor Andrew Cartmel wanted to put some mystery back into the show as he felt that Doctor Who was losing the intrigue and ambiguity that made it special. His plan was to eventually reveal that the Doctor was far more than just another Time Lord, that he was hiding the truth behind his origins which connect to the very beginnings of Time Lord society, all revolving around the mysterious "Other". Hints were dropped during Seasons 25 & 26 but once he became producer in 1990, Cartmel pushed this overarching long-term mystery before culminating in 1997. Beginning with Season 25's ***Remembrance of the Daleks*** and then concluding with Season 34's ***Lungbarrow**.*

##### The Modern Era (1998-Present):

* The current era of the franchise starting with Season 35. The most obvious difference being that the episode format was completely changed, the inclusion of far more digital SFX within the show and the drastic budget increase given by the BBC. This era began with the Tenth Doctor and is where the series is now.

## Episodes

#### **First Doctor**

The First Doctor was portrayed by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966

#### **Second Doctor**

The Second Doctor was portrayed by Patrick Troughton from 1966 to 1969

#### **Third Doctor**

The Third Doctor was portrayed by Jon Pertwee from 1970 to 1974

###### Season 7

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###### Season 8

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###### Season 9

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###### Season 10

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###### Season 11

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#### **Fourth Doctor**

The Fourth Doctor was portrayed by Tom Baker from 1974 to 1981

###### Season 12

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#### **Fifth Doctor**

The Fifth Doctor was portrayed by Peter Davison from 1982 to 1984

#### **Sixth Doctor**

The Sixth Doctor was portrayed by Colin Baker from 1984 to 1986

###### Season 23

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#### **Seventh Doctor**

The Seventh Doctor was portrayed by Sylvester McCoy from 1987 to 1990

###### Season 24

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###### Season 25

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###### Season 26

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###### Season 27

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#### **Eighth Doctor**

The Eighth Doctor was portrayed by David Troughton from 1991 to 1994

###### Season 28

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###### Season 29

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#### **Ninth Doctor**

The Ninth Doctor was portrayed by Peter Capaldi from 1995 to 1997

#### **Tenth Doctor**

The Tenth Doctor was portrayed by Paul McGann from 1998 to 2001

###### Season 36

Starting in 1999, Doctor Who moved to the now standard 12-13 forty-five minute episode a' season format.

#### **Eleventh Doctor**

The Eleventh Doctor was portrayed by Richard E. Grant from 2002 to 2005