Conversation so far:
When was Doctor Who started?
Doctor Who first appeared on BBC TV at 17:16:20 GMT on Saturday, 23 November 1963.
What was Doctor Who about?
Doctor Who depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being, to all appearances human, from the planet Gallifrey.

Question: How popular was the series?
Self-contained rewrite: How popular was the Doctor Who series?