The beginning of “Doctor Who”
The popular British sci-fi series Doctor Who celebrates its 50 years of exciting, and remarkable adventures through time travel. So when and how did this adventure start?
It was on November 23, 1963 whenDoctor Who began airing, at exactly 5:15 pm. The first episode of the serial was “Unearthly Child”, which introduced the series’ First Doctor portrayed by English actor William Hartnell. But because it was shown the day after Kennedy’s assassination that shook the whole world (and prompted extended news coverage), the BBC broadcast it again on November 30 to those who missed to catch the initial broadcast.
It allowed viewers to enter into the police box — known as TARDIS — which was “bigger on the inside” and encounter the first-ever Doctor Who, the aged curmudgeon who came from the planet Gallifrey as a time-traveling alien.
“The Day of the Doctor” – Doctor Who’s special episode
After five decades, 33 seasons, 798 episodes, 11 actors who have played Doctor Who, the BBC series celebrated their golden anniversary on November 23, 2013 with a special episode titled “The Day of the Doctor.”
In this special episode, the Doctors embark on perhaps their greatest adventure yet. It leads viewers to the last day of the Last Great Time War, where the War Doctor decides to kill the Daleks (the extraterrestrial race of mutants) as well as his his own race the Time Lords (humanoids) in order to put an end to this bloodshed. This is in parallel with the current choice of the UNIT (UNified Intelligence Taskforce or United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) who aims to destroy London rather than allow aliens to invade the city.
“The Day of the Doctor” starred actor Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, along with returning lead actor David Tennant, who re-essays his role as Doctor Who. Another actor John Hurt also makes an appearance as the “War Doctor,” the Doctor’s warrior-like incarnation. Other appearances also included a very brief peek at actor Peter Capaldi, who would be the Twelfth Doctor in the succeeding episode, “The Time of the Doctor.”
Some info on the cast of characters of “The Day of the Doctor”
“The Day of the Doctor” starred actor Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, along with returning lead actor David Tennant, who re-essays his role as Doctor Who. Another actor John Hurt also makes an appearance as the “War Doctor,” the Doctor’s warrior-like incarnation. Other appearances also included a very brief peek at actor Peter Capaldi, who would be the Twelfth Doctor in the succceding episode, “The Time of the Doctor.”
“The Day of the Doctor” also featured the comeback of the Daleks as well as the Zygons, the shape-shifting aliens who made their first appearance on the 1975 serial “Terror of the Zygons.”
The episode was written by known English TV writer and producer, Steven Moffat, who also came successful with the famous Sherlock series.
The impact of “Doctor Who”
This special episode was broadcast simultaneously in 94 countries, in both 2D and 3D. In countries such as the UK, the United States and Canada, “The Day of the Doctor” was shown simultaneously both on cinemas and television; while in other countries, the episode was either shown on cinemas only, or television only.
Google also featured an interactive game in honor of the show’s 50th anniversary. You can still play the game on the “Related links” section.
Being in fifty years is no fluke, and yes, Doctor Who is really, really old. No wonder it is the longest-running sci-fi series ever released. Not only it has become a British institution, Doctor Who has also won many devoted following all over the globe. It is a really amazing achievement for the show, while it hasn’t yet ended in bringing more exciting time-travel adventures for the fans for the years to come.