What is Doctor Who?
The original Doctor Who series is a British science-fiction television show that aired from 1963 to 1989. Doctor Who is about the many adventures of a Time Lord, called the Doctor, as he travels through time and space in his space ship, named the Tardis. The Doctor is a very mysterious character and not much is known about him in the beginning of the series other than he is an intelligent alien that can travel through time. In the beginning of the Doctor Who series, the Doctor was at times quite merciless to those he encountered, however, as the show progressed, he grew to be more compassionate towards others.
How did Doctor Who come into being?
Early on, the producers of Doctor Who decided to introduce the concept of regeneration into the show. Regeneration, in this case, is the process in which the Doctor’s old body dies, however, he regenerates himself into a new body with a change in appearance. The point of all this was so the shows’ producers could recast the main character of the series, The Doctor, throughout the series. This all started when actor William Hartnell, who played the original doctor, suffered from health issues, forcing producers to search for a new actor to take over the role of the Doctor. In the original Doctor Who series, there were a total of seven Doctors, but since the reboot of Doctor Who, four more Doctors have been added to the show.
The companions and villains of Doctor Who
While he travels through space and time, the Doctor enjoys having a companion to accompany him. These companions vary as the series progresses. The first companions the Doctor had were Susan Foreman, who was the Doctor’s granddaughter, and Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton who were Susan’s teachers. Some of the other companions in this series include Romana, Sarah Jane Smith, Jo Grant, and many other notable characters.
Throughout the series, the Doctor faces many aliens and villains. Some of the most famous of these are the Daleks, the Cybermen, and The Master. The Daleks are the oldest of the Doctor’s adversaries, and some of the most dangerous. The Cybermen are alien humanoids who have the ability to implant artificial parts onto their bodies which makes them very dangerous. The Master is the Doctor’s archenemy and is an evil Time Lord who wants to take over the universe.
Doctor Who’s long-lasting popularity and impact on the British television culture
Because of Doctor Who’s great popularity, there have been many films, spin-offs, charity episodes, museum exhibitions, and merchandise created. There have even been awards that have been made and dedicated to the show. There have been twoDoctor Who feature films made which include Dr. Who and the Daleks, which came out in 1965, and Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. which came out in 1966. In 2011, it was rumored that David Yates and BBC were working on some new Doctor Who films, however, the projects fell through. Throughout the years, many Doctor Who Spin-offs have been made. Some of these shows include Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and The Infinite Quest. In 2005, Doctor Who was re-launched, and has been successfully featured for seven seasons, in fact the eighth season just recently premiered in the U.S. on August 23, 2014.
Doctor Who, has become so popular that it has been nominated for a total of 230 awards and has won 128 of them. These awards have ranged from British Fantasy Awards, to Hugo Awards, to People’s Choice Awards. The ability of Doctor Who, to catch one’s attention is one of its greatest features. This has allowed it to continue to grow in its success every year and become one of the best sci-fi television shows of all time.