Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called "the Doctor", an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. With various companions, the Doctor combats foes, works to save civilisations and helps people in need.
Beginning with William Hartnell, thirteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor, and in 2017 Jodie Whittaker became the first woman to play the role. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which a Time Lord "transforms" into a new body when the current one is too badly harmed to heal normally. Each actor's portrayal is unique, but all represent stages in the life of the same character, and together, they form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling feature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet.
The show is a significant part of British popular culture, and elsewhere it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989. There was an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot, in the form of a television film titled Doctor Who. The programme was relaunched in 2005, and since then has been produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff. Doctor Who has also spawned numerous spin-offs, including comic books, films, novels, audio dramas, and the television series Torchwood (2006–2011), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011), K-9 (2009–2010), and Class (2016), and has been the subject of many parodies and references in popular culture.
Characters[]
| Year(s) | Doctor (actor) | Companion/s (actor/s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1963–66 | First Doctor (William Hartnell) | Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) Ian Chesterton (William Russell) Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) Katarina (Adrienne Hill) Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) Polly (Anneke Wills) Ben Jackson (Michael Craze) |
| 1966–69 | Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) | Polly (Anneke Wills) Ben Jackson (Michael Craze) Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) |
| 1970–74 | Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) | Liz Shaw (Caroline John) Jo Grant (Katy Manning) Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) |
| 1974–81 | Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) | Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) Leela (Louise Jameson) K-9 (John Leeson / David Brierly) Romana I (Mary Tamm) Romana II (Lalla Ward) Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) |
| 1982–84 | Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) | Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) Vislor Turlough (Mark Strickson) Kamelion (voice of Gerald Flood) Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) |
| 1984–86 | Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) | Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) |
| 1987–89 | Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) | Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) Ace (Sophie Aldred) |
| 1996 | Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) | Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) |
| 2005 | Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) | Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley) Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) |
| 2005–10 | Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) | Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue) Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) Jackson Lake (David Morrissey) Lady Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan) Adelaide Brooke (Lindsay Duncan) Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins) |
| 2010–13 | Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) | Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) River Song (Alex Kingston) Craig Owens (James Corden) Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) |
| 2014–17 | Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) | Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) River Song (Alex Kingston) Nardole (Matt Lucas) Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) |
| 2018–2022 | Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) | Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) Dan Lewis (John Bishop) Ace (Sophie Aldred) Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) |
| 2023 | Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) | Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) |
| 2023 | Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) | Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) |
International broadcast[]
| Country | Network |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BBC One, BBC Three, BBC HD, BBC One HD |
| International | Disney+ |
| Arab World | Style UK, JeemTV |
| Australia | ABC1, ABC2. ABC Me, BBC UKTV, ABC iview |
| Austria | ProSieben Austria |
| Bahamas | ZNS Channel 13[1] |
| Bahrain | Channel 55[2] |
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh Television[3] |
| Barbados | CBC TV 8[4] |
| Belgium | Eén, SyFy, Acht, La Deux |
| Bermuda | ZFB-TV[5] |
| Brunei | RTB[6] |
| Brazil | TV Cultura, BBC HD, Syfy |
| Bulgaria | AXN Sci-Fi, Diema 2 |
| Canada | CBC Television, TVOntario, Space, Ztélé |
| Chile | Canal 13, Telenorte[7] |
| Colombia | Canal 7, Canal 9[8] |
| Costa Rica | Teletica 7[9] |
| Croatia | HRT |
| Cyprus | CBC[10] |
| Czech Republic | AXN, AXN Sci-Fi, ČT2 |
| Denmark | DR, TV 2 |
| Ecuador | Canal 10[11] |
| Ethiopia | ETV[12] |
| Finland | Yle TV2, MTV3 Sci-Fi |
| France | TF1, France 4, Syfy, NRj 12 |
| Germany | RTL plus, VOX, ProSieben, Syfy, Fox, One |
| Ghana | GBC[13] |
| Gibraltar | GBC TV[14] |
| Greece | Skai TV |
| Guam | KGTF TV[15] |
| Hong Kong | ATV World, BBC Entertainment |
| Hungary | RTL Klub, Cool TV, AXN, AXN Sci-Fi |
| Iceland | RÚV |
| Iran | BBC Persian |
| Ireland | BBC Entertainment, TG4 |
| Israel | HOT VOD, Yes Stars Action, Yes Sci Fi, BBC Entertainment |
| Italy | Rai 1, Jimmy, Rai 4 |
| Jamaica | JBC[16] |
| Japan | NHK BS2 |
| Jordan | Jordan TV[17] |
| Kenya | KBC[18] |
| Latin America | People+Arts, BBC HD, BBC Entertainment, Syfy, Fox Premium Series |
| Lebanon | CLT Canaux 7,4,2, Télé-Orient Canal 5[19] |
| Libya | Libyan Broadcasting & TV Service[20] |
| Malaysia | Astro |
| Maldives | TVM[21] |
| Malta | Television Malta[22] |
| Mauritius | MBC[23] |
| Mexico | BBC Entertainment, Televisión Mexiquense |
| Monaco | TMC[24] |
| Morocco | Radiodiffusion Télévision Marocaine[25] |
| Netherlands | Nederland 2, Nederland 3, Syfy |
| New Zealand | Prime, BBC UKTV, TVNZ 2, TVNZ 1, TVNZ+ |
| Nigeria | RKTV, ENTV, NBC-TV, WNTV, MidWest TV, BPTV, River State TV, NWT, NTV/NTA[26] |
| Norway | NRK |
| Nicaragua | Canal 2[27] |
| Poland | Polsat 2, Tele 5, TVP1, BBC Entertainment, AXN, AXN Sci-Fi, BBC HD, BBC First, TVP ABC |
| Portugal | SIC Radical, SyFy, BBC Entertainment |
| Philippines | GMA Network |
| Puerto Rico | WAPA TV[28] |
| Qatar | Qatar Television[29] |
| Romania | AXN Sci-Fi, TVR |
| Russia | STS, Syfy, HCT, Universal Channel, Carousel, Disney Channel, Sony Sci-Fi |
| Saudi Arabia | AJL-TV, ARAMCO TV/HZ-22/DHAHRAN TV/Channel 3, Saudi TV[30] |
| Serbia | IQS.Life, AXN |
| Seychelles | RTS[31] |
| Sierra Leone | SLTV[32] |
| Singapore | Channel 5, Channel 8,[33]BBC Entertainment |
| Slovenia | RTVSLO |
| South Africa | BBC Entertainment |
| South Korea | KBS2, Fox, BBC Entertainment |
| Spain | TVG, TV3, Aragón Televisión, People + Arts, Televisión Canaria, Canal 2 Andalucía, Clan TVE, ETB1, Boing!, SyFy |
| Sri Lanka | ITN[34] |
| Sweden | BBC Entertainment, BBC HD, TV4 Guld, Kanal 9, SVT |
| Swaziland/Eswatini | STBC[35] |
| Switzerland | ProSieben Switzerland |
| Taiwan | TTV, CTS, BBC Entertainment |
| Thailand | BBTV Channel 7 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | TTT[36] |
| Turkey | Cine5, CNBC-e, e2 |
| Tunisia | RTT[37] |
| Uganda | Uganda Television Service[38] |
| Ukraine | ICTV, QTV |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai 33 |
| United States | Syfy, BBC America, PBS, Disney XD |
| Venezuela | RCTV[39] |
| Wales | S4C |
| Zambia | ZNBC[40] |
| Zimbabwe | ZBC[41] |
References[]
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Bahamas
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Bahrain
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Bangladesh
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Barbados
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Bermuda
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Brunei
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Chile
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Colombia
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Costa_Rica
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Cyprus
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Ecuador
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Ethiopia
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Ghana
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Gibraltar
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Guam
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Jamaica
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Jordan
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Kenya
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Lebanon
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Libya
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Maldives
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Malat
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Mauritius
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Monaco
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Morocco
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Nigeria
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Nicaragua
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Puerto_Rico
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Qatar
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Saudi_Arabia
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Seychelles
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Sierra_Leone
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Singapore
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Sri_Lanka
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Swaziland
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Trinidad_%26_Tobago
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Tunisia
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Uganda
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Venezuela
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Zambia
- ↑ https://broadwcast.org/index.php/Rhodesia_/_Zimbabwe