Doctor Who

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Doctor Who
Current Doctor Who series logo[1]
Format: Science Fiction; Drama
Country: United Kingdom
Channel: BBC One
First Aired: 23 November 1963 (original series)
26 March 2005 (current series)
Creators: Sydney Newman
C. E. Webber
Donald Wilson
Russell T. Davies (current series)
Starring: David Tennant; Freema Agyeman
Picture format: 720x576 16:9 (2005–)
See also: Doctor Who (classic series)

Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as 'the Doctor'. His time machine, the TARDIS, is famously disguised as an old British police box and is bigger on the inside than out; some well-known adversaries include the Daleks - mutants inside pepperpot-shaped casings - and the Cybermen. The programme has lasted so long partly because the Doctor, as an alien, is able to regenerate his body when badly injured, allowing the lead actor to be recast. Traditionally, the Doctor is accompanied on his adventures by at least one (usually human) companion.

The programme is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running science fiction television series in the world[2] and is also a significant part of British popular culture.[3][4] It has been recognised for its imaginative stories, creative low-budget special effects during its original run and pioneering use of electronic music (originally produced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop). In Britain and elsewhere, the show has become a cult television favourite on a par with Star Trek and has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. It has received recognition from critics and the public as one of the finest British television programmes, including a BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series in 2006.

The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989, with a television movie made in 1996. It was successfully relaunched in 2005, produced in-house by BBC Wales.[5] Doctor Who has also spawned spin-offs in multiple media, including the current television series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The relaunch of the programme has seen Christmas Day special episodes broadcast between series, the most recent being The Runaway Bride.[6] Series three of the programme, starring David Tennant as the Doctor and Freema Agyeman as his companion Martha Jones, followed in spring 2007 on BBC One.

History

File:Tardis.jpg
No ordinary police box: the TARDIS is a time machine that's bigger on the inside (Doctor Who, 2005).

Following the programme's 1989 cancellation and failure of a 1996 American-backed movie to secure a new series, as a television programme Doctor Who stayed 'on hiatus' until 2003. The return of the show in 2005 was largely due to the persistence of the controller of BBC One, Lorraine Heggessey,[7] who finally won the rights to the series from the corporation's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. Several unsuccessful attempts by Worldwide to find backing for a feature film version finally convinced the BBC that an in-house series was the best way to secure the future of the programme.[8].

The BBC approached writer Russell T. Davies to bring back the series. Davies had contributed to a range of Doctor Who novels published in the interim years, so brought a love of the programme to the new series as well as considerable television scriptwriting experience. Davies was appointed executive producer, with an additional responsibility of being head writer on the programme. To date, he has also written the majority of scripts for the series. Joining him to head up the programme at BBC Wales was the BBC Head of Drama Julie Gardner.

The new series debuted with the episode Rose[9] on BBC One on 26 March 2005, and the show has since been sold to many other countries (see Viewership). Due to an initial lack of interest by United States networks, it only debuted on the Sci Fi Channel on 17 March 2006, one year after the Canadian and UK showings. The BBC subsequently commissioned more series and Christmas specials. Series 2 in the UK was followed by The Runaway Bride in December 2006. Series 2 began airing in the US on the Sci-Fi Channel on 29 September 2006, followed by the CBC on 9 October.

Public consciousness

The Doctor

For more information, see: Doctor (Doctor Who).
File:Drwho-tennant-eccleston.jpg
Above: the current Doctor (David Tennant). Below: his previous incarnation (Christopher Eccleston).

The Doctor is the main character in the series: the newest episodes reveal various aspects of his character and past, but much remains mysterious. He was first played by Christopher Eccleston for one series, followed by David Tennant.[10]

Warning: Spoilers follow below

In Rose the viewer is introduced to what appears to be a leather-jacketed man of action, mid-way through a conflict with a creature known as the Nestene. It becomes clear that he is not a human being, and that he travels in time and space in a machine disguised as a 1950s police telephone box; one which is nevertheless fantastically bigger on the inside. This story also reveals that he is also the last of his own people, who were otherwise destroyed in a great battle known as the 'Time War'.[11] Throughout this season of adventures, it is emphasised that this individual is "damaged"[12] by his experiences, which make him somewhat unpredictable.

The Doctor's physiology is rather different from humans; the first series reveals he has two hearts, for example, and he is also capable of physical and mental feats beyond those of an ordinary human. The most spectacular of these, as shown at the conclusion of the final story of the new Doctor Who's first year, is his ability to regenerate - what he calls a trick for "cheating death". His body fatally injured in the course of saving his companion Rose's life, she and the viewer witness a tremendous burst of energy released from his body, and his features melt into those of a new individual - the Doctor's present incarnation, portrayed by David Tennant.

It is quickly established that this new person is the same character, physically different and with some new personality quirks, but still the same intensely curious and highly moral adventurer, who would rather solve problems with his wits than through violence.

Other aspects of the Doctor's life remain less clear. There are suggestions of romantic feelings towards both Rose and others,[13] but the his personal relationships are never humanlike. Though in the 2006 episode Fear Her,[14] it is revealed that he was once a father, this series reveals nothing more of what family he may have had.

Companions

File:Freemaagyeman.jpg
Freema Agyeman appears as the Doctor's newest companion, Martha Jones.

Warning: Spoilers follow below

The Doctor is initially travelling alone, but former London shop assistant Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) joins him at the close of the opening adventure, with others appearing later. It becomes clear that the Doctor's new friends were not the first to join him in the TARDIS, but so far only two of his 'companions' from the past have appeared,[15] and others have not been discussed. Though the relationship between the Doctor and Rose is initially rocky, they come to trust and rely on each other through experience; her departure in 2006's Doomsday[16] seemed to affect the Doctor deeply.

In terms of programme-making, the idea of having a companion is to provide a surrogate with whom the audience can identify and to further the story by asking questions and getting into trouble. Any kind of intimate relationship is out: the series played with this idea by having various characters think that the Doctor and Rose were a couple, which they vehemently denied.

From the beginning of the 2007 series, Freema Agyeman played Martha Jones, the Doctor's next ongoing companion.[17]

Adversaries

File:Dalek.jpg
The Daleks are perhaps the best-known adversaries faced by the Doctor.

Warning: Spoilers follow below

In Doctor Who, the universe is a dangerous place. A frequently occurring theme is that of various alien races attempting to conquer the Earth or otherwise threatening the human race,[18] only to be foiled by the Doctor. Perhaps the best-known example of this in the new series concerns the attempts of the Slitheen family to take over the planet and sell it for scrap.[19] Other villians appearing include the Autons (Rose), the Cybermen (in the 2006 series) and Cassandra, the last human being alive five billion years in the future.[20]

Of all the monsters and villains, the best-known in the series and wider UK culture are the Daleks: deadly mutants in tank-like mechanical armour from the planet Skaro. Envisaged as representing the Nazis, their best-known characteristic is frequently screaming "Exterminate!" at anything un-Dalek. They Daleks have appeared several times in the new series, firstly in Dalek,[21] where it appears that only one individual had survived a previous encounter with their nemesis, the Doctor (known in Skaroene lore as 'The Oncoming Storm'[22]).


Music

For the new series in 2005, Murray Gold provided a new arrangement which featured samples from the 1963 original with further elements added. A soundtrack CD of Gold's music for the new series was released on 4 December 2006 by Silva Screen Records.[23]. Gold also created a variation on his arrangement for the closing credits of The Christmas Invasion, which was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Unlike his arrangement for the 2005 series, this version restored the 'middle eight'; it was also used for the closing credits of the 2006 series.

Viewership

File:Tardis-console.jpg
The Doctor at the controls of the TARDIS (The Runaway Bride, 2006).

Doctor Who has always appeared on the BBC's mainstream BBC One channel, drawing audiences of many millions of viewers. The BBC One broadcast of Rose, the first episode of the 2005 revival, drew an average audience of 10.81 million, third highest for BBC One that week and seventh across all channels. The 2005 series had an average audience of 7.95 million viewers, and the 2006 series achieved an average audience of about 7.71 million in the context of declining year-to-year viewership for all television channels. The episode Rise of the Cybermen managed sixth place in the charts across the week with 9.22 million viewers.[24]

The programme has been widely sold abroad, both in the English-speaking world and further afield with dubbing or subtitling.[25] The Japanese version, for example, includes a new logo in the native katakana writing system: ドクター・フー (Dokutaa Fuu)[26]

The series has been released on DVD as both boxed sets of the first two seasons, with extras including a documentary for most episodes, and as single no-frills discs, for both Region 1 and Region 2 players. The 2005 series is also available in its entirety on UMD for the PlayStation Portable.

Format

Each series consists of thirteen 45-minute, self-contained episodes (60 minutes with adverts on commercial channels overseas). This includes three two-parters and a loose story arc per season whose elements are brought together in the season finale. Like the original serial format, two-part episodes have separate titles. From series two, the regular characters have been largely absent from one episode so the leads can concentrate on filming others; this led to criticism of the first 'Doctor-lite' adventure, 2006's Love and Monsters.[27]

Doctor Who, having already completed 724 episodes, will surpass the number of individual instalments of the Star Trek franchise (726 episodes over five programmes) during the 2007 series.

The current series is filmed in 576i25 DigiBeta widescreen format and then filmised to give a 25p image in post-production using a Snell and Wilcox Alchemist Platinum.


Fandom

Doctor Who has amassed a large number of fans[28] from all over the world, and appears to have won a new generation of followers of varying ages: the UK children's magazine show Blue Peter reported that their 'Design a Doctor Who Monster' competition received the largest number of entries for any such event since 1993.[29] The series is more a mainstream part of popular culture in its native UK, where it is regarded as a family show and is shown on the main public service broadcasting channel, BBC One. In an example of how British culture has taken the programme to heart, on the occasion when London's Metropolitan Police challenged the BBC's ownership of the police box design, they lost as the court ruled that people associate such boxes with time machines rather than the police.[30]

Celebrity fans include comedians Jon Culshaw, David Walliams[31], Mitch Benn, Peter Kay (who appeared in Love & Monsters), Mark Gatiss (writer of several episodes, who also appears in the third series), Stewart Lee and Matt Lucas, cricketers Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch, singer and actress Toyah Willcox, Cedric Bixler-Zavala of the Mars Volta, singer Meat Loaf, Simpsons creator Matt Groening, graphic novelist and fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, horror novelist Brian Keene, and science-fiction writer and critic Harlan Ellison.


Adaptations and other appearances

Torchwood

Following the success of the 2005 series produced by Russell T. Davies, the BBC commissioned Davies to produce a 13-part spin-off series titled Torchwood (an anagram of "Doctor Who"), set in modern-day Wales and investigating alien activities and crime. The series debuted on BBC Three on 22 October 2006. John Barrowman reprises his role of Jack Harkness from the 2005 series of Doctor Who. [32] Eve Myles, who was in the 2005 Doctor Who episode The Unquiet Dead, and Naoko Mori (Aliens of London) also star, the latter reprising her role as Dr Toshiko Sato.[33]

The Sarah Jane Adventures

The Sarah Jane Adventures, starring Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, has been developed by CBBC; a special aired on New Year's Day 2007, and a full series will follow later in 2007.[34]

Other episodes

A new K-9 children's series, K-9 Adventures, is in development, but not by the BBC.[35]

One episode of Doctor Who which was not broadcast as part of the new series was an untitled seven-minute feature, set in the immediate aftermath of The Parting of the Ways and leading directly into The Christmas Invasion, shown as part of the Children in Need telethon. Unlike other 'charity' episodes made before the 2005 comeback, this episode forms part of the official continuity 'canon'.

Awards

The revived series has received particular recognition from critics and the public. In 2005, at the National Television Awards (voted on by members of the British public), Doctor Who won "Most Popular Drama", Christopher Eccleston won "Most Popular Actor" and Billie Piper won "Most Popular Actress". The series and Piper repeated their wins at the 2006 National Television Awards, and David Tennant won "Most Popular Actor".[36] A scene from The Doctor Dances won "Golden Moment" in the BBC's "2005 TV Moments" awards,[37] and Doctor Who swept all the categories in BBC.co.uk's online "Best of Drama" poll in both 2005[38] and 2006.[39] The programme also won the Broadcast Magazine Award for Best Drama.[40][41] Eccleston was awarded the TV Quick and TV Choice award for Best Actor in 2005; in the same awards in 2006 Tennant won Best Actor, Piper won Best Actress and Doctor Who won Best-Loved Drama.[42][43]

Doctor Who was nominated in the Best Drama Series category at the 2006 Royal Television Society awards,[44] but lost to BBC Three's medical drama Bodies.[45]

Doctor Who also received several nominations for the 2006 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards: the programme for Best Drama, Eccleston for Best Actor (David Tennant was also nominated for Secret Smile), Piper for Best Actress and Davies for Best Writer. However, it did not win any of these categories.[46]

Several episodes of the 2005 series of Doctor Who were nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Dalek, Father's Day and the double episode The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. At a ceremony at the Worldcon (L.A. Con IV) in Los Angeles on 27 August 2006, the Hugo was awarded to The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.[47] Dalek and Father's Day came in second and third places respectively.[48]

The British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA) nominations, released on March 27 2006, revealed that Doctor Who had been shortlisted in the category of Best Drama Series. This is the highest-profile and most prestigious British television award for which the series has ever been nominated. Doctor Who was also nominated in several other categories in the BAFTA Craft Awards, including Best Writer (Russell T. Davies), Best Director (Joe Ahearne), and Break-through Talent (production designer Edward Thomas). However, it did not eventually win any of its categories at the Craft Awards.

On Sunday May 7 2006, the main BAFTA award winners were announced, and Doctor Who won both of the categories it was nominated for, the Best Drama Series and audience-voted Pioneer Award. Russell T. Davies also won the Dennis Potter Award for Outstanding Writing for Television.[49]

On April 22 2006, the programme won five categories (out of fourteen nominations) at the lower-profile BAFTA Cymru awards, given to programmes made in Wales. It won Best Drama Series, Drama Director (James Hawes), Costume, Make-up and Photography Direction. Russell T Davies also won the Sian Phillips Award for Outstanding Contribution to Network Television.[50]


Footnotes

  1. ↑ Known by some fans as the 'taxicab logo' to distinguish it from earlier versions.
  2. ↑ Dr Who 'longest-running sci-fi', BBC News, 2006-09-28. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  3. ↑ (2006-09-14) "The end of Olde Englande: A lament for Blighty". The Economist. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
  4. ↑ ICONS. A Portrait of England. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  5. ↑ Some development money for the new series is contributed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which is credited as a co-producer, although they do not have creative input into the show.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia: The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who), 2007.
  7. ↑ Born in 1956, Heggessey was amongst the first generation of BBC executives and Doctor Who contributors who had actually grown up with the original programme. It has been suggested that this childhood love of the series, emerging as these people reached the senior ranks of the BBC, was one factor in the show's resurrection in 2003.
  8. ↑ Daily Telegraph: 'Doctor Who ready to come out of the Tardis for Saturday TV series' 26th September 2003.
  9. ↑ Wikipedia: Rose (Doctor Who), 2005.
  10. ↑ Other actors have also played the Doctor, though rarely more than once (see the list of actors who have played the Doctor for details).
  11. ↑ See Wikipedia articles on the 'Time War'.
  12. ↑ In Russell T. Davies's words.
  13. ↑ e.g. Reinette in the 2006 adventure The Girl in the Fireplace, (Wikipedia).
  14. ↑ Wikipedia: Fear Her, 2006.
  15. ↑ Wikipedia: School Reunion, 2006.
  16. ↑ Wikipedia: Doomsday, 2006.
  17. ↑ BBC (2006-07-05). Freema Agyeman confirmed as new companion to Doctor Who. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
  18. ↑ A new, enforced guideline for the new series so far is that all stories must involve humanity in some way.
  19. ↑ Wikipedia: Aliens of London and World War Three 2005.
  20. ↑ Wikipedia: The End of the World, 2005; New Earth, 2006.
  21. ↑ Wikipedia: Dalek, 2005.
  22. ↑ Wikipedia: The Parting of the Ways, 2005.
  23. ↑ BBC: Who soundtrack soon. 11th November 2006.
  24. ↑ Spilsbury, T.: 'Public Image'. Doctor Who Magazine #373:8, 13th September 2006.
  25. ↑ As of October 2006, the new series has been, or is currently, broadcast weekly in Australia (ABC), Belgium (één), Brazil (People+Arts), Canada (in English on CBC and in French on Ztélé), Denmark (Danmarks Radio), Finland (TV2), France (France 4), Hong Kong (ATV World), Hungary (RTL Klub-owned COOL TV), Israel (Yes Weekend), Italy (Jimmy), Japan (BS-2, a channel of NHK), Malaysia (Astro Network), the Netherlands (NED 3), New Zealand (Prime TV), Norway (NRK), Poland (TVP 1), Portugal (People+Arts), Russia (STS TV), Spain and Latin America (People+Arts), South Korea (KBS), the United States (Sci Fi Channel and BBC America), Greece (Skai TV), Style UK (part of Showtime Arabia) for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Levant territories. The series has also been sold to, but not yet shown in, Germany (Pro 7), Sweden (SVT) and Romania (TVR).
  26. ↑ BBC: Turning Japanese. 30th June 2006. Although Fuu is an accurate romanisation of the Japanese name, the Japanese version of the programme also employs the English name alongside the Japanese equivalent. Additionally, many speakers will pronounce Fuu as Huu. See also NHK's Doctor Who website.
  27. ↑ Wikipedia: Love & Monsters
  28. ↑ The term 'Whovian' (similar to Trekkie for Star Trek) is often used by the press to refer to Doctor Who fans, although the term is not often used by fans themselves.
  29. ↑ BBC: Monster Success. 18th August 2005. The winning entry appeared in 2006's 'Love & Monsters' as the fearsome 'Abzorbaloff'. Its creator, 13-year-old William Grantham, reportedly gave the seal of approval to the BBC's interpretation, though remarked that "it was supposed to be the size of a double-decker bus".
  30. ↑ BBC: BBC Wins Police Tardis Case. 23rd October 2002.
  31. ↑ davidwalliams.com. Walliams appeared as the programme's creator, Sydney Newman, in a 1999 sketch with Mark Gatiss.
  32. ↑ BBC: Doctor Who spin-off made in Wales. 17th October 2005.
  33. ↑ BBC: Team Torchwood. 24th February 2006.
  34. ↑ BBC (2006-09-14). Russell T Davies creates new series for CBBC, starring Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  35. ↑ BBC: Doctor Who dog K9 gets spin-off. 26th July 2006.
  36. ↑ Dr Who scores TV awards hat-trick, BBC News, bbc.co.uk, 2006-10-31. Retrieved on 2006-10-31.
  37. ↑ 2005 TV Moments. bbc.co.uk (December 2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  38. ↑ Drama Best of 2005. bbc.co.uk (December 2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  39. ↑ Drama Best of 2006. bbc.co.uk (January 2007). Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  40. ↑ Doctor Who wins Broadcast Award. bbc.co.uk (2006-01-26). Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  41. ↑ 2006 Winners. Broadcast Magazine (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  42. ↑ Street is best soap at TV awards, BBC News, 2005-09-06. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
  43. ↑ Doctor Who lands three TV awards, BBC News, 2006-09-05. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
  44. ↑ RTS Programme Awards - Nominations, The Guardian, 2006-02-21. Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  45. ↑ Bleak House wins TV drama award, BBC News, 2006-03-15. Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  46. ↑ Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2006. Broadcasting Press Guild (March 31 2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-24.
  47. ↑ Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners. Locus Online (2006-08-26). Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
  48. ↑ Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. 2006 Hugo Award & Campbell Award Winners (2006-08-26). Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
  49. ↑ Doctor Who is Bafta award winner, BBC News, 2006-05-08. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
  50. ↑ Doctor leads Bafta Cymru winners, BBC News, 2006-04-22. Retrieved on 2006-04-24.


See also


Books

This selection includes information on the new series.

  • Chapman J (2006) Inside the TARDIS: the World of Doctor Who. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 184511163X. A scholarly account of the series's history from 1963 to 2005, penned by a media professor.
  • Howarth C & Lyons S (2007) Doctor Who: the Completely Unofficial Encyclopedia. Des Moines, IA: Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097259597X. Satirical fan-written view covering 1996-2006.
  • Lyon JS (2005) Back to the Vortex: the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who 2005. Tolworth, Surrey: Telos Publishing. ISBN 1903889782. Covers the return of the series, and includes an episode guide.
  • Russell G (2006) Doctor Who - the Inside Story: the Official Guide to Series 1 and 2. London: BBC Books. ISBN 056348649X. Hardback insider volume.

External links

These links may also include information about the 1963-1989 series.

Official sites

General information

Production information

News and media

Doctor Who universe

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