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<nowiki>defs
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The British science fiction series as broadcast from 1963 to 1989, and including the 1996 TV movie; also, other novels and audio plays produced prior to the 2005 relaunch.
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British science-fiction television series which ran from 1963 to 1989 on the BBC, followed by a 1996 television movie; relaunched in 2005.
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intro
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'''Doctor Who''' is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[science-fiction]] [[television]] series which ran from 1963 to 1989 on the [[BBC]], followed by a 1996 [[television movie]], prior to its relaunch in 2005. It features the adventures of a [[time travel|time traveller]] known as the 'Doctor', who journeys through [[time]] and [[space]], righting wrongs and fighting injustice, often accompanied by allies known to [[fan (person)|fans]] as 'companions'.
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The Doctor's 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, who has an [[alien]] physiology, is able to regenerate his body when badly injured, allowing the lead actor to be recast. By 2010, eleven actors will have played the Doctor on television, with others appearing in other media. The 2010 series will be executive-[[producer|produced]] by [[Stephen Moffat]], with [[Matt Smith]] in the lead role; the pair take over from [[Russell T. Davies]] and [[David Tennant]].
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history
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In the early 1960s, ''Doctor Who'' was the eventual product of a desire within the BBC to bring science fiction to the small screen. Something was needed to plug a gap in the Saturday early evening schedules of [[sport]] and [[music]] programmes; ''Doctor Who'' was created [[Sydney Newman]], [[Donald Wilson]] and [[C.E. Webber]], and produced by the BBC's [[drama]] department as a family viewing, intended to be [[education]]al and exciting. Time travel as a premise of the series would allow a balance of [[history|historical]] settings and space adventure, with the characters facing danger alongside both aliens and figures of history. With [[Verity Lambert]] - the BBC's youngest and only female producer - at the helm, [[William Hartnell]] was cast as the grandfatherly, enigmatic 'Doctor' and the series was first shown on 23rd November, 1963.
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''Doctor Who'' initially endured a rough ride, though audiences seemed positive on the whole. The series was over-budget, with money being clawed back gradually through Lambert's stewardship, and forces within the BBC were unhappy that the Drama Department were responsible for a programme that they felt would find a more appropriate home at the BBC. The series was only intended to run for a few episodes, but all that changed with the second serial - ''The Daleks''. [[Terry Nation]]'s script ushered in the mid-sixties 'Dalekmania' craze, with millions of children and not a few older viewers taking the evil Daleks to heart. The Daleks secured the show's future, and over time, appeared more regularly both in the series and in two cinematic productions starring [[Peter Cushing]]. More aliens appeared in the programme, and as the years rolled by, the 'pure historical' serials dwindled as successive production teams took the TARDIS further out into time and space.
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By 1966, changes were afoot as audience ratings began to decline. Hartnell was ill and had become increasingly difficult to deal with. If the show was to survive, a new lead actor was required, raising the problem of how to recast the Doctor. Several ideas were suggested, but ultimately the concept of a mysterious "renewal" process, explained as part of the TARDIS, was shown to change the Doctor's physical appearence and, to some extent, his personality. [[Patrick Troughton]] first appeared as the Doctor in 1966; over the next few weeks, it became clear that audiences were warming to his portrayal of the Doctor as a dishevelled figure with a determination to overcome the terrors of the [[universe]], and the series entered its so-called 'Monster Era', with more alien creatures appearing.
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1969 saw Troughton's departure, and another radical change for the series. Under producer [[Derreck Sherwin]], the series moved to an [[Earth]]-based background where the Doctor would be aided by a [[military]] organisation known as the '[[United Nations]] Intelligence Taskforce' (UNIT). Stories set in a near-future Earth - actually, for the most part the south of [[England]] - were cheaper to produce and would involve higher production values, especially during the transition to colour programming. Troughton's final episode saw the Doctor captured and put on trial by his own people, accused of meddling the affairs of other races. The 'Time Lords', from whom it was revealed the Doctor fled due to boredom, exiled the Doctor to Earth and imposed another change of appearence.
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The early 1970s saw the first episodes of ''Doctor Who'' broadcast in colour - a move which certainly suited the flamboyant third Doctor, played by [[Jon Pertwee]] as something of a dandy. This incarnation would emphasises the Doctor's love of [[technology|technological]] wizardy and high-powered vehicles - aspects which drew much on the interests of Pertwee himself. However, the production team, headed by [[Barry Letts]] and script editor [[Terrence Dicks]], found the UNIT format too restrictive, and so steered the Doctor's adventures to ever-lengthier forays back out into time and space.
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In 1974, Pertwee moved on, and was succeeded by [[Tom Baker]], then the youngest actor to take on the part. At 40, Baker would go on to become the best-remembered Doctor to date, playing the role for a record seven years and depicting the Doctor as a more 'bohemian' figure, usually clad in a long coat, wide-brimmed hat and trademark scarf. Over time, the character varied from a  darker personality given to sombre moods, to a lighter portrayal which injected much humour into the series, especially when [[Douglas Adams]] script-edited the programme in the late 1970s. By this time, ''Doctor Who'' was a mainstay of Saturday-evening entertainment, regularly pulling in over ten million viewers a week. Change, as ever, was just around the corner.
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[[John Nathan-Turner]] became the producer of ''Doctor Who'' in 1980, at the time of Baker's final season. 'JN-T' would go on to produce the programme right through the 1980s, and became the source of much fan comment due to an increasingly controversial style. In 1981, he cast the well-known actor [[Peter Davison]] as Baker's successor - at the time, the youngest ever at 29 - and oversaw the Doctor's transformation into a more 'human' persona that evidenced a love of [[cricket (sport)|cricket]] - as evidenced by his outfit - and a more 'vulnerable' character that was far from infallible. Nathan-Turner was determined to court the series' fans by bringing back old adversaries, and also introduced more unconventional companions that were a sharp contrast with the mostly female, human occupants that until then had made up the majority of TARDIS travellers.
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Davison would ultimately decide that three years was enough, and Nathan-Turner again had to find a replacement, casting [[Colin Baker]], until then best-known for playing television villains. Baker debuted in 1984, playing a loud and unashamedly arrogant sixth Doctor, and would ultimately complete only two seasons. The BBC considered ''Doctor Who'' vulnerable against competition on other channels, and possible too [[violence|violent]], though [[Michael Grade]],　then the Controller of BBC One, would later admit a personal dislike of the show. Creative differences between Nathan-Turner and his script editor, [[Eric Saward]], reached a low point at this stage. ''Doctor Who'' was 'suspended' in 1985, but a fan campaign backed up by the [[media]] ensured its return after 18 months. However, senior management were determined to implement change: Baker was sacked, and Nathan-Turner was forced to cast his third leading man.
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1987 saw the return of the series with the little-known [[Sylvester McCoy]] in the role. McCoy's portrayal took some time to settle down as the actor gradually became settled into the role, at a time when behind-the-scenes strikes were taking their toll on production. McCoy's early clownish seventh Doctor became much darker and manipulative under the direction of script editor [[Andrew Cartmel]]; this era of the show also encouraged young and inexperienced writers, leading to some of the most innovative but controversial stories of the original series. By 1989, however, ratings had declined once more, and this time no media campaign backed the series when it was quietly killed off after 26 years.
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''Doctor Who'' survived throughout the 1990s as a series of original novels produced by [[Virgin Publishing]], and later the BBC. In 1996, the Doctor returned to the small screen in a U.S.-backed TV movie which saw McCoy hand over to [[Paul McGann]]. The production fared well among UK audiences, but was poorly scheduled in [[North America]] and ultimately it failed to go to a series. McGann's Doctor, who was revealed to be half-human, was a gentler figure than his predecessor, often struck by [[amnesia]]; his adventures continued in print, on [[radio]] and in [[comic]]s into the twenty-first century.
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Following the programme's 1989 cancellation and failure of a 1996 American-backed movie to secure a new series, the rights to make ''Doctor Who'' remained outside the reach of BBC programme-makers. The return of the show in 2005 was largely due to the persistence of the Controller of BBC One, [[Lorraine Heggessey]],<ref>[http://media.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,,368725,00.html 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.</ref> who finally won the rights to the series from the corporation's commercial arm, [[BBC Worldwide]]. The lack of support for further films finally convinced the BBC that an [[in-house]] series was the best way to secure the future of the programme.<ref>''[[Daily Telegraph]]'': '[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/26/nwho26.xml Doctor Who ready to come out of the Tardis for Saturday TV series]' 26th September 2003.</ref>. The 'new series' retained the TARDIS and other key features of the original 'classic series', rather than being a fundamentally new spin-off. Going into production in 2004, it was executively-produced by writer [[Russell T. Davies]] and [[BBC Wales]] Head of Drama/BBC Television Controller of Drama Commissioning [[Julie Gardner]]. 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 cast the highly-experienced actor [[Christopher Eccleston]] as the Doctor, leaving the circumstances of his latest regeneration unclear. Eccleston, however, declined to appear in a second run of 13 45-minute adventures, along with a [[Christmas]] special, leading Davies to cast David Tennant as the tenth Doctor.
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After four series and several specials, Davies left the programme in the hands of frequent writer for the series, [[Stephen Moffat]], who is executive producer from series five onwards. With David Tennant also leaving the series in 2010, the fifth season of the programme will open with a new actor playing the Doctor, Matt Smith.
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==Characters==
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===The Doctor===
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The Doctor is the main character in the series: the series reveals various aspects of his character and past, but much remains mysterious.
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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'. Throughout this season of adventures, it is emphasised that, in Russell T. Davies's words, this individual has been "damaged" by his experiences, which make him somewhat unpredictable.
 
The Doctor's physiology is rather different from humans; the first series reveals he has two [[heart]]s, 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
 
 
Other aspects of the Doctor's life remain less clear. There are suggestions of romantic feelings towards both Rose and others,<ref>e.g. Reinette in the 2006 adventure ''The Girl in the Fireplace''.</ref> but the his personal relationships are never humanlike.
 
likewise the third series (''Smith & Jones''; ''The Sound of Drums'', 2007) reveals that he had a brother - ''not'' his arch-enemy the Master
 
 
===Companions===
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,<ref>Wikipedia: ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_Reunion_(Doctor_Who) School Reunion]'', 2006.</ref> 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'' 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.
 
 
===Villains===
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,<ref>A new, enforced guideline for the new series so far is that all stories must involve humanity in some way.</ref> 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 (''Aliens of London'' and ''World War Three '', 2005).</ref> Other villians appearing include the [[Auton]]s (''Rose''), the [[Cybermen]] (in the 2006 series) and Cassandra, the last human being alive five billion years in the future ''The End of the World]'', 2005; ''New Earth'', 2006).
 
best-known in the series and wider UK culture
 
Envisaged as representing the [[Nazism|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'' (2005), 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' (''The Parting of the Ways'', 2005).
 
The Daleks have made more regular appearances in the relaunched programme than in the original 1963-1989 series, returning at least once a year.
 
==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''.
 
The relaunch of the programme has seen Christmas Day special episodes broadcast between series, the most recent being ''The Next Doctor''. 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. Series four, beginning in spring 2008, featured Catherine Tate as the Doctor's companion, Donna. After this, four special adventures will be broadcast in 2009.
 
 
==Viewership==
 
''Fuu'' is a romanisation of the Japanese name, and 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'' [http://www3.nhk.or.jp/kaigai/doctorwho website].</ref>
 
 
==Fandom==
''Doctor Who'' has amassed a large number of fans<ref>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.</ref> 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]].<ref>[[BBC]]: ''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2005/08/18/23167.shtml 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".</ref> 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.<ref>[[BBC]]: ''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2352743.stm BBC Wins Police Tardis Case]''. 23rd October 2002.</ref>
 
==Spin-offs==
 
''Torchwood'' returned for a second series in 2008, followed by a [[BBC Radio 4]] play that year. A third, shorter series is to follow.
 
Similarly, a second short ''Children in Need'' adventure, ''Time Crash'' (2007), is regarded as contributing to the series' continuity.</nowiki>

Latest revision as of 17:39, 4 March 2021


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