Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a BBC TV programme started in 1963 and still going strong today. It centres around a character named The Doctor, who travels around the universe in a time machine called the Tardis, which resembles a 1940s British Police Phone Booth, but is much bigger inside than outside, usually with a female companion that he picks up along the way.

The program was initially cancelled in 1989, following some years of declining interest, but was resurrected for a TV movie in 1996. A new set of series began in 2005 with a much improved budget and more consistently high-quality acting and writing.

The series is currently airing on BBC One in the UK, CBC Television in Canada and the SciFi Channel in the US.

The Doctor has the ability to regenerate his body when mortally weakened, a useful plot device that has allowed the role to be played on TV by ten different actors so far.

William Hartnell (1963-66)

The first actor to play the Doctor portrayed him as a cantankerous old man. Initially a somewhat dark character, he became more grandfatherly in later episodes. Hartnell's era introduced the most well-known of the Doctor's foes, the Daleks.

Patrick Troughton (1966-1969)

Troughton's Doctor was an impish figure, whose gimmicks included playing the recorder. In this period, much of which is lost, the program felt the influence of Star Trek somewhat.

Jon Pertwee (1970-1974)

The third Doctor was Earth-bound for much of his tenure, due to budgetary constraints. This period had a reliance on gadgetry (including the Sonic Screwdriver and the Whomobile) under the influence of James Bond, and featured UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, dedicated to combating extra-terrestrial threats.

Tom Baker (1974-1981)

By far the most popular and iconic Doctor, Baker, with his seven-foot long scarf and fondness for Jelly Babies played the role for longer than any other actor. His time featured arguably the best scripts of the Classic Series, including the thought-provoking Genesis of the Daleks, and Douglas Adams' witty City of Death.

Peter Davison (1981-1984)

The fifth Doctor was a vulnerable character, part of an effort to move to program into the realm of 'serious' Sci-Fi.

Colin Baker (1984-1986)

Dogged by poor writing, an absurd costume and misguided attempts to darken the Doctor's character, Colin Baker's portrayal is often regarded as the least satisfying of all.

Sylvester McCoy (1986-1989)

Initially not much of an improvement, the quality of the series improved markedly towards the end. However, this was not enough to save it, and it ended in 1989.

Paul McGann (1996)

McGann played the role for the pilot episode of what was to be a new series for US consumption. However the compromises made for the US market alienated old fans, and failed to win new ones, and the series was never made.

Christopher Eccleston (2005)

A far more successful attempt to rejuvenate the format came in 2005 from producer Russell T. Davies. Eccleston, already an actor of considerable repute (Shallow Grave, Let Him Have It), brought an edge to the role rarely seen before, whilst sophisticated scripts by such writers as Stephen Moffat and Mark Gattis helped the program to appeal to a wide age range. Although regarded as an instant success, Eccleston had no desire to become tied to the role and left after a single series.

David Tennant (2006-)

The current actor playing the Doctor was also well-known beforehand (Casanova, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). His portrayal is more humorous and vivacious than Eccleston's.

Political and social themes

Several stories in the series have been subtly or overtly political in their themes. For instance, The Green Death (1973) emphasised the dangers of Pollution and big business - while the following year's Invasion of the Dinosaurs featured a contrasting menace -pro-environment extremists. Other stories have taken their themes from current news stories of the time, such as the United Kingdom's entry into the Common Market. In a recent episode, the Daleks - Doctor Who's most dangerous enemy, a race of creatures who are physically shriveled and weak but contained within an armored tank-like body - take over Manhattan. They ruthlessly exploit workers engaged in construction and repair on the Empire State Building. This was reported in the British newspaper The Independent as a metaphor for the rampant abuse of capitalism. Writers on The Guardian have commented that this is evidence of the BBC pumping out "relentless socialist propaganda".