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plunkybugToday marks the 40th Anniversary, of cult British sci-fi series, Doctor Who. Congratulations!
Who, and what, is Doctor Who.
Doctor Who was the longest-running science fiction series in the history of television. Created by the BBC in 1963 as a children's science fiction series,Doctor Who eventually expanded its boundaries to just about every possible genre of television except for the musical. Spanning 26 seasons, with seven different actors taking on the lead role, Doctor Who was famous for its infinite flexibility and wide, dedicated, fan following. The 158th and final Doctor Who story was Survival (aired in December of 1989). No further episodes have been produced by the BBC over the past seven years, even though the show was never officially canceled. In spite of this, Doctor Who lives on today: on the radio and in a popular series of full-length novels. Recently, a television movie, made by Universal and the BBC called The Enemy Within continued the story line, and featured the eighth Doctor, Paul McGann. Although not as successful as first hoped, The Enemy Within has reignited the hearts and voices of Doctor Who fans and hopefully the indecision of the BBC and Fox will blossom into something more positive.
Why is the series called Doctor Who if that's not his name?
In An Unearthly Child, the very first Doctor Who episode (aired on November 23, 1963), William Hartnell was introduced simply as "The Doctor", a cranky old man with a time machine shaped like a Police Box. Because his character was shrouded in mystery, the title Doctor Who merely referred to the fact that we were never to know exactly who this man is. At various times in the show, different names were referred to:
"The Doctor" -- the name he introduces himself as in every single story, and the (proper) name many people call him by.
"Doctor Foreman" -- Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright refer to him as this initially when they are investigating their unusual student Susan Foreman, the Doctor's granddaughter.
"Doctor Who" -- WOTAN in The War Machines referred to the Doctor by this name; it was acknowledged as an error by the writing staff.
"Dr John Smith" -- alias used while working for U.N.I.T. during his exile on Earth. Also beautifully touched upon in The Enemy Within.
"Theta Sigma" -- used twice, in The Armageddon Factor and The Happiness Patrol; apparently, a Time Lord nickname given to the Doctor during his time at the Academy on Gallifrey.
"Merlin" -- it is revealed in Battlefield that, in a future incarnation, the Doctor will become Merlin, adviser to King Arthur. The time reference is uncertain since it involves parallel universes.
Apart from what he was called, the series did present us, over the proceeding 26 years, with much more information.
Who is the Doctor?
The Doctor is a Time Lord, one of the elite of the planet Gallifrey. The Time Lords are an immensely old and powerful society who have the ability to travel through time in their TARDISes, but whose policy is not to interfere with the rest of the universe. Instead, they simply observe and act only when absolutely necessary. Gallifreyan society, ruled by the High Council, is a dull and stagnant affair; some might even say that it is slowly decaying. The Doctor, of the Prydonian group of Time Lords, fled Gallifrey at some point (ostensibly because of boredom) and is now living the life of a renegade. His interference with space and time is in direct contravention to Time Lord policy, and he has twice been tried -- once "executed" on this point. Despite this, the Doctor continues to traverse the galaxy, often with a companion or two, battling evil and oppression in all its many guises. As he often says, interference "is what I do best". As a Time Lord, the Doctor has two hearts and can withstand temperature extremes better than humans. They have a symbiotic link with their time machines, that is, when something is wrong with the TARDIS, something is invariably wrong with the Doctor. They can also regenerate twelve times when their present body is worn out or dying.
More of the FAQ can be found here.
Who, and what, is Doctor Who.
Doctor Who was the longest-running science fiction series in the history of television. Created by the BBC in 1963 as a children's science fiction series,Doctor Who eventually expanded its boundaries to just about every possible genre of television except for the musical. Spanning 26 seasons, with seven different actors taking on the lead role, Doctor Who was famous for its infinite flexibility and wide, dedicated, fan following. The 158th and final Doctor Who story was Survival (aired in December of 1989). No further episodes have been produced by the BBC over the past seven years, even though the show was never officially canceled. In spite of this, Doctor Who lives on today: on the radio and in a popular series of full-length novels. Recently, a television movie, made by Universal and the BBC called The Enemy Within continued the story line, and featured the eighth Doctor, Paul McGann. Although not as successful as first hoped, The Enemy Within has reignited the hearts and voices of Doctor Who fans and hopefully the indecision of the BBC and Fox will blossom into something more positive.
Why is the series called Doctor Who if that's not his name?
In An Unearthly Child, the very first Doctor Who episode (aired on November 23, 1963), William Hartnell was introduced simply as "The Doctor", a cranky old man with a time machine shaped like a Police Box. Because his character was shrouded in mystery, the title Doctor Who merely referred to the fact that we were never to know exactly who this man is. At various times in the show, different names were referred to:
"The Doctor" -- the name he introduces himself as in every single story, and the (proper) name many people call him by.
"Doctor Foreman" -- Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright refer to him as this initially when they are investigating their unusual student Susan Foreman, the Doctor's granddaughter.
"Doctor Who" -- WOTAN in The War Machines referred to the Doctor by this name; it was acknowledged as an error by the writing staff.
"Dr John Smith" -- alias used while working for U.N.I.T. during his exile on Earth. Also beautifully touched upon in The Enemy Within.
"Theta Sigma" -- used twice, in The Armageddon Factor and The Happiness Patrol; apparently, a Time Lord nickname given to the Doctor during his time at the Academy on Gallifrey.
"Merlin" -- it is revealed in Battlefield that, in a future incarnation, the Doctor will become Merlin, adviser to King Arthur. The time reference is uncertain since it involves parallel universes.
Apart from what he was called, the series did present us, over the proceeding 26 years, with much more information.
Who is the Doctor?
The Doctor is a Time Lord, one of the elite of the planet Gallifrey. The Time Lords are an immensely old and powerful society who have the ability to travel through time in their TARDISes, but whose policy is not to interfere with the rest of the universe. Instead, they simply observe and act only when absolutely necessary. Gallifreyan society, ruled by the High Council, is a dull and stagnant affair; some might even say that it is slowly decaying. The Doctor, of the Prydonian group of Time Lords, fled Gallifrey at some point (ostensibly because of boredom) and is now living the life of a renegade. His interference with space and time is in direct contravention to Time Lord policy, and he has twice been tried -- once "executed" on this point. Despite this, the Doctor continues to traverse the galaxy, often with a companion or two, battling evil and oppression in all its many guises. As he often says, interference "is what I do best". As a Time Lord, the Doctor has two hearts and can withstand temperature extremes better than humans. They have a symbiotic link with their time machines, that is, when something is wrong with the TARDIS, something is invariably wrong with the Doctor. They can also regenerate twelve times when their present body is worn out or dying.
More of the FAQ can be found here.
