Doctor Who

Doctor Who is an award winning British science fiction TV series produced by the BBC. For the main character go to The Doctor.

The First Doctor
Doctor Who reached first our screens in November 1963. The first episode was titled "An Unearthly Child", and starred William Hartnell as The Doctor. During this time The Doctor was revealed to travel Time and Space in a vehicle called a TARDIS, standing for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Hartnell (a Second World War veteran) was 55 when he took the role, and lasted for three years. His poor health lead him to retire, but the BBC bosses were reluctant to let him go, the series having become very popular. In a brave decision John Wiles and Innes Lloyd, the shows producers decided to hire Patrick Troughton as The Doctor in Hartnells place.

The Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton took over as The Doctor in the episode "The Tenth Planet". A complete change of look and personality for The Doctor was explained away by the alien nature of The Doctor. Established character actor Troughton played The Doctor for three years, before moving on to other parts. His regeneration was caused by the Doctor's people (The Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey) from whom he was a fugitive, exiling him to Earth for interfering with the lesser races.

The Third Doctor
Popular comedy actor Jon Pertwee became The Doctor in 1970, heralding a new era in the history of the show. After the first episode the series and all subsequent ones were shot in colour. For much of his four year run Pertwee's Doctor was trapped on 1970's Earth by the Time Lords, although this had more to do with budget constraints. After his defeat of the rogue Time Lord Omega in the 10th anniversary episode "The Three Doctors" he was again allowed his freedom.

The Fourth Doctor
Tom Baker is the actor credited with the longest running screen role (seven consecutive years) as The Doctor, although some fans feel that the Eighth Doctor has had the longest run to date, by starring in a large number of audio adventures. Baker was hugely popular, and during his stint audience figures peaked. Two of his companions have also remained deeply embedded within the public consciousness, K-9, a robotic dog, and Sarah-Jane Smith, a young reporter, both of whom starred in their own spin off series.

The Fifth Doctor
In 1981 Tom Baker had decided to move on, and in his place a young actor named Peter Davison was chosen to play The Doctor. Davison had come to prominence as Tristan Farnon, the young trainee vet, in the adaptations of James Herriot's popular series of books. Davison's Doctor was much more thoughtful and sensitive than the previous incarnations, tending to react to situations, rather than initiate them. Interestingly it was during his run as The Doctor that the first death of a regular companion occurred. Adric, who had begun his travels with the Fourth Doctor, was killed when the defeated Cybermen's ship crashed into prehistoric earth.

Daleks
See the separate entry on Daleks